Up, Down, Around
Up
Adrian Lee's mood seemed to be lifted up in the past week.
"You're so much stronger than he is."
"I know."
Adrian didn't know exactly why she was up at midnight, or why she was repeatedly opening and closing the fridge without removing anything from it.
"Are you hungry? Hey, does the baby like, make you hungry?"
Adrian shot one eyebrow up at Grace. "Make me hungry?"
"Stupid question?"
Adrian nodded, grabbed the orange juice out and sat down at the table.
"Here," Grace walked over to the cabinets, "Lemme grab you a cup."
But Adrian refused. "No need."
Grace watched her chug the orange juice as fast as she could.
"Maybe you're right. This baby is making me hungry. Do you think my mom bought-"
"Stop!" Grace ran to Adrian's chair. "You have to eat healthy for your baby. Let me make you something. Soup?"
Adrian laughed. "Soup sounds good." And she licked her lips and ran over to the cabinet to see if they had any chicken noodle.
Grace watched her best friend search for soup like a dog for a treat that had just fallen behind the couch. "So," Grace looked up at Adrian, "These sleepovers are kind of... fun."
"Yeah, you know, considering I don't sleep." Adrian laughed and rubbed her tired eyes. "Now where's that soup? God, if my mom forgot to buy it I-"
"Let's call Ben!"
Adrian shut the cabinet door and looked back at Grace. "...At midnight?"
"Yeah," Grace suddenly got giddy, "He might like midnight soup or something, you never know Adrian."
Adrian laughed at the blonde's ridiculous comment, but picked up her phone anyway, scrolled down to Ben's name and pressed it against her ear.
Down
He couldn't even sleep anymore.
He couldn't do a lot of things that he used to do anymore.
"Hey Adrian."
"Hey Ben." She sighed.
"Do you need a ride-"
"I have a car, remember?" She interrupted him.
He wasn't paying attention. He couldn't stop staring at her barely-there stomach.
He thought about her a lot, especially while laying in bed attempting to sleep.
His phone vibrated, shaking his whole night table.
"H-hello?" He sat up straight, reaching for the lamp.
"Hi Ben." Adrian sighed deeply into the phone.
"Is something wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby-"
"I'm fine," she laughed, and he heard background laughter too, but could barely make it out, "Do you want to come over?"
"At midnight?" He laughed, too.
"Yeah, Grace and I made soup and we're just talking. It's hard to sleep nowadays."
"Welcome to my world." He laughed again.
"So you in?"
"I'll be there in twenty."
He heard a click and looked at the screen to make sure she had ended the call.
"Dad!" Ben called from his room. "Dad!"
He got no response, which led him to remember a comment his dad made to him earlier about him 'hitting the sack early with Betty'.
He put on his shoes on the opposite feet - without noticing - and head for the door.
Around
Grace Bowman has been around Adrian's house for what had seemed to be a week straight.
Grace knew inside that Adrian was probably sick of her by now, but she was too worried about her to leave.
It wasn't like she would go and get a "secret abortion" if Grace left or anything - it was probably too far in the pregnancy now to have one, anyway. But Grace stayed just to make sure.
"What'd he say?" Grace jumped out of her chair.
"He'll be here in twenty." Adrian grabbed her cell phone to glance at the time, even though it had only been thirty seconds since she hung up with Ben, "Either he really likes soup, or he can't sleep."
"I think he just likes soup."
"Have I told you lately that you're the smartest person I know?"
"No." Grace looked up at Adrian, puzzled.
"Good."
The room went silent for about the next two minutes or so - Adrian pouring a can of soup into a pot and Grace at the kitchen table just tapping her fingernails against the hardwood table.
"So," Grace quietly said, "Do you want to know the sex?"
"Of what?" Adrian said groggily.
"Your baby! That's what!" Grace laughed at Adrian's confusion.
"Right." Adrian turned around from cooking the soup and looked Grace in the eye, "I don't care."
Grace knew Adrian didn't mean that, but wasn't about to fight her on it. She knew Adrian would win.
A/N: This story started out as a collection of drabbles, basically, but I got a different idea halfway into writing it. I love the friendship that Grace/Adrian/Ben seem to have lately, and I'd love to see more of it. Expect more, especially if I get 3+ reviews on the first chapter! Each chapter, a different person will be 'up', 'down' or 'around', you'll see how that works later. Obviously, the classification of being 'up', 'down' and 'around' mean something, and they all have a meaning behind it, but you have to read to understand that. I'll definitely continue this story if I get good reviews. I know it's something different- all my stories really are, lol- but I hope you enjoy anyway!
