Part 9
GRACE'S POV
The morning came way too soon for my taste. The sunlight came streaming through the window, which caused me to wonder where I was, since I never received the first rays in my room. Then I felt the strong arms encircling my waist, and the events of the previous night came spiraling back in my memory. I stared upward to see Eli looking down at me with a smile on his face.
"Good morning," he said.
"Morning," I stretched and yawned. "What time is it?"
"Around 6:30," he pointed at the clock. "You should probably get inside soon."
"Yeah, probably," I said, but I didn't make any effort to get out of the bed. The last thing I wanted to do was leave Eli's side. I curled against him and laid my head on his chest, twirling his hair through my fingers. I sighed and began to relax, and then I heard the door squeak open.
Eli and I both jerked up and watched as my mother came walking through the door. I stared at her in disbelief for about a second before I started screaming.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled. "What gives you the right to just barge right into Eli's room?"
"Well, I thought he'd be alone," she said, obviously shocked at the situation which she had found. "I was hoping I could talk to him about the proper etiquette between stepsiblings. I didn't expect you to have already slept with him."
"Lily, I promise you, nothing happened." Eli started, but she cut him off.
"Save it," she said, beginning to overcome her shock and get angry. "I don't want to hear your excuse for violating my daughter."
"Mom, he's telling you the truth," I said, climbing out of the bed so she could see that I was fully clothed. "Nothing happened between us. I just couldn't be alone last night so I came here. He didn't violate me, and I resent that you would automatically assume that."
"Well, what do you expect me to assume, Grace?" she started, and I knew that she was about to say something which she would regret. "It's not as if Eli doesn't regularly have girls in his room overnight. And I can guarantee you that he doesn't just sleep with them so that they aren't alone. How long before you turn into one of those girls, Grace? 2 months? One month? A week?"
"STOP IT!" I screamed, seething with anger. "Don't you dare talk about him like that! You come into his room, invade his space, and then proceed to throw insults. Where do you get off acting like this?"
"Grace, I'm your mother, and it's about time you start treating me like it. Now go up to your room while I talk to Eli." I looked at her with wide eyes, shocked that she would even consider forcing me to go away.
"No!" I screamed at her.
"Grace, just because you've turned into Eli's flavor of the week doesn't mean that-"
"Don't talk to her like that," Eli said, cutting her off in a slow, soft voice. "I don't care what you think of me, Lily, but don't even think about blaming Grace. She can't help her feelings, and you should know that. I promise you that I don't plan on treating her the way I've treated the rest of those girls, but if you insist on believing that, then I guess there isn't any way for me to stop you." Then he turned to me. "Grace, she's partially right. I do need to talk to her. Can you just go take a drive somewhere or something? Here, you can take my car," he handed me the keys. "Can you do that for me? Please?"
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "Are you sure you'll be OK?"
"I'm sure," he said. "I love you."
"I love you too," I replied, and placing a passionate kiss on his lips (partially for my mother's benefit) I left the room. I got into his car, not knowing where I was driving to.
The morning came way too soon for my taste. The sunlight came streaming through the window, which caused me to wonder where I was, since I never received the first rays in my room. Then I felt the strong arms encircling my waist, and the events of the previous night came spiraling back in my memory. I stared upward to see Eli looking down at me with a smile on his face.
"Good morning," he said.
"Morning," I stretched and yawned. "What time is it?"
"Around 6:30," he pointed at the clock. "You should probably get inside soon."
"Yeah, probably," I said, but I didn't make any effort to get out of the bed. The last thing I wanted to do was leave Eli's side. I curled against him and laid my head on his chest, twirling his hair through my fingers. I sighed and began to relax, and then I heard the door squeak open.
Eli and I both jerked up and watched as my mother came walking through the door. I stared at her in disbelief for about a second before I started screaming.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled. "What gives you the right to just barge right into Eli's room?"
"Well, I thought he'd be alone," she said, obviously shocked at the situation which she had found. "I was hoping I could talk to him about the proper etiquette between stepsiblings. I didn't expect you to have already slept with him."
"Lily, I promise you, nothing happened." Eli started, but she cut him off.
"Save it," she said, beginning to overcome her shock and get angry. "I don't want to hear your excuse for violating my daughter."
"Mom, he's telling you the truth," I said, climbing out of the bed so she could see that I was fully clothed. "Nothing happened between us. I just couldn't be alone last night so I came here. He didn't violate me, and I resent that you would automatically assume that."
"Well, what do you expect me to assume, Grace?" she started, and I knew that she was about to say something which she would regret. "It's not as if Eli doesn't regularly have girls in his room overnight. And I can guarantee you that he doesn't just sleep with them so that they aren't alone. How long before you turn into one of those girls, Grace? 2 months? One month? A week?"
"STOP IT!" I screamed, seething with anger. "Don't you dare talk about him like that! You come into his room, invade his space, and then proceed to throw insults. Where do you get off acting like this?"
"Grace, I'm your mother, and it's about time you start treating me like it. Now go up to your room while I talk to Eli." I looked at her with wide eyes, shocked that she would even consider forcing me to go away.
"No!" I screamed at her.
"Grace, just because you've turned into Eli's flavor of the week doesn't mean that-"
"Don't talk to her like that," Eli said, cutting her off in a slow, soft voice. "I don't care what you think of me, Lily, but don't even think about blaming Grace. She can't help her feelings, and you should know that. I promise you that I don't plan on treating her the way I've treated the rest of those girls, but if you insist on believing that, then I guess there isn't any way for me to stop you." Then he turned to me. "Grace, she's partially right. I do need to talk to her. Can you just go take a drive somewhere or something? Here, you can take my car," he handed me the keys. "Can you do that for me? Please?"
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "Are you sure you'll be OK?"
"I'm sure," he said. "I love you."
"I love you too," I replied, and placing a passionate kiss on his lips (partially for my mother's benefit) I left the room. I got into his car, not knowing where I was driving to.