~A Once and Again Series~

The Way We Were

Hey, thanks for reading, as always!!! I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen with Carla and Grace & Eli... but nothing too destructive, I assure you... this story will have a happy ending when it ends (which is ???). Oh, and I have been working on my other series "Where do we go..." on my website, I've been updating it occasionally.... I just haven't given it complete focus yet, because I want to put my all in this one first... but after this one ends, I'll definitely be updating it more often.... and will probably upload it on this site.

Chapter 28//Growing Up

He turned the small diamond ring over in his hand, sighing softly. Was this... right? Should he really propose? He thought it over, holding the ring in the dark.

* * *

"Oh, it's dark in here!" Lily said, as she entered Rick's apartment.

"Oh, yeah," Rick said, moving to the light switch, brightening the apartment. He smiled at Lily as the light revealed her face. They leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Did you talk with him?" Lily asked.

"Talk with whom?" Rick said, moving into the kitchen.

"With Eli," Lily said, as Rick poured them glasses of wine. "About him and Grace... dating."

"Oh." Rick handed her a glass, "Actually, no, not really." He caught Lily's look. "What? It's not like we didn't see this coming..."

"I know," Lily said with a sigh, "But are they ready for this?"

"Well, Eli has dated before..." Rick said, sipping the red wine.

"That's not what I meant," Lily said, setting her glass down on the countertop. "This is a big deal, for both of them."

"How so?"

"Well, it's not going to be just a normal high school relationship... it's different for them, because of--" Lily tried to explain.

"--Because of us?" Rick supplied.

Lily nodded, picking her glass back up and taking a big gulp. "They must be really serious if they're willing to date even though it will be hard for them, if we..." Lily left her thought unsaid.

Rick nodded. "...Then they're serious. That should be a good thing."

"Not at 14 and 16!" Lily's shoulders slumped. "He's the first boy Grace has ever dated..."

[[Lily - I didn't expect Grace to start dating till she was out of high school... seriously! I thought she'd always be my little girl... and now she's growing up... and we're growing apart.]]

* * *

"Jake?" Tiffany called into the dark apartment. "You here?" She switched the heavy bag of groceries to her other side as she fumbled for the light switch.

"Here, let me take that," Jake said, taking the bag from her as she turned the light on.

Tiffany followed him into the kitchen, and watched as he began to put everything away. "Jake?"

"Yeah?" Jake asked, stopping to look at her.

"I was thinking of going to Madison... my mom offered to let me stay there with her." Tiffany said, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Oh," Jake said, the air heavy with his unsaid thoughts. "You were?"

"Well, it's not definite... I was just thinking maybe..." Tiffany said unsurely.

"Maybe you could stay here," Jake said quickly. "Like... move in."

"Oh, I couldn't do that!" Tiffany argued, even though she practically lived there now. "I don't want to be a burden..."

"You're not!" Jake insisted. "I would like it if you stayed here..."

[[Jake - I feel sometimes that I'm just a kid still... just a teenage boy, who thinks only of himself. And I don't want to be like that anymore, I don't want to always be putting myself first.... I could do that with Tiffany. I could grow up... and...]]

Jake's hand slipped into his pocket and he fingered the ring he had bought last week.

[[...and I could ask her to marry me.]]

Tiffany smiled, "You'd really want that?"

"Yeah," Jake said, moving towards her. He took his hand out of his pocket. "And there's something else..."

"What?" Tiffany asked, completely naïve of what he was about to ask her. She looked at him in amusement as he knelt on the floor. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Jake insisted. He opened his hand, showing her the ring. "Will you marry me?"

Tiffany's reaction was unexpected. She frowned, and shook her head, "Jake... what are you doing?"

Jake stood up, standing close to her. "I'm proposing. So, what do you say?"

"Jake! You don't mean it! How can you mean it?" Tiffany asked, shocked.

"I mean it, Tiff.... I've been thinking about this for a while... and it's what I want," Jake reassured her.

Tiffany shook her head, her eyes were filling up with tears. "Jake, you just got out of a marriage... and I'm nobody special. Don't feel like you have to marry me because of the baby."

"I don't feel like that!" Jake cried. "I feel like this is the right thing to do... I want to do this. I want you to become my wife. What do you say?"

Tiffany's tears overflowed down her face, "Okay." She flung herself into Jake's arms and cried happily.

* * *

"Is Grace going to be coming?" Eli asked, checking his watch. "It's after five."

Carla looked up, from where she lay on Eli's bed. She blew a bubble with her gum and then snapped it back into her mouth, "Yeah, she said she'd have her mom drive her over after the play rehearsal... I think she said it got over at five..."

"You think?" Eli asked, with slight annoyance. He stood up, "How about we go over there and see if she's done?"

Carla looked up at him, her face wrinkled up, "And how are we going to get over there?"

"Didn't you drive here?" Eli asked.

"No, my car broke down... so my step-bitch-mother dropped me off." Carla rolled over on the bed, laying on her back. "Relax, she'll be here soon."

Eli got up from his desk chair and looked out the apartment's window, but couldn't see much of the parking lot. He turned away with a sigh.

"Oh, come on..." Carla groaned as she heard his sigh, "I'm not a boring person... don't tell me you hate hanging with me this much!"

"No, you're not boring..." Eli said with slight aggravation, looking over at her sprawled on his bed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Carla said, sitting up, and looking at him. "Are you mad at me? You hate me, huh?"

"No I don't hate you," Eli said quickly. "I just meant, you're not boring... you're different."

"OH!" Carla stood up, "This is about the drugs and rehab and stuff, right?"

"It's not," Eli said, unconvincingly. "Okay, maybe a little... but you have to admit you're not like everyone else."

Carla smiled, walking around the small room. "That's true, but that's a good thing. Right?" She got to the door, and she closed it, looking at Eli. "Do you mind?"

"Huh?" Eli asked, his body tensing as he looked back at her.

Carla pulled out a joint, "If I smoke?"

Eli stared at her, and slowly relaxed. "Uh, just... open the window..."

Carla went to the window, opening it, and then lighting up. The sweet musky smell of marijuana filled the room. Carla took a drag and then held it out to Eli. Eli hesitated, then took it from her, putting it to his lips.

* * *

Grace knocked at the apartment door, but got no answer. She could hear music coming from inside, though, and when she tested it, the door swung open, unlocked.

Grace stepped inside, a bit guiltily. She closed the door behind her and called out for Eli, but got no answer. She headed up the stairs to his room. His door was shut, and Grace knocked, wondering if Carla had bailed on their plans to all get-together.

But that was not the case, as Grace saw when Eli opened the door a crack. Eli saw it was her, not his Dad, and let her in. Carla sat on Eli's bed. The room was tinged with smoke. Grace looked at Eli, slightly hurt and confused.

"Grace! We were wondering when you'd get done with practice!" Carla said loudly, over the music.

"Yeah, we were thinking of coming and getting you, but then we realized we had no car," Eli said, missing the look on Grace's face.

Carla laughed loudly at Eli's statement and Eli laughed along. He sat on the bed next to Carla and patted the spot next to him. "Come sit..." He called to Grace.

"I love this song!" Carla shouted.

Grace moved forward, and sat down uneasily. Both of them were stoned. Eli turned to her, and he kissed her.

Grace kissed him back, but then pulled away as the kisses intensified. She looked over at where Carla was watching them. Carla noticed Grace looking at her, and blinked, "Oh, just pretend I'm not here." She continued to watch Grace and Eli closely, though.

Grace felt like shouting, 'Why are you here?', but remembered she was the one who had included Carla in on her and Eli's plans to hang out. Eli moved to kiss Grace again, but she pushed him back.

"You know what?" Carla said, jumping to her feet. "I'm hungry!"

Grace waited until Carla had raced out of the room to look at Eli.

"Hey, it's just a little pot," Eli said, automatically on the defensive.

"Yeah..." Grace said. Eli leaned in, and this time Grace let him kiss her. She could smell it on him, she could taste it on him... When they broke, Grace looked at him closely. "Do you do this a lot?"

Eli shook his head, "No, not really... but it's harmless."

"I know," Grace answered unsurely. She didn't know if she liked the idea of Eli smoking pot.

"Did you want some..." Eli offered, "I'm sure Carla has some more."

"You got it from Carla?" Grace asked, it sinking in.

"Yeah."

"Eli, where's your hot cocoa mix??" Carla cried from downstairs.

Eli got up, and Grace reluctantly followed him.

* * *

"Dad's coming over," Zoe informed Grace that night.

"He is?" Grace asked in surprise.

"And Tiffany too..." Zoe added. "They have something to tell us."

Grace's heart skipped a beat. "Oh," She said, trying to pretend she didn't care.

The phone rang, and the girls heard their mother pick it up in the kitchen. "Grace!" Lily called, "It's Eli."

Grace got the phone, and stepped outside, where it was a slightly chilly spring night, but at least she had privacy. "Hello?"

"Hi," Eli said from his end. "I just wanted to call and make sure..."

"Make sure what?" Grace asked.

"That everything was still good between us."

"Why wouldn't it be?" Grace said, feigning ignorance.

"Well, you just seemed a bit... disappointed earlier about the smoking..." Eli said.

"Oh," Grace looked out at the dark yard. "No, we're fine. I just..."

"What?" Eli asked, prodding her to go on.

"It just was weird, with Carla there..." Grace said. "It seems like she's always with us now."

"She's YOUR friend," Eli reminded her.

Grace turned, looking through the window at her brightly lit house. "I know, it's just... I just wish she wasn't always there. I just want to be alone with you..."

"Me too," Eli whispered.

Grace looked inside, and saw her mother tapping on the window glass. Her Dad must have arrived. "I've got to go."

"Wait-- so you don't mind about the smoking?" Eli asked.

"I don't know, Eli. You're free to make your own choices." Grace said with a sigh. "I've got to go."

"Bye," Eli said reluctantly.

"Bye," Grace echoed, turning off the phone and going inside. She found her Dad, Tiffany, her mother, and Zoe waiting for her in the living room. Grace took a seat at the couch and waited for her Dad's news.

"Tiffany and I are getting married!" Jake announced, and Grace gasped in disbelief.

[[Grace - My life has certainly changed this year. Not only with my parents, but with school, my friends, and Eli... it's all so weird, that sometimes I wonder how it all went this way. How did it all change so quickly? *long stare into camera* I guess I'm just growing up...but sometimes, I wonder if I'm the only one. *sigh*....]]

* * *