~A Once and Again Series~
The Way We Were
Chapter 8//Fear and Loathing
"And so, we're sitting there, at the ice cream place, and guess who comes over!?"
"Who?" Julie asked, her eyes getting big.
Grace looked around at the quickly crowding school lawn. School would be starting in five minutes, but Grace HAD to tell Julie about what her mother did to her last night.
"My mom's new boyfriend, of course!" Grace told Julie. "... and his kids!"
[[Grace - I hate her for that. How could she not tell me she was planning this? Eli was there... Ugh!]]
"You mean, Eli was there?" Julie asked, finally understanding why Grace was so upset.
"Yeah," Grace said angrily. "It's enough that I have to see him at school, after the rumors Jennifer is spreading about me, but now I have to see him other places too, thanks to my mom!"
"Oh, wow," Julie grimaced, "That must have been horrible."
"It was." Grace sighed, thinking back to the night before. Thinking of the expression of hostility she had seen on Eli's face.
[[Grace - Eli hates me now. He does! Well... good, cuz I... *pause* hate him too. *a tortured look into the camera*]]
"Oh, there he is!" Julie warned, looking over Grace's shoulder. Grace didn't even turn around to look at him. She couldn't bare to see him. "Oh, Grace..." Julie's face twisted into concern, "I think he's coming over here."
"What?!" Grace turned and saw that indeed Eli was headed towards them. She grabbed Julie's arm, pushing her forward, "You know, I really don't want to hear what he has to say!" Julie began to walk with her, as they moved away from Eli.
"Grace, maybe he's trying to apologize or something?" Julie asked, throwing a glance back at where Eli had stopped walking towards them, and instead was just staring after them.
"Hardly!" Grace snapped. They continued walking.
[[Grace - He has ruined my life... okay, it wasn't HIM that ruined it, but his bitchy girlfriend, Jennifer. But if it wasn't for him, Jennifer would have never said those things! You know what? I just hope he does go back with her! At least then, everything would go back to normal! *sigh*]]
* * *
"Eli!" Jennifer called out, her voice bubbling with joy.
Eli looked away from where Grace was just entering the school. He looked at Jennifer, his eyes narrowing at the sight of her. He threw one more glance at the doors, seeing that Grace was no longer visible, because she had gone in the school.
[[Eli - Grace hates me. But it's not my fault.. it's all Jennifer's.]]
"Hey, sweetie, how are you?" Jennifer asked when he looked back at her again.
"Sweetie?" Eli asked in disgust.
[[Eli - It wasn't until we broke up, that I got to see the real Jen. And I didn't like what I saw... How could she do that to Grace? Grace never did anything to her.]]
Jennifer's lips tightened, she moved closer to Eli. "I was thinking about you and me.."
"Don't even try, Jen!" Eli looked at his girlfriend with revulsion. This was a girl he had once loved, but now he saw her for what she truly was.
"Eli!" Jennifer complained. "I just thought-"
"Why are you doing this to Grace?" Eli interrupted her.
"Oh, come on, it's just a couple of fibs." Jennifer smiled, "And it wasn't ME, you know that."
"No, it was you!" Eli argued. "And it wasn't a couple of 'fibs', it was a whole bunch of heartless hurtful rumors!"
"Oh, no one actually believes it!" Jen laughed. "Everyone knows that NO ONE would EVER have sex with that awful girl, Grace! She's just not cool enough."
Eli shook his head in disgust. "She's a nice girl. There's nothing wrong with that. And you know what? You're the SLUT, Jennifer!"
Jen gasped. Her eyes glared fire into his own. "I can't believe you, Eli. You're a LOSER. Everyone's going to know what a loser you are!"
"So, what?" Eli asked. He turned around, and walked away from her. He heard her shout after him, but he didn't care. He was done with her.
[[Eli - The last thing I would have expected a few months ago... before my dad starting dating Grace's mom... is that Jennifer and I would break up, and that I would end up hating her. And I never expected to... to have Grace become a part of my life. I didn't even know who she was a couple of months ago. And now... *half smile*]]
* * *
"I guess bringing our kids together was a bad idea, huh?" Lily asked later that night, as she and Rick sat down to a dinner at his apartment.
Rick smiled his easy smile, "Yeah, I guess it was."
"Zoe was fine with it, but Grace.. Grace was so angry with me yesterday over it. I didn't realize it would affect her that much. I mean, she knew I was dating you." Lily sipped her wine. "How did yours take it?"
"Eli was angry too. He pretended he hadn't minded, but I could tell he was upset over it, for some reason. And Jessie, oh boy. She wouldn't talk to me the whole night." Rick cut off a piece of his chicken and put it in his mouth. "But I talked to her this morning, before Karen picked them up, and I think she's dealing with it better, now."
Lily sighed, and Rick joined her with his own sigh. "Why is this SO hard?" Lily asked him.
Rick shrugged, "Because it just is."
* * *
Jessie looked into her mirror, studying the slightly scrawny girl that stood before her. She lifted her blond hair up into a ponytail, like how Grace had been wearing her hair at the ice cream place the night before. She stuck her tongue out at herself with disgust.
[[Jessie - Why did we have to meet them?]]
She dropped her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders, and smiled at herself.
A knock came from the door, and Jessie called out, "Come in."
Eli entered. "Hey string-bean."
Jessie grimaced at the nickname, "What do you want?"
"What did you think of them?" Eli asked, sitting down on her bed.
Jessie jumped onto the bed, sitting next to him. "They're okay."
"I'm not dad, tell me the truth."
Jessie shrugged, "They were all so pretty."
"Yeah, the mom's a looker," Eli agreed absentmindedly.
Jessie looked away, and then back at her brother, "Grace was really pretty too."
Eli was surprised into a smile, "You think?"
Jessie wriggled off the bed, and picked up her brush. "Yeah," Jessie answered him as she began brushing her hair. She stopped and looked at her reflection in the mirror, "Do you think I will ever be pretty?"
Eli smiled at his sister's reflection. He wasn't used to questions like that from Jessie. Jessie had never seemed that interested in looks. "Of course.. I mean, you already are, kiddo."
Jessie shrugged, studying her reflection.
[[Jessie - Eli HAS to say that. He's my brother. But the girls he dates are so pretty... Laura, Stephanie, Jennifer, and now Grace.]]
"Dinner's ready!" Their mother called from the kitchen.
"Dinner's ready," Eli told Jessie, standing up.
"I know, I heard," Jessie said, brushing her hair.
Eli moved to leave. He paused at the door, looking back at his sister.
[[Eli - Jessie is perfect, just the way she is... Does that sound stupid?]]
Jessie watched his reflection in the mirror as he left the room.
[[Jessie - All Eli dates are these perfect pretty girls. My dad's dating a perfect beautiful woman too now. My mom's always been perfect! I just want to be perfect, too.]]
The Way We Were
Chapter 8//Fear and Loathing
"And so, we're sitting there, at the ice cream place, and guess who comes over!?"
"Who?" Julie asked, her eyes getting big.
Grace looked around at the quickly crowding school lawn. School would be starting in five minutes, but Grace HAD to tell Julie about what her mother did to her last night.
"My mom's new boyfriend, of course!" Grace told Julie. "... and his kids!"
[[Grace - I hate her for that. How could she not tell me she was planning this? Eli was there... Ugh!]]
"You mean, Eli was there?" Julie asked, finally understanding why Grace was so upset.
"Yeah," Grace said angrily. "It's enough that I have to see him at school, after the rumors Jennifer is spreading about me, but now I have to see him other places too, thanks to my mom!"
"Oh, wow," Julie grimaced, "That must have been horrible."
"It was." Grace sighed, thinking back to the night before. Thinking of the expression of hostility she had seen on Eli's face.
[[Grace - Eli hates me now. He does! Well... good, cuz I... *pause* hate him too. *a tortured look into the camera*]]
"Oh, there he is!" Julie warned, looking over Grace's shoulder. Grace didn't even turn around to look at him. She couldn't bare to see him. "Oh, Grace..." Julie's face twisted into concern, "I think he's coming over here."
"What?!" Grace turned and saw that indeed Eli was headed towards them. She grabbed Julie's arm, pushing her forward, "You know, I really don't want to hear what he has to say!" Julie began to walk with her, as they moved away from Eli.
"Grace, maybe he's trying to apologize or something?" Julie asked, throwing a glance back at where Eli had stopped walking towards them, and instead was just staring after them.
"Hardly!" Grace snapped. They continued walking.
[[Grace - He has ruined my life... okay, it wasn't HIM that ruined it, but his bitchy girlfriend, Jennifer. But if it wasn't for him, Jennifer would have never said those things! You know what? I just hope he does go back with her! At least then, everything would go back to normal! *sigh*]]
* * *
"Eli!" Jennifer called out, her voice bubbling with joy.
Eli looked away from where Grace was just entering the school. He looked at Jennifer, his eyes narrowing at the sight of her. He threw one more glance at the doors, seeing that Grace was no longer visible, because she had gone in the school.
[[Eli - Grace hates me. But it's not my fault.. it's all Jennifer's.]]
"Hey, sweetie, how are you?" Jennifer asked when he looked back at her again.
"Sweetie?" Eli asked in disgust.
[[Eli - It wasn't until we broke up, that I got to see the real Jen. And I didn't like what I saw... How could she do that to Grace? Grace never did anything to her.]]
Jennifer's lips tightened, she moved closer to Eli. "I was thinking about you and me.."
"Don't even try, Jen!" Eli looked at his girlfriend with revulsion. This was a girl he had once loved, but now he saw her for what she truly was.
"Eli!" Jennifer complained. "I just thought-"
"Why are you doing this to Grace?" Eli interrupted her.
"Oh, come on, it's just a couple of fibs." Jennifer smiled, "And it wasn't ME, you know that."
"No, it was you!" Eli argued. "And it wasn't a couple of 'fibs', it was a whole bunch of heartless hurtful rumors!"
"Oh, no one actually believes it!" Jen laughed. "Everyone knows that NO ONE would EVER have sex with that awful girl, Grace! She's just not cool enough."
Eli shook his head in disgust. "She's a nice girl. There's nothing wrong with that. And you know what? You're the SLUT, Jennifer!"
Jen gasped. Her eyes glared fire into his own. "I can't believe you, Eli. You're a LOSER. Everyone's going to know what a loser you are!"
"So, what?" Eli asked. He turned around, and walked away from her. He heard her shout after him, but he didn't care. He was done with her.
[[Eli - The last thing I would have expected a few months ago... before my dad starting dating Grace's mom... is that Jennifer and I would break up, and that I would end up hating her. And I never expected to... to have Grace become a part of my life. I didn't even know who she was a couple of months ago. And now... *half smile*]]
* * *
"I guess bringing our kids together was a bad idea, huh?" Lily asked later that night, as she and Rick sat down to a dinner at his apartment.
Rick smiled his easy smile, "Yeah, I guess it was."
"Zoe was fine with it, but Grace.. Grace was so angry with me yesterday over it. I didn't realize it would affect her that much. I mean, she knew I was dating you." Lily sipped her wine. "How did yours take it?"
"Eli was angry too. He pretended he hadn't minded, but I could tell he was upset over it, for some reason. And Jessie, oh boy. She wouldn't talk to me the whole night." Rick cut off a piece of his chicken and put it in his mouth. "But I talked to her this morning, before Karen picked them up, and I think she's dealing with it better, now."
Lily sighed, and Rick joined her with his own sigh. "Why is this SO hard?" Lily asked him.
Rick shrugged, "Because it just is."
* * *
Jessie looked into her mirror, studying the slightly scrawny girl that stood before her. She lifted her blond hair up into a ponytail, like how Grace had been wearing her hair at the ice cream place the night before. She stuck her tongue out at herself with disgust.
[[Jessie - Why did we have to meet them?]]
She dropped her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders, and smiled at herself.
A knock came from the door, and Jessie called out, "Come in."
Eli entered. "Hey string-bean."
Jessie grimaced at the nickname, "What do you want?"
"What did you think of them?" Eli asked, sitting down on her bed.
Jessie jumped onto the bed, sitting next to him. "They're okay."
"I'm not dad, tell me the truth."
Jessie shrugged, "They were all so pretty."
"Yeah, the mom's a looker," Eli agreed absentmindedly.
Jessie looked away, and then back at her brother, "Grace was really pretty too."
Eli was surprised into a smile, "You think?"
Jessie wriggled off the bed, and picked up her brush. "Yeah," Jessie answered him as she began brushing her hair. She stopped and looked at her reflection in the mirror, "Do you think I will ever be pretty?"
Eli smiled at his sister's reflection. He wasn't used to questions like that from Jessie. Jessie had never seemed that interested in looks. "Of course.. I mean, you already are, kiddo."
Jessie shrugged, studying her reflection.
[[Jessie - Eli HAS to say that. He's my brother. But the girls he dates are so pretty... Laura, Stephanie, Jennifer, and now Grace.]]
"Dinner's ready!" Their mother called from the kitchen.
"Dinner's ready," Eli told Jessie, standing up.
"I know, I heard," Jessie said, brushing her hair.
Eli moved to leave. He paused at the door, looking back at his sister.
[[Eli - Jessie is perfect, just the way she is... Does that sound stupid?]]
Jessie watched his reflection in the mirror as he left the room.
[[Jessie - All Eli dates are these perfect pretty girls. My dad's dating a perfect beautiful woman too now. My mom's always been perfect! I just want to be perfect, too.]]
