~A Once and Again Series~
Life is what you make of it
Chapter 29// Ready to talk
Grace shut the front door behind her with a sigh of relief. It felt great to get out of her house. Eli was ignoring her, Jessie was angry at her, and her mother kept asking her questions that she didn't want to answer. But for once she didn't have to lie to her mother when she asked if Grace had a boyfriend or not. Because at this moment, Grace didn't have a boyfriend. Eli was gone, and she had yet to talk with Augustus. So, Augustus didn't even know that she had broken it off with Eli. Grace wanted to tell him the second she had called it quits in her room with Eli, but something was holding her back. Maybe it was respect for Eli - it wouldn't be very nice if she got back with Augustus the moment the two of them had broken up. Or maybe it was something more than that. Grace had the weird idea that she was scared to tell him. Scared to get back with him. She didn't know why, but there was that fear hiding there, that kept her from going to his house or catching him at school.
Grace went out to her mother's car and started it up and watched the house for Jesse. She hated that she still had to drive Jessie to school and places, even when the girl was extremely angry and hostile with her. She didn't know if she could take any more of Jessie's comments or angry looks.
Grace had her hand above the horn when Jessie hurried out the front door. Grace waited until Jessie was in the car and buckled up before she took off for the school. Jessie gave Grace a long stare, and Grace looked away. Jessie turned up the radio and the two of them rode in silence.
* * *
"I asked Grace today." Lily said later that morning as she and Judy ate breakfast together at Book Lovers.
Judy pulled off a chunk of her doughnut and put it in her mouth. "Asked what?"
"About the boyfriend.." Lily said in exasperation. She had been talking about this to Judy for the last week and still had to remind her sister what she meant. "And she said she didn't have one."
"There you go."
Lily shook her head, "No, I think she was telling the truth but there was more to the story, I'm sure. There's something she's not telling me."
Judy was silent, sipping her hot cappuccino. The truth about Eli and Grace lay on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't even managed an 'uh huh' right now without spilling it all. She was never good at keeping secrets, especially from her big sister.
"Has she said anything to you?" Lily asked.
Judy's mouth opened in surprise and a gargled "No" rose from her throat.
Lily's eyes went wide, "She did! Judy! Why didn't you tell me?"
Judy sighed, her shoulders deflating as she knew the truth was going to come out now. There was no stopping it. "She asked me not to."
Lily shook her head in disbelief. "I'm your sister! Grace is my daughter and you couldn't even tell me!"
"I just stumbled onto it. I wasn't supposed to know either." Judy said, remembering the shock of catching Eli and Grace wrapped up into each other, sharing a kiss on New Year's.
"Well.." Lily looked directly into her eyes, "Are you going to tell me?"
Judy looked away, but she already knew she would. The truth was too heavy on her shoulders. "I guess it doesn't really matter if I tell you or not, since they broke up. But, just don't say anything to Grace, or to Eli."
"Eli? Why would I.." Lily drew back as the realization hit her. She opened her mouth in shock and leaned closer to the table again. "Eli and Grace?"
Judy nodded, "I saw them, kissing, on New Year's and then a few days later, Grace said they had broken up."
"Oh," Lily looked truly shocked, "How long had this been going on?"
"I don't know." Judy shrugged and then she saw the glint in Lily's eyes. "No, Lily. You are not going to ask her about it! Please don't.. She'll know I told you. And it's over now anyway, so you'd just be doing more harm than good."
Lily reluctantly nodded. "So this is what my daughter has been hiding from me.. Eli."
* * *
Grace saw him in the hallway. It was an unplanned event. He was walking in her direction, on the other side of the traffic of students headed towards lunch. Their eyes met and for a brief moment they united. They weren't just teacher and student, or even Augustus and Grace. No, for a moment, they were just the same being, one force in this crazy universe. And that's when Grace lost her ridiculous fear about going to him. And that's when Augustus realized that Grace was no longer Eli's. In that brief moment they understood everything about each other. But that moment passed, and although Grace felt a little better about going to Augustus, she still had crazy little butterflies in her stomach. And Augustus began to doubt his thought that Grace and Eli had broken up and wondered what made him think that in the first place.
Grace wasn't ready today. But soon she knew she would. Soon, she'd go talk to him. And hopefully soon, they'd get back together.
* * *
"How was school?" Lily asked later that day. Grace had just got home from school, and Lily wanted to blurt out all the questions that had arose from her conversation with Judy, but she forced herself to only ask the normal motherly questions.
"Fine." Grace poured herself a glass of juice. "When can I get my own car?"
"When the money-fairy comes," Lily joked. Grace knew that another car right now was out of their family's financial limit.
Grace rolled her eyes and drank her juice.
Lily watched her, hating having Grace be so close, but being unable to ask all the questions that were pounding in her brain. She was still shocked that she hadn't seen that Grace and Eli were a couple, right under nose. And now the two were broken up and Lily wanted to ask why. And she wanted to know how Grace could have ever gotten involve with Eli in the first place, as he was her stepbrother. So many questions that would stay unanswered. Unless, Grace told Lily about Eli out of her own will. It was worth a try. "Anything you want to talk about, Grace?"
Grace gave her mother a weird look and put her glass in the sink. She opened her mouth, but the door opened and Eli entered. Lily watched Grace's reaction to Eli carefully. She now saw what she had been missing before. There was a slight sadness on Grace's features, and beneath that a soft fragileness as Grace looked at Eli. Lily turned to Eli and was surprised by the anger on his face directed towards Grace. How could she have missed that anger and resentment Eli held for Grace. It was clear that Grace was the one who had broken up with Eli, based on their expressions. The anger faded from Eli's face; well, not faded exactly, but more was replaced by a false indifference.
"How's work going, Eli?" Lily asked, pretending she hadn't noticed anything. Pretending she didn't know about them.
"Oh, it's good. I got my paycheck today." Eli held up an envelope. "Jessie and I are going to go to the mall and blow half of it."
Lily smiled at him. "That's nice."
Jessie entered the room, and Lily realized Jessie knew about Eli and Grace also, based on the cold look she threw Grace and the way she almost clung to her brother protectively. "I'm ready! Oh, Can Katie come? I already told her she could." Jessie said to Eli.
"Why not?" Eli shrugged and handed his sister her coat. "Bye Lily."
"Bye. Have fun!" Lily watched the two of them leave. Then she turned to Grace, who stood quietly in the corner. "Ready to talk now?"
* * *
Life is what you make of it
Chapter 29// Ready to talk
Grace shut the front door behind her with a sigh of relief. It felt great to get out of her house. Eli was ignoring her, Jessie was angry at her, and her mother kept asking her questions that she didn't want to answer. But for once she didn't have to lie to her mother when she asked if Grace had a boyfriend or not. Because at this moment, Grace didn't have a boyfriend. Eli was gone, and she had yet to talk with Augustus. So, Augustus didn't even know that she had broken it off with Eli. Grace wanted to tell him the second she had called it quits in her room with Eli, but something was holding her back. Maybe it was respect for Eli - it wouldn't be very nice if she got back with Augustus the moment the two of them had broken up. Or maybe it was something more than that. Grace had the weird idea that she was scared to tell him. Scared to get back with him. She didn't know why, but there was that fear hiding there, that kept her from going to his house or catching him at school.
Grace went out to her mother's car and started it up and watched the house for Jesse. She hated that she still had to drive Jessie to school and places, even when the girl was extremely angry and hostile with her. She didn't know if she could take any more of Jessie's comments or angry looks.
Grace had her hand above the horn when Jessie hurried out the front door. Grace waited until Jessie was in the car and buckled up before she took off for the school. Jessie gave Grace a long stare, and Grace looked away. Jessie turned up the radio and the two of them rode in silence.
* * *
"I asked Grace today." Lily said later that morning as she and Judy ate breakfast together at Book Lovers.
Judy pulled off a chunk of her doughnut and put it in her mouth. "Asked what?"
"About the boyfriend.." Lily said in exasperation. She had been talking about this to Judy for the last week and still had to remind her sister what she meant. "And she said she didn't have one."
"There you go."
Lily shook her head, "No, I think she was telling the truth but there was more to the story, I'm sure. There's something she's not telling me."
Judy was silent, sipping her hot cappuccino. The truth about Eli and Grace lay on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't even managed an 'uh huh' right now without spilling it all. She was never good at keeping secrets, especially from her big sister.
"Has she said anything to you?" Lily asked.
Judy's mouth opened in surprise and a gargled "No" rose from her throat.
Lily's eyes went wide, "She did! Judy! Why didn't you tell me?"
Judy sighed, her shoulders deflating as she knew the truth was going to come out now. There was no stopping it. "She asked me not to."
Lily shook her head in disbelief. "I'm your sister! Grace is my daughter and you couldn't even tell me!"
"I just stumbled onto it. I wasn't supposed to know either." Judy said, remembering the shock of catching Eli and Grace wrapped up into each other, sharing a kiss on New Year's.
"Well.." Lily looked directly into her eyes, "Are you going to tell me?"
Judy looked away, but she already knew she would. The truth was too heavy on her shoulders. "I guess it doesn't really matter if I tell you or not, since they broke up. But, just don't say anything to Grace, or to Eli."
"Eli? Why would I.." Lily drew back as the realization hit her. She opened her mouth in shock and leaned closer to the table again. "Eli and Grace?"
Judy nodded, "I saw them, kissing, on New Year's and then a few days later, Grace said they had broken up."
"Oh," Lily looked truly shocked, "How long had this been going on?"
"I don't know." Judy shrugged and then she saw the glint in Lily's eyes. "No, Lily. You are not going to ask her about it! Please don't.. She'll know I told you. And it's over now anyway, so you'd just be doing more harm than good."
Lily reluctantly nodded. "So this is what my daughter has been hiding from me.. Eli."
* * *
Grace saw him in the hallway. It was an unplanned event. He was walking in her direction, on the other side of the traffic of students headed towards lunch. Their eyes met and for a brief moment they united. They weren't just teacher and student, or even Augustus and Grace. No, for a moment, they were just the same being, one force in this crazy universe. And that's when Grace lost her ridiculous fear about going to him. And that's when Augustus realized that Grace was no longer Eli's. In that brief moment they understood everything about each other. But that moment passed, and although Grace felt a little better about going to Augustus, she still had crazy little butterflies in her stomach. And Augustus began to doubt his thought that Grace and Eli had broken up and wondered what made him think that in the first place.
Grace wasn't ready today. But soon she knew she would. Soon, she'd go talk to him. And hopefully soon, they'd get back together.
* * *
"How was school?" Lily asked later that day. Grace had just got home from school, and Lily wanted to blurt out all the questions that had arose from her conversation with Judy, but she forced herself to only ask the normal motherly questions.
"Fine." Grace poured herself a glass of juice. "When can I get my own car?"
"When the money-fairy comes," Lily joked. Grace knew that another car right now was out of their family's financial limit.
Grace rolled her eyes and drank her juice.
Lily watched her, hating having Grace be so close, but being unable to ask all the questions that were pounding in her brain. She was still shocked that she hadn't seen that Grace and Eli were a couple, right under nose. And now the two were broken up and Lily wanted to ask why. And she wanted to know how Grace could have ever gotten involve with Eli in the first place, as he was her stepbrother. So many questions that would stay unanswered. Unless, Grace told Lily about Eli out of her own will. It was worth a try. "Anything you want to talk about, Grace?"
Grace gave her mother a weird look and put her glass in the sink. She opened her mouth, but the door opened and Eli entered. Lily watched Grace's reaction to Eli carefully. She now saw what she had been missing before. There was a slight sadness on Grace's features, and beneath that a soft fragileness as Grace looked at Eli. Lily turned to Eli and was surprised by the anger on his face directed towards Grace. How could she have missed that anger and resentment Eli held for Grace. It was clear that Grace was the one who had broken up with Eli, based on their expressions. The anger faded from Eli's face; well, not faded exactly, but more was replaced by a false indifference.
"How's work going, Eli?" Lily asked, pretending she hadn't noticed anything. Pretending she didn't know about them.
"Oh, it's good. I got my paycheck today." Eli held up an envelope. "Jessie and I are going to go to the mall and blow half of it."
Lily smiled at him. "That's nice."
Jessie entered the room, and Lily realized Jessie knew about Eli and Grace also, based on the cold look she threw Grace and the way she almost clung to her brother protectively. "I'm ready! Oh, Can Katie come? I already told her she could." Jessie said to Eli.
"Why not?" Eli shrugged and handed his sister her coat. "Bye Lily."
"Bye. Have fun!" Lily watched the two of them leave. Then she turned to Grace, who stood quietly in the corner. "Ready to talk now?"
* * *