Title: Experimental Grace
Authors: Debba and Sue
Category: Other – Grace/Ryder
Rating: R
E-mail: debba78@hotmail.com and ruststar@aol.com
Disclaimer: We own nothing
Summary: Get to know Grace and Ryder
Authors' Note: Thanks to everyone who previewed and gave us feedback!


Grace slipped quietly up the main staircase of the boy's dorm at Rawley Academy. It was
late and if she got caught there would be hell to pay. She was a little early for the weekly
poker game she played with some of the guys, but they wouldn't care. She was the life of
the party – always ready with a snappy comeback, a good card player, and able to chug a
beer with the best of them. She sighed at her list of accomplishments.

She checked her watch when she reached the third floor. There were still ten minutes
before she had to be there. She tiptoed down the hall to the guest bathroom, figuring
she'd use the time to freshen up before the game.

Once safely in the restroom with the door locked behind her, she relaxed a little. She
dampened a paper towel and patted down her face and neck, which were flushed from her
walk from town to school in the warm night air. As she adjusted her navy blue baby t-
shirt and fixed her hair, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and paused to
study the girl who stared back at her.

Grace Banks was pretty. She wasn't the fresh-scrubbed, peaches and cream beauty her
sister Bella was; but even at just shy of 16 years old, she had an earthy, exotic quality to
her. With her long, thick auburn hair and gray eyes she caught plenty of stares from the
boys. But a closer look at Grace revealed unhappiness deep under the outgoing, fun-
loving exterior she presented to the world.

She sighed at the face staring back at her. The weekly poker games she had been playing
with the guys at Rawley Academy for the last year had become a habit, something she
did because it was expected of the "wild" Banks sister, and although she'd never admit it,
she was getting tired of them. She felt…restless? She couldn't put a definite name to the
feeling; she only knew that something in her life needed to change. Being the wild,
irresponsible, immature Grace Banks was starting to take its toll. Glancing at her watch,
she realized she had to get to the game.

"Time to turn on the sparkle, Gracie," she muttered, gathering her energy for the night
ahead.

She could hear the guys talking as she walked down the hall.

"Dude, I'm telling you – tonight!" That was Ryan. He was a senior, gorgeous, and a
complete egomaniac.

"Nope, not gonna happen," replied Josh. "You've been charming that girl for a year and
you haven't gotten anywhere."

Grace froze just outside the door. Were they talking about her?

"I'll bet you," Ryan challenged.

"How much?"

"$200."

"Fine," Josh accepted the bet as Grace stood, riveted, listening. "$200 to you if you get
Grace Banks in bed with you tonight."

Ryan grinned triumphantly. "You just lost $200, Josh. Grace Banks is nothing but a
jumped-up townie slut. She'd be in bed with any of the guys here in a second if we just
asked."

Grace's jaw dropped as Ryan's words sunk in. Her whole body went numb from shock
and she backed slowly from the door to the stairs, careful to stay quiet. She didn't want
them to know she'd overheard their disgusting conversation. "You just lost $200, Ryan,"
she thought as she turned and fled down the stairs, out the door, and into the night.

******

A red corvette sped down the unlit two-lane road with no real concern for the posted
speed limit or the painted boundary lines. The driver tossed a lit cigarette out the window
and delighted in watching the way the orange embers bounced off the concrete in his
mirrors. He quickly lit another cigarette and cursed the weakness of the American
tobacco that forced him to smoke twice as much for the desired affect. Ryder looked at
himself in the rearview mirror as he inhaled on his cigarette – he liked the way he looked
when he smoked, which was pretty much the only reason anybody ever started smoking,
in his opinion.

There was nobody on the isolated back roads he was cruising, so he wasn't too concerned
if his wheels drifted a bit here and there. He reached out to the CD changer to find a song
to suit his mood. He settled on #1 Crush by Garbage – not because of the words, but for
the mood of the music, dark and rhythmic. As he drove he drummed his fingers on the
steering wheel in time with music, losing himself in his thoughts for a while.

The midnight drive was becoming a ritual for him this year. Since he had returned to
Rawley Academy for his final year he felt …off-kilter, like the pieces of his life weren't
fitting together anymore. The boys he ran with bored him – but it was a little late in the
game to look for a new crowd, and he'd alienated almost everyone outside of his narrow
circle. They all looked up to him as a leader, of sorts, but he just wasn't interested in
leading anymore.

Even torturing the younger boys held little appeal – not even taunting Hamilton and his
boy toy Jake brought him any joy. In fact, he was a little jealous - disgusting as they
were, it was obvious that their relationship was real, and he couldn't name even one
person he had that kind of friendship with. Even his relationship with his mother was
hardly what you'd call warm these days. He couldn't stand the person she'd become
since she married the American wanker who sent him away to Rawley. When he saw her
over the break she didn't even attempt to stop the bastard from laying into him every day
that he was home. And she wondered why he never wanted to visit.

He sighed and glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Groaning, he realized that it was
almost time for the weekly poker game with the boys. He slowed down and turned the car
around to head back to school. The one thing that still kept his interest these days was
poker – he'd never tire of taking their money.

*******

Grace speed-walked down the long driveway of Rawley Academy, brushing solitary tears
from her cheeks as they fell. She was still numb from what she'd overheard, her body
moving on auto-pilot with only one thought – to get away, to get someplace safe so she
could lose it.

"Don't think about it, Grace. Not yet. Keep it together 'till you're off campus," she
thought, willing the burning pain and anger away, choking back sobs of rage and anguish.
She lasted until she was a mile from campus, walking swiftly in the dark towards town.
Ryan's words finally caught up with her, echoing in her head.

"Townie slut…in bed in a second…$200…" The thoughts whirled in her brain, taunting
her until she couldn't take it anymore.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" she screamed. "I am NOT!" She kicked the tree next to
her in fury; pounding its trunk the way she had wanted to hit Ryan and Josh. "You
ASSHOLE! I am not I am not I am not! You don't even know me!" Kick. "God, I can't
believe I was so stupid!" Kick. She continued her assault on the tree, venting all her
frustration, anger, and pain on its unsuspecting bark. "How could they think that? How
DARE they think that? Dickheads." Kick. "Assholes." Kick. "Fucking pieces of –
aaahhhh!" Kick. Kick. "There aren't words bad enough to describe them!" Tears of rage
started to pour down her cheeks as she tortured the tree. Now that the fury was subsiding,
only pain was left. She gave the tree one last hard kick and crumpled to the ground,
sobbing. "No, I'm not, Ryan," she whispered. "I am NOT a slut. But you never bothered
to look under the surface, did you? No one does," she said sadly, to herself.

The sound of an approaching car brought Grace out of her dismal thoughts, especially
when the car slowed and stopped next to her. She sighed, recognizing the corvette and its
driver. Ryder. Normally she'd be pleased to see him. His sarcastic nature blended well
with her own and they usually had a pretty good time tearing people down. Now, though,
she was wary. As the leader of the gang of poker-playing Rawley boys, he should have
been at the game, and she wondered briefly at his presence there on the side of the
road. Was he here to torment her? Did he know about the bet?

She looked away, quickly wiping her cheeks dry. She'd seen him cut people to ribbons
with just a few words – she'd even helped him do it on occasion – and she knew about
his uncanny ability to sense someone's vulnerability. Not wanting to be on the receiving
end of his wit, she swallowed her sobs and prayed that the darkness would cover the
tearstains. She couldn't handle being one of his victims at the moment.

"Grace? Was that you beating the hell out of that poor defenseless tree?" he asked,
already knowing the answer.

She closed her eyes. Damn. He'd seen that fit of temper. This was not good for her.
Praying he'd do as she asked, she said in a low voice, "Go away, Ryder."

He cocked his head at her tone, his curiosity aroused. This was not the fiery, vivacious
Grace Banks he'd come to know over the past year. Normally she'd greet him with a
bounce in her step and a glittering smile. Not tonight, though. All her spark seemed to be
gone.

His first instinct was to move in for the kill, but something stopped him, as her
bedraggled appearance registered in his mind. Her hair was in disarray, her shoes were
covered in mud and she was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest. It was all very
uncharacteristic for her. His eyes narrowed as he studied her defensive posture – were
those tearstains? He was hit with a small pang of alarm as he realized that she had indeed
been crying. Grace Banks was crying? Now he knew something was seriously wrong.
Grace never cried. She was as tough as he was.

He approached her slowly, not quite sure how to deal with this. "What's the matter,
Grace?"

She pulled back warily, clearly not trusting him. "Nothing's the matter. I just want to be
alone."

"You want to be alone? The girl who lives for attention? Now I know something's
wrong," Ryder said. He dropped to the ground beside her, instinctively keeping some
distance between them. Grace was being very protective of herself and he respected her
need for space. He also knew she'd never tell him anything if he was looming over her
like some threatening beast.

"Tell me?" he asked.

She was surprised. He wasn't being a smartass or a jerk; he seemed genuinely concerned
about her. Still…this was Ryder. The guy had a history of tormenting anyone weaker
than him, and she'd be damned if she was his next victim. Besides, she still wasn't sure
what, if anything, he knew about the bet. Defenses firmly in place, she took a deep
breath, praying that her voice wouldn't crack or shake and betray her. Refusing to look at
him, she said, "I said, I want to be alone. And even if I was going to tell someone what
was wrong, it wouldn't be you. You're their ringleader – you probably already knew
what they were planning for tonight."

"I've actually got better things to do than get involved in their little evil plots – they're so
uninspired its not worth my time," he said.

She looked up at him and studied him, trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not.
For once he seemed guileless, and that alone was a surprise. The bigger surprise was that
he was holding his hand out to pull her up.

"Come on, I'll drive you home," he said, almost kindly. She took his hand and let him
pull her up from the ground, still in shock – courtesy was about the last thing she
expected from Ryder.
******

As he drove the short distance towards her father's gas station he kept glancing in her
direction – she was staring out the window, idly tracing lines in the fogged up glass. He'd
never seen her so subdued and he wasn't sure what to say to her. Comforting people in
pain was a skill he hadn't used since he was a kid, and he had long ago decided that
playing that role was usually a lose-lose situation. But, for some reason, he wanted to
help her, and he wasn't really sure why.

The next time he glanced over at her she was staring at him with a puzzled look on her
face.

"Why are you being so nice to me? Its not normal."

Her question surprised him – and put him on the defensive.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not as evil as you think. I don't enjoy making women
cry," he said, gesturing to her tear-stained face, "Unless they've earned it, which you
haven't – that I know of." He threw her a salacious grin as he turned the corner to go
down the main street of town.

He pulled into the gas station, turned off the engine and turned to look at her like a cat
about to pounce.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to get it out of the boys at the
dorms?"

She rolled her eyes in disgust. Of course he'd get it out of them, she should have known
she wouldn't get out of telling him. She sighed and told him what she'd overheard back
at the dorms, refusing to look at him as she recounted her story.

"Only $200? No wonder you're so pissed…" he looked up in surprise when she
wrenched open the car door and started to get out, hardly able to control her anger.

He got out of the car and rushed to stop her before she could reach the back door to the
station. When he grabbed her wrist she whirled around and glared at him.

"I should have known better than to tell you," she spat out viciously. "You're an even
bigger ass than they are – they're just stupid lemmings, you're the ringleader. They take
all their cues from you." She used her other hand to remove his hand from her wrist and
turned to enter the building.

"Grace, wait," he said, a little stung by what she said. "That didn't come out the way I
meant it to. I only meant that if they were going to bet over you the stakes should have
been much higher."

"It could have been a million dollars and it still wouldn't change the fact that they think
I'm a slut who'll sleep with anybody," she said, mollified, but still petulant.

"They're like that about every girl – not just you. It's actually dead funny to watch –
they've been circling around you like wolves, but you've acted like they hardly matter,
which just drives them crazy."

"You keep saying them – am I supposed to believe you weren't egging them on?" she
asked.

"Actually, love, I've been rooting for you – its been much more fun to watch them crash
and burn," he said with a wicked grin.

She pursed her lips as she searched his face for any sign he was just toying with her. Her
anger drained out of her when she found none, and she smiled in return.

"You're rooting for me? Really?" she asked, incredulous that a Rawley boy would pick a
townie over one of his own. It made her feel better, although the thought of the bet still
stung. "God, I just wish there was something I could do...some way to show them that I'm
not what they think."

Ryder cocked his head and a slight twinkle came to his eye. Grace had just given him an
idea. "Look, Gracie, you go and clean the raccoon smudges off your eyes and get some
much-needed beauty rest."

She shot him a disgusted look, but she knew that of all the barbs he could have thrown
that was probably the least painful.

"I've got to run – it sounds like the boys have some extra cash on their hands tonight, so I
should be present to relieve them of the heavy load." Smirking, he tipped an imaginary
hat in a gentlemanly salute to her, and walked around to the driver's side of his car.

She waved goodbye as he pulled way and slipped inside the garage. The emotional roller
coaster she'd been riding exhausted her, but she found that she was feeling much better
now. What a surprise that Ryder had been the one to ease her pain. She shook her head to
clear her thoughts – she was too tired to wonder about his uncharacteristic behavior. It
would have to wait until tomorrow.


Part 2


"Grace – where the hell are you?" her sister Bella hollered. She clomped up the stairs and
appeared in the doorway of Graces bedroom to glare at her.

"What? Its not my turn today – you know that. I already checked the schedule dad made."
Her sister was always acting like she skipped out on her duty at the gas station. Maybe
when she was younger she was a lot less reliable, but she had gotten much better about
being on time for her shifts at the station and she resented Bella's tone.

"I know that," Bella snapped, "But dad forgot that I have a meeting to go to at school at
4:30, so you have to fill in."

Grace closed her English book and got up off the bed with a sigh of resignation. She
slipped on some shoes, ran a brush through her hair, and put on some lip-gloss. Satisfied
with her appearance and the sounds of annoyance coming from Bella, she smiled sweetly
at her sister before brushing past her to take her post.

Halfway down the stairs she stopped and turned around. "You could have asked me, you
know. I can't read your mind, Bella, so next time fill me in," she said calmly and headed
downstairs, leaving her sister to fume. God, she pissed her off sometimes, but she'd
learned that not reacting to her was the most effective retaliation she could use.

She grabbed a magazine from the rack in the office and dragged a stool outside. Although
it was late October the weather was unseasonably warm, and she wanted to enjoy the
warmth while she could. She sat down, propped one leg up against the pump and used it
hold the magazine up while she read. Halfway through an article on choosing the right
college she heard a car pull up next to her.

Ryder rolled down the window of the corvette and leaned out. "Gracie, just the girl I was
looking for," he said, removing his sunglasses and grinning at her.

She approached the corvette warily, still not completely sure how to take Ryder. He had
been so nice the other night (well, nice for Ryder anyway) and she was waiting for the
other shoe to drop, so to speak.

"What can I do for you, Ryder?" she asked, giving him a small smile.

"Well first you can act like you might be happy to see me – especially after you see what
I've got for you," he said with a smirk. He handed her a long, white envelope.

She looked at him in confusion, and then looked down as she tore open the envelope.
Inside were five $20 bills.

"What's this for?" she asked, sincerely confused now.

"Don't worry love, it's not a proposition… it's your half of the money from the bet. I had
such fun taking their money the other night; I thought you deserved your half. You gave
me the inside information I needed to keep them off-balance throughout the game – the
poor lad was feeling completely demoralized by the end of the night. Not to mention flat
broke."

"Wow," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "What did you say to them? You didn't
tell them I knew about the bet, did you?" she asked worriedly. The last thing in the world
she wanted was for Ryan and his friends to know how they'd hurt her.

"Of course not, what do you think I am?" he asked, pretending to be offended. "Its not
important what I said, just know that he won't be thinking real highly of his talent with
the ladies for a while."

She pictured the look on Ryan's face for a moment and grinned in satisfaction. "God, I
almost wish I could have seen that!"

"Show up for this week's game – our combined wit and poker skill could prove very
profitable. Besides, it would seem odd if you stopped showing up. They expect to see you
every week, so you really shouldn't disappoint your public, Grace."

"I don't know – its gonna turn cold pretty soon, and that's not a fun walk in cold
weather…" she trailed off, coyly seeing just how far he was willing to go to get her to
show up.

"I'll pick you up."






Part 3

"I fold," Grace said in disgust. She hadn't had more than three decent hands all night, and
never enough to win. It was a miracle she'd lasted as long as she had. "And, I'm out of
money. So, unless one of you fine gentlemen wants to loan me some cash," she smiled
flirtatiously, the Grace Banks charm in full effect, "I'm, sadly, out for the rest of the
evening."

When none of the other three boys at the table offered to cover her, she rolled her eyes
and pretended to pout. "Well, since I'm now broke, there's no point in me staying, is
there? Unless someone wants me around as a good luck charm?"

"As tempting as that is, Gracie," Ryan said, leering at Grace, "I have to try and win some
of this back from Ryder…you have been on a hot streak, man!"

Ryder tried not to throw something at Ryan's head. The thought of that cretin touching
Grace made him want to commit some kind of violent act. "Just lucky tonight, I guess,"
he said nonchalantly, trying not to let his disgust for Ryan show on his face. Ever since
the night the other two boys had bet about getting Grace into bed, he had been trying to
avoid them. He never missed the poker game, though. He loved to take their money, and
since they had never learned to watch the cards, he usually won.

Grace pretended to pout when Ryan turned her down, but she was secretly relieved.
"Your loss, Ryan. I'm outta here, then…see you boys next week!"
She slipped on her jacket and walked to the door. With a flirtatious wave, she said, "Bye,
boys!" and walked out the door, noticing Ryder's imperceptible nod when she looked in
his direction.

Ryder saw the look she shot him and knew she'd be waiting in his room for him to take
her home after the game. For a month now, he'd been picking her up and driving her
back to the gas station. It was odd; when he'd made the offer to drive her, he hadn't
anticipated that he'd have so much fun talking to her on the trips. She had somehow
become more human to him. Before, she was a stereotypical townie girl –wild, witty, and
fun to be around, but he'd been pleasantly surprised when he'd begun to find the girl
under the mask.

She was a lot like him.

*******

Grace quietly unlocked Ryder's door and crept inside. She was exhausted.
Ryan had been unusually flirtatious tonight. He must have recovered his confidence from
the night of the bet. She still didn't know exactly what
Ryder had told him, but ever since, he'd been a little wary around her. She was grateful –
since Ryan had backed off, she hadn't needed to be as defensive around him.

Ryder had helped her a lot too. For the last month he'd driven her back and forth between
the gas station and the games. He made her laugh, helped her relax beforehand, which
made it easier to keep up the act and not vomit on Ryan's shoes. During the game, he was
quietly protective of her. Whenever one of the others tried to move in too close, he was
there with a derisive comment or a hand that usually wiped them out of their money. On
the way back, he let her vent about how stupid Ryan and Josh were, how much she hated
them, and how she couldn't wait to get out of New Rawley. He was a surprisingly
sympathetic listener. She suspected that he had secrets of his own – that his perfect life at
the perfect school with the perfect friends and the perfect car wasn't nearly as great as he
pretended.

She sighed, looking at her watch. The game was running long. One of the others must
have had a winning streak. She sat on the edge of his bed, yawning, fighting to keep her
eyes open. She contemplated stretching out and dozing off, trying not to. She didn't want
him to get the wrong impression of her. Still, she was exhausted…surely Ryder wouldn't
mind if she took a quick nap while he finished the game. He knew her well enough that
he wouldn't think she was offering something she wasn't. He'd simply wake her up and
drive her home when the game was over, she decided. She lay back and curled up,
pulling the covers over her and falling asleep almost instantly.

Her last conscious thought was that the pillow smelled like Ryder.

*******

Ryder yawned as he walked down to his room. It was 2 AM. The game had gone on
much longer than usual, and Grace was probably furious for having to wait so long. He
unlocked the door and went inside, whispering, "Grace?" as he entered. Then he saw her.
She was fast asleep on his bed, curled up on her side, her long hair spread out on the
pillow. He smiled when he saw her. Who would have believed that Grace Banks could
look so innocent, so vulnerable?

He hated to wake her. Actually, she was so deeply asleep, he wasn't sure he'd be able to
wake her. He didn't really want to drive into town this late, either. He was so tired he just
wanted to crash. He decided she could stay just this once.

He moved quietly around the room, changing into a pair of sweatpants and a
T-shirt, knowing she wouldn't appreciate it if she woke up and found him next to her
wearing only his boxers. As he sat down next to her, he noticed she was still wearing her
shoes. Chuckling softly to himself, he whispered,
"You know, you could have taken these off, Gracie," as he unlaced her sneakers and slid
them gingerly off her feet. She never stirred. He lay down, moving her hair off the spare
pillow so that he could use it, noticing the light scent of her shampoo as he fell asleep.

The feeling of soft feathers drawing across his face woke him up with a start. As he
opened his eyes he realized that it was actually Grace's hair tickling his nose as he
breathed in and out because his face was pressed into the curve of her neck.

At some point during the night he had moved closer to her – extremely close. They both
lay on their sides and his body fit behind hers in a perfect example of two spoons in a
drawer. His left arm held her securely to him as if he were afraid she'd fall off the edge of
the narrow twin bed.

As reality soaked into is sleep-fogged brain he noticed how good it felt to hold her – how
natural - yet he this was a completely new experience for him. He had never actually
slept with a girl before – he was the sort that snuck out the backdoor before there could
be any embarrassing emotional scenes where he had to pretend to care about whichever
random girl he was seeing that week. Nuzzling the back of her neck slightly he began to
rethink the wisdom of that policy – her warmth and the scent of her hair were just the
intoxicants he needed to drift back to sleep.

Grace awoke in her customary manner – like molasses pouring out of a cold jar. She
stretched like a cat and grabbed Ryder's hand in hers to pull his arm tighter around her.
She smiled in her sleep, enjoying the comforting feeling of being wrapped in someone's
arms. Warm breath on the back of her neck and a low chuckle dragged her out of her
sleep-state. Rapid awareness made her eyes grow big and she rolled over onto her left
side, coming nose to nose with Ryder.

"Good morning love, do you always take this long to wake?" he asked, his eyes dancing
with amusement.

She nearly fell off the bed in shock. What the hell was going on? Why was it so bright?
And why in the hell was Ryder looking so damn smug?

He reached an arm out to keep her from falling and he kept his hand on her waist to
stabilize her. She looked down at his hand, closed her eyes, and silently counted to 10,
trying to calm the red swirl of emotions ripping through her.

It didn't work. Snapping her eyes open she shoved him away from her roughly. Now that
she was fully awake she was able to quickly roll off the bed to stand and glare at Ryder.

"Ryder? What the hell is going on? What am I doing here?"

"Easy there, Gracie, don't bite my head off. You fell asleep last night before I could take
you home. I couldn't get you to wake up, so I just let you stay," Ryder said calmly,
chuckling a little over her distress.

"You let me stay," she said matter-of-factly. Then Grace exploded, barely remembering
to keep her voice down. "You let me * stay*??? What the hell were you thinking?" she
bit out. "Do you have any idea how this will look?"
Her voice was shaking with the effort to stay calm. "Dammit, Ryder!"

Ryder was starting to understand why she was so upset. He tried to calm her.
"Grace, no one will know. The guys think you went straight home after you left the game
– they have no idea you fell asleep here. Just relax, okay?"

"Relax? What happens when I walk out of here? Then what, genius? Or were you
planning on having me shimmy down the drainpipe so that nobody sees me leaving?" Her
voice dripped with sarcasm. "God, they're gonna see me, in the same clothes I was
wearing last night. And they're gonna think…oh
God…they're gonna think that you…and I…" her voice trailed off in horror.
"Damn you! You, of all people Ryder; you know how hard I've tried to get rid of that
townie slut image." Grace ranted at him, her feelings wounded by what she thought was
his betrayal. "I should have known better than to let myself trust you. You really are an
ass, Ryder. You made me think that you'd help me, you drove me back and forth, you let
me bitch about the guys, and now, after all that, when I finally trusted you a little…" She
broke off suddenly. She hadn't meant to tell him that.

He listened to her, amazed. He hadn't heard Grace rant this much in a while.
Her cheeks were flushed; her eyes were crackling with fire, and her hair snapped around
her face while she paced. He'd never noticed how pretty she was. Then her words sunk
in.

"You trust me?" he asked, amazed. A warm glow started in the pit of his stomach, only to
be brutally put out when she whirled around and glared at him.

"Trusted. Past tense. The second you got the chance you screwed me over.
You let me stay here, knowing damn well how it would look if I got caught.
I'm gonna look like an even bigger slut now, Ryder, and it's all your fault," she snapped.

He was stung by her accusations. It was an unusual sensation for him, and one he didn't
like. Without bothering to analyze why he cared what Grace thought of him, he began to
explain himself. Unfortunately for Ryder, his defensive instincts kicked in and his mouth
took over. For some reason, he wanted to hurt her for the way she was hurting him.

"Gracie, they'll never think that," he said dryly. "They know I'd never sleep with a
townie girl in a million years. I have better taste than that," he smirked at her.

She gasped in outrage, her face paling. For a moment words failed her as his barb struck
home. Then her eyes narrowed, and she said in an icy voice,
"Shut up. Just shut up, okay? I don't want to hear your voice. I don't want to talk to you.
I don't want to see you, not even if you get every guy at Rawley to fill up his tank at the
gas station. I want you," she was struggling to control her voice, which was shaking with
rage and hurt, "to just leave me the hell alone. Do you understand?"

He tried to answer, but she cut him off again. "Don't say a word, just nod if you
understand."

He nodded, his own eyes flashing angrily at her. If Grace wanted the silent treatment, it
was the silent treatment she'd get. He was a master at it.

"Good. Goodbye, Ryder. I hope the lies you're going to tell about me are worth it.
Asshole. Oh, and wipe that stupid smirk off your face. It makes you look like Ryan."
With that, Grace opened the door and darted down the hall, thankful that most of the guys
seemed to either be outside or still asleep. She slipped out a side door and headed for the
woods and the shortcut back to town, hoping she'd get back before her sister or father
noticed her missing.

When the door shut behind her, Ryder flopped back on his bed. He was completely
dumbfounded. "How did I let that go so far?" he muttered to himself. He shouldn't have
been so sarcastic, but damn! When people were insulting him, his snarky comments were
instinctive. He sighed. He couldn't believe that she thought he would…betray her like
that. Didn't she know how much he enjoyed her company? He groaned. He never thought
his history as the resident Rawley asshole would come back to haunt him like this. Now
he had to see how he could make it right with Grace. He'd fix it at the game next week.



Part 5


When Grace didn't show up for the next week's game he knew he'd really screwed up.
The hollow feeling her absence inspired surprised him. During the short time he'd been
driving her back and forth he'd gotten to like the girl, and her presence had made the
weekly games much more tolerable. The lads had grown insufferable, and his irritability
with them was starting to get noticed.

The past week was worse. Ever since the morning she stormed out of his room he'd been
feeling…odd. First there was the guilt - he really did feel bad about what he said to her,
and for not considering how it would look for her if someone saw her sneaking out of his
room in the morning. For god's sake, he knew what * he * would have said if it had been
someone else's room…. Something just as crappy as the barb that slipped out last night,
the one he wished he could take back.

Second was the dreams. When he woke up next to her that morning he'd noticed things
about her that had escaped him in the past. The details hadn't escaped his sub-conscious,
however, because they showed in his dreams every night. The silken feel of her hair, the
way she smelled, the way her body fit so perfectly with his… It had been years since
arousal had had pulled him from a deep sleep, but there it was. Every morning.

He knew he had to apologize to her - but the thought of doing it face to face was more
than he was ready to deal with. The things he was feeling for Grace were scary - was it
friendship? Was it more? Either way, the feelings were alien to him. He hadn't truly been
a friend to anyone since he was 15 - right before he came to Rawley. He'd certainly never
felt that way about a girl before.

The guilt - as well as the fact that he missed her company - finally prompted him to
action.

******


"Gracie?" her dad's voice drifted up the stairs to Grace's room. "You've got a letter
down here, honey!"

She looked up from her homework, a frown furrowing her brow. "You sure it's for me,
dad?" she yelled back. She never got mail. Well, there had been that one letter from her
mom, but she'd immediately thrown that in the trash. She hadn't wanted to deal with that
woman any more than Bella had.

"Yep – it says 'Grace Banks' on it. I'll leave it on the table for you."

Curious now, Grace left her English essay and went down to the kitchen to see this
mysterious letter. Sure enough, there was a white envelope with her name and address
clearly written on the front. She didn't recognize the handwriting, and the return address
was only vaguely familiar, so she still had no clue as to who had written her, or why.
Grabbing her dad's letter opener from his desk, she took the letter up to her room. She sat
on her bed; English homework now forgotten, opened the envelope, and unfolded the
paper inside.

"C'mon, Grace. You can't stay mad at me forever. I screwed up and I'm sorry
- I wasn't thinking. Nobody saw you leave and I didn't mention it, so you don't need to
worry about your reputation. Now get over it already - I'm losing money without my
favorite card shark in residence. –Ryder"

She sighed. Ryder. She hadn't spoken to him in a little over a week, not since the day
she'd woken up next to him. Her face heated as she remembered how safe, how…right it
had felt to wake up with his arm around her. It had been comfortable and she hadn't
wanted to move. Her mind wandered, remembering the feel of him pressed up against
her, holding her tightly.

Abruptly, she forced her thoughts back to the topic at hand. The letter.
What was she going to do? She wasn't as pissed at him any more, but she was still hurt by
what he'd said about New Rawley girls. He had been the first person she had trusted in a
long time; she'd thought he understood her. How could she forgive him for what he'd
done, even if no one knew about it? How could she believe that he wouldn't let it happen
again? She began to tear the letter up - it was just a reminder of how he'd hurt her - then
paused.

She just couldn't quite bring herself to destroy it. Instead, she folded
Ryder's note up, put it back in its envelope, and stuck it in her dresser drawer, then turned
resolutely back to her schoolwork.

From then on, the letters came once a week, every Tuesday. Her dad always left them on
the kitchen table for her, and when she came home from school they were there, waiting.
Each one softened her a little more; she missed his company as much as he apparently
missed hers, but she still couldn't quite bring herself to forgive Ryder and let him back in.
Grace wasn't stupid, and once she'd been burned, it took quite a bit for her to trust
someone again. She had been hurt badly by Ryder.

"Grace - How long are you going to stay mad at me? I'm sorry, all right? I'm not used to
apologizing for my rotten behavior so, please, stop torturing me. I need you - my game is
slipping. These bastards are robbing me blind without you here to distract them. – Ryder"

She grinned at that one. It was now December, and she had just started Christmas break.
It had been almost a month since she'd seen Ryder, and she was starting to enjoy his
written groveling. She had pretty much forgiven him, figuring he had to be sincere if he
kept writing, asking for forgiveness.

She missed him, but still, she wasn't quite ready to let him off the hook.
Assuming he was going home for his semester break, she decided that if he wrote again
when he got back, she'd let him know that all was forgiven.

She was stunned when another letter arrived for her, right on schedule, the next week.

"Grace - Okay, fine, you've got me - I miss your company. It's not about cards, and its
not about the guys - I miss you. I'm rambling around this school all by myself and I'd like
to see you. Please. –Ryder"

She chuckled. This was the sweetest letter yet. Well, it was sweet for Ryder. He was
downright adorable when he groveled, in her opinion. Her thoughts turned quickly to the
last sentence of the letter, not wanting to analyze what she thought of Ryder and his
adorable-ness.

He had stayed at Rawley? She sank down on her bed, confused. Why? Why on earth
would Ryder choose to stay in the dorms rather than go home? Her heart went out to him
– it couldn't have been fun to spend Christmas alone at school. Even if she and Bella
didn't always get along, at least she'd been able to spend her holiday with family. Ryder
had been alone. She felt guilty now. He had been her friend and had asked for her
forgiveness and she'd been too stubborn to grant it, even when she'd wanted to.
Suddenly, she grinned as she realized she wouldn't have to wait till January to let him
know she was over their little tiff.



Part 6

Ryder was bored senseless. His mother and stepfather were on a Christmas cruise to the
Caribbean. He hadn't been invited – not that he would have wanted to go. He had decided
to stay at Rawley, figuring that if he was going to be alone for the holidays, he'd rather be
alone at school than stuck in that big house that wasn't his home. In the week or so since
the other boys had left, he'd played pool till he couldn't see straight, surfed the internet
for hours at a time, watched every crappy show available on TV, played video games and
invented new versions of solitaire.

He had seen Hamilton and Jake outside, sometimes with Will and Grace's sister Bella,
pitching snowballs at each other, but it wasn't like he could just up and join in the fun. He
could only hope that Grace forgave him and came to see him during the break.

Otherwise, he really thought he might go insane from boredom.

Ryder watched the snowfall through his dorm window and frowned. He had been hoping
to go for a drive today, but the relentless snowfall made that impossible. No matter how
powerful the engine, a Corvette without snow tires was basically useless. For a moment
he entertained the thought of having his car towed to the only garage in town and having
the tires put on, but he knew that was the move of a desperate man. She'd know it was
just a ruse to see her. Which it was, ultimately. There wasn't anywhere he needed to go.

Beyond that fact he hadn't gotten even a peep of a response from all his letters, so he
didn't know how she'd react to him when he saw her. If she was still mad at him he could
be in mortal danger – he'd seen Grace's temper in action. But if she wasn't…

"If she wasn't she would have said something by now," he thought to himself bitterly.
Writing those letters had been difficult – for someone who prided himself on being closed
off and distant he felt like he'd left a mile-wide gaping hole in his protective veneer. He
wrote them anyway – because he had to. The more he thought about her the more he
realized that she was the only person he knew who actually liked him. And he liked her
too – she was fun to be around, and it was comfortable talking to her. Although he hadn't
yet, he felt like he could tell her almost anything, and she'd still accept him. Not like the
other students at Rawley, who'd tear him apart at any sign of weakness.

He knew that was his own fault, but there wasn't any way to go back and erase all the
crap he'd done to people at Rawley. He'd been so bitter and angry when he first arrived
at Rawley that he took it out on everybody around him. His cruel brand of humor had
won the respect of some boys, while inspiring fear in others. He quickly became sort of
the prince of the bad boys at Rawley, and he'd rather enjoyed the position. The poisonous
venom of resentment fueled his actions, and he was often cruel just because he could. He
had a knack for getting under a person's skin and needling in the spot where the ego was
most tender.

Rawley Academy for Boys was his stepfather's grand idea – punishment for getting
involved with the daughter of one of his clients. Impregnating the daughter of one of his
clients. At least, that's what she had claimed. After he had arrived at Rawley his mother
rang him to let him know that the girl was not "in the family way"; she never had been.
Apparently she just wanted her daddy's attention and she had used him to get it. And
there he was, sent away to another country for a crime he didn't even commit.

Grudgingly he had to admit, that Rawley wasn't so horrible – it really was a good school,
and his mother's guilt had become pretty lucrative (note one red Corvette among the
many ways she attempted to buy back his favor). After three years at Rawley he'd grown
accustomed to the students and the American way of doing things – and his anger had
faded. He still intensely disliked his stepfather, but he was less inclined to aim that
emotion at other people.

As his anger faded another emotion had filled its place – loneliness. He hadn't wanted to
be close to anyone for so long that he almost hadn't recognized the feeling. When he'd
been driving Grace back and forth that feeling had faded, and when she stopped speaking
to him it had returned full-force. During her silent treatment he realized that he needed
her – she was his only real friend.

*******

He woke with a start to find his room considerably darker that it had been when he
drifted off. An insistent knocking on his door must have been what woke him – he got out
of bed, pulled on a sweatshirt, and yawned and stretched his way to the door.

"Good morning!" Grace said when he opened the door and she took in his rumpled
appearance. "Sleeping already? You must really be bored!"

She ducked under his arm and entered his room, smiling at how adorable he looked with
his blond hair sticking up like Calvin from the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. Two months
ago adorable was hardly the word she would have used to describe him, but there he was,
reminding her that the first time she met him she thought he was beautiful. Umm,
no…hot was the word she had used.

When he turned the light on she noticed that his face was a little pinkish – was he
blushing, or was it because he just woke up? She brushed that thought aside – it was
distracting her from her purpose.

"Get dressed – we've got places to go tonight," she said brightly.

"Really, where would we be going in such vile weather?" he said as he shut the door,
amused by her command.

"There's a party in town tonight – it's supposed to be huge. It's about the only exciting
thing going on in this kind of weather, so I thought you might be interested in coming.
But if you have other plans…I could let you go back to your nap…"

"I'll go – I just need to know what to wear," he said hastily, afraid that if he played too
many games with her she'd leave him alone to die of boredom.

She smiled at the desperation she was sure he hadn't wanted her to see – her heart went
out to him, but she was also amused to see him unsure of himself. She went into his
closet, rummaged for a couple of minutes and came out with an oversized black sweater,
a white T-shirt.

"Where this – you need to look good if you're coming with me," she said with a
flirtatious grin.

"And why's that?" he asked, taking off his sweatshirt to pull on the clothes she had
placed on the bed.

"Because I'm gonna need you for protection tonight – I need you to pretend to be my
date."

He finished pulling the sweater over his head as he tried to figure out how to react to that
– should he be mad that she wanted to use him, or that she didn't want him to be her *
real * date? When he glanced up at her he realized she was still waiting for a response –
for the first time since she'd shown up she looked a little unsure of herself.

"Well, I think I'll need a little more detail before I'll agree to let you use me for cover,"
he said dryly.

"I'm just not in the mood to be hit on tonight – that's all. The girls will be less likely to
shoot daggers at me all night if I show up with a date," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You know how girls get when their boyfriends ignore them to flirt with another girl –
like it's my fault or something."

"So who am I protecting you from? The boys or the girls?"

"Both!" she said, and they both laughed.

After a few more minutes of primping he was presentable enough for her, and they set
out for the party.

*****

They pulled up outside a two-story house separated from its neighbors by a large side
yard filled with snow-covered trees. It was the perfect buffer to ensure that the neighbors
didn't complain about the noise. Grace turned off the engine of her dad's truck and cut
the lights. She hadn't been to a party in months, and she was surprised that she was
actually feeling the old excitement.

She hopped down from the truck and met Ryder around the front. She giggled a little
when he extended his arm for her to take, but she was honestly touched by the gallant
gesture. She looped her arm through his, and grinned at him.

"Thanks for coming tonight Ryder. Really. I appreciate it," she said.

He grinned back, happy that she was speaking to him again. "It's better than another wild
night with the Nintendo," he cracked as they entered the house.

The party was loud and crowded – standing room only in the rooms and hallways lit only
by Christmas lights and blinking neon Budweiser signs. They dropped their coats in a
bedroom off the main hallway and Grace led the way into the main body of the party. She
greeted people she knew in passing as she forged a path towards the kitchen and the kegs,
and he tried to keep up with her.

Once in the kitchen she rummaged in the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of beer
from the back.

Handing him one of the bottles she said, "I know how much you hate American beer, but
it's the best I can do."

He rolled his eyes at the offering but accepted the bottle. "Shall we toast?" he asked.

"Sure. Ummm…to Ryder and Grace – the two most misunderstood friends in the entire
town of New Rawley." She smiled at him and raised her bottle.

He couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. "Friends, huh?" he asked, as he
tapped his bottle against hers. "Does this mean you don't hate me anymore?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Well, you're here, and not dead in a Rawley dorm room, right?"

And suddenly, everything was solved. It was as if their fight had never happened. Both at
ease with the other, they took a gulp from their respective bottles. Grace looked at her
"date." "Okay, date-boy, let's go party!" She slung her arm around his shoulders and
took off in the direction of the music.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Ryder had been watching her dance and mingle with her friends for almost two hours. He
was impressed – Grace was a regular social butterfly and she was completely in her
element, sparkling with life and charm. He had been warily received by the New Rawley
kids at first, but once they realized he was with Grace and wasn't out to cause trouble,
they either left him alone or chatted casually with him. He was amazed to find that
he was having fun with the kids he'd made fun of so frequently.

The best part had been watching Grace dance. She had a natural sense of rhythm and
moved easily across the floor to the music, completely losing herself in the beat. As he
sipped his beer and watched her, he was struck by how beautiful she was. Her eyes
glittered and her hair shone, even in the dim light. He wasn't quite sure how to take this
new vision of Grace, but as he watched her relax and have fun he was glad he'd gotten
the chance to see her like this. At the poker games, she sparkled, but it was a brittle
charm, as if she'd crack under too much pressure. Here, though, she was relaxed, and her
natural effervescence bubbled to the surface.

Grace had seen Ryder watching her, even though he'd tried to act like he wasn't. She was
flattered – and more than a little intrigued by his reaction. She'd also noticed how sexy he
looked in his oversized sweater and jeans. He was relaxed, definitely, but there was just
something about the way he carried himself and the look in his eyes. The boy had
charisma. He just oozed it.

The music changed again and Grace fought the urge to jump up and down and squeal.
She'd wanted to get Ryder on the dance floor, and it seemed like the DJ had offered her
the perfect opportunity…

As Christina Aguilera's voice belted out the first lines to "Come On Over Baby," Grace
spun around and caught Ryder's eye. She smiled flirtatiously at him from across the
room, her grin widening when he cocked an eyebrow in her direction, an intrigued look
in his eye. She glided over to where he was perched on the back of the couch, taking her
time, her hips swaying in time to the music. When she was within arm's reach of him, she
tilted her head and lip-synched along with the music, crooking her finger. "Come over
here, baby….You know you make me go crazy," she mouthed to him.

He was mesmerized. Grace held out her hand to him, and without thinking twice, he took
it. Standing, he pulled her to him and at the start of the second verse, they began to move.
It was perfect. Their bodies seemed to know what to do, even though they'd never danced
together before.

She took his hands and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling their bodies together.
They moved together, his hands resting on the small of her back, guiding her. He took
one of her hands in his and spun her out from him, then brought her back smoothly.
Dance lessons from years ago took over and he began to lead her across the dance floor.
It wasn't any kind of formal, set dance, just two people swaying and twirling in perfect
synch. There was a little salsa, a little swing, and a little hip grinding, all blended together
to create a dance that was uniquely Grace and Ryder. She followed him easily, naturally,
as if they'd been practicing for years. For a brief three and a half minutes it was hard to
tell where one began and the other ended. They were each a part of the other and the
effect was electrifying.

Ryder was exhilarated. He'd danced with girls before, but never so perfectly. Grace felt
so…right in his arms. Her body responded to his every subtle touch. He lost himself in
the music and the dance, spinning her away from him and back into his arms, swiveling
their hips together, their bodies so close that paper wouldn't have fit between them. He
wanted to laugh out loud for the sheer joy he felt, which stunned him. Who'd have
guessed that Ryder would have found the perfect release from his loneliness in dancing
with Grace Banks?

Grace felt like she was flying as Ryder spun her across the floor. She knew he could
dance – she'd seen him with other girls at the Rawley cotillions. But she'd never
imagined she'd feel so free, yet so safe, in his arms. She had no fear that he'd embarrass
her on the dance floor, no fear that he'd make fun of her. The whole experience was like
a dream.

As the song ended, Ryder lowered Grace to the ground in a perfect dip. Her head fell
back and as the world tilted, she laughed at the sheer perfection of the moment.

He grinned at her obvious delight and held the pose for a moment, just long enough to
savor the feel of her in his arms for one last second. As he brought her back up, she
wrapped her free arm around his shoulder for support and they were suddenly face-to-
face, laughing and breathless. Her eyes were dancing, her hair was in disarray from the
spinning and the dip, and Ryder couldn't remember the last time he'd seen something so
beautiful. Completely on impulse, he lowered his lips to hers.

Their lips brushed against each other lightly at first, neither one sure where this had
come from or where it was going. Grace's hand's crept up to tangle in Ryder's hair as his
arms tightened around her waist. He increased the pressure on her mouth slightly and she
responded by parting her lips under his.

Ryder couldn't think straight. Hell, he couldn't think at all. He could only act. He was
kissing Grace Banks. When her hands slipped into his hair, he pulled her closer. When
her mouth opened, he pressed his tongue forward without thinking twice, dipping into her
mouth to taste her. It was incredible – and the last thing he'd ever imagined doing with
Grace.

Grace whimpered slightly when he pulled their bodies together, but the sound was
drowned out by the music. She was dizzy from the heady sensations his mouth was
evoking in her, and the world around them had faded to nothingness. As his tongue
probed, she pressed her own forward, tangling them briefly together, savoring the
feeling of perfection the kiss had created.

All too soon, the noise of the music and the crowd registered in their minds and they
broke apart, dazed beyond words. Grace's eyes were huge and shocked; Ryder couldn't
hide how stunned he was by the power of that simple, brief kiss. Grace backed away
slowly, not wanting to break the connection, yet desperately needing to clear her head.
She spun around and headed for the kitchen.

He stood there, frozen in place, as he watched her go. Kissing Grace had never really
crossed his mind before, but now…he could still feel her, smell her, taste her…and the
feeling was disconcerting. Never before had a kiss had so much power – and he needed
time to think. He glanced quickly around him to make sure nobody saw him in his stupor
and left to find someplace with some relative peace and quiet.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Grace dug in the refrigerator for another beer – she drained the first one way too quickly,
and her face still felt flushed. She grabbed another and went to sit by the window in the
breakfast nook – the window looked out over the backyard and was the perfect spot to
lose herself in her thoughts.

Staring out at the snow-covered yard she tried to calm the emotions swirling through her.
Ryder kissing her was the last thing in the world she'd expected – he always went for the
rich Rawley girls, not poor townies – besides, they were friends, right? Maybe it was
just…god, she knew it wasn't * just * anything. It was…amazing. She'd felt that kiss all
the way down to her toes …did that happen with people who were just friends?
Were they really just friends? She had to admit she'd been flirting with him, enjoying the
way he looked at her, hoping for some kind of reaction. Well, she got one, and now she
didn't know what to do with it. Except get another beer – she was empty again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He found her in the kitchen just as she was opening another bottle – struggling with it
actually. He took the bottle from her hands, opened it, and handed it back without saying
a word. She took a long gulp and passed him the bottle, her eyes never once leaving his.
He opened his mouth to apologize to her, but what he actually said was, "Do you want to
get out of here?" – and immediately cringed. That wasn't what he had planned to say at
all – he had just spent the last hour deciding that having her as a friend was more
important than whatever…impulses…he felt towards her. But when she was standing so
close, and he looked into her eyes…brains turned off and his mouth went on autopilot.
She surprised both of them by saying yes.

Part 7

Back in his dorm room Ryder turned on the lamp on his dresser and the one on his desk,
lighting the room dimly. He tossed the keys to her truck on the desk. She gravitated
towards his CD player and began investigating his collection of CD's.

"Yuck – all I can smell is beer," she complained, "It's in my hair, my clothes – yuck."

He stood behind her and sniffed exaggeratedly at her hair, then lifted one arm and
smelled the sleeve of her sweater. A faint tremor ran through her, barely detectable, when
he touched her arm. He smiled at her reaction to his touch. She wasn't as immune to him
as she wanted to be, apparently.

"Your hair smells just fine," he said, "but the sweater – definitely a brewery."

She whirled around to face him, looking up to see the teasing glint in his eyes. "Do you
have something I could borrow for now – something a little more April fresh than
Budweiser?" she asked, her own eyes sparkling as she smiled up at him.

"You know," she said, taking a step closer to him and sniffing the sweater he was
wearing, "you've got eau de brewery going on too…" she said teasingly. She grinned as
the close proximity of their bodies unmistakably caused him to inhale sharply.

"All right, all right, I guess a change of clothes is in order – for both of us. I'll see if I can
find something that you won't swim in. Pick some music out while I hunt," he said with a
smile.

He rummaged in the closet for a few minutes and emerged wearing a clean, white t-shirt,
and handed her his English National Team soccer jersey.

"Play this," she said, handing him a CD, and gestured for him to turn around so she could
change. As she slipped his shirt on over her head, she inhaled the scent of Ryder that
clung to the jersey, savoring it. It felt safe, like she was wrapped in his arms…

He put in the CD, trying not to think about the fact that Grace was topless in his room at
that very moment. She cleared her throat and he turned around to find her looking damn
cute in his clothes. The white jersey had navy and red rings on the collar and the National
Team's logo patch on the chest. It was at least two sizes too big for her, and the size,
coupled with the white material, made her look even more pale and delicate. It almost
covered the black skirt she was wearing. All he could really see was her black tights
and the hem of the skirt.

"I hope this is the song you wanted to hear," he said as he pushed play. UB40's "Don't
Break My Heart" came through the speakers. She smiled at him, almost shyly, as he took
her hand and pulled her closer to him. The reggae beat was slower than the music at the
party and they easily fell into a natural rhythm. He moved her hands up to his shoulders
and rested both of his hands lightly at the small of her back.

She looked up at him and they locked eyes as they danced – both serious for once,
knowing that something more was going on than just dancing. She looked uncertain and
he looked almost bewildered by what was happening. They were both acknowledging
that whatever was between them, it was definitely more than simply friendship. The
feelings were simply undeniable.

Never taking their eyes away from one another, their movements slowed to a gentle
swaying together in time with the music. She slid her arms more tightly around his
shoulders, pulling them even closer together. Their eyes were still locked as they each
tried to make sense of what was happening to them. Without speaking, they tried to
understand what the other wanted, what they needed. As the song came near an end they
were hardly moving. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her tighter to him, and he
savored the feel of her against him. "God, what am I doing?" he asked himself, as he
kissed her gently.

Grace's eyes drifted shut as she accepted his kiss, unable to turn away. Truth be told, she
didn't want to turn away. She wanted to kiss Ryder as much as he wanted to kiss her. She
still didn't know where these feelings had come from, but she knew that with Ryder she
felt…safe…accepted. Her head was swimming from the closeness of him, and the feel of
his lips on hers sent a small electrical fire throughout her body. She responded to his kiss
with even more fervor than before, her hands twining in his hair and tugging gently as her
mouth opened under his. She felt his hand slide up to the middle of her back, pressing
them even more tightly together as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She met it with her
own, and they stood for a long minute, locked in a kiss that was both incredibly
passionate and incredibly tender.

Finally, he forced himself to pull his mouth from hers. He kept his eyes closed for a
moment while he caught his breath. Unsure of how she was going to react, he opened his
eyes warily, looking down at her with trepidation in his gaze. She smiled up at him, a
little uncertain, but with genuine happiness lighting her eyes. Her hands moved from his
hair to his shoulders, and she clung to him for support. His blue eyes met her gray and he
smiled back before he again sought out her lips for another, hungrier kiss.

Their kisses turned frantic as they lost control of the passion burning them up from the
inside. First his shirt, then hers, landed on the floor at their feet and they slowly drifted
towards the bed, hands roaming and clutching desperately. He sank down on the bed and
pulled her body over him so that he could look up at her and feel her hair lightly graze his
cheek. He was still for a moment, trying to catch his breath and making sure that this was
a place, and a state, that she wanted to be in. He'd never felt lust of this magnitude before
and he wanted to be sure she felt the same. The sight, smell, and feel of her were making
him crazy – but nowhere near as much as the look she gave him before she rolled on top
of him. She straddled his hips, looking incredibly sexy wearing a red camisole top that fit
like a second layer of skin, and he'd never felt so turned on by anything in his life.

Until she leaned in to kiss him.

Grace found she liked being the aggressor – she loved the look of anticipation in his eyes
when she slowly leaned in to kiss him, and the way he tried to follow her when she pulled
away. She thought he looked cute with his hair all messy and his lips…oh his lips looked
good…but she wanted something else. With one finger she tilted his head back and
leaned forward to lightly brush her lips against his neck. His whole body shivered and she
smiled – she loved the feeling of power that came with creating such a response. She
grew bolder, her tongue blazing a trail from his jaw to his collarbone, then dancing her
way back up with small tastes and occasional nips of her teeth.

He couldn't help but groan again – her hot breath mixed with the silken feel of her warm,
wet tongue was making his head swim. He wasn't used to this kind of attention from a
girl – the girls he dated were usually so passive and boring it was no wonder he lost
interest once he got what he wanted. Grace was very different and he had a feeling she
was going to be full of surprises.

Throughout her ministrations he continued to run his hands lightly over her back and
along her sides, but when she returned to kiss him deeply, tongue and all, he turned the
tables on her. He rolled her over onto her back, pressing his bare chest against her nearly
bare one, and nuzzled the hollow between her neck and her shoulder. She shivered and let
out a small moan, which he took as a good sign.

He made a trail with his lips from her neck down to her chest, his tongue darting out to
savor the sweet taste of her skin. Lightly
cupping one full breast over her camisole top he ran his tongue along the crevice between
the two. She gasped and he could instantly feel her arousal. The stiff peaks of her nipples
had a magnetic pull for him and he reached up under the stretchy material to get to them.
Her hands twined in his hair as he expertly licked and sucked each one in turn. He moved
one leg between hers and soon they were moving against each other, hips twisting to
make as much direct contact as possible.

Soon her top was bunched up above her breasts, and he was showering them with such sweet
attention she couldn't help but moan loudly.
Grace could hardly think - the electricity between them had increased to the point where
she felt she might explode. No boy had ever made her feel this good – most boys she had
knew wouldn't have known, nor cared to know, how to make her feel like this. In fact,
the only boys she had slept with had been such utter disappointments she hadn't bothered
after a few tries. It was funny – Ryan assumed she was a slut, but in reality she was pretty
discerning about who she would let get close to her.

Yet…here she was with Ryder, letting him drive her crazy in one night that wasn't even a
first date. She could feel his excitement just as surely as he could feel hers, and it dawned
on her that this is exactly what guys like Ryan assumed she would do.

A wave of icy-cold fear coursed over her. Oh god…what if they were right about her?


He could sense the change in her instantly – she grew silent and he felt the gooseflesh
spread over her skin. She reached up and pulled her top back down and tried to push him
off of her. He rolled on to his side, but he kept his arms around her, keeping her still.
"Grace, what's wrong?" he asked, confusion and concern coloring his face.

She covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath, not sure where
to start explaining.

"I'm sorry, Ryder. It's just…here I am, after a few beers, topless in your dorm room,
and…" Her voice trailed off. "God, what are we doing?" she asked, looking for an
explanation for this unexpected passion. She kept her eyes closed, unable to look at him;
afraid to see the condemnation that she was sure was in his gaze.

Ryder relaxed, relieved it wasn't anything specific he had done. He pried one of her
hands from her face, trying to think of the right words to reassure her that he didn't think
less of her for what had just happened. He hadn't comforted someone in a very long time,
though, and he wasn't sure where to start. He did know that he couldn't afford to screw
this up. Whatever was happening between the two of them, even if it was just passion
between two friends, was too…real…to lose. He had to convince Grace that he didn't
think any less of her.

"Grace, look at me." She hesitantly opened one eye and quickly shut it again. He couldn't
help it, he chuckled. "No, Gracie, for real, look at me." She complied with his request
warily. He sighed. "Grace…for what it's worth, I know you're not a slut." Her eyes
opened all the way at that.

"Really? You don't think…" she took a deep breath. "You don't think this proves the
other guys right? That I am nothing but a townie slut?" she asked. If nothing else, she
knew Ryder would give her a straight answer.

He looked her in the eye and said, "No, Grace. You're not. Whatever this was that just
happened, it doesn't make you a slut. Besides, I thought we agreed that the others were
idiots, remember?"

She smiled. "Well, yeah, they are idiots…but…" her voice trailed off again.

He sighed and leaned forward to kiss her lightly. "But nothing."

She sat up, and he stretched out on his back, looking up at her. "Thanks, Ryder. Look,
um, God, don't take this the wrong way, but I better go. I think…it's late, and I need
some time to figure out what just happened here. With us, I mean. 'Cause, well…it
was…" she searched for the right word.

He cocked an eyebrow and supplied, "Unexpected?"

She let out a short laugh. "Yeah. Unexpected." She slid her shoes back on and grabbed
her sweater from the back of the chair, pulling it over her head.

Ryder got up off his bed and handed Grace her jacket as they walked to his door.
Suddenly, as they stood in Ryder's doorway, it was as if they had both been struck dumb.
Neither one knew quite what to say to the other.

Grace tried first. "Um, well…thanks…I guess. I mean…uh…" she gave up, not sure what
to say after a night like the one they'd just had.

"Yeah," Ryder said, understanding both her confusion and what she wanted to
say.

They stood for another awkward moment before Grace finally tried again. "Well,
goodnight, then. I guess…yeah, goodnight." She smiled sheepishly at him, feeling like an
idiot.

Ryder grinned down at her, brushing her hair back from her face. She was so adorable he
couldn't help what he did next. He leaned down and kissed her one last time, briefly
brushing his lips to hers. "Goodnight, Gracie."

She grinned, her eyes sparkling again, awkwardness gone. "Bye, Ryder." She turned and
walked out the door.