I must thank JonnyWas4Eva for helping get over my writers block and coming
up with a great idea for these chapters. They are truly wonderful,
darling!
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Part 7
GRACE'S POV
I stood in my bedroom not quite sure what to say to my mother; not quite sure what she wanted me to say. I stayed silent, hoping that she would speak first. Luckily, I was right.
"What the hell are you thinking?" she said incredulously. "This boy is your stepbrother, Grace! This isn't just some guy from your school! Not only are you both from the same family, but he's 18! He is way too old for you to be dating. You can't be making out with him. You can't be with Eli!"
"Can I talk now?" I asked sarcastically. "First of all, Mom, this isn't exactly just some guy off the street. This is Eli! I've wanted to go out with him long before you and Rick got married. And you know what, Mom? I love him! I'm in love for the first time, can't you just be happy for me?"
"You can't honestly expect Eli to make you happy, Grace," Lily said softly. "As soon as he gets tired of you, he'll move on to the next girl."
This statement just made me livid. "I said it when Aaron was here, and I'll say it again. You don't think anyone can be happy unless they're just like you. This isn't like Eli and all those other girls, he loves me, Mom! And yes, I do think he can make me happy, it's you who thinks he'll disappoint me. The only time I've been happy in the past few months is when I'm with Eli. He's my rock. My sense of sanity in all of this mess. I want to be with him."
"How did you think we'd all react, Grace?" Lily asked. "And how do you think everyone else is going to react?"
"I don't care!" I screamed. "This isn't about everyone else, this is about me and him. Me and Eli. We're in love, and we're going to be together whether you like it or not." With that, I stormed out of the room. Pausing a second, I headed towards the attic, to one person I thought that I could count on.
Jessie answered the door as soon as I knocked. Looking at my face, she immediately let me inside. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I heard the screaming."
"Mom and Rick found me making out with a guy, and my mother totally freaked out," I said, sinking onto the foot of her bed and burying my face in my hands.
"Oh my God," she said, sitting next to me. "Who is he?"
"Eli," I said tentatively, which brought a small smile to her face.
"Yeah, I figured," she said, and I looked at her confused.
"How?" I asked.
"I've seen the way you two act around each other," she said. "And I saw you at the dance. It's obvious you guys are attracted to each other."
"It's more than that," I said. "We're in love." Jessie smiled and put her arm around my shoulders.
"I'm so happy for you two," she said, and I really felt like she meant it. I leaned against her and sighed.
"I just don't know what to do," I admitted.
"Go talk to Eli," she said. "He can help you through this, you know."
"You're right," I said, and got up. "Thanks for calming me down, Jess. This really helped."
"Hey, I'm here if you need me," she said, and with a smile she hugged me. "I really am happy for you," she said honestly.
"Thanks, it means a lot," and with that, I went out to the garage.
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Part 7
GRACE'S POV
I stood in my bedroom not quite sure what to say to my mother; not quite sure what she wanted me to say. I stayed silent, hoping that she would speak first. Luckily, I was right.
"What the hell are you thinking?" she said incredulously. "This boy is your stepbrother, Grace! This isn't just some guy from your school! Not only are you both from the same family, but he's 18! He is way too old for you to be dating. You can't be making out with him. You can't be with Eli!"
"Can I talk now?" I asked sarcastically. "First of all, Mom, this isn't exactly just some guy off the street. This is Eli! I've wanted to go out with him long before you and Rick got married. And you know what, Mom? I love him! I'm in love for the first time, can't you just be happy for me?"
"You can't honestly expect Eli to make you happy, Grace," Lily said softly. "As soon as he gets tired of you, he'll move on to the next girl."
This statement just made me livid. "I said it when Aaron was here, and I'll say it again. You don't think anyone can be happy unless they're just like you. This isn't like Eli and all those other girls, he loves me, Mom! And yes, I do think he can make me happy, it's you who thinks he'll disappoint me. The only time I've been happy in the past few months is when I'm with Eli. He's my rock. My sense of sanity in all of this mess. I want to be with him."
"How did you think we'd all react, Grace?" Lily asked. "And how do you think everyone else is going to react?"
"I don't care!" I screamed. "This isn't about everyone else, this is about me and him. Me and Eli. We're in love, and we're going to be together whether you like it or not." With that, I stormed out of the room. Pausing a second, I headed towards the attic, to one person I thought that I could count on.
Jessie answered the door as soon as I knocked. Looking at my face, she immediately let me inside. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I heard the screaming."
"Mom and Rick found me making out with a guy, and my mother totally freaked out," I said, sinking onto the foot of her bed and burying my face in my hands.
"Oh my God," she said, sitting next to me. "Who is he?"
"Eli," I said tentatively, which brought a small smile to her face.
"Yeah, I figured," she said, and I looked at her confused.
"How?" I asked.
"I've seen the way you two act around each other," she said. "And I saw you at the dance. It's obvious you guys are attracted to each other."
"It's more than that," I said. "We're in love." Jessie smiled and put her arm around my shoulders.
"I'm so happy for you two," she said, and I really felt like she meant it. I leaned against her and sighed.
"I just don't know what to do," I admitted.
"Go talk to Eli," she said. "He can help you through this, you know."
"You're right," I said, and got up. "Thanks for calming me down, Jess. This really helped."
"Hey, I'm here if you need me," she said, and with a smile she hugged me. "I really am happy for you," she said honestly.
"Thanks, it means a lot," and with that, I went out to the garage.