Chapter 2 Slipping Up

"Grace. Sweetie. I'm gonna be leaving." Lily called from the kitchen as Grace sat on the living room couch flipping through the channels.

"OK. When is dad picking up Zoe?" Grace wondered.

"He should have been here 5 minutes ago, but you know your father." Lily sighed as she entered the living room. "You look pretty." She complimented. "Going out?"

"No, Rick said it was OK if Carla and her cousin came over and hung out tonight." Grace replied.

((Lily raises and eyebrow and looks into the camera. "Cousin? A boy cousin?")) Lily thought as she raised an eyebrow. "Who's her cousin?"

"I don't know. He's visiting or something." Grace replied, concentrating on the screen, not wanting to talk about her date with her mom.

"So it this like... a date." Lily questioned.

Grace rolled her eyes and replied, not taking her eyes off of the TV. "Yeah. I guess so."

(("I'm not sure I like this...I want to meet this boy.)) Lily shifted uncomfortably. "Is he nice?"

"I don't know. I've never met him." She replied and sighed. "Don't you have to get going? Aunt Judy is expecting you in 10 minutes."

"Yeah." Lily nodded, as she grabbed her purse and backed out of the room hesitantly. "Zoe I'm leaving!" Zoe came rushing down the stairs. "Daddy will be here soon. Be good, OK?"

"OK. See ya later." She smiled as Lily leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Bye sweetie." Lily grinned. (( Hesitant smile. "At least I have on kid who still wants to talk to me.")) She made her way over to Grace and kissed her forehead. "Bye. Have fun. I should be home by 10. I'll call if I'm gonna be late."

"OK." Grace nodded, still not removing her eyes from the TV as her mom exited the front door. "Zoe are you ready for when dad comes?"

"Yeah. I just have to put my shoes on."

"Why don't you do that now?"

"Cause their slip ons." Zoe replied as she took a seat beside Grace. "Whatcha watching?"

"Nothing." Grace sighed as she changed the channel. They sat silently for a few minutes, watching an old rerun of Family Matters when Eli came in.

"Hello ladies." He greeted, squeezing between Grace and Zoe. "What are we watching?"

"Family Matters." Zoe replied with a grin.

"Great show." He replied, then turned his attention to Grace. She looked nice. She was wearing indigo jeans and a blue half sleeve top with lace along the collar. Her hair was up in a pony tail. (( Her hair looks extra shiny tonight...and soft. I wonder what it would feel like to run my hands through it.)) "You look good. Ready for your date."

"Of course. Can't wait." She replied quickly. ((Angry look. "Why wouldn't I be?")) "Why? Don't I look like I am?"

"Yeah. I didn't mean..."

"Do you think I'm not good enough to get a boyfriend or something?" Grace spit out, with a growl. That had been bugging her all day.

"What? No!" Eli replied, stunned. ((Did I say that?...Girls are weird.))

"Then why did you make me sound soo... pathetic this morning when you dropped me off?" She questioned with a scowl.

"I didn't." (( Yeah I kinda did.))

"OH Grace hasn't gone out with anyone in a loooooong time ... why start now?" She quoted him.

"I didn't not emphasis long like that." He objected. "And it's true isn't it?" Grace was quiet, he was right ... it was true. (( Sad frown, looks down. "Maybe I can't get a boyfriend...then again that's not big news to me. Especially because the only guy I want is my future stepbrother and by friend's boyfriend.")) "Grace you know I didn't mean you couldn't get a boyfriend...I mean look at you, you're beautiful, funny, smart...." He trailed off, realizing that he was saying too much. He cleared his throat. "Anyway... I'm sure this guys is gonna love you." He forced the words out, even though he was hoping that it wasn't true. "Don't be mad at me." He smirked and began to tickle her.

"Eli stop." She giggled as the door bell rang. "That's probably my dad. He's coming to get Zoe."

"OH. Where's Jessie?" Eli questioned.

"You're mom took her out to dinner." Grace replied as she pulled the door open expecting to see her dad, but found Carla and a very hot guy, who she assumed of Mike, instead. Mike was tall, about Eli's height, with black hair and chocolate brown eyes. "Hey." Grace smiled, suddenly wishing that she had spent more time getting ready.

"Hey Grace. This is Mike. Mike this is Grace." Carla smiled as they entered the house and spotted Eli and Zoe on the couch.

"Hi Mike." He smiled brightly and Eli rolled his eyes.

"Hi. Nice to meet you. Come on in." She grinned. (("That sounded soo stupid." Buries her face in her hands.)) Grace scolded herself.

"Hey babe." Carla jumped on the couch beside Eli and kissed him. "Mike this is my boyfriend Eli."

"Heard a lot about ya. Hey man." Mike extended his hand and Eli accepted.

"You too." Eli smirked, glancing a Grace who had a huge smile on her face. (( Eli stares into the camera with tight lips. "I don't like this...kid."))

"Are you Grace's new boyfriend?" Zoe asked.

Grace fake laughed, quickly covered Zoe's mouth and stood her up. "This is my sister Zoe." She introduced. Mike waved and Zoey waved back because Grace's hand was still over her mouth. "Zo why don't you go upstairs. I'll call you went dad gets here."

"Fine." She sighed as Grace finally uncovered her mouth. The teens watched her hop up the stairs.

"Sorry about that." Grace apologized.

"No problem...she's cute." Mike replied. "I have a little sister too."

"OH yeah?" Grace questioned as they took a seat on the couch, facing each other. "How old?"

"She 7, but she'll be 8 next month."

"I think we have a love connection." Carla whispered over Eli's shoulder, as he watched Grace and Mike, green with envy.

An hour later the four teens sat watching 10 things I Hate About You. Eli was on the chair with Carla in his lap. She was trying to get him to kiss her, but Eli couldn't get into it. He kept glancing over at Grace and Mike. He had his arm around her and seemed to keep getting closer. Carla was beginning to get frustrated. "What's wrong?" She whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Eli you've haven't talked for an hour."

"We're watching a movie." He pointed out.

"Yeah, exactly. You haven't tried to kiss me once." Carla complained. "You've been acting weird all day. Ever since this morning ... are you sure you're OK?" She questioned, but Eli didn't answer. He was distracted by Mike smelling Grace's hair. "The movie's that way."

"Don't you think they're kinda close?" He questioned. "I mean, they just met."

"I think they're cute." She smiled going to kiss him, but he turned his head. "Stop being a protective brother and start kissing me."

((Grace is not my sister...wait maybe that's why I feel so weird watching them. Yeah that's it... I'll just ignore the fact that I'm jealous as hell.")) A few minutes later, Jessie entered the house. "Hey Jessie ... how was dinner?"

"It was OK." She replied as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ears.

"Jess, you know Carla.and this is her cousin Mike." Eli introduced.

"Yeah, hey." Jess half waved, as she continued towards the stairs and found Zoe sitting at the bottom. "Grace. I thought Zoe was going with your dad."

"Oh my God. I totally forgot... I can't believe my dad never showed." Grace growled, jumping up from the couch and spotted her sister on the stairs. ((Sighs. "Why am I surprised?"))

"I'll be right back, I'm just gonna call my dad." Grace excused herself into the kitchen. Five minutes later, she came back in. "He completely forgot." Grace told Eli, who nodded. "I'm just gonna tuck Zoe in." She told them before walking towards Zoe. "Come on Zo." She held out her hand and pulled her up the stairs.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Eli announced as he moved Carla off of his lap and ran up the stairs.

"Grace why did dad forget about me?"Zoe questioned as she climbed into bed and Grace pulled the covers over her.

"He's just really busy Zoe." Grace explained. "He didn't do it on purpose...you understand right?"

"I guess." She nodded. "Do you like that boy?"

"He's nice." Grace shrugged.

"But he's not Eli."

"I know ... why does that matter?" Grace questioned.

"Because Jessie said you and Eli flirt and you flirt when you like someone...so you must like Eli." Zoey explained. "Plus you're really happy when you're with him."

"Jessie was just upset about something this morning. She didn't mean what she said...Beside Eli has Carla...he doesn't like me." Grace walked towards the door. "Night." She shut the door behind herself and turned to come face to face with Eli. "Woah! You scared me."

"Sorry." He apologized. He looked into her eyes, forgetting what he had followed her up here to say.

"Umm...did you want something?" Grace questioned, giving him a weird look. "Cuz if not we should get back down stairs with Carla and Mike.

((Mike!)) When Eli didn't answered, Grace began to head for the stairs. "What are you doing?" Eli questioned, with a hint of anger in his voice. Jessie was just about to exit the bathroom, but decided now wouldn't be the best time to leave. Eli seemed angry and she wanted to know why. So she opened the door a crack and peeked out.

"Well,... I just tucked Zoe in and now..."

"No with Mike. You're all over him." He hissed.

"Excuse me?" She wrinkled her forehead. "What the hell is your problem?"

"I'm just getting sick watching you two." Eli replied.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but don't take it out on me." Grace retorted. "Why do you care what I'm doing with Mike anyway?" She growled as she pushed past him and began to walk away.

"I just..." He began, but wasn't sure exactly what to say.

"You just what?" She questioned with anger, wiping around to face him. Flustered and unsure what to say, he rested his hands on either side of her face and pulled her towards him. Their lips met and they were both hit with a rush of excitment and relief. The kiss was passionate and intense; neither one could stop. Grace reluctantly pulled away, a confused look on her face. ((Holding in her excitement. "Eli just kissed me...That was amazing." A wide grin spread across her face and she bounces slightly on her stool)) "Oh my God."

(( Mouth hanging wide open. "I just kissed Grace! What the hell was I thinking?....God I wanna do it again..NO! Stop thinking that.")) Eli was just as stunned as Grace. "Oh my God."

"Oh my God." Jessie whispered from the bathroom, then closed the door silently.

"I.... umm...We should get back." Eli spoke finally as he began to walk past Grace.

"Right." She agreed, but paused for a minute before following him downstairs. When she got back into the living room Eli had returned to his chair and Carla was back on his lap. Grace let out a silent sigh and took her seat on the couch beside Mike; he immediately put his arm back around her. She glanced at Eli from the corner of her eye.

Eli shift uncomfortable, as that jealous feeling began to return. *What am I thinking? What's wrong with me? This is Grace.* He glanced over at her and she looked just as confused as him. *It was just a...mistake. She got me sooo mad. But why was I mad? She didn't do anything...except watch a movie with another guy's arm around her shoulder.* He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, until she shifted her gaze in his direction and they both looked away nervously.

The rest of the movie seemed to drag by, Grace and Eli sharing awkward glances every so often. It was around 9:45 when it ended and Carla and Mike decided that they should get going. "I'll talk you tomorrow or something." Carla sighed, kissing Eli, before grabbing her coat. She seemed upset, probably because of the way he had been acting that night.

"It was nice to meet you Mike." Grace smiled and held out her hand.

"Can I have a hug instead?" He smirked. Eli tried to seem indifferent as he watched Grace, a little reluctantly give him a quick hug. "I hope I get to see you again."

"Me too." Grace agreed as Mike gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Have a safe drive home." She called out to Carla and Mike as they left. Eli closed the door behind them. He and Grace were left alone. "Soo..." She began, clasping her hands behind her back, nervously avoiding his stare.

"Ummm..." Eli stuttered unsure of what to say. "Grace I..." Just as Eli was about to speak the front door opened and Lily entered. ((Stares into the camera. "Perfect timing." Rolls his eyes.))

"Hey guys." Lily greeted cheerfully, throwing her purse on the chair and removing her coat. "Did your friends leave already?" She questioned. ((Lily looks disappointed. "I'd never tell Grace, but I came home early on purpose so that I could meet this... Mike.))

Eli cleared his throat and glanced at Grace. "Yeah you just missed them." He replied and shoved his hand into his pockets. The three of them stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds. Eli rocked back and forth and Grace crossed her arms over her chest. "OK ... well, I should umm...work on my homework." Eli lied. ((That was so lame...what kind of idiot is gonna believe I'M doing homework?))

"Oh...good idea." Lily smiled with satisfaction. (( Lily nods knowingly. "Excuse to leave."))

((Eli smiles with satisfaction. "She actually believed me.")) "I'll just go do that then." He nodded and began to back away. "Night Lily." He glanced at Grace quickly, avoiding her eyes. Which didn't go unnoticed by Lily. "Grace." He half waved before speed walking up the stairs.

Lily folded her coat over her arm and looked curiously at her daughter. ((Something... is not right.)) "Grace...."

Grace shift uncomfortably she knew what was coming. (( Nervous look. "Quick! Think of something!")) "Dad never came to get Zoe." She blurted out. That should keep her busy for a while.

"What?! Why not?" Lily questioned as she picked up her purse and began to walk up the stairs, Grace following behind.

"I don't know... I called him like an hour ago and he said he forgot." Grace replied as they reached the top of the stairs. "That man is unbelievable!" Lily fumed. "I can't believe him..." She huffed as she entered her room and closed the door, leaving Grace alone.

"Mission accomplished." She sighed, wiping pretend dirt from her hands. "I just hope dad doesn't get in too much trouble."

Meanwhile

Eli sat at his open window, a cigarette in hand. He had quit a few months before, but tonight was definitely enough to make him start up again. (( What have I gotten myself into now.)) He let the smoke drip from his mouth, then stamped out his cigarette and pushed his window closed. Throwing himself on his bed, he laid back and let his body melt into the mattress. " What is wrong with me?"

"I could help you with a list." A familiar voice interrupted his fight with himself.

"What are you doing up here?" He wondered, as he sat up in his bed.

"Just ... came to talk." Jess replied nonchalantly as she climbed the final step and ran her hand along the railing.

Eli sighed and gave his sister an annoyed look. "How much do you know?" He questioned. Jessie had a habit of always know exactly what he didn't want her to know.

"What do you mean?" She pretended to be confused.

"Cut it out ... you're a horrible liar." He smirked a little and she smiled back as she took a seat at the end of his bed.

"I saw...EVERYTHING." She hinted, a little uncomfortably.

"I kinda figured." He nodded.

"I'm not surprised though... I mean I've always known you have a thing for her."

"What!? No, I don't." He denied looking out the window. "I don't like Grace."

"Oh that's right... you loooove her."

"Jess...don't be ridiculous."

"Now who's a bad liar." Jess questioned raising her eyebrow.

Eli let out a sigh that sounded more like a growl. He pushed himself off of the bed and walked over to his stereo. "You don't even know what you're talking about...you don't know how I feel...so believe me when I say Grace is the furthest thing from my mind."

"You're right. I don't know what you're feeling." Jessie admitted and Eli nodded triumphantly. "But..."

"Of course there's a but." He laughed as he clicked on his stereo.

"BUT..." She emphasized the word. "I do see the way you act around her ... and the way you look at her."

"Oh yeah and how to I look at her?" He copied her dreamy voice.

"I don't know...the way dad looks at Lily." She replied, unsure of how to describe it.

"Well, ... then dad must not see Lily as anything more then a step sister." He's making this very difficult.

"Eli..."

"Forget it Jess ... there's no hidden mysterious feelings here. I'm in love with Gra... Carla. A Gr...eat girl." He saved himself.

"Ha! You almost said Grace."

"No I didn't. I said ... great girl." He reminded her and turned away.

"Eli why are you denying this!" Jessie practically yelled. "I mean believe me...I'm not happy about it myself but..."

"Jess! Stop it!" Eli yelled, startling her. "Just stop."

"Why are you fighting it?" She asked after a minute of silence. "It's OK to like someone..."

"Not Grace." He replied. Jess wasn't sure if that was another denial of his feelings or and admittance of his feelings.

"Yes, Grace!" She pushed.

"It's not right Jess. I... I can't like her." He sighed and sat down on the bed, his head in his hands. "Can you just leave?"

"Eli..."

"Leave." He ordered a little more forcefully this time.

"Fine." She pushed herself up and stormed down the stairs. Eli sighed, running his hands through his hair as he laid back on his bed.

A/N: Help get seasons 2 and 3 on DVD. Sign the petition at the link below!