~A Once and Again Series~
Life is what you make of it
Chapter 22// Still in my heart
Grace paused at his door. Augustus was alone. Grace watched him as he organized stacks of papers. Finally he realized he wasn't alone and looked up. "Grace?"
Grace smiled and walked into the classroom, "Hi." Augustus looked nervous and uneasy. Grace thought it was cute, but pushed that thought away. She had to be careful about what she said. She couldn't make this time be a repeat of last time, when she practically begged Augustus to take her back even though she was with Eli. And now she still was with Eli, and she couldn't do anything that might put that at risk.
"Was there something you wanted, Grace?" Augustus asked finally.
"Uh, no, not really. I just wanted to talk." Grace edged closer to his desk.
"Grace, I thought we settled this," Augustus said gently.
"Oh, no, it's not about that.." Grace laughed uneasily, "Well, maybe a little. I just wanted to thank you for being such a great teacher, a great mentor, a great friend, and a great something more than friend."
"Oh."
"It hurts knowing that I won't be able to have any of those things again. You changed me, you changed my life. You changed the way I looked at the world, but now I feel guilty even being here talking to you." Grace looked up, judging his reaction. She continued on with more confidence, "You were a special part of my life, and not just because you and I were together, but because of everything you did for me. With the play, and class and with my short stories. You encouraged me, you believed in me. You made me a better person. I just wanted to thank you for that."
Augustus nodded, "Okay."
Grace smiled at his lost for words, "You're still in my heart. I will always love you. Nothing or no one can take that away from me. Just remember that, okay? Always know there is a woman out there somewhere that loves you. A woman who owes so much to you. Thank you."
Augustus nodded, and began to open his mouth, but Katie's voice rang out in the hall, stopping him.
"Jessie! Wait! Where are you going?" Katie was saying.
Grace backed away from Augustus' desk, looking guiltily at the door. Sure enough Jessie appeared in it. And she didn't look too happy. Katie stood behind, shaking her head, as if to tell Grace she wasn't the one to blame for Jessie coming there. Grace turned and looked at Augustus one last time. "So long," She said quietly.
Augustus nodded, and Grace walked out of the classroom.
"Grace!" Jessie said angrily. "What were you doing?"
Grace hurried down the hall to her locker as Jessie trailed after her. "Jessie, it was nothing!" She stopped at her locker and fumbled with the combination.
"Don't you dare hurt Eli!" Jessie spat out at her, and then she allowed Katie to guide her away, down the hall. Grace watched them go, and then dropped her face against the cool metal of the locker and sighed.
* * *
Grace dropped her backpack onto the kitchen table with a grimace. Her mother smiled at her, "Happy for winter break?"
Grace shrugged off the question and went to the fridge. She saw some cake that looked good, but instead shut the door with a groan.
"Grace? Did you want something to eat? I could make you something?" Lily asked.
Grace shook her head, and instead poured herself a glass of water and exited upstairs, where she'd be out of her mother's concerned stare.
* * *
"Have you noticed anything about Grace?" Lily asked Rick that night.
"Like what?"
"Well, a few weeks ago, she seemed so depressed and then she seemed happy and now she seems.." Lily paused, shrugging, "I just can't read her anymore. I don't know if she's sad or angry or annoyed or depressed or even happy. I can't tell what she is. She used to talk to me so much, but she never even talked to me about the guy she was dating. Or maybe still is dating. Why won't she talk to me?"
"I don't know." Rick said.
Lily shook her head, "What's happening to my daughter? I don't even know her anymore."
* * *
Jessie waited till most everyone was in bed and then snuck downstairs to see Eli. She first checked to make sure Grace was in her room, so she wouldn't be interrupting anything. Jessie was concerned for her brother. She didn't like the idea of Grace hurting him, because she wasn't over Mr. Dimitri. Jessie still couldn't believe Grace had been dating Mr. Dimitri before Eli. The man was like 40!
Jessie knocked once, waited and then knocked twice in a row. It was their secret knock, although Jessie hadn't used it in a long time. Eli opened the door to her and let her in. He went over to the CD player and turned it down lower.
"Why didn't you tell me that you and Grace are together?" Jessie asked, sitting on Eli's bed with him.
"We haven't been together that long." Eli said in defense.
"Still.." Jessie shook her head and looked around the room, "And how come no one told me that she was dating Mr. Dimitri."
"Oh, so you know?" Eli said in surprise. Jessie nodded. "Well, it was sort of a secret."
"But I'm your sister!" Jessie said.
"Jessie, do you tell me about the guys you date?" Eli asked.
"Uh," Jessie grimaced, "No, I don't. Maybe its time we did talk though, I kind of have something important to tell you."
"I'm all ears," Eli said and waited.
* * *
Grace waited until the clock hit 11:30. Then she couldn't stand it anymore. She had to be with Eli. She slipped on her robe and slippers and eased down the steps. She got to his door and reached for the knob, but the sound of laughter stopped her. It was clearly Jessie's twinkling laughter she heard floating out from under the door. Grace sighed and reluctantly stepped away from the door and went back the way she had come.
Life is what you make of it
Chapter 22// Still in my heart
Grace paused at his door. Augustus was alone. Grace watched him as he organized stacks of papers. Finally he realized he wasn't alone and looked up. "Grace?"
Grace smiled and walked into the classroom, "Hi." Augustus looked nervous and uneasy. Grace thought it was cute, but pushed that thought away. She had to be careful about what she said. She couldn't make this time be a repeat of last time, when she practically begged Augustus to take her back even though she was with Eli. And now she still was with Eli, and she couldn't do anything that might put that at risk.
"Was there something you wanted, Grace?" Augustus asked finally.
"Uh, no, not really. I just wanted to talk." Grace edged closer to his desk.
"Grace, I thought we settled this," Augustus said gently.
"Oh, no, it's not about that.." Grace laughed uneasily, "Well, maybe a little. I just wanted to thank you for being such a great teacher, a great mentor, a great friend, and a great something more than friend."
"Oh."
"It hurts knowing that I won't be able to have any of those things again. You changed me, you changed my life. You changed the way I looked at the world, but now I feel guilty even being here talking to you." Grace looked up, judging his reaction. She continued on with more confidence, "You were a special part of my life, and not just because you and I were together, but because of everything you did for me. With the play, and class and with my short stories. You encouraged me, you believed in me. You made me a better person. I just wanted to thank you for that."
Augustus nodded, "Okay."
Grace smiled at his lost for words, "You're still in my heart. I will always love you. Nothing or no one can take that away from me. Just remember that, okay? Always know there is a woman out there somewhere that loves you. A woman who owes so much to you. Thank you."
Augustus nodded, and began to open his mouth, but Katie's voice rang out in the hall, stopping him.
"Jessie! Wait! Where are you going?" Katie was saying.
Grace backed away from Augustus' desk, looking guiltily at the door. Sure enough Jessie appeared in it. And she didn't look too happy. Katie stood behind, shaking her head, as if to tell Grace she wasn't the one to blame for Jessie coming there. Grace turned and looked at Augustus one last time. "So long," She said quietly.
Augustus nodded, and Grace walked out of the classroom.
"Grace!" Jessie said angrily. "What were you doing?"
Grace hurried down the hall to her locker as Jessie trailed after her. "Jessie, it was nothing!" She stopped at her locker and fumbled with the combination.
"Don't you dare hurt Eli!" Jessie spat out at her, and then she allowed Katie to guide her away, down the hall. Grace watched them go, and then dropped her face against the cool metal of the locker and sighed.
* * *
Grace dropped her backpack onto the kitchen table with a grimace. Her mother smiled at her, "Happy for winter break?"
Grace shrugged off the question and went to the fridge. She saw some cake that looked good, but instead shut the door with a groan.
"Grace? Did you want something to eat? I could make you something?" Lily asked.
Grace shook her head, and instead poured herself a glass of water and exited upstairs, where she'd be out of her mother's concerned stare.
* * *
"Have you noticed anything about Grace?" Lily asked Rick that night.
"Like what?"
"Well, a few weeks ago, she seemed so depressed and then she seemed happy and now she seems.." Lily paused, shrugging, "I just can't read her anymore. I don't know if she's sad or angry or annoyed or depressed or even happy. I can't tell what she is. She used to talk to me so much, but she never even talked to me about the guy she was dating. Or maybe still is dating. Why won't she talk to me?"
"I don't know." Rick said.
Lily shook her head, "What's happening to my daughter? I don't even know her anymore."
* * *
Jessie waited till most everyone was in bed and then snuck downstairs to see Eli. She first checked to make sure Grace was in her room, so she wouldn't be interrupting anything. Jessie was concerned for her brother. She didn't like the idea of Grace hurting him, because she wasn't over Mr. Dimitri. Jessie still couldn't believe Grace had been dating Mr. Dimitri before Eli. The man was like 40!
Jessie knocked once, waited and then knocked twice in a row. It was their secret knock, although Jessie hadn't used it in a long time. Eli opened the door to her and let her in. He went over to the CD player and turned it down lower.
"Why didn't you tell me that you and Grace are together?" Jessie asked, sitting on Eli's bed with him.
"We haven't been together that long." Eli said in defense.
"Still.." Jessie shook her head and looked around the room, "And how come no one told me that she was dating Mr. Dimitri."
"Oh, so you know?" Eli said in surprise. Jessie nodded. "Well, it was sort of a secret."
"But I'm your sister!" Jessie said.
"Jessie, do you tell me about the guys you date?" Eli asked.
"Uh," Jessie grimaced, "No, I don't. Maybe its time we did talk though, I kind of have something important to tell you."
"I'm all ears," Eli said and waited.
* * *
Grace waited until the clock hit 11:30. Then she couldn't stand it anymore. She had to be with Eli. She slipped on her robe and slippers and eased down the steps. She got to his door and reached for the knob, but the sound of laughter stopped her. It was clearly Jessie's twinkling laughter she heard floating out from under the door. Grace sighed and reluctantly stepped away from the door and went back the way she had come.