Chapter 23 | Not going to be easy
Grace smiled up at Eli whose arms were wrapped around her. It was Sunday afternoon, the last day of holidays before they went back to school. "I wish we could stay like this forever" she murmured as Eli placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Hmmm" Grace turned to face him, suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of dread for the following day. "What happens tomorrow?" she asked quietly. "What do you mean?" "The past two weeks we haven't even mentioned what would happen when we go back to school" Eli looked at her confused.
[Eli- What does she mean?]
"It's not going to be easy you know. There's a lot of people who are gonna have a problem with us-" "Let them deal with it!" Eli cut in forcefully. "It's not that easy. Carla's gonna be doing her best to get at us and she's not gonna let up until we do" "Come on it can't be that bad" "Eli, I told you what she said" "You have nothing to worry about" Eli said, trying to assure her. "I'll be there okay" Grace closed her eyes and leant back against Eli's broad chest. "I hope so" she spoke so softly that Eli almost didn't hear. But he did.
[Eli- I wish I could believe that it's going to be easy but it won't. Once Carla gets her mind stuck on something there's no stopping her.]
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"I thought you asked for extra cheese?" Zoe complained picking up a piece of rubbery cheese pizza. "Grace, does this look like extra cheese?" She asked with a mouthful of pizza. "Eww, gross" "What?" Zoe asked her mouth wide open. "You! Shut your mouth" "Mum!!!!!" "Girls please" "But mummmmm, Grace told me to shut my mouth" "Girls, this was supposed to be a quiet family-"
Lily's pleading voice was cut off from the sound of the phone ringing. "Grace can you get that?" asked Lily from where she was sitting. "I would if the phone was where it was supposed to be" "Well look for it" "Zoe you had it last?" "So?" Zoe snapped reaching for another slice. "So where did you leave it?" "Ummm, oh here it is!" Zoe pulled the phone out from under a cushion on the couch. "Hello?" Lily asked answering the phone, "Hey Lily its Jake"
[Lily- it's to late for second thoughts]
"What's up?" "Well there been a slight problem?" Jake said rather unconvincingly. "Problem?" "Yeah, you asked for pale yellow paint" "Lemon" "Okay Lemon. Well we now have sunflower yellow" "Shit what do you mean we have sunflower yellow?" "I mean I got here and the walls are bright yellow. I thought you were supposed to confirm the colours Friday night" "I tried to but there was no answer. Listen give me half an hour I'll be right there" _____
"Hey Grace.long time no see!" a girl called out over her shoulder as she walked past Grace in the hallway. Grace vaguely remembered her from one of her classes, maybe it was English? Grace smiled at her and turned back to her locker.
[Grace- Looks at the camera with a serious expression- so far so good]
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"Hey man how you doing?" Coop came up to him slapping him on the back. "What do you want man?" "Cant a guy talk to his friend" "Come on Coop, since I've gotten with Grace you've barely spoken to me except for rehearsal and stuff" "Yeah sorry 'bout that" Coop paused. "Hope I wasn't too much of an asshole"
Eli had a flashback of the last day of school, him boarding the school bus.
[Eli- Shaking his head- That's just Coop, and anyway at least his making an effort]
"I wouldn't got that far" Eli laughed glad that things between him and Coop were back to normal. "So what's up?"
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"Grace, wait up!" Eli called out catching sight of his girlfriend down the hall. Grace turned at the sound of his voice, a smile lighting up her downcast face. "Hey" Eli wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a hug. He couldn't miss the fact that Grace remained a little stiff as she wrapped her arms around him. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned, his arms still around her. "Nothing" "Come on Grace" "It's just weird you know. Carla was my best friend and all my friends were her friends and now they aren't speaking to me" "They'll come around," Eli said not believing his own words. "It's not that. Now with everything that has happened, it's made me realize that I don't really care about what they think. After all they weren't really my friends. They just put up with me because of Carla" "Don't put yourself down" "No I mean it. But I think it will be good for me to start over. Anyway I have you now" She smiled, standing on her tiptoes she gave Eli a quick peck on the lips, ignoring the stares from those around them in the hall. "I gotta go, class ya'know?" "What do you have?" "English" he replied with a groan. Grace laughed. "Good luck" "Yeah, I'm gonna need it. But don't you worry, my girlfriends the best tutor I know" "Is that so?" Graced laughed as she watched Eli walk off down the hall.
"Well isn't that sweet" Grace heard a familiar sarcastic voice say.
[Grace- Didn't take her long did it?- Eyes on the ground]
"And I thought cradle snatching was a crime" Carla said, causing her entourage of ever faithful followers to laugh.
[Grace- stares hard at camera- Just . . . ignore them]
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Grace was out the front of her school waiting for her mum when she heard Eli's voice calling her. She hadn't seen him all day and couldn't stop thinking about him. Turning she saw Eli and ran to him, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her to him in a sweet kiss. "Ahemm" they broke apart at the sound of someone clearing their voice. "Grace I've been looking for you everywhere" It was Carla again.
[Eli- Uh oh]
[Grace- What does she want now?]
"I'm sure you have. What do you want" "I just thought I should give you this" Grace reached out her hand and took the item from Carla, it was her Math's book. She must have left it behind in class. Carla turned to walk away but then stopped. "By the way, I'm assuming you both got invites to Carries party? Everyone's gonna be there. Cya."
"Don't worry about her," Eli said, noticing Graces's downcast expression. "She's just being a bitch. Who needs them anyway" Eli muttered pulling Grace to him again for another kiss only to be interrupted by the sound of a honking horn.
"Opps!" "Busted" Eli groaned, turning around to see his father's car. "I gotta go, I'll call you tonight okay?" With a quick kiss on the forehead Eli turned and strode towards the car.
Grace smiled up at Eli whose arms were wrapped around her. It was Sunday afternoon, the last day of holidays before they went back to school. "I wish we could stay like this forever" she murmured as Eli placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Hmmm" Grace turned to face him, suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of dread for the following day. "What happens tomorrow?" she asked quietly. "What do you mean?" "The past two weeks we haven't even mentioned what would happen when we go back to school" Eli looked at her confused.
[Eli- What does she mean?]
"It's not going to be easy you know. There's a lot of people who are gonna have a problem with us-" "Let them deal with it!" Eli cut in forcefully. "It's not that easy. Carla's gonna be doing her best to get at us and she's not gonna let up until we do" "Come on it can't be that bad" "Eli, I told you what she said" "You have nothing to worry about" Eli said, trying to assure her. "I'll be there okay" Grace closed her eyes and leant back against Eli's broad chest. "I hope so" she spoke so softly that Eli almost didn't hear. But he did.
[Eli- I wish I could believe that it's going to be easy but it won't. Once Carla gets her mind stuck on something there's no stopping her.]
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"I thought you asked for extra cheese?" Zoe complained picking up a piece of rubbery cheese pizza. "Grace, does this look like extra cheese?" She asked with a mouthful of pizza. "Eww, gross" "What?" Zoe asked her mouth wide open. "You! Shut your mouth" "Mum!!!!!" "Girls please" "But mummmmm, Grace told me to shut my mouth" "Girls, this was supposed to be a quiet family-"
Lily's pleading voice was cut off from the sound of the phone ringing. "Grace can you get that?" asked Lily from where she was sitting. "I would if the phone was where it was supposed to be" "Well look for it" "Zoe you had it last?" "So?" Zoe snapped reaching for another slice. "So where did you leave it?" "Ummm, oh here it is!" Zoe pulled the phone out from under a cushion on the couch. "Hello?" Lily asked answering the phone, "Hey Lily its Jake"
[Lily- it's to late for second thoughts]
"What's up?" "Well there been a slight problem?" Jake said rather unconvincingly. "Problem?" "Yeah, you asked for pale yellow paint" "Lemon" "Okay Lemon. Well we now have sunflower yellow" "Shit what do you mean we have sunflower yellow?" "I mean I got here and the walls are bright yellow. I thought you were supposed to confirm the colours Friday night" "I tried to but there was no answer. Listen give me half an hour I'll be right there" _____
"Hey Grace.long time no see!" a girl called out over her shoulder as she walked past Grace in the hallway. Grace vaguely remembered her from one of her classes, maybe it was English? Grace smiled at her and turned back to her locker.
[Grace- Looks at the camera with a serious expression- so far so good]
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"Hey man how you doing?" Coop came up to him slapping him on the back. "What do you want man?" "Cant a guy talk to his friend" "Come on Coop, since I've gotten with Grace you've barely spoken to me except for rehearsal and stuff" "Yeah sorry 'bout that" Coop paused. "Hope I wasn't too much of an asshole"
Eli had a flashback of the last day of school, him boarding the school bus.
[Eli- Shaking his head- That's just Coop, and anyway at least his making an effort]
"I wouldn't got that far" Eli laughed glad that things between him and Coop were back to normal. "So what's up?"
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"Grace, wait up!" Eli called out catching sight of his girlfriend down the hall. Grace turned at the sound of his voice, a smile lighting up her downcast face. "Hey" Eli wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a hug. He couldn't miss the fact that Grace remained a little stiff as she wrapped her arms around him. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned, his arms still around her. "Nothing" "Come on Grace" "It's just weird you know. Carla was my best friend and all my friends were her friends and now they aren't speaking to me" "They'll come around," Eli said not believing his own words. "It's not that. Now with everything that has happened, it's made me realize that I don't really care about what they think. After all they weren't really my friends. They just put up with me because of Carla" "Don't put yourself down" "No I mean it. But I think it will be good for me to start over. Anyway I have you now" She smiled, standing on her tiptoes she gave Eli a quick peck on the lips, ignoring the stares from those around them in the hall. "I gotta go, class ya'know?" "What do you have?" "English" he replied with a groan. Grace laughed. "Good luck" "Yeah, I'm gonna need it. But don't you worry, my girlfriends the best tutor I know" "Is that so?" Graced laughed as she watched Eli walk off down the hall.
"Well isn't that sweet" Grace heard a familiar sarcastic voice say.
[Grace- Didn't take her long did it?- Eyes on the ground]
"And I thought cradle snatching was a crime" Carla said, causing her entourage of ever faithful followers to laugh.
[Grace- stares hard at camera- Just . . . ignore them]
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Grace was out the front of her school waiting for her mum when she heard Eli's voice calling her. She hadn't seen him all day and couldn't stop thinking about him. Turning she saw Eli and ran to him, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her to him in a sweet kiss. "Ahemm" they broke apart at the sound of someone clearing their voice. "Grace I've been looking for you everywhere" It was Carla again.
[Eli- Uh oh]
[Grace- What does she want now?]
"I'm sure you have. What do you want" "I just thought I should give you this" Grace reached out her hand and took the item from Carla, it was her Math's book. She must have left it behind in class. Carla turned to walk away but then stopped. "By the way, I'm assuming you both got invites to Carries party? Everyone's gonna be there. Cya."
"Don't worry about her," Eli said, noticing Graces's downcast expression. "She's just being a bitch. Who needs them anyway" Eli muttered pulling Grace to him again for another kiss only to be interrupted by the sound of a honking horn.
"Opps!" "Busted" Eli groaned, turning around to see his father's car. "I gotta go, I'll call you tonight okay?" With a quick kiss on the forehead Eli turned and strode towards the car.