~A Once and Again Series~
The Way We Are
Chapter 5//Heading in New Directions
I know the chapters haven't had that that much Eli/Grace interaction lately, but believe me, everything that is happening in the chapters is important to the story. And to Eli and Grace's relationship... you'll see soon.
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"You came!" Cynthia cried happily as Grace sank into the auditorium seat next to her.
"Well, you did put my name down, remember?" Grace joked.
"I didn't know if you'd actually come, though," Cynthia smiled. "See, I'm kind of a little bit aggressive, and I tend to scare any potential friends away."
"You haven't scared me away," Grace said, and added, "Yet."
Cynthia laughed. She looked past Grace as another person was coming down their row. Grace looked over too, and watched as an average height guy with shoulder-length blond hair, a tank top, baggy shorts and blue eyes walked towards them. Grace looked back at Cynthia, and saw Cynthia smile in recognition at this newcomer.
"Hey Travis!" Cynthia called out.
"Hi," Travis said, smiling, revealing teeth that looked very white against his tanned skin.
Travis sat on the other side of Cynthia. "Are you doing this play too?" Travis mocked Cynthia.
Cynthia pretended to be offended, "Of course. You too?"
Travis smiled, "You know me."
Grace allowed her eyes to fall on Travis. She was surprised he was an actor. His overall look had given her the impression of a slacker/surfer guy. Oh course, this was Chicago and they didn't have any oceans nearby, but the kids still liked to dress like cool Californians sometimes.
Travis looked back at Grace, giving her a friendly smile. "Are you friends with this one?" He asked Grace, hitting Cynthia on the top of her head.
Cynthia slapped his arm, "This is Grace."
"Grace," Travis repeated. "I'm Travis."
Grace smiled at him, "Hi."
"So, are you trying out too?" Travis asked.
Grace nodded.
"Good," Travis pulled on a strand of Cynthia's hair. "Maybe you can steal the lead from this one."
"Well, I don't think so..." Grace said, ready to launch into a speech of her lack of acting ability, but a tall man walked onto the stage then, and silenced them. Grace sunk back into her seat, and listened to Mr. Morris as he explained the play and the tryouts.
[[Grace - I hope I get some kind of part... I've never really done any acting before. I could suck....]]
* * *
"You were really good," Travis said appreciatively as Grace slunk back into her seat.
Grace turned to him, surprised, "Really?"
Travis smiled, "Yeah, you're a natural."
Grace smiled at that. She tried to hide her smile, but failed. She and Travis turned their attention back to the stage as Cynthia began to read her lines.
* * *
"Hi honey," Lily called out as Grace came in the front door, "How did it go?"
"Fine," Grace said. She motioned to the stairs, "I'm just going to grab my stuff. Dad's waiting in the car."
"In the car?" Lily asked, but Grace was already starting up the stairs. Since when did Jake wait in the car? Lily paused, and began to go back to the magazine she was reading. Then she set it down, and got up from the couch.
* * *
Jake jumped as a knock sounded on the car window. He looked over as Lily smiled in at him. Jake rolled down his window, "Hi Lily."
"Hi!" Lily said. "I just wanted to come say hello. You could have come in, you know."
Jake smiled, shrugging, "I know. Grace said she'd just be a second, though..."
"Oh," Lily smiled. She searched for something to say. "So, how's Tiffany doing?"
"Oh, Tiffany? She's fine," Jake nodded, "She's good."
"I mean... how's she and the baby?" Lily elaborated.
"Oh," Jake nodded again, "They're fine."
Lily's brow furrowed a bit as she sensed Jake was holding back something.
[[Lily - I still worry about him. I still care about him. It wasn't that long ago that it was just the two of us and Grace and Zoe... *smiles sadly* We were such a happy family... for a while, at least.]]
Grace appeared at Lily's side, and Lily reluctantly bid her goodbyes to her ex-husband and stepped away as Grace got into the car. Lily waved as they drove off. She turned and headed back to the quiet house... to read her magazine.
[[Lily - I need a job. A real job.]]
* * *
"You want to go with me?" Eli asked his sister.
Jessie looked up, confused. "You want me to come with you?"
Eli shrugged, "Why not."
Jessie thought about it, but then frowned. "This is because of what I told you, right? About me not having any friends."
"No, it's not," Eli lied. That was part of it. Eli wanted to help his sister.
Jessie sighed, "Because I don't want your pity. I'll just live without friends... I'm sure it's been done before."
"Come on," Eli urged her, "You'll have fun."
Jessie hesitated.
Eli smiled, "Do you really want to spend the night with Mom and Leo?"
Jessie made a face at the idea of watching movies with their mother and her boyfriend on a Friday night. "Okay," She gave in. "I'll come."
* * *
"So, you're going to be in a play?" Zoe asked her sister.
"Well, maybe," Grace shrugged. "That's if I get a part."
Zoe wasn't discouraged though, and smiled, "And I'll be able to come and watch you."
"Yup," Grace said with a smile of her own.
"Cool," Zoe said, and danced away.
"A play?" Tiffany said, having overheard them as she prepared dinner a few feet away.
Grace smiled, "A friend talked me into it."
"Wow, that's really great," Tiffany said enthusiastically, "I did a play myself in high school."
"Really?"
Tiffany nodded, smiling over the memories. "I played a fairy in 'The Midsummer Night's Dream'. Not a big part, but I was only a freshman then. I had so much fun. I completely fell in love with the guy who was playing Puck... Charlie Fresnal."
"You did?" Grace asked.
Tiffany nodded, "He was all... just so sexy, and handsome, and a bit of a bad boy. I was totally gone for him. And he was a senior, and I thought I had no chance with him. But..."
"Yeah?" Grace encouraged her.
"It turned out he liked me too. We dated throughout the play," Tiffany smiled. "It was a lot of fun."
"It sounds like it," Grace commented, moving to the stove to help Tiffany prepare the lasagna.
"I was so boy-crazy in high school!" Tiffany laughed, "I must have had a new boyfriend every month."
Grace smiled, but she didn't know what that was like... Eli was the first person she had dated. Eli had been her first big crush. Eli had been her first kiss, and if you didn't count that kiss she had shared with Mark at Cassidy's stupid party... Eli was the only person she had ever kissed. Eli was her only.
* * *
"Hey E!"
Eli smiled, "Turk... Kyle, hey, what's up?"
"Not much," Turk said with a slight shake of his head. His eyes fell on the girl behind Eli. "Hey Jessie."
Jessie smiled shyly. She knew Turk, of course. He was in Eli's band, and Jessie saw plenty of him at practices and such... Turk was cool, but he was like the only familiar face she had seen so far. Jessie didn't know why she agreed to go with Eli to this party. All the people here were juniors and seniors, and Jessie felt so small and invisible with them.
"That's Eli sister," Turk said to the guy next to him, Kyle.
"You're little sister," Kyle said with a grin.
"Shut up," Eli said, giving his friend a little shove. He looked back at Jessie and saw how uncomfortable she looked. "Want something to drink?"
Jessie frowned and dodged out of the way as two girls barreled past her. "No beer," She said sternly to her brother.
Turk and Kyle started laughing, and Eli guided Jessie away to the kitchen. "Just soda," He promised his sister.
Eli handed her a Coca-Cola and then was distracted into a conversation with his friend Kevin. Jessie sipped her soda and looked around the crowded kitchen.
[[Jessie - I just feel so different than everyone here... I just don't fit in.]]
"Oh, yes!"
Jessie turned, and saw a lanky girl with dark brown locks digging into the fridge.
"Alright!" The girl cried enthusiastically. She turned around and caught Jessie looking at her.
Jessie diverted her eyes, looking down into the open top of her soda.
"I'm a nut, I know."
Jessie looked up, surprised and saw the girl was indeed talking to her.
The girl smiled at Jessie and pointed at the can of Orange Crush she had just got out of the fridge. "I don't drink any soda unless it's this orange kind. I can't believe they have it!" The girl took a huge sip of the soda.
Jessie smiled softly and turned her face away. The girl surprised her once again by continuing to talk to her. "Sometimes I'll drink the purple crap... you know, like grape soda? Ever have that?"
Jessie nodded.
"But this orange stuff is the best!" The girl came closer to Jessie and noticed she was holding a can of Coca-Cola. "Do like Orange Crush?"
Jessie nodded, "Yeah. It's my favorite."
The girl went to the fridge and pulled out another can of the soda. She held it out for Jessie.
Jessie held up the opened Coca-Cola. "My brother already got me this. And I've already been drinking it."
The girl shrugged and smiled, "Who cares? It's not our soda!"
She laughed and Jessie joined in her laughter. Across the kitchen Eli looked over and smiled at the sight of his sister laughing and talking with a girl.
"I'm Katie," The girl said, as she replaced the opened Coke in Jessie's hand with the Orange Crush.
"I'm Jessie," Jessie said shyly, opening the top of the soda.
Katie smiled.
* * *
"I thought I'd stop working once I had the baby," Tiffany said.
Jake sighed, putting his hands over his forehead. "Look, Tiff, you know how it is right now. Maybe things will be better by then, but the way the restaurant is going lately...."
Tiffany nodded, her voice strained, "Right. We need the extra money."
Jake smiled gently at her, "You don't have to go back to work right away after the baby, but maybe after a few months... we just really can't afford to..."
"To what?" Tiffany challenged, "To have our baby be raised by its mother and not some stranger?"
"We could set up a schedule so we won't have to have a babysitter or daycare. If we set up our work hours right..." Jake said, thinking it out in his head.
"And then you and I would never see each other! We'd always just be coming and going," Tiffany said with a sigh. "Not that we see each other that much as it is now... but we could do it. Somehow we'd have enough money, and we could make it work, I know we could, Jake."
"I really don't see how..." Jake began, but the phone rang. He reached across the table and answered it. "Hello? Oh, hold on. Grace, it's Eli!"
Grace, standing just behind her closed bedroom door, paused, trying not to let her father and Tiffany realize she had been listening to their conversation.
[[Grace - I hate hearing people fight. It's just awful.]]
Grace waited another second and pulled the door opened. Tiffany looked over, giving Grace a strained smile. Grace went forward and took the phone from her father. She waited until she was back in her room before putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
Eli's voice said back, "Hey."
Grace smiled, "How's your weekend going?"
"Oh, fine," Eli said, and Grace could almost see the shrug that had most likely accompanied those words. "How was the play tryout?"
"Good, actually," Grace said.
"So, you think you will get a good part?"
"I don't know... maybe," Grace shifted the phone to her other ear. Through the bottom of door the sound of Tiffany and Jake's heated conversation rose up. Grace frowned.
"I took Jessie to a party yesterday," Eli informed her.
"Really? That's cool," Grace moved to the far side of her room, but her father's and Tiffany's voices still billowed up to her. Grace wished they'd stop fighting.
"Yeah, I think she made a friend."
Grace looked out the window, it was raining outside. "That's nice."
"Yeah," Eli paused. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then at the house."
"Yeah," Grace flinched as a particularly loud shout sounded out from the kitchen. She closed her eyes tightly.
"I love you," Eli said.
"Yeah, me too," Grace whispered. She opened her eyes, and clicked the phone off as Zoe entered the room, her eyes big.
"Tiffany left," Zoe said tearfully.
Grace moved forward and put an arm around her young sister.
"Grace... why are they fighting?" Zoe asked, "They just got married. I don't want them to get a divorce."
"Me neither," Grace said softly. And even though she had initially disliked Tiffany just because of what Tiffany stood for... the new young woman her father was dating-- Grace had begun to really like Tiffany. Love her even, as her funny, cool, caring stepmother. Her pregnant stepmother who had just walked out on her father.
* * *
The Way We Are
Chapter 5//Heading in New Directions
I know the chapters haven't had that that much Eli/Grace interaction lately, but believe me, everything that is happening in the chapters is important to the story. And to Eli and Grace's relationship... you'll see soon.
*
*
*
"You came!" Cynthia cried happily as Grace sank into the auditorium seat next to her.
"Well, you did put my name down, remember?" Grace joked.
"I didn't know if you'd actually come, though," Cynthia smiled. "See, I'm kind of a little bit aggressive, and I tend to scare any potential friends away."
"You haven't scared me away," Grace said, and added, "Yet."
Cynthia laughed. She looked past Grace as another person was coming down their row. Grace looked over too, and watched as an average height guy with shoulder-length blond hair, a tank top, baggy shorts and blue eyes walked towards them. Grace looked back at Cynthia, and saw Cynthia smile in recognition at this newcomer.
"Hey Travis!" Cynthia called out.
"Hi," Travis said, smiling, revealing teeth that looked very white against his tanned skin.
Travis sat on the other side of Cynthia. "Are you doing this play too?" Travis mocked Cynthia.
Cynthia pretended to be offended, "Of course. You too?"
Travis smiled, "You know me."
Grace allowed her eyes to fall on Travis. She was surprised he was an actor. His overall look had given her the impression of a slacker/surfer guy. Oh course, this was Chicago and they didn't have any oceans nearby, but the kids still liked to dress like cool Californians sometimes.
Travis looked back at Grace, giving her a friendly smile. "Are you friends with this one?" He asked Grace, hitting Cynthia on the top of her head.
Cynthia slapped his arm, "This is Grace."
"Grace," Travis repeated. "I'm Travis."
Grace smiled at him, "Hi."
"So, are you trying out too?" Travis asked.
Grace nodded.
"Good," Travis pulled on a strand of Cynthia's hair. "Maybe you can steal the lead from this one."
"Well, I don't think so..." Grace said, ready to launch into a speech of her lack of acting ability, but a tall man walked onto the stage then, and silenced them. Grace sunk back into her seat, and listened to Mr. Morris as he explained the play and the tryouts.
[[Grace - I hope I get some kind of part... I've never really done any acting before. I could suck....]]
* * *
"You were really good," Travis said appreciatively as Grace slunk back into her seat.
Grace turned to him, surprised, "Really?"
Travis smiled, "Yeah, you're a natural."
Grace smiled at that. She tried to hide her smile, but failed. She and Travis turned their attention back to the stage as Cynthia began to read her lines.
* * *
"Hi honey," Lily called out as Grace came in the front door, "How did it go?"
"Fine," Grace said. She motioned to the stairs, "I'm just going to grab my stuff. Dad's waiting in the car."
"In the car?" Lily asked, but Grace was already starting up the stairs. Since when did Jake wait in the car? Lily paused, and began to go back to the magazine she was reading. Then she set it down, and got up from the couch.
* * *
Jake jumped as a knock sounded on the car window. He looked over as Lily smiled in at him. Jake rolled down his window, "Hi Lily."
"Hi!" Lily said. "I just wanted to come say hello. You could have come in, you know."
Jake smiled, shrugging, "I know. Grace said she'd just be a second, though..."
"Oh," Lily smiled. She searched for something to say. "So, how's Tiffany doing?"
"Oh, Tiffany? She's fine," Jake nodded, "She's good."
"I mean... how's she and the baby?" Lily elaborated.
"Oh," Jake nodded again, "They're fine."
Lily's brow furrowed a bit as she sensed Jake was holding back something.
[[Lily - I still worry about him. I still care about him. It wasn't that long ago that it was just the two of us and Grace and Zoe... *smiles sadly* We were such a happy family... for a while, at least.]]
Grace appeared at Lily's side, and Lily reluctantly bid her goodbyes to her ex-husband and stepped away as Grace got into the car. Lily waved as they drove off. She turned and headed back to the quiet house... to read her magazine.
[[Lily - I need a job. A real job.]]
* * *
"You want to go with me?" Eli asked his sister.
Jessie looked up, confused. "You want me to come with you?"
Eli shrugged, "Why not."
Jessie thought about it, but then frowned. "This is because of what I told you, right? About me not having any friends."
"No, it's not," Eli lied. That was part of it. Eli wanted to help his sister.
Jessie sighed, "Because I don't want your pity. I'll just live without friends... I'm sure it's been done before."
"Come on," Eli urged her, "You'll have fun."
Jessie hesitated.
Eli smiled, "Do you really want to spend the night with Mom and Leo?"
Jessie made a face at the idea of watching movies with their mother and her boyfriend on a Friday night. "Okay," She gave in. "I'll come."
* * *
"So, you're going to be in a play?" Zoe asked her sister.
"Well, maybe," Grace shrugged. "That's if I get a part."
Zoe wasn't discouraged though, and smiled, "And I'll be able to come and watch you."
"Yup," Grace said with a smile of her own.
"Cool," Zoe said, and danced away.
"A play?" Tiffany said, having overheard them as she prepared dinner a few feet away.
Grace smiled, "A friend talked me into it."
"Wow, that's really great," Tiffany said enthusiastically, "I did a play myself in high school."
"Really?"
Tiffany nodded, smiling over the memories. "I played a fairy in 'The Midsummer Night's Dream'. Not a big part, but I was only a freshman then. I had so much fun. I completely fell in love with the guy who was playing Puck... Charlie Fresnal."
"You did?" Grace asked.
Tiffany nodded, "He was all... just so sexy, and handsome, and a bit of a bad boy. I was totally gone for him. And he was a senior, and I thought I had no chance with him. But..."
"Yeah?" Grace encouraged her.
"It turned out he liked me too. We dated throughout the play," Tiffany smiled. "It was a lot of fun."
"It sounds like it," Grace commented, moving to the stove to help Tiffany prepare the lasagna.
"I was so boy-crazy in high school!" Tiffany laughed, "I must have had a new boyfriend every month."
Grace smiled, but she didn't know what that was like... Eli was the first person she had dated. Eli had been her first big crush. Eli had been her first kiss, and if you didn't count that kiss she had shared with Mark at Cassidy's stupid party... Eli was the only person she had ever kissed. Eli was her only.
* * *
"Hey E!"
Eli smiled, "Turk... Kyle, hey, what's up?"
"Not much," Turk said with a slight shake of his head. His eyes fell on the girl behind Eli. "Hey Jessie."
Jessie smiled shyly. She knew Turk, of course. He was in Eli's band, and Jessie saw plenty of him at practices and such... Turk was cool, but he was like the only familiar face she had seen so far. Jessie didn't know why she agreed to go with Eli to this party. All the people here were juniors and seniors, and Jessie felt so small and invisible with them.
"That's Eli sister," Turk said to the guy next to him, Kyle.
"You're little sister," Kyle said with a grin.
"Shut up," Eli said, giving his friend a little shove. He looked back at Jessie and saw how uncomfortable she looked. "Want something to drink?"
Jessie frowned and dodged out of the way as two girls barreled past her. "No beer," She said sternly to her brother.
Turk and Kyle started laughing, and Eli guided Jessie away to the kitchen. "Just soda," He promised his sister.
Eli handed her a Coca-Cola and then was distracted into a conversation with his friend Kevin. Jessie sipped her soda and looked around the crowded kitchen.
[[Jessie - I just feel so different than everyone here... I just don't fit in.]]
"Oh, yes!"
Jessie turned, and saw a lanky girl with dark brown locks digging into the fridge.
"Alright!" The girl cried enthusiastically. She turned around and caught Jessie looking at her.
Jessie diverted her eyes, looking down into the open top of her soda.
"I'm a nut, I know."
Jessie looked up, surprised and saw the girl was indeed talking to her.
The girl smiled at Jessie and pointed at the can of Orange Crush she had just got out of the fridge. "I don't drink any soda unless it's this orange kind. I can't believe they have it!" The girl took a huge sip of the soda.
Jessie smiled softly and turned her face away. The girl surprised her once again by continuing to talk to her. "Sometimes I'll drink the purple crap... you know, like grape soda? Ever have that?"
Jessie nodded.
"But this orange stuff is the best!" The girl came closer to Jessie and noticed she was holding a can of Coca-Cola. "Do like Orange Crush?"
Jessie nodded, "Yeah. It's my favorite."
The girl went to the fridge and pulled out another can of the soda. She held it out for Jessie.
Jessie held up the opened Coca-Cola. "My brother already got me this. And I've already been drinking it."
The girl shrugged and smiled, "Who cares? It's not our soda!"
She laughed and Jessie joined in her laughter. Across the kitchen Eli looked over and smiled at the sight of his sister laughing and talking with a girl.
"I'm Katie," The girl said, as she replaced the opened Coke in Jessie's hand with the Orange Crush.
"I'm Jessie," Jessie said shyly, opening the top of the soda.
Katie smiled.
* * *
"I thought I'd stop working once I had the baby," Tiffany said.
Jake sighed, putting his hands over his forehead. "Look, Tiff, you know how it is right now. Maybe things will be better by then, but the way the restaurant is going lately...."
Tiffany nodded, her voice strained, "Right. We need the extra money."
Jake smiled gently at her, "You don't have to go back to work right away after the baby, but maybe after a few months... we just really can't afford to..."
"To what?" Tiffany challenged, "To have our baby be raised by its mother and not some stranger?"
"We could set up a schedule so we won't have to have a babysitter or daycare. If we set up our work hours right..." Jake said, thinking it out in his head.
"And then you and I would never see each other! We'd always just be coming and going," Tiffany said with a sigh. "Not that we see each other that much as it is now... but we could do it. Somehow we'd have enough money, and we could make it work, I know we could, Jake."
"I really don't see how..." Jake began, but the phone rang. He reached across the table and answered it. "Hello? Oh, hold on. Grace, it's Eli!"
Grace, standing just behind her closed bedroom door, paused, trying not to let her father and Tiffany realize she had been listening to their conversation.
[[Grace - I hate hearing people fight. It's just awful.]]
Grace waited another second and pulled the door opened. Tiffany looked over, giving Grace a strained smile. Grace went forward and took the phone from her father. She waited until she was back in her room before putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
Eli's voice said back, "Hey."
Grace smiled, "How's your weekend going?"
"Oh, fine," Eli said, and Grace could almost see the shrug that had most likely accompanied those words. "How was the play tryout?"
"Good, actually," Grace said.
"So, you think you will get a good part?"
"I don't know... maybe," Grace shifted the phone to her other ear. Through the bottom of door the sound of Tiffany and Jake's heated conversation rose up. Grace frowned.
"I took Jessie to a party yesterday," Eli informed her.
"Really? That's cool," Grace moved to the far side of her room, but her father's and Tiffany's voices still billowed up to her. Grace wished they'd stop fighting.
"Yeah, I think she made a friend."
Grace looked out the window, it was raining outside. "That's nice."
"Yeah," Eli paused. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then at the house."
"Yeah," Grace flinched as a particularly loud shout sounded out from the kitchen. She closed her eyes tightly.
"I love you," Eli said.
"Yeah, me too," Grace whispered. She opened her eyes, and clicked the phone off as Zoe entered the room, her eyes big.
"Tiffany left," Zoe said tearfully.
Grace moved forward and put an arm around her young sister.
"Grace... why are they fighting?" Zoe asked, "They just got married. I don't want them to get a divorce."
"Me neither," Grace said softly. And even though she had initially disliked Tiffany just because of what Tiffany stood for... the new young woman her father was dating-- Grace had begun to really like Tiffany. Love her even, as her funny, cool, caring stepmother. Her pregnant stepmother who had just walked out on her father.
* * *
