Authors Note: Autumn and Ashes song used in this chapter. Don't remember the name of it. Sorry. I personally found the G/L scene cute, out of character, but still..

*cringes* I hope this chapter makes up for the last two. And the bug my computer had, I just got rid of it! So I can update more now cuz my computer doesn't shut me down every second anymore..

11. Just What I Need

/You might be just what I need/

"What possessed Joan to do that?" Luke asked as he and Grace wandered around the gym, looking at the student art pieces.

"You really don't know?" Grace asked. Luke shook his head. "Dude, you must be blind. Joan's possessed by the jealousy monster."

"Joan's jealous of Iris?" Luke asked. Grace sighed.

/No I would not change a thing/

"Of course she is you idiot. She's like, in love with Rove."

"Wait, I knew she liked him, but she loves him?"

"Yeah," Grace said.

"Wow," Luke said. A second later, Grace's left crutch caught on the leg of a table and it dropped to the ground, Grace going with it, slamming into Luke on the way down and falling on top of him. They started cracking up and Grace began to lift herself off of Luke when something changed her mind.

/Been dreaming of this so long/

Luke thought he was going to pass out right there, with Grace on top of him as her lips met his and they kissed, deeper than the times at the dance and hotel combined. When the thought of what they must look like, laying on the floor of a gym during an art show, crutches at their sides, making out, they broke the kiss and Grace rolled off of Luke. They laid on the floor for a second, then looked at each other and laughed. The people who had seen were giving them looks.

/But we only exist in this song/

"Wanna help me up?" Grace asked. Luke picked himself up, then picked up one of her crutches and leaned on it.

"Is Grace Polk asking for help?" he teased. She sat up and grabbed her other crutch, swinging it around and hitting him in the head.

"Ow," he said, laughing.

"Hey, you deserved that nerd boy," Grace told him.

"That's it. I'm leaving and I'm taking your crutch," Luke said, heading for the door, when Grace tripped him. He fell back down and they started laughing again.

"Okay, time to stand up," Grace said. Luke stood up and helped her up, both still laughing. While getting situated on her crutches again, she lost her balance and fell, Luke catching her. They laughed again.

*

/The thing is, I'm not worth the sorrow/

Joan stood up and walked down the hall into the lunch room. She leaned against the door frame and looked at Adam.

"I am so sorry. I'll understand if you never talk to me again, and I'm going to go find Iris and apologize to her, too," Joan said quietly.

"Joan," Adam said with a sigh. "Jane," he tried again.

"Adam, there's a reason that I do the things I do, but this had nothing to do with anything. I was a jealous jerk, I am really sorry."

/I will hold you down, fold you in/

"Jane. I've got to go talk to Iris. But I need to talk to you too. Can you meet me at my sculpture?" Joan nodded.

*

Adam walked down to the girls room and knocked on the door.

"Iris, it's me, yo," Adam said. The door opened and Iris stepped out.

"So, you're.. you're breaking up with me, huh?"

"Iris.. I like you, I really do.."

"But I'm not Joan. And you love Joan. I don't want to be your stand in while you wait for her. And I think she's ready," Iris said, wiping her eyes.

"Can we still be friends, yo?"

/Deep, deep, deep in the fiction we live/

"Yeah. I'd like that," Iris said with a little smile. Adam hugged her.

"She's not usually like that, I don't know what got into her."

"I do. She's upset because you weren't paying attention to her. Every girl gets that feeling."

*

Grace and Luke were approaching Adam's piece when Glynis entered the gym. Glynis looked around and saw them, talking and laughing, like some sort of alternate universe. She walked over to them.

"Hello Luke," she said.

"Glynis, hi," Luke said. Grace looked from Luke to Glynis and decided it was time to split.

"I'm gonna leave you two alone," Grace said, leaving.

/I break in two over you/

Luke watched her make her way out of the gym and then turned his attention to Glynis. She looked at the expression on his face and got it.

"Oh," she said.

"I'm sorry Glynis," he said. Her eyes filled up with tears and she ran off.

/I break in two/

*

Adam met Joan at his sculpture just as planned.

"How is she?" Joan asked, crossing her arms.

"She's still upset, you said some pretty mean stuff, but she's better," Adam told Joan.

"Where is she? I've still got to apologize," Joan asked. Adam pointed to the other end of the gym, where Iris was standing next to her painting, talking to someone about it.

"I'll do it when she's not busy," Joan told him. He nodded.

"So.." Adam said.

"So..?" Joan asked.

/And if a piece of you dies/

"I love you Jane," Adam said.

"I love you too Adam," Joan told him.

"But.." Adam said.

"If anything happens between us, I want to take it slow. I want us to take it slow," Joan said.

"Unchallenged," Adam told her.

/I will bring you back to life/

Joan smiled a bit, reaching an understanding with Adam. She noticed the person was done talking to Iris and went over to apologize.

*

Luke walked down the hall, amazed to see Grace was still in the school. Her crutches leaned up against a railing, while she sat on it.

"You're still here," Luke said, walking up the stairs to her.

"Yeah. I always stick around during these things. Rove needs the support," Grace told him. "So why aren't you in there with the wife?"

"The wife?" Luke asked. Grace shrugged.

"We broke up," Luke told her.

"Nerd love shattered. News at eleven."

"We were having fun today Grace, what happened?"

"I woke up and realized what was going on," Grace told him. There was silence for a moment.

"Luke?" Grace asked. Luke looked at her.

"You called me Luke. What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just.. Thanks.." Grace said.

"For what?" Luke asked her.

"For seeing me. The real me, I mean, the one that's invisible to everyone."

/Of course I see you/

Grace and Luke made eye contact and they too exchanged a small smile of understanding.