~A Once and Again Series~
The Way We Were
Hey everyone who's reading this.... thanks so much for reading and reviewing as always. P.S. I'm in the process of making a website for my fanfics. I'm working on making pictures that go with each of my chapters. If you want check it out. It's my "homepage link" under my author info. Thanks.
Chapter 11//In the Spoken Silence
"So, are you guys up for it?" Lily asked. She had just told her daughters about the plan for having a dinner with Rick and his kids on Friday.
"Okay," Zoe agreed.
Grace smiled happily. "Sounds good to me."
[[Grace - I can't believe it! It's like I'm going on a double date with Eli, and our parents... and Zoe and Jessie, but still... Like, I can't believe my luck... this is great!]]
* * *
"So, Friday, Lily wanted to know if we wanted to go over to her house for dinner." Rick told his kids.
"You want US to go on your date with you?" Jessie asked. "Why?"
"You idiot," Eli shook his head at his sister's words. "It's not that kind of date. Dad wants us to meet her and her kids."
"But we already did that," Jessie protested, and expected Eli to back her up. But Eli didn't seem to mind the idea of spending dinner with The Mom and her kids. Probably because Grace will be there, Jessie thought. But Jessie wasn't about to agree to this so easily. "Dad, we already met them... at the ice cream place, remember?"
[[Jessie - HELLO! Come on, dad, can't you see? I DON'T want to do this! Hello, anybody?]]
"I'll go." Eli announced.
Rick smiled at his son. He looked at Jessie and waited.
"Why do we have to do this?" Jessie asked. "It's not like you're serious about The Mom."
Rick looked at his daughter in surprise, "Jessie.. I am serious about Lily. I thought you realized that."
[[Jessie - Is anyone there? Does anyone hear me?]]
Jessie glanced at Eli, who was looking at the counter with interest. Rick's eyes were focused on her intently, awaiting her reaction. Jessie couldn't take that sappy caring look on her dad's face anymore and said, "Uh, yeah, Dad, I realized that."
Rick smiled, pleased, and moved to the fridge, taking out Chinese takeout containers for supper. "It will be nice to actually sit down and actually talk to them. It might be fun, don't you think?"
[[Jessie - Nice? Fun? No.... Doesn't anyone realize that? Anyone? Hello? HELLO???]]
Jessie looked to Eli, hoping maybe he would see the truth in her eyes... maybe he would hear her, but Eli just looked back at her expressionless. Jessie sighed and gave in, "Okay."
[[Jessie - *Silence*]]
* * *
"So, how about the two of us go shopping and then out to eat on Friday?" Karen asked her daughter as she pulled up in front of the junior high.
Jessie had been unusually silent ever since Karen had picked her up from her father's last night. Karen knew something was bothering Jessie. She just hoped that Jessie would open up to her about it.
"Dad has us Friday," Jessie reminded her mother, staring out the window.
"Oh, right." Karen said with frustration. "Maybe Monday, then?"
[[Karen - It's hard... difficult... dividing up time with your kids. Planning who has them when, and trying to fit your schedule around with his to make it work. Sometimes you forget what all the planning is about in the first place... it's about two beautiful kids.]]
"I guess." Jessie agreed with any emotion. She began to open the car door, but stopped and looked at her mother. "Maybe Dad will let me be with you instead on Friday."
There was something behind that statement, Karen knew it. She knew her daughter. There was something Jessie was on the verge of saying... if only Karen gave her one more push. "Don't you want to be with your father on Friday?"
Jessie sighed, slumping back against the car seat. "We're going to The Mom's house."
[[Karen - Oh...]]
"The Mom... Lily?" Karen asked, remembering the woman she had met at the carnival. The woman who was now her ex-husband's latest girlfriend.
"Yeah, and I don't think I can go, mom!" Jessie turned pleadingly. "I told Dad I would, but... I don't want to!"
"Oh, honey.. you should talk to your father about this."
"He wouldn't listen. He's too wrapped up in that Mom to care about me. And Eli's too wrapped up in Grace to care either." Jessie said, crossing her arms angrily.
"Who's Grace?" Karen asked.
"The Mom's daughter. I think Eli and her are dating... or almost dating." Jessie shrugged. "Whatever. Eli wants to go, and Dad wanted me to go too, and so I told him I would. But, mom, it's going to be horrible, I know it!"
This was the first Karen had ever heard of any 'Grace'. "Are you sure Eli's seeing this girl... when your father is dating her mother?"
[[Jessie - Hello? What about me? What about me?]]
Jessie frowned and got out of the car.
"Jessie!" Her mother called after her, but Jessie swung the door shut and continued towards the school. She had thought her mother might actually listen to her, but she was the same as her dad. All she cared about was Eli and Grace and if they were dating. But what about what Jessie felt? Didn't anyone care?
* * *
"Grace!"
Grace turned at the sound of Eli's voice. "Hi."
Eli shifted his lunch tray slightly, smiling at her. "How are you?"
"Good. Did your dad tell you about Friday?" Grace asked, shifting her own lunch tray.
"Yeah," Eli answered, then looked around. They were standing together near the front of the cafeteria. "Did you want to sit down somewhere?"
"Yeah!" Grace said, cursing herself for sounding so excited. She followed Eli to a small table in the corner. After they sat down, Grace looked up at Eli.
Eli looked back at her, "It's weird, huh? That our parents are getting so serious."
Grace nodded, sipping her soda. "Totally. The next thing you know, they'll be getting married." Grace joked.
"Yeah, and then we'd be stepbrother and stepsister," Eli joked too, but his voice fell flat as he realized what he was saying. It might happen. Their parents might actually get married. And that would make them..
[[Eli - ...Stepsiblings? With Grace?...]]
[[Grace - ... my step-BROTHER?...]]
"So, what does your sister think of the Friday date?" Grace said quickly, trying to cover up the thoughtful silence.
[[Grace - Oh, God. I just said "date"... I shouldn't have said that. It's not a date, not really. Well, for our parent's in a way... but Eli and I are just tagging along. It's nothing more than that... not with everyone else there too. If it was just me and Eli.... then... but it's not.]]
"Jessie's fine with it," Eli answered after a pause. He was pretty sure she was, but Jessie had become hard to read lately. But why would Jessie have a problem with it?
"Oh, look who it is... the loser and the tramp." Lisa said as she walked up to their table.
Grace furrowed her brow and looked down at her lunch.
"We know you're a loser and a tramp, Lisa. You don't have to tell us that." Eli said, staring back at the angry girl with anger of his own.
Lisa made a little, "Tsssah" noise and walked away.
"Bitch," Grace said aloud, surprising herself. She looked unsurely at Eli, but Eli was smiling.
"Totally."
Grace smiled back.
* * *
The Way We Were
Hey everyone who's reading this.... thanks so much for reading and reviewing as always. P.S. I'm in the process of making a website for my fanfics. I'm working on making pictures that go with each of my chapters. If you want check it out. It's my "homepage link" under my author info. Thanks.
Chapter 11//In the Spoken Silence
"So, are you guys up for it?" Lily asked. She had just told her daughters about the plan for having a dinner with Rick and his kids on Friday.
"Okay," Zoe agreed.
Grace smiled happily. "Sounds good to me."
[[Grace - I can't believe it! It's like I'm going on a double date with Eli, and our parents... and Zoe and Jessie, but still... Like, I can't believe my luck... this is great!]]
* * *
"So, Friday, Lily wanted to know if we wanted to go over to her house for dinner." Rick told his kids.
"You want US to go on your date with you?" Jessie asked. "Why?"
"You idiot," Eli shook his head at his sister's words. "It's not that kind of date. Dad wants us to meet her and her kids."
"But we already did that," Jessie protested, and expected Eli to back her up. But Eli didn't seem to mind the idea of spending dinner with The Mom and her kids. Probably because Grace will be there, Jessie thought. But Jessie wasn't about to agree to this so easily. "Dad, we already met them... at the ice cream place, remember?"
[[Jessie - HELLO! Come on, dad, can't you see? I DON'T want to do this! Hello, anybody?]]
"I'll go." Eli announced.
Rick smiled at his son. He looked at Jessie and waited.
"Why do we have to do this?" Jessie asked. "It's not like you're serious about The Mom."
Rick looked at his daughter in surprise, "Jessie.. I am serious about Lily. I thought you realized that."
[[Jessie - Is anyone there? Does anyone hear me?]]
Jessie glanced at Eli, who was looking at the counter with interest. Rick's eyes were focused on her intently, awaiting her reaction. Jessie couldn't take that sappy caring look on her dad's face anymore and said, "Uh, yeah, Dad, I realized that."
Rick smiled, pleased, and moved to the fridge, taking out Chinese takeout containers for supper. "It will be nice to actually sit down and actually talk to them. It might be fun, don't you think?"
[[Jessie - Nice? Fun? No.... Doesn't anyone realize that? Anyone? Hello? HELLO???]]
Jessie looked to Eli, hoping maybe he would see the truth in her eyes... maybe he would hear her, but Eli just looked back at her expressionless. Jessie sighed and gave in, "Okay."
[[Jessie - *Silence*]]
* * *
"So, how about the two of us go shopping and then out to eat on Friday?" Karen asked her daughter as she pulled up in front of the junior high.
Jessie had been unusually silent ever since Karen had picked her up from her father's last night. Karen knew something was bothering Jessie. She just hoped that Jessie would open up to her about it.
"Dad has us Friday," Jessie reminded her mother, staring out the window.
"Oh, right." Karen said with frustration. "Maybe Monday, then?"
[[Karen - It's hard... difficult... dividing up time with your kids. Planning who has them when, and trying to fit your schedule around with his to make it work. Sometimes you forget what all the planning is about in the first place... it's about two beautiful kids.]]
"I guess." Jessie agreed with any emotion. She began to open the car door, but stopped and looked at her mother. "Maybe Dad will let me be with you instead on Friday."
There was something behind that statement, Karen knew it. She knew her daughter. There was something Jessie was on the verge of saying... if only Karen gave her one more push. "Don't you want to be with your father on Friday?"
Jessie sighed, slumping back against the car seat. "We're going to The Mom's house."
[[Karen - Oh...]]
"The Mom... Lily?" Karen asked, remembering the woman she had met at the carnival. The woman who was now her ex-husband's latest girlfriend.
"Yeah, and I don't think I can go, mom!" Jessie turned pleadingly. "I told Dad I would, but... I don't want to!"
"Oh, honey.. you should talk to your father about this."
"He wouldn't listen. He's too wrapped up in that Mom to care about me. And Eli's too wrapped up in Grace to care either." Jessie said, crossing her arms angrily.
"Who's Grace?" Karen asked.
"The Mom's daughter. I think Eli and her are dating... or almost dating." Jessie shrugged. "Whatever. Eli wants to go, and Dad wanted me to go too, and so I told him I would. But, mom, it's going to be horrible, I know it!"
This was the first Karen had ever heard of any 'Grace'. "Are you sure Eli's seeing this girl... when your father is dating her mother?"
[[Jessie - Hello? What about me? What about me?]]
Jessie frowned and got out of the car.
"Jessie!" Her mother called after her, but Jessie swung the door shut and continued towards the school. She had thought her mother might actually listen to her, but she was the same as her dad. All she cared about was Eli and Grace and if they were dating. But what about what Jessie felt? Didn't anyone care?
* * *
"Grace!"
Grace turned at the sound of Eli's voice. "Hi."
Eli shifted his lunch tray slightly, smiling at her. "How are you?"
"Good. Did your dad tell you about Friday?" Grace asked, shifting her own lunch tray.
"Yeah," Eli answered, then looked around. They were standing together near the front of the cafeteria. "Did you want to sit down somewhere?"
"Yeah!" Grace said, cursing herself for sounding so excited. She followed Eli to a small table in the corner. After they sat down, Grace looked up at Eli.
Eli looked back at her, "It's weird, huh? That our parents are getting so serious."
Grace nodded, sipping her soda. "Totally. The next thing you know, they'll be getting married." Grace joked.
"Yeah, and then we'd be stepbrother and stepsister," Eli joked too, but his voice fell flat as he realized what he was saying. It might happen. Their parents might actually get married. And that would make them..
[[Eli - ...Stepsiblings? With Grace?...]]
[[Grace - ... my step-BROTHER?...]]
"So, what does your sister think of the Friday date?" Grace said quickly, trying to cover up the thoughtful silence.
[[Grace - Oh, God. I just said "date"... I shouldn't have said that. It's not a date, not really. Well, for our parent's in a way... but Eli and I are just tagging along. It's nothing more than that... not with everyone else there too. If it was just me and Eli.... then... but it's not.]]
"Jessie's fine with it," Eli answered after a pause. He was pretty sure she was, but Jessie had become hard to read lately. But why would Jessie have a problem with it?
"Oh, look who it is... the loser and the tramp." Lisa said as she walked up to their table.
Grace furrowed her brow and looked down at her lunch.
"We know you're a loser and a tramp, Lisa. You don't have to tell us that." Eli said, staring back at the angry girl with anger of his own.
Lisa made a little, "Tsssah" noise and walked away.
"Bitch," Grace said aloud, surprising herself. She looked unsurely at Eli, but Eli was smiling.
"Totally."
Grace smiled back.
* * *
