Part 3
Grace was a wreck for the next few weeks. Tad ended up staying quiet about the whole thing, but once that girl Alexa found out, it all went downhill. Grace avoided me after the kiss, so all the information I got came to me second hand from Jessie. I heard about the rumors, and the book, and the inevitable suspension of Mr. Dimitry. After all of this happened, however, it was painfully obvious to me that Grace was hurting. Unfortunately, I couldn't help her until she decided to come to me, so I was forced to just sit back and wait.
Eventually, however, Grace did knock on my door late one night, and I opened it to find her with tears in her eyes, and her precious book enveloped in her arms.
"Hi," she said. "Can I come in?" I let her in without speaking, and her attention immediately went to the small TV blaring in the corner. The Maryland/Indiana NCAA Basketball Championship came was on, which she instantly noticed. "Oh, who are you rooting for?" she asked.
"Neither, I like Duke," I said, which caused a small, sad smile to appear on her face.
"Yeah, me too," she said, as I turned off the TV.
"So, what's up?" I asked nonchalantly.
"I just needed someone to talk to," she said, taking a seat in a huge armchair. "My mom's too biased, Jessie's too involved with Katie, and you're the only other person I could think of."
"Well, I'm here," I said, sitting down and trying to find something to focus on. "Is that the book?" I asked.
"Uh huh," she said too quickly in her Grace fashion. "Have you heard the inscription yet?" I shook my head, and she opened the front cover. "For the girl with the loneliest eyes. Love always, August." She sat there a second, and I knew she was trying to get up the nerve to ask me something. "Do I really have lonely eyes?" she asked, and I looked at her intently.
"Yes," I said honestly, and she looked to the ground in obvious disappointment. "That's not an insult!" I insisted, and it was true, she had gorgeous eyes.
"Really?" she asked, lifting her eyes from the floor. She looked so vulnerable in the oversized chair, with her teary, lonely eyes.
"Let me see that book," I said, and she complied by surrendering it in a sort of military-like pass. I opened the front page and began to read. After a few minutes, I closed the book. "That's some deep shit," I said, causing her to laugh.
"Isn't it beautiful?" she said wistfully, staring off into space, lost deep in thought. *You're beautiful* I wanted to say, but instead I just sat there watching her. I stared at her lips, noticing how full they are, and thinking about what it would be like to kiss her again. *Great, Eli! The girls in pain and all you can do is fantasize about her lips.* As soon as she had entered her thoughtful state, she dropped out of it and looked at me, her eyes now free of tears.
"I have a favor to ask you," she said, obviously moving on to the real reason she came to see me.
"If it's in my power I'll do it," I said, though I wasn't really done being fixated on her lips.
"Even though Mr. Dimitry's gone," Grace said, "We decided to have the Gay/Straight Alliance dance. If I go alone, everyone will start talking, so I really need a date. Will you please, please go with me?"
"I don't know," I said reluctantly. "I mean, a high school dance? Is Jessie going?"
"I'm not sure," she said dismissively. "Please, Eli? I need you to do this for me."
"Alright," I said, acting as if it was a huge sacrifice. "But you owe me."
"Oh, thank you!" Grace said, jumping up and hugging me. I was surprised, and laughed as I hugged her back.
"Of course," I said. "You realize I now have the right to ask you for a favor."
"What?" she said, laughing.
"I don't know yet, but I'll come up with something!" For some reason, we both started laughing uncontrollably. "Maybe I'll come up with something interesting," I said, rolling my tongue again, causing her to slap my arm playfully. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down. She landed softly on my lap, and our laughter quickly ended. She stared seriously into my eyes, and, yet again, brought her lips to mine. This kiss was even shorter than the last one, with Grace pulling away and jumping off my lap in one fluid motion.
"Oh, God!" she said, pacing wordlessly, and then heading for the door.
"God damnit, Grace, would you wait a second?" she stopped, with her hand on the doorknob. "Why do you keep running away from me?"
"Because I can't do this, Eli," she said softly. "I already lost my mom's trust, and I'm working really hard to get it back. This is the exact opposite of what I should be doing if I want that to happen." She opened the door, barely looking back. "I hope you understand."
I did understand, but I didn't like it. I was glad we were going to the dance, but I didn't know what was going to happen. And that drove me crazy.
Grace was a wreck for the next few weeks. Tad ended up staying quiet about the whole thing, but once that girl Alexa found out, it all went downhill. Grace avoided me after the kiss, so all the information I got came to me second hand from Jessie. I heard about the rumors, and the book, and the inevitable suspension of Mr. Dimitry. After all of this happened, however, it was painfully obvious to me that Grace was hurting. Unfortunately, I couldn't help her until she decided to come to me, so I was forced to just sit back and wait.
Eventually, however, Grace did knock on my door late one night, and I opened it to find her with tears in her eyes, and her precious book enveloped in her arms.
"Hi," she said. "Can I come in?" I let her in without speaking, and her attention immediately went to the small TV blaring in the corner. The Maryland/Indiana NCAA Basketball Championship came was on, which she instantly noticed. "Oh, who are you rooting for?" she asked.
"Neither, I like Duke," I said, which caused a small, sad smile to appear on her face.
"Yeah, me too," she said, as I turned off the TV.
"So, what's up?" I asked nonchalantly.
"I just needed someone to talk to," she said, taking a seat in a huge armchair. "My mom's too biased, Jessie's too involved with Katie, and you're the only other person I could think of."
"Well, I'm here," I said, sitting down and trying to find something to focus on. "Is that the book?" I asked.
"Uh huh," she said too quickly in her Grace fashion. "Have you heard the inscription yet?" I shook my head, and she opened the front cover. "For the girl with the loneliest eyes. Love always, August." She sat there a second, and I knew she was trying to get up the nerve to ask me something. "Do I really have lonely eyes?" she asked, and I looked at her intently.
"Yes," I said honestly, and she looked to the ground in obvious disappointment. "That's not an insult!" I insisted, and it was true, she had gorgeous eyes.
"Really?" she asked, lifting her eyes from the floor. She looked so vulnerable in the oversized chair, with her teary, lonely eyes.
"Let me see that book," I said, and she complied by surrendering it in a sort of military-like pass. I opened the front page and began to read. After a few minutes, I closed the book. "That's some deep shit," I said, causing her to laugh.
"Isn't it beautiful?" she said wistfully, staring off into space, lost deep in thought. *You're beautiful* I wanted to say, but instead I just sat there watching her. I stared at her lips, noticing how full they are, and thinking about what it would be like to kiss her again. *Great, Eli! The girls in pain and all you can do is fantasize about her lips.* As soon as she had entered her thoughtful state, she dropped out of it and looked at me, her eyes now free of tears.
"I have a favor to ask you," she said, obviously moving on to the real reason she came to see me.
"If it's in my power I'll do it," I said, though I wasn't really done being fixated on her lips.
"Even though Mr. Dimitry's gone," Grace said, "We decided to have the Gay/Straight Alliance dance. If I go alone, everyone will start talking, so I really need a date. Will you please, please go with me?"
"I don't know," I said reluctantly. "I mean, a high school dance? Is Jessie going?"
"I'm not sure," she said dismissively. "Please, Eli? I need you to do this for me."
"Alright," I said, acting as if it was a huge sacrifice. "But you owe me."
"Oh, thank you!" Grace said, jumping up and hugging me. I was surprised, and laughed as I hugged her back.
"Of course," I said. "You realize I now have the right to ask you for a favor."
"What?" she said, laughing.
"I don't know yet, but I'll come up with something!" For some reason, we both started laughing uncontrollably. "Maybe I'll come up with something interesting," I said, rolling my tongue again, causing her to slap my arm playfully. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down. She landed softly on my lap, and our laughter quickly ended. She stared seriously into my eyes, and, yet again, brought her lips to mine. This kiss was even shorter than the last one, with Grace pulling away and jumping off my lap in one fluid motion.
"Oh, God!" she said, pacing wordlessly, and then heading for the door.
"God damnit, Grace, would you wait a second?" she stopped, with her hand on the doorknob. "Why do you keep running away from me?"
"Because I can't do this, Eli," she said softly. "I already lost my mom's trust, and I'm working really hard to get it back. This is the exact opposite of what I should be doing if I want that to happen." She opened the door, barely looking back. "I hope you understand."
I did understand, but I didn't like it. I was glad we were going to the dance, but I didn't know what was going to happen. And that drove me crazy.