PART 28

Zoe stood in Ralf's kitchen making eggs and bacon. She had the radio playing on high blaring "Every me, every you" by Placebo. She mouthed the words and slightly banged her head to the beat. Ralf opened the bedroom door, wearing his boxers and a t-shirt. She couldn't help but smile.

"Hungry?" she asked and continued to sing. "I serve my head up on a plate, its only comfort calling late. Cause there's nothing else to do, every me and every you. Every me every you..." She heard Ralf turn down the radio. "Hey!"

"When I said feel free to come over I didn't mean wake me up," he said. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"It's Saturday, honey bunch," she smiled and watched him. He stared at her for a second and smiled as well. "You can't resist my charm. All cheerleaders have it. And you said it was a bad thing."

He grabbed a plate she had made up for him. "How did dinner go?"

"Last night?" she asked even though it was obvious. "Okay I guess. When I walked in they asked me where I was I said nothing they let it go then Orlando slipped on the Eli slash Grace thing and well, now they know. Of course mom spent the night yelling and me and Jess for not telling her and Rick for saying it was okay when in her mind its not."

"Sounds fun," he said.

Zoe shrugged. "It wasn't that bad."

"You know, kiddo," he started. "You are really grown up."

"Then stop calling me kiddo," she told him.

*~ZOE~*

*~ "I hate him calling me that. He says I'm more adult but still calls me kiddo." ~*

"Its only been a summer you know," he stated.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Well, a lot can happen over a summer. People could disappear then reappear and then say they were only gone for a month. People could disappear and not reappear because they're looking for the other people that actually never went anywhere."

"Sorry," he said and looked down.

"No," she said, "it's okay. Its just, I never really had friends until I sat with Sunny that day. She opened her arms and welcomed lonely me in. Then made Alex open his. Ever sense she never went away. Then she followed you."

"You blame me?"

She stared at him. "Yeah. Did you even want Jessie? You two were so great together. I remember thing, 'Wow, I want that.' Did you?"

"No, not then," he said. "And I haven't seen Jessie in three months. Maybe she doesn't care anymore either. I liked her a lot but at that moment I didn't know what I wanted to do. So I pulled a me and ran."

"And what? You'll just do the same with the next girl. Which might be Jessie again. They start to fall hard and you just up and leave. Doesn't sound like a good life plan if you ask me."

"Who asked you?"

"Jessie! You left and she spent nights crying asking me what I think? Why you did it? I never had the answers. Ralf, I want the answers. You should have heard her sometimes. It was like you wripped out her heart and did a clog dance on it."

"I don't know what more to say then I'm sorry," Ralf snapped back.

Zoe opened her mouth to reply but her cell phone rang. She took it out and answered it quickly. "Yeah?... Okay. I'm coming." She hung up. "I have to go." She grabbed her purse and left without another word.

*~*~*~*~*

Grace walked out of Eli's room and looked around the room. A sharp chill caught her and she looked over in the kitchen to see someone had left the window open. She walked over and went to shut it but took in the fresh air. A noise came from behind her and she saw Orlando coming in the front door.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"To see if I could stop Rachel from going to Vegas and eloping," he said as he lay on the couch. "By the time I got there he plane had left."

"Sorry," she told him. She sat on the counter. "Eli is going to New York in a few hours. You're welcome to stop him."

"Right," Orlando said as he jumped up and walked over to her. "It would be romantic. He'd be standing there with his ticket and I'd rush over and say, 'Don't go, Eli.' It would be so romantic and everyone would clap."

Grace laughed. "Brings a tear to my eye."

"Mine to," Eli said as he came out of his bedroom. "Because I'm gay in that little story of your's."

"She asked," Orlando said as he went back to his place on the couch.

Grace kissed Eli lightly on the lips. "How long are you going to be gone anyways?"

"A week at the most," Eli said. "But probably not even. Its just one television show and a show to start them off. They play ahead of U2."

"Coolness," Grace smiled and kissed him again.

"Blah blah blah, blah blah blah," Orlando sighed.

Grace smiled. "Who's going to watch the dumpie? He's in the suicide zone."

"What and give you the saticfaction?" Orlando said. "Never."

*~*~*~*~*

Zoe lay on her bed in silence as Counting Crows "Colorblind" played in the background. She payed attention to every word although she didn't sing any of them. She took her eyes off the cieling and looked at the pictures that lay beside her. One of Sunny, Alex and herself laughing and the other of Ralf with her arm around Jessie, the rest still sat in the package.

"I am colorblind

Coffee black and egg white

Pull me out from inside

I am ready

I am ready

I am ready..."

She took the picture of Sunny, Alex and her into her hand and looked at it closer. They looked so happy. Maybe she was to hard on Ralf. He was going through some rough times and probably needed a friend.

She heard a knock on he door so she sat up and hid the pictures under he pillow. "Yeah?"

"Hey," Jessie said and opened the door. "Heard the extremely depressing moment and thought I'd check on you."

"I'm okay," Zoe smiled and shut off the CD. "Its a good CD after being dumped. Sunny made it for me.

"You weren't dating anyone," Jessie stated.

Zoe nodded. "Its just, they're not back. I know you have the same feeling. Even double the feeling."

"It's like AA," Jessie smiled. "Day by day. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow."

"What would you do if Ralf came back?" Zoe asked. "Would you hate him? Would you yell at him and blame him for Heather leaving?"

Jessie shut the door and sat on the bed next to her. "Maybe, maybe not. I'd ask him things that I was wondering. I'd ask him if he saw Heather or Sunny. Maybe even why he left. I know it wasn't just for Rainbow. I guess I'd yell a little. I'd have to be a little mad and so would you. Your best friend went after him after all."

*~*~*~*~*

Lily listened from outside the door. She was doing that a lot. Everyone was keeping secrets from her and she had to know. Zoe never told her how she was feeling or what was happening and neither did Jessie. Grace never even talked about Eli or Europe. She felt left out and the only way to get in was to sneak around.

"So, are you seeing anyone?" Jessie asked, and Lily knew she was smiling.

"Jessie!" Zoe giggled.

Lily sighed and walked downstairs to the empty living room. Rick had taken the twins to the park so she had no way to pre-ocupy herself. So she went into the kitchen to make something for lunch. She looked over at the phone, thinking over calling Grace. She grabbed the phone and hit the speed dial to her apartment.

"Hello?" Buddy answered after one ring.

"Hi, Buddy, its Lily, is Grace home?" Lily asked.

Buddy stayed silent for a second. "Uh, no. You moght want to try her at her boyfriends... or maybe not. Because she wouldn't be there right. I can check Kelly's place."

"No, its okay," Lily said. "Just... I'll call her later."

She hung up and shook her head. Of course she wouldn't be home. Eli was leaving town for a while and Grace probably wanted to be with him. Not to mention last night was a big step for them...

*~LILY~*

*~ "Stop thinking about it, Lily. Just try not to think about it." ~*

Zoe and Jessie walked in the kitchen laughing. "Hey," they said in unison.

"Hey," she replied. "Zo, where did you go so early this morning?"

Zoe shrugged and looked down. "Sunny's place. Her parents got a letter from her and they wanted me to go over first thing."

"You didn't tell me that," Jessie said.

"It was nothing good," Zoe answered. "The found Rainbow but no Ralf. She said she saw him a couple months ago but he left after a couple days. So, they are still looking. Nothing about coming home."

Jessie just nodded and didn't respond. Zoe had seen that letter about three weeks before but didn't tell them about it. She figured it as a good cover story if anyone were to ask about where she went. It seemed to work. Other then the depression that appeared on Jessie's fair face.

*~ZOE~*

*~ "Ralf isn't going to let me tell her. I want to tell her. But, I know, until he lets me or he tells her himself, I'll make her feel that way a lot. I hate to make her feel that way." ~*

*~*~*~*~*

"Okay, call me every single day," Grace smiled.

Eli tossed his carry-on-bag over his shoulder. "I will. Its only a short visit. Its not like I'm going away for a year."

"I know," Grace said. "Its just now I have to face the mom all by myself."

"FINAL BOARDING CALL FOR FLIGHT 83 STRAIGHT TO NEW YORK CITY," the announcer called.

"Okay, now I really have to go," he said and kissed her.

Grace smiled. "Bye."

She watched him hand in his ticket and walk down the hall.

*(PICTURE THIS AS THE SHOW WITH THE SONG IN THE BACKGROUND.)*

"I am colorblind

Coffee black and egg white

Pull me out from inside

I am ready

I am ready

I am ready..."

***

Zoe turned on her stereo to "Color Blind" once again. She went over to her bed picked up the pictures from under her pillow. She slowly ran her finger over Sunny's face and then sat down with a sob.

"I am taffy stuck and tongue tied

Stutter shook and uptight

Pull me out from inside

I am ready

I am ready

I am ready

I am fine..."

***

Jessie sat down on her bed with tears in her eyes. She pulled out the drawer of the table beside her and took out a framed picture of herself and Ralf. She lay down on her pillows and held the picture against her chest.

"I am covered in skin

No one gets to come in

Pull me out from inside

I am folded and unfolded and unfolding..."

***

Lily sat at the kitchen table staring at her full cup of coffee. She heard the back door open and something inside her wished it was Grace. Rick and the twins came in. She smiled, taking them into her arms for a hug.

"I am colorblind

Coffee black and egg white

Pull me out from inside."

***

Grace sat in the chair at the airport and watched the plane lift off. She stood up once the plane was no longer in sight. Then she stood up and walked away.

"I am ready

I am ready

I am ready

I am fine

I am fine

I am fine."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Okay this may be a tad dramatic but... sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry SORRY! for the extremely long wait. I tried to make it long. I wrote a lot but my disk got infected so I couldn't get it. So, I am trying to write and give it to you guys now. Thanks for waiting if you did wait.