~A Once and Again Series~

The Way We Are

Woo-hoo. My sister had her baby on Monday (May 5th - Cinco de Mayo!!). She had a beautiful baby girl, named Kendall Alexis. She is so pretty, and she looks so much like my sister! I'm an aunt! Woo-hoo!!!! I'm still so excited about it. But, I just wanted to share the good news, especially since this is one of the reasons I'm going to be busier than usually. The other mainly being that finals are coming up in a week. So, yeah, the next chapters might not be written as quickly as usual, but I'll try my best! Psst, oh yeah, I did write the lyrics for "No Other Grace." I had fun trying to make up rhymes!

Chapter 18//Just Around the Bend

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"Is that him?"

Grace rolled her eyes, "Who else would it be?"

Eli moved closer to where she sat on the living room couch. He looked down at little Ethan, who Grace held in her arms. "He's so... tiny," Eli said with a smile, "And he's got so much hair... for a baby."

Grace nodded, and one of her fingers stroked the fine blond hair that adorned the baby's head. She looked back up at Eli, "Want to hold him?"

Eli paused, "Oh... sure." He sat down, and Grace transferred little Ethan into Eli's waiting hands.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Grace asked, unable to stop herself from resting her forehead against Eli's shoulder as she stared down at the baby.

"He is," Eli said, and chuckled softly as Ethan's tiny mouth formed a big 'O'.

Grace let her hand land on Eli's arm and she squeezed it lightly. It felt so good... so right to be this close next to him.

[[Grace - If the train falls off the tracks... do you want your money back? *smiles* But what if you can get the train back in motion? What if you don't need your money back? What if you can just pick up where you left off? Just... *smiles* ...get back on the tracks...]]

Zoe appeared in the living room entrance and looked at them critically. They were all cuddled together... ew. Zoe further entered the room and announced, "If you two are back together, I think you HAVE to tell the rest of us. Because it affects us too."

Grace looked up, startled, and drew away from where she was leaning against Eli. "We're not, Zoe. And NO, we don't have to tell you anything!"

Zoe paused and let out an exaggerated sigh, "Yes... you do. Or at least you should tell us, because if you DO get back together than we have to watch you two be all kissy-kissy with each other." Zoe rolled her eyes, "I want to be warned if that's going to happen again..."

Grace just frowned at her sister, and turned her attention back to little Ethan. Zoe studied the two of them briefly, and then stomped away to her room.

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Grace nodded distractedly as she looked down at her pocket calendar. Carla was going on and on about Turk this and Turk that, but Grace had kind of tuned her out. She was looking instead at her plans for next week... which did NOT include anything special for Valentine's Day.

[[Grace - Last year, Eli and I were together for Valentine's Day. Well... I mean, we were a couple, but we didn't actually do anything to celebrate the holiday. I had to go to my father's restaurant opening instead.... *looks down at calendar in hand, and sighs* And this year... well, we're not a couple, anymore.]]

"Grace?"

Grace looked up, and offered a smile at the appearance of Cynthia and Travis at their lunch table. Grace noticed that the two of them were holding hands as they sat down across from her and Carla.

"You guys have to come to Anti-Inflammatory's gig," Carla said excitedly. "Turk just got this new guitar, and it rocks. You have to see it. It's like... blue and white, and it's just cool."

"Anti-Inflammatory?" Travis asked, tossing a few potato chips into his mouth.

"Grace's stepbrother's band..." Carla said, shocked that Travis didn't already know who they were. She added with a sly smile, "My boyfriend's band."

"Oh," Travis nodded, but didn't seem that interested.

"What kind of music do they play?" Cynthia asked, after a bite of her sandwich.

"Punk/rock/emo," Carla explained, "They have a really good sound. I can't believe you haven't been to one of their shows yet! They've been playing all the cool spots."

Travis shrugged, "I don't know... I'm not really into that kind of music."

Carla looked at him exasperated, "Are you for real?" She turned and looked at Cynthia, "Is he for real?"

Cynthia smiled and nodded, "Travis actually has a thing for county music. He wants to take me to a country western bar this weekend!"

Grace, who had driven home with Travis that one time, remembered his taste in music.

Carla grimaced, "Country?" She rolled her eyes and munched on a carrot, "But you'll still come and support the band, right?"

Travis shrugged, and reached up to smooth his hair back behind his ears, "Sorry, but it's just not my scene."

Grace's expression grew a bit cloudier at that. She tried to hide her distaste by sipping her milk.

[[Grace - *huffs* He can't even go to one gig to support a band that means a lot to Carla and me?]]

"Well, maybe we could go," Cynthia offered.

Travis shrugged again, "Maybe." But his voice lacked any hopefulness at that statement. It was clear he didn't want to go.

Grace and Carla exchanged glances of annoyance. Cynthia looked down at her plate, a little shame-faced. Even she couldn't understand why Travis was so resistant to the idea.

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"How did Cynthia and Travis hook up anyways?" Carla asked later that day. She didn't try to hide her grimace as she said, "They are just so... different."

"I'm not sure how they hooked up. They just one day... were a couple," Grace explained. Then she shook her head, "But... actually, if anything, they're a lot alike. I don't know what was wrong with Travis today."

Carla said with a straight face, "I guess the boy just likes his country."

Grace and Carla looked at each other and laughed. Carla took off down the hall at a frantic pace, and Grace had no choice but run after her friend.

[[Grace - *smiles* You know... I'm glad Carla's back. I guess I missed her. I didn't even realize that... *chuckles softly* Carla would be the first to agree that she isn't much of a friend at times, but still she's... Carla. And I like that. It's nice to have someone just be... themselves. No lies, no pretending.]]

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"You told them... what?" Jessie asked, her mouth dropping ajar a bit as she added milk to her cereal.

Eli frowned and shrugged, "Just... everything, I guess."

Jessie dropped her spoon into the bowl and looked over at Eli. "And that is?" She prodded him.

"Just that this is what I want to do... I want to be a musician," Eli said, a smile growing over his face as he said the words. He was glad he had told his parents the truth and just got it out there.

[[Eli - It feels nice... to just be honest. Even though, I know my parents hate the idea of me not going to college, and instead focusing on music. But, hey, I told them. I told them. *half-smiles* It's out there. And it doesn't have to bother me anymore. I don't have to let it tear me up inside... because, hey... it's out there. I told them, and they might not like it, but... they don't have to like it.]]

"So, you're NOT going to college," Jessie said, a bit critically, as she swallowed a spoonful of Golden Grahams.

Eli looked sideways at her, "Did I ever SAY I was going to college?"

Jessie thought about it, "Well... no, but I assumed that..."

Eli shook his head.

Jessie tried again, "Well, mom and dad are always talking about it..."

Eli shook his head again, "Yeah, they assumed I wanted to go to college, too. But, I cleared that out now. They know now what I want to do."

"So, you're just going to play music for the rest of your life?" Jessie asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Maybe," Eli said with a shrug.

"You think that you're good enough?" Jessie looked at her brother, "I mean, good enough to make it?"

Eli shrugged again, and then nodded, "Maybe... maybe. We can try, at least. And we can get better. We can learn."

Jessie looked down at her cereal bowl, hiding an eye roll from her brother.

"We've already got a good touring gig lined up for this summer," Eli said proudly.

"You do?" Jessie asked, somewhat surprised.

Grace, having entered the kitchen just as Eli was talking, also chimed in, "You do?"

Eli glanced behind himself, seeing Grace standing there. Their eyes met.

[[Grace - He does?]]

Eli looked from Grace to Jessie, and then back to Grace. He looked at her confused eyes, and he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't thought of it earlier...

[[Eli - This tour gig means... months away from Grace. Months. But, that shouldn't matter, because... we're not together. *sighs* It shouldn't matter, but it... does. *looks down at hands* I love her. And even though we're not a couple right now, I still... I still just like to be able to see her, and to sense her. Because every time I look at her, I'm reminded of my love for her... and her love for me.]]

"Oh brother," Jessie muttered under her breath, after seeing the tension between Eli and Grace. Jessie picked up her bowl and quickly exited to the living room. Letting the two people who obviously still love each other but are broken apart for some reason no one quite knows, be alone together.

"So, you guys got a tour gig?" Grace said finally. "That's great."

Eli nodded, "Yeah. It's with Delivery, they are a pretty popular band right now, and it should be good."

"Yeah, I've heard of Delivery. Carla really likes them," Grace forced a smile, "It sounds great."

"It is," Eli said, although his answer was lackluster in emotion.

"So, it's for... the whole summer?" Grace asked.

"Pretty much," Eli admitted.

Grace forced another smile, "That's great... for you."

"It is," Eli said again.

They lapsed into silence. Grace was looking at the floor and Eli was looking at her. She was so beautiful. The way her brown hair caught the light and the way she tried not to show her emotions, but it was always clear to him what she was feeling... like right now, Eli knew Grace was miserable.

"It's only for the summer," Eli said.

Grace nodded, her hair swinging slightly, as she lifted her chin and looked into his eyes. She looked away, at the fridge. "I'm thirsty," She mumbled, opening the fridge door.

Eli stared at her back, his shoulders slumping.

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"Happy Valentine's Day!"

Grace looked away from the embracing couple in the hallway, her stomach turning. This was too much. There were too many red hearts taped up on the school walls... there were too many faces with dazed looks of love... there were too many girls dressed in lacy pink and red dresses as they gushed over chocolate candies and dead flowers.

Grace, herself, was wearing a black shirt and black pants... not as some anti-valentine statement, but just because her mother was running behind on the laundry and it was either this or borrow something from Jessie.

"Hey Grace!" Cynthia called out, as she passed by.

Grace looked up and managed to wave at Cynthia, although her stomach was quickly knotting up inside. Cynthia waved back, and Grace couldn't help but notice the half-dozen roses the pink-dress-wearing Cynthia held in one hand.

Grace turned back to her locker, already wanting this day to be over, although it was just beginning.

Grace opened her locker, and paused in surprise as she looked inside. A red envelope was lying on top of her books. It was clear that someone had stuffed it through the slots on the locker door. But the real question was who did it and why would they want to give her a valentine?

Grace picked the card up, and turned it over.

~Grace~

It said on the front. It was Eli's handwriting. Grace smiled, her face growing warm with joy. Her eyes were already growing misty, and she hadn't even opened the damn card.

Grace loved Eli with such a strong force at that moment, that it scared her. Was it possible to love someone this much? And if she loved him this much, then why did she ever break up with him? Why did she ever think...?

Grace's fingers neatly opened the scarlet envelope and she slipped out the card. The front was a typical Valentine card... with an artsy drawing of colorful hearts and flowers. Grace opened it. The inside read in the printed Hallmark text:

It's a time for sharing feelings with those you cherish.

It's a time to let the past be behind you and look ahead to the future.

It's a time for Celebration.

It's Valentine's Day.

And then, below, in Eli's handwriting:

I don't know what I can say in a little card. Not much. But, here I go... Grace, I love you. You know that. We've kind of hit some bumps in our relationship this year, but that's okay. It doesn't change the way I feel about you. And, look, okay... I won't do this tour gig, if you don't want me to. I don't want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. Just tell me not to go, and I won't. Well, so... Happy Valentine's Day.

Love, Eli

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