~A Once and Again Series~
The Way We Were
Thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews! And, now on to the show..
Chapter 5//The Joys of Parenthood.
"No!" Lily grabbed the phone out of Grace's hand before she could dial, "Go get your backpack! We're leaving!"
Grace looked at her mother with annoyance, and left the room to get her backpack.
Zoe came in and held up a black shoe. "Have you seen the other one, mom?"
"No." Lily sighed "Just wear a different pair of shoes. We're going to be late!"
"But I like these shoes.." Zoe trailed off as she left the kitchen.
[[Lily - Sometimes it's so hard.. being a parent.]]
"I'm ready!" Grace called as she entered the kitchen.
Lily called up the stairs for Zoe and her daughter came running down them. "Your backpack!" Lily reminded her and Zoe ran back up to her room.
[[Lily - I just feel like screaming.. It's all just too much sometimes.]]
Zoe came back down with her backpack and they made it out the door.
* * *
"Did you want pancakes?" Rick asked Jessie and Eli.
"We're going to be late, dad." Eli reminded him.
Rick served the pancakes onto their plates anyways, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Aren't pancakes worth being late?"
Jessie giggled and nodding, digging into her pancakes. Eli just shrugged and ate his.
[[Rick - I love being a 'Dad'. I love looking at these kids and knowing that I did that.. I made them.]]
The kids finished eating and the three of them headed out the door.
"Are you coming to the game tonight?" Eli asked.
"Of course." Rick answered, as they got into the car. He started up the car.
"Can I come, too?" Jessie asked.
Eli leaned forward from the back seat and pulled his sister's hair lightly, "Why would you want to come to my game?"
"I don't know. It might be fun." Jessie swatted his hand away.
Rick glanced at the two of them with a smile.
[[Rick - Knowing that these two are here because of me.. that I had some part behind making them who they are, that's just amazing.]]
* * *
Lily pulled up to the curb in front of the high school and Grace got out. Lily watched her go and let out a deep breath.
[[Lily - Some mornings, I just want to stay in bed. I don't want to deal with.. them. Isn't that horrible?]]
Lily watched as Grace joined a group of friends, and was startled by the beep of a friendly horn. She looked forward and saw Rick turned around in the drivers seat of his car, parked in front of hers. They shared a smile. Lily gave him a little wave and he waved back. Lily pointed at her watch, indicating that she had to go and he nodded and pointed at his own watch. They shared a final look and drove off in different directions.
* * *
"Grace?"
"Grace?" Julie called when Grace didn't answer her.
Grace turned in the hall and looked at her friend.
Julie walked towards her and Grace noticed that Julie was sad. She was still angry at Julie for blowing her off the past week, but she couldn't turn away from her friend when she was upset. "What's wrong?"
"Kevin broke up with me," Julie said.
"Oh," Grace said, unsure of how to respond to that.
[[Grace - I hate to say it, but I'm not surprised.]]
"I can't believe he did that to me!" Julie complained, "We were close, you know? We had only gone out for a week, but still.. I thought he really liked me."
"When did he..?" Grace asked.
"He called me last night and broke up with me over the phone!"
"Oh, that sucks," Grace said. "Did he say why?"
"He thinks that I'm too young for him!" Julie said angrily. "Which is totally not true! I think the real reason is because he's ex- girlfriend.."
"Shelley?" Grace interrupted.
"Yeah, Shelley has been trying to get back with him, and I think that's why he dumped me. That jerk!"
"Come on, let's go to lunch," Grace said softly.
"No, I can't go in there!" Julie cried. "He's going to be there, with Shelley!"
"Julie.." Grace said.
"No, I'm blowing off school. I'm going to go home, my mom won't care." Julie looked to Grace, "Want to come?"
"No, I.." Grace trailed off as Jennifer walked towards them. Grace thought Jennifer would continue walking past them, but instead she stopped as she reached the two girls.
"Grace, can I talk to you?" Jennifer's voice was as cold as ice.
Julie's eyes widened. "I'm going to go. I'll call you, Grace, okay?"
Grace nodded and watched Julie leave. Then she turned back to Jennifer and waited for the worse.
"I used to think you were okay," Jennifer said coldly, "For a freshman, that is. But if you think that you can just take Eli away from me--"
"What?" Grace cried, shocked.
"Oh come on, don't act so innocent. People have seen you all over him."
"That's not true.. and anyways, didn't you break up?" Grace asked, confused.
Jennifer gave her a sneer and rolled her eyes, "So? Just lay off him okay?"
Grace just stared at the girl.
[[Grace - What gives her the right?]]
"He wouldn't date you anyways!" Jennifer said with a harsh laugh. She turned and walked away, throwing Grace a mean look over her shoulder.
* * *
"Is here good?" Sarah asked Grace. Grace nodded and the two sat down on the bleachers. Grace looked at the basketball team's bench and picked out the back of Eli's head.
"Kevin dumped Julie, did you hear?" Sarah asked.
Grace nodded, "Yeah, Julie told me."
"You talked to Julie?" Sarah asked in surprise.
"Yeah, she was at school today, but left at lunchtime." Grace caught Eli's profile as he turned and laughed with the guy next to him.
"Did you forgive her?" Sarah asked in disbelief.
"For what?" Grace asked, distracted by Eli.
"For being a complete bitch to us the last week."
"I guess so," Grace said with a shrug. "Anyways, I'm over it."
"Well, I'm not!" Sarah said, disgusted, "If she thinks--"
Grace pulled on her friend's arm, interrupting her. "Jennifer's here!" She gestured to where Jennifer sat with Lisa, a few rows in front of them. "I can't believe that girl!"
"I know!" Sarah's nose wrinkled, "How can she say those things about you?"
"WHAT things?"
"Just that you.." Sarah looked uneasily at Grace, "That you've been trying to sleep with every guy on the team and that you tried to sleep with Eli, and that's why the two of them broke up."
Grace gasped, "But that's totally not true!"
Sarah shrugged, "She's been telling everyone that."
[[Grace - That bitch!]]
Grace shook her head angrily and looked down at Jennifer and then at Eli. "That bitch!"
* * *
A row behind Grace and Sarah and to the right, Rick and Jessie sat, watching the game.
"When he's going to play?" Jessie asked, her voice filled with boredom.
"Soon," Rick said, hoping he was right. "Why don't you go get us something to eat?"
"Nachos?" Jessie asked, finally sounding half-alive. Rick nodded and Jessie began to make her way down the row. She was passing behind two girls when she heard one of them say her brother's name. Jessie glanced at her dad, who was paying close attention to the game and then sat down, just behind the girls, who hadn't noticed her, and listened.
"Jennifer broke up with Eli, how can she say who has the right to date him?" Grace was saying.
"I know!" Sarah agreed. "And she has no right to say those things about you. The whole school was already talking about how your parents walked on you and Eli having sex, and now they're saying that you broke them up!"
Behind them, Jessie's eyes widened.
"That's so untrue, and she knows it!" Grace said angrily. "Whatever!"
"Hey, look, Eli's playing." Sarah said.
Jessie stood up and began making her way down the row, a funny look on her face.
* * *
"Good going, Eli!" Rick said later as Eli joined him and Jessie in the car.
"Dad, we lost," Eli reminded him.
"Well, you still played good." Rick said, starting up the car.
"Well, string-bean, did you have fun?" Eli teased his sister, and was surprised when Jessie didn't smile at him.
"No!" Jessie spat out at him.
Eli furrowed his brow at his sister's unexpected flash of anger. "What's up your--"
"Eli!" Rick warned.
His daughter and son rode in silence, but Rick could still sense the tension between them and wondered what had happened.
[[Rick - I'm supposed to know everything, right? I'm the dad.. I'm supposed to be able to fix everything? Hmm.. why don't kids come with an instruction book?]]
Rick pulled into his parking spot in the apartment parking lot. Eli got out first and Rick turned to Jessie. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No!" Jessie cried angrily and got out of the car, slamming the door behind her.
Rick sighed.
[[Rick - It's not easy, being a parent.. not at all.]]
* * *
The Way We Were
Thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews! And, now on to the show..
Chapter 5//The Joys of Parenthood.
"No!" Lily grabbed the phone out of Grace's hand before she could dial, "Go get your backpack! We're leaving!"
Grace looked at her mother with annoyance, and left the room to get her backpack.
Zoe came in and held up a black shoe. "Have you seen the other one, mom?"
"No." Lily sighed "Just wear a different pair of shoes. We're going to be late!"
"But I like these shoes.." Zoe trailed off as she left the kitchen.
[[Lily - Sometimes it's so hard.. being a parent.]]
"I'm ready!" Grace called as she entered the kitchen.
Lily called up the stairs for Zoe and her daughter came running down them. "Your backpack!" Lily reminded her and Zoe ran back up to her room.
[[Lily - I just feel like screaming.. It's all just too much sometimes.]]
Zoe came back down with her backpack and they made it out the door.
* * *
"Did you want pancakes?" Rick asked Jessie and Eli.
"We're going to be late, dad." Eli reminded him.
Rick served the pancakes onto their plates anyways, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Aren't pancakes worth being late?"
Jessie giggled and nodding, digging into her pancakes. Eli just shrugged and ate his.
[[Rick - I love being a 'Dad'. I love looking at these kids and knowing that I did that.. I made them.]]
The kids finished eating and the three of them headed out the door.
"Are you coming to the game tonight?" Eli asked.
"Of course." Rick answered, as they got into the car. He started up the car.
"Can I come, too?" Jessie asked.
Eli leaned forward from the back seat and pulled his sister's hair lightly, "Why would you want to come to my game?"
"I don't know. It might be fun." Jessie swatted his hand away.
Rick glanced at the two of them with a smile.
[[Rick - Knowing that these two are here because of me.. that I had some part behind making them who they are, that's just amazing.]]
* * *
Lily pulled up to the curb in front of the high school and Grace got out. Lily watched her go and let out a deep breath.
[[Lily - Some mornings, I just want to stay in bed. I don't want to deal with.. them. Isn't that horrible?]]
Lily watched as Grace joined a group of friends, and was startled by the beep of a friendly horn. She looked forward and saw Rick turned around in the drivers seat of his car, parked in front of hers. They shared a smile. Lily gave him a little wave and he waved back. Lily pointed at her watch, indicating that she had to go and he nodded and pointed at his own watch. They shared a final look and drove off in different directions.
* * *
"Grace?"
"Grace?" Julie called when Grace didn't answer her.
Grace turned in the hall and looked at her friend.
Julie walked towards her and Grace noticed that Julie was sad. She was still angry at Julie for blowing her off the past week, but she couldn't turn away from her friend when she was upset. "What's wrong?"
"Kevin broke up with me," Julie said.
"Oh," Grace said, unsure of how to respond to that.
[[Grace - I hate to say it, but I'm not surprised.]]
"I can't believe he did that to me!" Julie complained, "We were close, you know? We had only gone out for a week, but still.. I thought he really liked me."
"When did he..?" Grace asked.
"He called me last night and broke up with me over the phone!"
"Oh, that sucks," Grace said. "Did he say why?"
"He thinks that I'm too young for him!" Julie said angrily. "Which is totally not true! I think the real reason is because he's ex- girlfriend.."
"Shelley?" Grace interrupted.
"Yeah, Shelley has been trying to get back with him, and I think that's why he dumped me. That jerk!"
"Come on, let's go to lunch," Grace said softly.
"No, I can't go in there!" Julie cried. "He's going to be there, with Shelley!"
"Julie.." Grace said.
"No, I'm blowing off school. I'm going to go home, my mom won't care." Julie looked to Grace, "Want to come?"
"No, I.." Grace trailed off as Jennifer walked towards them. Grace thought Jennifer would continue walking past them, but instead she stopped as she reached the two girls.
"Grace, can I talk to you?" Jennifer's voice was as cold as ice.
Julie's eyes widened. "I'm going to go. I'll call you, Grace, okay?"
Grace nodded and watched Julie leave. Then she turned back to Jennifer and waited for the worse.
"I used to think you were okay," Jennifer said coldly, "For a freshman, that is. But if you think that you can just take Eli away from me--"
"What?" Grace cried, shocked.
"Oh come on, don't act so innocent. People have seen you all over him."
"That's not true.. and anyways, didn't you break up?" Grace asked, confused.
Jennifer gave her a sneer and rolled her eyes, "So? Just lay off him okay?"
Grace just stared at the girl.
[[Grace - What gives her the right?]]
"He wouldn't date you anyways!" Jennifer said with a harsh laugh. She turned and walked away, throwing Grace a mean look over her shoulder.
* * *
"Is here good?" Sarah asked Grace. Grace nodded and the two sat down on the bleachers. Grace looked at the basketball team's bench and picked out the back of Eli's head.
"Kevin dumped Julie, did you hear?" Sarah asked.
Grace nodded, "Yeah, Julie told me."
"You talked to Julie?" Sarah asked in surprise.
"Yeah, she was at school today, but left at lunchtime." Grace caught Eli's profile as he turned and laughed with the guy next to him.
"Did you forgive her?" Sarah asked in disbelief.
"For what?" Grace asked, distracted by Eli.
"For being a complete bitch to us the last week."
"I guess so," Grace said with a shrug. "Anyways, I'm over it."
"Well, I'm not!" Sarah said, disgusted, "If she thinks--"
Grace pulled on her friend's arm, interrupting her. "Jennifer's here!" She gestured to where Jennifer sat with Lisa, a few rows in front of them. "I can't believe that girl!"
"I know!" Sarah's nose wrinkled, "How can she say those things about you?"
"WHAT things?"
"Just that you.." Sarah looked uneasily at Grace, "That you've been trying to sleep with every guy on the team and that you tried to sleep with Eli, and that's why the two of them broke up."
Grace gasped, "But that's totally not true!"
Sarah shrugged, "She's been telling everyone that."
[[Grace - That bitch!]]
Grace shook her head angrily and looked down at Jennifer and then at Eli. "That bitch!"
* * *
A row behind Grace and Sarah and to the right, Rick and Jessie sat, watching the game.
"When he's going to play?" Jessie asked, her voice filled with boredom.
"Soon," Rick said, hoping he was right. "Why don't you go get us something to eat?"
"Nachos?" Jessie asked, finally sounding half-alive. Rick nodded and Jessie began to make her way down the row. She was passing behind two girls when she heard one of them say her brother's name. Jessie glanced at her dad, who was paying close attention to the game and then sat down, just behind the girls, who hadn't noticed her, and listened.
"Jennifer broke up with Eli, how can she say who has the right to date him?" Grace was saying.
"I know!" Sarah agreed. "And she has no right to say those things about you. The whole school was already talking about how your parents walked on you and Eli having sex, and now they're saying that you broke them up!"
Behind them, Jessie's eyes widened.
"That's so untrue, and she knows it!" Grace said angrily. "Whatever!"
"Hey, look, Eli's playing." Sarah said.
Jessie stood up and began making her way down the row, a funny look on her face.
* * *
"Good going, Eli!" Rick said later as Eli joined him and Jessie in the car.
"Dad, we lost," Eli reminded him.
"Well, you still played good." Rick said, starting up the car.
"Well, string-bean, did you have fun?" Eli teased his sister, and was surprised when Jessie didn't smile at him.
"No!" Jessie spat out at him.
Eli furrowed his brow at his sister's unexpected flash of anger. "What's up your--"
"Eli!" Rick warned.
His daughter and son rode in silence, but Rick could still sense the tension between them and wondered what had happened.
[[Rick - I'm supposed to know everything, right? I'm the dad.. I'm supposed to be able to fix everything? Hmm.. why don't kids come with an instruction book?]]
Rick pulled into his parking spot in the apartment parking lot. Eli got out first and Rick turned to Jessie. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No!" Jessie cried angrily and got out of the car, slamming the door behind her.
Rick sighed.
[[Rick - It's not easy, being a parent.. not at all.]]
* * *
