*Thanks for reading, don't forget to Read and Review. Also check out my new
website, Crazy Beautiful Celebrities at
and let me know what you think*
Chapter 26 | Not what it seems
Eli knew something was definately wrong with Grace, he hadn't seen her all day. Not when he'd waited for her by her locker before school, a gotten out of class during her lunch break to find her, and she wasn't waiting by his locker after school like she normally would do so.
[Eli- I wish I could just know for sure whether or not she knows about the party -Shakes head- Ok, ok, so she knows about the party but you told her you weren't going but you are, and now she's pissed at you?]
"Eli, hey wait up!" Eli heard a familiar voice call at him as he walked away from his locker. He'd been waiting for ten minutes and Grace was a no show. Ten minutes may seem like not very long, but for Grace it was, she was the sort of person to never be late. Or at least when it came to him.
[Eli- Carla, of all the people I need right now]
Eli turned around then stopped himself at the last second from groaning as Carla walked up to him.
"Hey Carla" "Hey, haven't been seeing you around much lately" "Well ah, yeah I've been kinda busy I guess" "Not to busy to come to Carries party tonight I hope" she smiled at him and then cracked her gum. "Umm, I dunno yet" Eli started, shifting his bag onto his other shoulder as they walked down the hallway. "You don't know, or is it something" Carla caught herself, "Opps! I mean someone else" Carla cracked her gum again. "Carla don't start" Eli stopped and turned to face her. "Me? Start what?" Carla questioned not so innocently, she reached up and tucked a stand of hair back behind her ear.
"See ya tonight man" a voice called in his direction, it was Coop. "Ah yeah maybe!" Eli called back over his shoulder. "Whatever man, I know you, you'll be there"
"So where were we" Carla asked" Placing her hand on Eli's arm. "Actually I was about to leave," he said, brushing her off. "See you then" Carla cracked her gum as she walked back in the direction they came. Eli turned around and started walking but not before he heard her call out over her shoulder, "I'll be looking for you tonight".
_____ [Grace- I saw Eli looking for me today, and I wanted to go up to him and talk to him, and to tell him that I know his going to the party, but I dunno, something's just holding me back I guess. I think -Takes Deep Breath- I know, Eli sacrificed a lot of things to be with me, after all, it's not very often that he hangs out with his friends anymore and I know that because of me. I know they don't really like me much, but he doesn't care, he wants to be with me anyway. So I guess, what's one night? -Shrugs shoulders- What's one night? -Stares into camera-]
"What are you thinking about?" Lily asked Grace who was staring out of the car window. "Nothing much" "She thinking about Eli" Zoe quipped from the backseat. "Shut up!" "Grace" Lily said warningly. "Come on, that's not fair" "Do you two always have to fight?" "She started it" "Grace you should know better" "Mum you just went through a stop sign" Zoe called from the backseat. "Shit!" "Hey mum" "Yes Zoe" Lily signalled to turn into their street. "When is the restaurant going to be ready?" "Actually they said it should only be two weeks" "Is there going to be an opening?" Lily pulled into their driveway. "An opening?" "Well yeah" "I don't know, we never really thought about it" "Well there should be" Grace added as she got out of their car. "Actually Grace that reminds me, your father wants you to ring him" "What for?" "No idea, can you help me with these bags" _____
"So what are your plans for tonight Eli?" Rick asked as he and Eli ate dinner. "The bands gonna practice at Coops house and then I dunno. I'll probably stay the night at one of the guys house" Eli said vaguely, biting into a piece of chicken. "Come on E, you gotta give me more than that" "Well, okay then I guess I'll stay at Coops then" "That's fine just let me know if anything changes, and Jess is staying at a friends place so I told her if she has any problems just to call your phone okay" Eli rolled his eyes, "Yeah I guess" "So what's Grace doing tonight"? Eli shrugged. "I dunno, why?" "Well Lily and I are going out, she'll probably be on her own with Zoe" Eli just looked at Rick,
[Eli- What is he getting at?]
Rick shook his head, "I better get going, don't be home too late tomorrow okay" he spoke as he got up off the chair and took his plate over to the sink. _____
The part was in full swing when Eli arrived at Carries place around 11 o' clock that night. Cars were parked all the way up and down the street and around the corner; the music could be heard from blocks away. As Eli walked up to the door Eli could hear the sound of talking and laughter, could feel the music, could see the people as he walked through the front door and into a packed living room.
Carries parties were always like this. Although they were invitation only there were always complete strangers, who heard about the party and shown up. But Carrie didn't mind, the more the better, especially since her father was out of town.
Eli pushed his way through the crowd in the living room, calling out to those he knew. He felt someone come up behind him and pat him on his back. "Hey" It was Coop, "Hey man, where are the other guys" "Dunno" Coop laughed and shoved his beer in Eli's direction, "Want one?" "I'll pass" Eli didn't want to be doing anything stupid that night; thoughts of Grace filled his mind. He pushed them away. "So, a lot of people showed up huh!" Eli screamed over the music. "Yeah, you know how Carries parties are" "E!" wink greeted him, as he came up on Eli's other side. "So where's your girl huh?" "She didn't come" "Oh yeah, she wasn't in-" Coop punched him on the shoulder. "Well it's probably better that she didn't, lets get you a drink"
[5 mins later]
"Eli, I didn't know you were here" It was Carla.
[Eli- Crap! I was hoping she wouldn't see me here]
"Actually I only got here about 10 minutes ago" "Why don't you come say hello to Carrie for me"
[Eli- Guess I might as well]
"Yeah okay, but I just want to get a drink first" "I'll go get you one, what do you want" "A coke would be good" "Not like you" Carla commented curiously. "Things change" Eli shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Carla's eyes. [Carla- I guess they do, by the end of the night you won't be cheating on me, you'll be cheating on Grace]
"Catch you later man" Coop called as he walked off, probably looking for some girl to hit on. "Yeah later".
_____
Grace had finally managed to Zoe into bed after much protesting. It had cost her a week of washing dishes but all Grace wanted was to lay down and go to sleep, and forget about the fact that at that very moment Eli was at Carries party, doing who knows what.
But Grace couldn't sleep so instead she lay awake for about an hour before taking out her journal and starting to write.
-I wish that I could stop thinking about tonight, I really do but for some reason it just seems so important even though I've spent the last day trying to convince myself that it isn't. I like being with Eli, and I care about him a lot. The two weeks we had together on the holidays were great. Just him and I, able to do whatever we wanted when we wanted. No secrets, no lies. No Carla. Okay so, I guess the Carla thing is affecting me more than I've let on to him. It's not that I don't trust him, because I do, or at least I did before he lied to me about tonight but Carla said he'd cheated on her so he could cheat again on me couldn't he. What if he wants to be with Carla again? Things seemed so simple only a couple of weeks ago, but since we've been back at school things have been different. I don't know how to explain it. I guess I'm just, It just doesn't feel the same. To many things have had to change. And I don't want it to be that way, like I'm holding him back from things, forcing him to make sacrifices. I don't want to put him in the position where he feels he has to lie to me, or this wont work. I will tell him that I know about the party and about how I feel about Carla. I'll tell him. I will-
Grace put her pen down, suddenly feeling better, although she knew some of what she had written made no sense. But as she sat there she felt a feeling of. . . resolution. She was going to tell Eli exactly what she thought and she was going to tell him tonight.
Getting up from her bed she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a jacket. Pulling it on she walked into Zoe's room to make sure she was asleep, then walked downstairs, avoiding the second one which she knew would creak. Putting on her shoes at the front door she grabbed her keys then quietly opened the door shutting it behind her with a small click.
_____
"Wanna dance?" Carla shouted into Eli's ear over the sound of the music. "Umm, ahh" Eli wasn't quite sure how to get out of that one; he'd been making excuses about it all night. Just then the next track started. "Come on this is my favourite song!" Carla shouted grabbing hold of his hand and pulling him towards the dance floor. As much as he wanted to say no for some reason he couldn't. "Let me just put this drink down, I'll be right back" Eli said breaking away from her. "No way, you tried that last time," Carla said tugging on his shirt, "Drink up!"
[Carla- I forgot how well this guy could handle his alcohol, I was hoping head be a bit more . . . looser by now]
Eli sighed and drank the rest of his drink. He'd been really thirsty that night for some reason and Carla had been keeping his supply of drink up all night. At first he'd been suspicious, suspecting the drinks had been spiked with alcohol but Carla had furiously denied it, by then he'd already had a few anyway. Eli put his drink down and followed Carla into the crowd of dancing bodies. Eli stood around a foot apart from her, not wanting to get to close.
"What are you doing all the way over there" Carla put her hands on his hips and pulled him closer towards her.
_____
Grace walked quickly down her street, carries house was only 2 blocks away and she should be able to get there within 10 minutes or so. Her heart pumping like crazy, she knew that she was doing the right thing.
[Grace- Everything will be better once I tell him- I know it will] _____
Eli could feel Carla's body pushed up against his as they danced, her hot breath on his neck; he could smell the perfume she was wearing. Things were feeling a little familiar. And then it hit him, it was one of Carries parties, they were in the same room, dancing to the exact same song about a year ago.
"Remember this?" Carla whispered into his ear, her hands sliding further down his back. "Uh huh" Eli moved Carla's hands back to his waist,
[Eli- how could I forget- that night was the first night that Carla and I- Not you can't think about that- think about Grace]
"It was the first night we kissed" Carla whispered, her eyes meeting his. Eli tried to turn away, but couldn't, he felt himself being drawn to Carla, all thoughts of Grace forgotten.
Eli felt the brush of Carla's lips against his, her arms wrapping around his neck, drawing his mouth down on hers. Eli closed his eyes, kissing her back.
[Eli- Something's wrong, I . . . I shouldn't be doing this]
And image of Grace filled his mind, her soft skin, her supple lips, that smell, Graces smell. The girl he was kissing didn't smell like Grace.
Eli opened his eyes with a start, pulling away from the girl he was kissing.
"Carla, what the fuck?" he yelled at the girl standing in front of him. "Its okay Eli" Carla whispered, trying to pull him back towards her. "Get your hands off me" Eli yelled. "I can't believe you just did that?" "I did that? You wanted it baby, you kissed me back so don't deny it" Carla smirked at him. "I ah, I umm" Eli stammered. She was right, for a second their he had wanted it, but that wasn't right, he really cared about Grace- hell he might even love her, he wouldn't be that stupid. "What the fuck did you put in my drink?" Eli asked angrily, struggling to keep his voice under control. "Nothing, I sweat" Eli knew that look. "Carla" he said threateningly. "Ok okay, it was just a bit a vodka, thought it might relax you" "Relax me? Do I look relaxed to you? Just fuck off okay, I don't wanna see you" Carla looked at Eli worriedly,
[Carla- His actually serious]
"Don't be like-" "Fine, I'll go" Eli turned and stormed out of the room.
Carla was left looking at the crowd, stunned, who was surrounding her, none of which had heard the fight, as the music was too loud.
_____
[At the same time]
Grace couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Okay she could, and even though she had worried about it she never really thought it would happen. She had walked into the living room of Carries just in time to see Eli and Carla, kissing.
[Grace- The fucking bastard, I can't believe -Wipes tear furiously from eye- ]
After seeing them kiss, Grace hadn't stuck around, therefore not witnessing the events afterwards. She had ran from the room crying and bumped into someone on her way out the door.
"Sorry" Grace muttered, pushing her way past the girl she had bumped into. "Hey, are you okay?" The girl asked, turning around and seeing that Grace was crying. "Yeah I'm fine" Grace said, wiping the tears from her eyes. The girl laughed, "You don't look fine" And grabbed Graces hand. "Come on, come sit down over here" This girl, Grace had never met before pulled Grace down onto the front step. "I'm Felicity" "Grace" she whispered quietly, looking down at her feet. "Well Grace, thankyou for bumping into me"
[Grace- This girl is seriously weird . . . I can't, I can but I don't want to-]
"You see I'm new here, I just moved next door to Carrie yesterday and she came over and invited me, so thankyou because now I know someone"
Grace wiped the tears from her eyes again, cracking a small smile.
"Well, I was never invited to the party actually" She started, "You want to talk about it" The new girl, Felicity asked kindly.
Grace couldn't help it, within seconds she'd opened her mouth and let everything all pour out.
***This is the longest chapter I have EVER written- hope you enjoy it- R?R please!
Chapter 26 | Not what it seems
Eli knew something was definately wrong with Grace, he hadn't seen her all day. Not when he'd waited for her by her locker before school, a gotten out of class during her lunch break to find her, and she wasn't waiting by his locker after school like she normally would do so.
[Eli- I wish I could just know for sure whether or not she knows about the party -Shakes head- Ok, ok, so she knows about the party but you told her you weren't going but you are, and now she's pissed at you?]
"Eli, hey wait up!" Eli heard a familiar voice call at him as he walked away from his locker. He'd been waiting for ten minutes and Grace was a no show. Ten minutes may seem like not very long, but for Grace it was, she was the sort of person to never be late. Or at least when it came to him.
[Eli- Carla, of all the people I need right now]
Eli turned around then stopped himself at the last second from groaning as Carla walked up to him.
"Hey Carla" "Hey, haven't been seeing you around much lately" "Well ah, yeah I've been kinda busy I guess" "Not to busy to come to Carries party tonight I hope" she smiled at him and then cracked her gum. "Umm, I dunno yet" Eli started, shifting his bag onto his other shoulder as they walked down the hallway. "You don't know, or is it something" Carla caught herself, "Opps! I mean someone else" Carla cracked her gum again. "Carla don't start" Eli stopped and turned to face her. "Me? Start what?" Carla questioned not so innocently, she reached up and tucked a stand of hair back behind her ear.
"See ya tonight man" a voice called in his direction, it was Coop. "Ah yeah maybe!" Eli called back over his shoulder. "Whatever man, I know you, you'll be there"
"So where were we" Carla asked" Placing her hand on Eli's arm. "Actually I was about to leave," he said, brushing her off. "See you then" Carla cracked her gum as she walked back in the direction they came. Eli turned around and started walking but not before he heard her call out over her shoulder, "I'll be looking for you tonight".
_____ [Grace- I saw Eli looking for me today, and I wanted to go up to him and talk to him, and to tell him that I know his going to the party, but I dunno, something's just holding me back I guess. I think -Takes Deep Breath- I know, Eli sacrificed a lot of things to be with me, after all, it's not very often that he hangs out with his friends anymore and I know that because of me. I know they don't really like me much, but he doesn't care, he wants to be with me anyway. So I guess, what's one night? -Shrugs shoulders- What's one night? -Stares into camera-]
"What are you thinking about?" Lily asked Grace who was staring out of the car window. "Nothing much" "She thinking about Eli" Zoe quipped from the backseat. "Shut up!" "Grace" Lily said warningly. "Come on, that's not fair" "Do you two always have to fight?" "She started it" "Grace you should know better" "Mum you just went through a stop sign" Zoe called from the backseat. "Shit!" "Hey mum" "Yes Zoe" Lily signalled to turn into their street. "When is the restaurant going to be ready?" "Actually they said it should only be two weeks" "Is there going to be an opening?" Lily pulled into their driveway. "An opening?" "Well yeah" "I don't know, we never really thought about it" "Well there should be" Grace added as she got out of their car. "Actually Grace that reminds me, your father wants you to ring him" "What for?" "No idea, can you help me with these bags" _____
"So what are your plans for tonight Eli?" Rick asked as he and Eli ate dinner. "The bands gonna practice at Coops house and then I dunno. I'll probably stay the night at one of the guys house" Eli said vaguely, biting into a piece of chicken. "Come on E, you gotta give me more than that" "Well, okay then I guess I'll stay at Coops then" "That's fine just let me know if anything changes, and Jess is staying at a friends place so I told her if she has any problems just to call your phone okay" Eli rolled his eyes, "Yeah I guess" "So what's Grace doing tonight"? Eli shrugged. "I dunno, why?" "Well Lily and I are going out, she'll probably be on her own with Zoe" Eli just looked at Rick,
[Eli- What is he getting at?]
Rick shook his head, "I better get going, don't be home too late tomorrow okay" he spoke as he got up off the chair and took his plate over to the sink. _____
The part was in full swing when Eli arrived at Carries place around 11 o' clock that night. Cars were parked all the way up and down the street and around the corner; the music could be heard from blocks away. As Eli walked up to the door Eli could hear the sound of talking and laughter, could feel the music, could see the people as he walked through the front door and into a packed living room.
Carries parties were always like this. Although they were invitation only there were always complete strangers, who heard about the party and shown up. But Carrie didn't mind, the more the better, especially since her father was out of town.
Eli pushed his way through the crowd in the living room, calling out to those he knew. He felt someone come up behind him and pat him on his back. "Hey" It was Coop, "Hey man, where are the other guys" "Dunno" Coop laughed and shoved his beer in Eli's direction, "Want one?" "I'll pass" Eli didn't want to be doing anything stupid that night; thoughts of Grace filled his mind. He pushed them away. "So, a lot of people showed up huh!" Eli screamed over the music. "Yeah, you know how Carries parties are" "E!" wink greeted him, as he came up on Eli's other side. "So where's your girl huh?" "She didn't come" "Oh yeah, she wasn't in-" Coop punched him on the shoulder. "Well it's probably better that she didn't, lets get you a drink"
[5 mins later]
"Eli, I didn't know you were here" It was Carla.
[Eli- Crap! I was hoping she wouldn't see me here]
"Actually I only got here about 10 minutes ago" "Why don't you come say hello to Carrie for me"
[Eli- Guess I might as well]
"Yeah okay, but I just want to get a drink first" "I'll go get you one, what do you want" "A coke would be good" "Not like you" Carla commented curiously. "Things change" Eli shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Carla's eyes. [Carla- I guess they do, by the end of the night you won't be cheating on me, you'll be cheating on Grace]
"Catch you later man" Coop called as he walked off, probably looking for some girl to hit on. "Yeah later".
_____
Grace had finally managed to Zoe into bed after much protesting. It had cost her a week of washing dishes but all Grace wanted was to lay down and go to sleep, and forget about the fact that at that very moment Eli was at Carries party, doing who knows what.
But Grace couldn't sleep so instead she lay awake for about an hour before taking out her journal and starting to write.
-I wish that I could stop thinking about tonight, I really do but for some reason it just seems so important even though I've spent the last day trying to convince myself that it isn't. I like being with Eli, and I care about him a lot. The two weeks we had together on the holidays were great. Just him and I, able to do whatever we wanted when we wanted. No secrets, no lies. No Carla. Okay so, I guess the Carla thing is affecting me more than I've let on to him. It's not that I don't trust him, because I do, or at least I did before he lied to me about tonight but Carla said he'd cheated on her so he could cheat again on me couldn't he. What if he wants to be with Carla again? Things seemed so simple only a couple of weeks ago, but since we've been back at school things have been different. I don't know how to explain it. I guess I'm just, It just doesn't feel the same. To many things have had to change. And I don't want it to be that way, like I'm holding him back from things, forcing him to make sacrifices. I don't want to put him in the position where he feels he has to lie to me, or this wont work. I will tell him that I know about the party and about how I feel about Carla. I'll tell him. I will-
Grace put her pen down, suddenly feeling better, although she knew some of what she had written made no sense. But as she sat there she felt a feeling of. . . resolution. She was going to tell Eli exactly what she thought and she was going to tell him tonight.
Getting up from her bed she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a jacket. Pulling it on she walked into Zoe's room to make sure she was asleep, then walked downstairs, avoiding the second one which she knew would creak. Putting on her shoes at the front door she grabbed her keys then quietly opened the door shutting it behind her with a small click.
_____
"Wanna dance?" Carla shouted into Eli's ear over the sound of the music. "Umm, ahh" Eli wasn't quite sure how to get out of that one; he'd been making excuses about it all night. Just then the next track started. "Come on this is my favourite song!" Carla shouted grabbing hold of his hand and pulling him towards the dance floor. As much as he wanted to say no for some reason he couldn't. "Let me just put this drink down, I'll be right back" Eli said breaking away from her. "No way, you tried that last time," Carla said tugging on his shirt, "Drink up!"
[Carla- I forgot how well this guy could handle his alcohol, I was hoping head be a bit more . . . looser by now]
Eli sighed and drank the rest of his drink. He'd been really thirsty that night for some reason and Carla had been keeping his supply of drink up all night. At first he'd been suspicious, suspecting the drinks had been spiked with alcohol but Carla had furiously denied it, by then he'd already had a few anyway. Eli put his drink down and followed Carla into the crowd of dancing bodies. Eli stood around a foot apart from her, not wanting to get to close.
"What are you doing all the way over there" Carla put her hands on his hips and pulled him closer towards her.
_____
Grace walked quickly down her street, carries house was only 2 blocks away and she should be able to get there within 10 minutes or so. Her heart pumping like crazy, she knew that she was doing the right thing.
[Grace- Everything will be better once I tell him- I know it will] _____
Eli could feel Carla's body pushed up against his as they danced, her hot breath on his neck; he could smell the perfume she was wearing. Things were feeling a little familiar. And then it hit him, it was one of Carries parties, they were in the same room, dancing to the exact same song about a year ago.
"Remember this?" Carla whispered into his ear, her hands sliding further down his back. "Uh huh" Eli moved Carla's hands back to his waist,
[Eli- how could I forget- that night was the first night that Carla and I- Not you can't think about that- think about Grace]
"It was the first night we kissed" Carla whispered, her eyes meeting his. Eli tried to turn away, but couldn't, he felt himself being drawn to Carla, all thoughts of Grace forgotten.
Eli felt the brush of Carla's lips against his, her arms wrapping around his neck, drawing his mouth down on hers. Eli closed his eyes, kissing her back.
[Eli- Something's wrong, I . . . I shouldn't be doing this]
And image of Grace filled his mind, her soft skin, her supple lips, that smell, Graces smell. The girl he was kissing didn't smell like Grace.
Eli opened his eyes with a start, pulling away from the girl he was kissing.
"Carla, what the fuck?" he yelled at the girl standing in front of him. "Its okay Eli" Carla whispered, trying to pull him back towards her. "Get your hands off me" Eli yelled. "I can't believe you just did that?" "I did that? You wanted it baby, you kissed me back so don't deny it" Carla smirked at him. "I ah, I umm" Eli stammered. She was right, for a second their he had wanted it, but that wasn't right, he really cared about Grace- hell he might even love her, he wouldn't be that stupid. "What the fuck did you put in my drink?" Eli asked angrily, struggling to keep his voice under control. "Nothing, I sweat" Eli knew that look. "Carla" he said threateningly. "Ok okay, it was just a bit a vodka, thought it might relax you" "Relax me? Do I look relaxed to you? Just fuck off okay, I don't wanna see you" Carla looked at Eli worriedly,
[Carla- His actually serious]
"Don't be like-" "Fine, I'll go" Eli turned and stormed out of the room.
Carla was left looking at the crowd, stunned, who was surrounding her, none of which had heard the fight, as the music was too loud.
_____
[At the same time]
Grace couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Okay she could, and even though she had worried about it she never really thought it would happen. She had walked into the living room of Carries just in time to see Eli and Carla, kissing.
[Grace- The fucking bastard, I can't believe -Wipes tear furiously from eye- ]
After seeing them kiss, Grace hadn't stuck around, therefore not witnessing the events afterwards. She had ran from the room crying and bumped into someone on her way out the door.
"Sorry" Grace muttered, pushing her way past the girl she had bumped into. "Hey, are you okay?" The girl asked, turning around and seeing that Grace was crying. "Yeah I'm fine" Grace said, wiping the tears from her eyes. The girl laughed, "You don't look fine" And grabbed Graces hand. "Come on, come sit down over here" This girl, Grace had never met before pulled Grace down onto the front step. "I'm Felicity" "Grace" she whispered quietly, looking down at her feet. "Well Grace, thankyou for bumping into me"
[Grace- This girl is seriously weird . . . I can't, I can but I don't want to-]
"You see I'm new here, I just moved next door to Carrie yesterday and she came over and invited me, so thankyou because now I know someone"
Grace wiped the tears from her eyes again, cracking a small smile.
"Well, I was never invited to the party actually" She started, "You want to talk about it" The new girl, Felicity asked kindly.
Grace couldn't help it, within seconds she'd opened her mouth and let everything all pour out.
***This is the longest chapter I have EVER written- hope you enjoy it- R?R please!