~A Once and Again Series~
Where do we go from here?
Chapter Two// Best to be Sure
"Here you go," Lily said, setting down a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of Grace. "Are you feeling better today, Grace?"
Grace nodded, and even smiled up at her mother, even though her stomach was twisting and turning. Lily smiled back, and hurried away to the next room.
Grace looked around, seeing that the room was empty and went over to the garage can. She flipped the lid and scraped her food into the trash. She carried her cleaned plate over to the sink.
"What are you doing?"
Grace looked up with a start. Jessie stood in the doorway to the living room, her arms crossed.
"Grace, are you--?" Jessie said, confused. What she had just seen Grace do was so familiar to her own days of anorexia.
Grace frowned, knowing there was only one thing she could do to make Jessie understand. She sighed and grabbed Jessie's arm. "I'll explain, just let's go up to my room."
Jessie followed Grace up the stairs, never expecting what was coming.
* * *
Eli lifted his arm and hit his alarm clock. He had to get ready for work. He was 21, and he stilled lived at home, and worked at his step- aunt's bookstore. Truth be told, he knew it was the only job where he wouldn't be fired from. And even with Judy and Jake as his bosses, he still came close to losing his job every once and a while.
Eli sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt from the clean pile of laundry Lily had done for him. He looked at the clock and saw he still had ten minutes to kill before he had to leave. He opened his top dresser drawer and moved his sock around until he found his bag of pot.
Eli exited from his room twenty minutes later, his eyes slightly glazed over. He ran into Jessie in the kitchen, who had the strangest look on her face. Eli ignored it and headed out to his car.
* * *
Grace smiled as she drove the street in new car. She let herself take delight in her present, and then slowly allowed her nagging thoughts to return. Her smile had faded by the time she reached the drug store. And as she parked the car, fresh tears wet her face.
"You idiot," Grace said to herself, in the sanctuary of her car. "You idiot!"
Grace's head fell into her hands, and she allowed herself a few more tears. Then she looked up into the visor mirror, wiping away any telltale signs of her breakdown.
Grace got out of her Honda and entered the store. She paused at the entrance, her heart beating madly as she checked for people she knew. Nobody looked familiar. Grace bit her lower lip slightly and walked past the aisles until she found the right one. She looked around once more, and entered the aisle.
She became overwhelm by the different kinds, and finally chose the one she saw on commercials. She took her purchase up the register, throwing a candy bar down too.
"Hi," The cashier said, smiling. Her tag read, Darla.
Grace nodded, having lost her ability to speak as she watched Darla scan her items. Darla did, and gave Grace a tiny look of pity, but didn't say anything. It wasn't her place. "That'll be 8.33, honey."
Grace slid a ten across the counter. Darla counted out her change. Grace took the change, throwing it in her purse without care. She took the bag from Darla, her hand gripping tight on it. Grace turned.
"Honey?" Darla called. Grace looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah?" Grace asked, nervously.
"It'll be okay," Darla said, giving Grace a gentle smile. "It's not the end of the world. You seem like a strong girl."
"Thanks," Grace said, taking in Darla's words with appreciation. That was what she needed to hear right now. Grace smiled back at the kind stranger and took her purchases out to her car.
* * *
Grace went up to Jessie's attic room with her bag. Jessie watched her come in and stared at the bag with unease.
"Did you buy it?" Jessie asked.
Grace nodded, dropping the bag on Jessie's bed, and sat down next to it.
"Grace, are you going to take it?" Jessie asked, getting up from her desk chair. "I mean, you already think you are... but it's best to be sure."
"Jessie, I already KNOW I am." Grace corrected her. "But..." She opened the bag, taking out the EPT Pregnancy Test.
Jessie looked at it wide eyed, still unable to believe that her stepsister might be--- was--- pregnant.
"Jess?" Came a call on the stairs leading up to her room.
Grace threw the pregnancy test back into the bag, and hid the bag under Jessie's pillow.
"Uh, yes?" Jessie called out after Grace had stashed away the bag.
The door swung open, and Eli's head popped in. He looked over at Grace in surprise.
Grace looked at the quilt on Jessie's bed with great interest.
"Was there something you wanted, Eli?" Jessie asked.
"Uh, yeah, I just wanted to borrow a couple dollars," Eli explained.
Jessie's eyes narrowed and she was on the verge of denying her brother the money, but she knew Grace would breath easier as soon as Eli left. Jessie went over to her dresser, and took out three ones.
"What?" Eli complained as he took the money from her. "3 dollars?"
Jessie raised her eyebrows. "It's all I have, and you still owe me twenty from last week."
"Alright," Eli said angrily. He looked over at Grace briefly. "Grace..." He said, his voice gone of his anger. He just sounded tired now.
Grace looked up and shot Eli a harsh look. Eli backed out of the room quickly. Jessie closed the door behind him. She walked over to Grace, "Time to make sure."
Grace nodded, and took out the plastic bag containing the pregnancy test. She headed for the bathroom.
* * *
Where do we go from here?
Chapter Two// Best to be Sure
"Here you go," Lily said, setting down a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of Grace. "Are you feeling better today, Grace?"
Grace nodded, and even smiled up at her mother, even though her stomach was twisting and turning. Lily smiled back, and hurried away to the next room.
Grace looked around, seeing that the room was empty and went over to the garage can. She flipped the lid and scraped her food into the trash. She carried her cleaned plate over to the sink.
"What are you doing?"
Grace looked up with a start. Jessie stood in the doorway to the living room, her arms crossed.
"Grace, are you--?" Jessie said, confused. What she had just seen Grace do was so familiar to her own days of anorexia.
Grace frowned, knowing there was only one thing she could do to make Jessie understand. She sighed and grabbed Jessie's arm. "I'll explain, just let's go up to my room."
Jessie followed Grace up the stairs, never expecting what was coming.
* * *
Eli lifted his arm and hit his alarm clock. He had to get ready for work. He was 21, and he stilled lived at home, and worked at his step- aunt's bookstore. Truth be told, he knew it was the only job where he wouldn't be fired from. And even with Judy and Jake as his bosses, he still came close to losing his job every once and a while.
Eli sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt from the clean pile of laundry Lily had done for him. He looked at the clock and saw he still had ten minutes to kill before he had to leave. He opened his top dresser drawer and moved his sock around until he found his bag of pot.
Eli exited from his room twenty minutes later, his eyes slightly glazed over. He ran into Jessie in the kitchen, who had the strangest look on her face. Eli ignored it and headed out to his car.
* * *
Grace smiled as she drove the street in new car. She let herself take delight in her present, and then slowly allowed her nagging thoughts to return. Her smile had faded by the time she reached the drug store. And as she parked the car, fresh tears wet her face.
"You idiot," Grace said to herself, in the sanctuary of her car. "You idiot!"
Grace's head fell into her hands, and she allowed herself a few more tears. Then she looked up into the visor mirror, wiping away any telltale signs of her breakdown.
Grace got out of her Honda and entered the store. She paused at the entrance, her heart beating madly as she checked for people she knew. Nobody looked familiar. Grace bit her lower lip slightly and walked past the aisles until she found the right one. She looked around once more, and entered the aisle.
She became overwhelm by the different kinds, and finally chose the one she saw on commercials. She took her purchase up the register, throwing a candy bar down too.
"Hi," The cashier said, smiling. Her tag read, Darla.
Grace nodded, having lost her ability to speak as she watched Darla scan her items. Darla did, and gave Grace a tiny look of pity, but didn't say anything. It wasn't her place. "That'll be 8.33, honey."
Grace slid a ten across the counter. Darla counted out her change. Grace took the change, throwing it in her purse without care. She took the bag from Darla, her hand gripping tight on it. Grace turned.
"Honey?" Darla called. Grace looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah?" Grace asked, nervously.
"It'll be okay," Darla said, giving Grace a gentle smile. "It's not the end of the world. You seem like a strong girl."
"Thanks," Grace said, taking in Darla's words with appreciation. That was what she needed to hear right now. Grace smiled back at the kind stranger and took her purchases out to her car.
* * *
Grace went up to Jessie's attic room with her bag. Jessie watched her come in and stared at the bag with unease.
"Did you buy it?" Jessie asked.
Grace nodded, dropping the bag on Jessie's bed, and sat down next to it.
"Grace, are you going to take it?" Jessie asked, getting up from her desk chair. "I mean, you already think you are... but it's best to be sure."
"Jessie, I already KNOW I am." Grace corrected her. "But..." She opened the bag, taking out the EPT Pregnancy Test.
Jessie looked at it wide eyed, still unable to believe that her stepsister might be--- was--- pregnant.
"Jess?" Came a call on the stairs leading up to her room.
Grace threw the pregnancy test back into the bag, and hid the bag under Jessie's pillow.
"Uh, yes?" Jessie called out after Grace had stashed away the bag.
The door swung open, and Eli's head popped in. He looked over at Grace in surprise.
Grace looked at the quilt on Jessie's bed with great interest.
"Was there something you wanted, Eli?" Jessie asked.
"Uh, yeah, I just wanted to borrow a couple dollars," Eli explained.
Jessie's eyes narrowed and she was on the verge of denying her brother the money, but she knew Grace would breath easier as soon as Eli left. Jessie went over to her dresser, and took out three ones.
"What?" Eli complained as he took the money from her. "3 dollars?"
Jessie raised her eyebrows. "It's all I have, and you still owe me twenty from last week."
"Alright," Eli said angrily. He looked over at Grace briefly. "Grace..." He said, his voice gone of his anger. He just sounded tired now.
Grace looked up and shot Eli a harsh look. Eli backed out of the room quickly. Jessie closed the door behind him. She walked over to Grace, "Time to make sure."
Grace nodded, and took out the plastic bag containing the pregnancy test. She headed for the bathroom.
* * *