Chapter Eight - Grace
I couldn't believe that I'd just told my father to get out of my life. I knew that I was still awake when I felt the shaking of my hands and heard Eli continuously asking me if I was cold. I think that my shaking was really scaring him because he appeared to have a very concerned and worried expression that I'd never seen him have before. I calmed down eventually and we sat on the couch motionless as we worried about what might happen now. Around that time, my mom got home. Talk about good timing!
"Hey, you two!" she said cheerfully before noticing the grimaces on our faces. "What's wrong? Did someone die?"
"No," I said as I nudged Eli to keep him quiet. "Nothing's wrong."
My nudges apparently bugged him because he got off the couch and went to his room in the garage. I began to feel bad, but I couldn't express my sadness in front of my mother without her suspecting something. Of course, she did notice Eli leaving the room, so she wasn't going to avoid talking to me completely.
"What's wrong with Eli?" my mom asked as she sat down at the kitchen table.
"Bad day, I guess," I mumbled as I walked into the kitchen.
"Oh. Gracie, are you really okay? You look upset."
"I'm okay, Mom," my voice began to quiver, which in essence told my mom that I was really hiding something.
"Tell me," she said in a more serious manner as I got a soda from the fridge.
"Tell you what?" I asked as I sat down.
"Grace, don't get smart with me!" she said sternly. "Tell me what is wrong."
"Fine," I mumbled as I began to fidget with my thumbs. I took a sip of my Pepsi, and tried to avoid eye contact with my mother. "Dad came over."
"Oh. What else?"
"We had a little argument."
"About?"
I began to stand up. "It doesn't matter."
"It must've mattered a little or you wouldn't have had an argument over it!"
"So?" I said sarcastically.
"What else happened?"
"I told Dad to get out of my life."
"Oh," my mom replied as she took a sip from my Pepsi. "It must've mattered a lot."
I smiled weakly.
"What was it?"
"Mom," I whined. "I don't really want to talk about it!"
"Fine," she said, but I could tell that she was craving more information. I sighed as I accepted that she wasn't going to give up this easily.
"Dad walked in on me and Eli on the couch," I blurted out.
"So?" she said as she began to grow more and more bewildered.
"We were kissing."
"How?" my mom asked as her face grew pale.
"Well, uh...we were kinda...uh...making out."
"What?" she yelled as she dropped the glass of tea she was holding.
I jumped at the loud and startling sound. Of course, I was even more startled when Eli came running into the room. I could tell that he was worried by the noise and there seemed to be something else that was worrying him.
"Are you two okay?" Eli asked in a panicked tone.
"Yes," I said as my mom told him we weren't. I smiled slightly.
"Which is it?" he asked in obvious confusion.
"We're fine," I said as I kissed his cheek, which caused him to look at me oddly.
"It's okay! I know," my mother said as she got out the broom. Eli grabbed it from her, which was quite shocking since Eli hates to clean.
"Lily, I'll clean that up! Why don't you and Grace go up to your room and talk?"
I couldn't believe that I'd just told my father to get out of my life. I knew that I was still awake when I felt the shaking of my hands and heard Eli continuously asking me if I was cold. I think that my shaking was really scaring him because he appeared to have a very concerned and worried expression that I'd never seen him have before. I calmed down eventually and we sat on the couch motionless as we worried about what might happen now. Around that time, my mom got home. Talk about good timing!
"Hey, you two!" she said cheerfully before noticing the grimaces on our faces. "What's wrong? Did someone die?"
"No," I said as I nudged Eli to keep him quiet. "Nothing's wrong."
My nudges apparently bugged him because he got off the couch and went to his room in the garage. I began to feel bad, but I couldn't express my sadness in front of my mother without her suspecting something. Of course, she did notice Eli leaving the room, so she wasn't going to avoid talking to me completely.
"What's wrong with Eli?" my mom asked as she sat down at the kitchen table.
"Bad day, I guess," I mumbled as I walked into the kitchen.
"Oh. Gracie, are you really okay? You look upset."
"I'm okay, Mom," my voice began to quiver, which in essence told my mom that I was really hiding something.
"Tell me," she said in a more serious manner as I got a soda from the fridge.
"Tell you what?" I asked as I sat down.
"Grace, don't get smart with me!" she said sternly. "Tell me what is wrong."
"Fine," I mumbled as I began to fidget with my thumbs. I took a sip of my Pepsi, and tried to avoid eye contact with my mother. "Dad came over."
"Oh. What else?"
"We had a little argument."
"About?"
I began to stand up. "It doesn't matter."
"It must've mattered a little or you wouldn't have had an argument over it!"
"So?" I said sarcastically.
"What else happened?"
"I told Dad to get out of my life."
"Oh," my mom replied as she took a sip from my Pepsi. "It must've mattered a lot."
I smiled weakly.
"What was it?"
"Mom," I whined. "I don't really want to talk about it!"
"Fine," she said, but I could tell that she was craving more information. I sighed as I accepted that she wasn't going to give up this easily.
"Dad walked in on me and Eli on the couch," I blurted out.
"So?" she said as she began to grow more and more bewildered.
"We were kissing."
"How?" my mom asked as her face grew pale.
"Well, uh...we were kinda...uh...making out."
"What?" she yelled as she dropped the glass of tea she was holding.
I jumped at the loud and startling sound. Of course, I was even more startled when Eli came running into the room. I could tell that he was worried by the noise and there seemed to be something else that was worrying him.
"Are you two okay?" Eli asked in a panicked tone.
"Yes," I said as my mom told him we weren't. I smiled slightly.
"Which is it?" he asked in obvious confusion.
"We're fine," I said as I kissed his cheek, which caused him to look at me oddly.
"It's okay! I know," my mother said as she got out the broom. Eli grabbed it from her, which was quite shocking since Eli hates to clean.
"Lily, I'll clean that up! Why don't you and Grace go up to your room and talk?"