Chapter 5
Grace waited for over an hour for Eli to pick her up from the movies. Her friends offered rides for Grace, but she refused. Her loyal and "responsible" step-brother was supposed to take her home. Didn't she know better? She could have kicked herself for even thinking that (with all the stress Eli was in) he would remember! And if he did happen to remember, he wouldn't stay sober…
She wasn't looking forward to calling her mom to pick her up. Frankly, on a Friday night, that wasn't the coolest thing to do. She picked up the phone, and was ready to dial, when all of a sudden she heard the most embarrassing thing…
"Grace! Okay! I'm here! Let's ROLE!" Oh… Eli was here… high, of course…
"Eli! Have you been smoking pot again?" Grace said quietly as she got near the car.
"What are you, my mother?" Eli smiled to his high friends in the back seat. Just what she needed… for drunk eighteen year olds riding in a car with her.
"Give me those keys Eli!" Grace said sternly. This is rediculous.
"How about… No?" Eli slowly shook his head.
"Give me those keys Eli! Or I'll tell your MOTHER!" Grace's face was bright red
"Ohhhh!" His friends laughed, "Eli, you better listen to her… She'll tell your mother!"
"And yours too if you don't shut up and let me have the damn keys!" Grace screamed.
"Fine step sis…" Eli rolled his eyes.
"And don't ever call me that again!"
Grace dropped Eli's friends off at their houses, after three hours of each remembering directions. Grace was so mad. How dare him. Now she saw why his mom became so mad. The poor woman.
"Eli! I hate you! How could you do this!" Grace screamed.
"Hey honey… It's okay…" Eli smiled, like everything was fine.
"You could have died, Eli! Don't you get it! You could have crashed into a tree. Or a woman!"
"I'm sorry, okay! You don't have to act like my mom," Eli repeated.
"Somebody has to!"
"What is going on?" Rick and Lily came outside. Grace didn't realize how loud she must have been yelling.
"Your son was an hour late picking me up, when he did he was high with four friends, taunting me and harassing me until they remembered where they lived, and-"
"Eli!" Rick cried.
"Rick! It isn't working! Look at him! He isn't going to stop!" Grace blurted out.
"Grace!" Lily said sternly," Rick, she didn't mean it, she's just tired."
"Don't speak for me mom!" Grace sobbed.
"No, she's right Lily," Rick said quietly.
"Dad, Grace… I'm sorry. I was just smoking pot, what's the big deal?"
Grace walked inside. She knew that she over reacted, but she was so scared for Eli. What was going to happen to him? He was going to die someday because of this. He was lucky he didn't die today. Grace lay on her bed and cried, like she had done so many nights before.
Grace woke up the next morning, with the sun shining in her face. Her clock said it was noon. She didn't fall asleep last night until about 1. She cringed at the thought of last night.
She finally went downstairs, though. She had to face Eli someday, so it might as well be today. She also had to face Rick… She felt bad about yelling at him yesterday. What was the poor man supposed to do? It wasn't his fault that his son smokes pot and wont go to school.
"Grace? Did you know that every seven years, cells regenerate themselves?" Zoe asked as Grace came down for lunch.
"No. Mom, is Rick around?" Grace asked.
"Uh, downstairs," Eli came down the stairs.
"Fine," Grace pushed past him and went down the stairs.
"Rick?" Grace asked.
"Oh, uh, Grace, hi. I'm just making plans for work," Rick sat at his little desk.
"Rick. I'm sorry about last night. I was just mad."
"I understand sweetie, I was too," Rick was amazed, and happy that Grace thought of asking Rick's forgiveness.
Grace felt so much better after she was finished, and went upstairs. She saw Eli sitting at the table. His hair messed up, his boxers and "Radio Head" shirt. Stop it, Grace, she thought. She wasn't falling for him. She hated him.
Grace waited for over an hour for Eli to pick her up from the movies. Her friends offered rides for Grace, but she refused. Her loyal and "responsible" step-brother was supposed to take her home. Didn't she know better? She could have kicked herself for even thinking that (with all the stress Eli was in) he would remember! And if he did happen to remember, he wouldn't stay sober…
She wasn't looking forward to calling her mom to pick her up. Frankly, on a Friday night, that wasn't the coolest thing to do. She picked up the phone, and was ready to dial, when all of a sudden she heard the most embarrassing thing…
"Grace! Okay! I'm here! Let's ROLE!" Oh… Eli was here… high, of course…
"Eli! Have you been smoking pot again?" Grace said quietly as she got near the car.
"What are you, my mother?" Eli smiled to his high friends in the back seat. Just what she needed… for drunk eighteen year olds riding in a car with her.
"Give me those keys Eli!" Grace said sternly. This is rediculous.
"How about… No?" Eli slowly shook his head.
"Give me those keys Eli! Or I'll tell your MOTHER!" Grace's face was bright red
"Ohhhh!" His friends laughed, "Eli, you better listen to her… She'll tell your mother!"
"And yours too if you don't shut up and let me have the damn keys!" Grace screamed.
"Fine step sis…" Eli rolled his eyes.
"And don't ever call me that again!"
Grace dropped Eli's friends off at their houses, after three hours of each remembering directions. Grace was so mad. How dare him. Now she saw why his mom became so mad. The poor woman.
"Eli! I hate you! How could you do this!" Grace screamed.
"Hey honey… It's okay…" Eli smiled, like everything was fine.
"You could have died, Eli! Don't you get it! You could have crashed into a tree. Or a woman!"
"I'm sorry, okay! You don't have to act like my mom," Eli repeated.
"Somebody has to!"
"What is going on?" Rick and Lily came outside. Grace didn't realize how loud she must have been yelling.
"Your son was an hour late picking me up, when he did he was high with four friends, taunting me and harassing me until they remembered where they lived, and-"
"Eli!" Rick cried.
"Rick! It isn't working! Look at him! He isn't going to stop!" Grace blurted out.
"Grace!" Lily said sternly," Rick, she didn't mean it, she's just tired."
"Don't speak for me mom!" Grace sobbed.
"No, she's right Lily," Rick said quietly.
"Dad, Grace… I'm sorry. I was just smoking pot, what's the big deal?"
Grace walked inside. She knew that she over reacted, but she was so scared for Eli. What was going to happen to him? He was going to die someday because of this. He was lucky he didn't die today. Grace lay on her bed and cried, like she had done so many nights before.
Grace woke up the next morning, with the sun shining in her face. Her clock said it was noon. She didn't fall asleep last night until about 1. She cringed at the thought of last night.
She finally went downstairs, though. She had to face Eli someday, so it might as well be today. She also had to face Rick… She felt bad about yelling at him yesterday. What was the poor man supposed to do? It wasn't his fault that his son smokes pot and wont go to school.
"Grace? Did you know that every seven years, cells regenerate themselves?" Zoe asked as Grace came down for lunch.
"No. Mom, is Rick around?" Grace asked.
"Uh, downstairs," Eli came down the stairs.
"Fine," Grace pushed past him and went down the stairs.
"Rick?" Grace asked.
"Oh, uh, Grace, hi. I'm just making plans for work," Rick sat at his little desk.
"Rick. I'm sorry about last night. I was just mad."
"I understand sweetie, I was too," Rick was amazed, and happy that Grace thought of asking Rick's forgiveness.
Grace felt so much better after she was finished, and went upstairs. She saw Eli sitting at the table. His hair messed up, his boxers and "Radio Head" shirt. Stop it, Grace, she thought. She wasn't falling for him. She hated him.