Summary: Another day in the life of a teenager. Joan tries to juggle a "suggestion" from God, her friends, and attempts at accepting Iris in Adam's life.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from Joan of Arcadia or any songs that appear in this fic. I wouldn't mind having Christopher Marquette, though. .

Ratings: PG – just in case of swearing

AN: Might be a bit shorter than my other chapters, but I'm going to be putting a lot of things in for the next few days that lead up to Saturday. Going to be a longer fic than I first thought, but I hope you don't mind. . Thanks for all the reviews… Keep them coming.

I want to thank the newcomers who have reviewed my last chapter! Thank you.

I also want to thank the steady reviewers – Jane and Adam, hgill, and Admiral Lily! You guys are the best! The more you review, the more I'm inspired to write the story. :-D

"So… uh, do you want some pie?" Joan finished lamely, standing in the middle of the kitchen facing Grace. Grace shrugged her shoulders, not really committing to an answer as she surveyed her surroundings. As usual, Helen kept her kitchen neat and it made Grace feel out of place. She had no idea where that thought came from. She thrived on Chaos, would expect nothing less from her too ordinary life. Otherwise she'd be another nameless drone, much like Joan's brother Luke. Speaking of the geek, she wondered where he was, then stopped herself from thinking further. 'I so do not like the nerd. Pull yourself together, Polk. It's the house and the situation you find yourself in. Nothing more.'

"Okay, Girardi, I'm only going to say it once. I don't like repeating myself… I really think you should get out of the pageant while you can. Before it seriously changes you. Make you one of them."

"Them? Who's them? The other contestants? I don't think I follow."

"Yes! Shit, we don't need another air-headed, drama queen with a pageant crown to flaunt to the general masses of the unlucky and undeserving."

"Wow, you think I could win this?"

"Gee, Girardi, get with the program. Whether you win or don't, it won't matter. At that point, you've already been mind-numb to everything else around you that is deemed important by the normal, boring, ugly society."

"Not that I'd have a chance to even get past my evening gown portion of the Pageant, so I'm sure we don't have to worry about me getting to the finals. Why are you so dead set against the Pageant, anyways? I know your usual gripes about it, but there's something more."

"You breathe a word of this to anyone – nerd boy, Rove or anyone else – I'll hunt you down, torture you by removing each strand of hair from your body, then skin you alive…"

"Woah… That serious?"

"Yeah. See, it's like this-"

"Hey, Joan. OH! Hey, Grace. Didn't know you were stopping by. I was just reading over the next chapter on Acids and Bases and their molecular differences and many uses, and-"

"Save it, Geek. I've got to head home. See ya at school, Girardi." Without a word, Grace left the house as quickly as she had come. The two siblings watched her departure, each with their own reactions. Luke was disappointed that Grace had left as soon as he showed up. He really wanted to talk to her, but he never could figure out the right things to say. So, instead of something witty, he became nervous and began rambling about his favorite subject – science. Joan on the other hand fluctuated from anger at her brother and thoughts of his death, to concern and curiosity as to what Grace had to talk about. Obviously it was something really major, otherwise she wouldn't have spouted off such a threat. Unfortunately, her brother had to ruin the moment. She really needed to teach him about timing.

"Aren't you supposed to be lurking somewhere, trying to find the cure for some kind of problem? Instead of interrupting and chasing my friends away."

"How'd I chase her away? She runs whenever I enter the room."

"Well, if you didn't go on and on about science and things that don't make sense, perhaps she wouldn't leave half the time. You really have to find yourself a new approach if you hope to have some hope of a social life."

"Oh? Like what? Go around yelling at strangers."

"They aren't strangers, just strange… Oh, forget it." With a grumble, Joan grabbed her plate of cherry pie and her glass of milk and went upstairs to her room. She decided to practice her talent portion, without the annoyance of her young sibling. She wished for the millionth time since turning 5 years old that she was an only child.

Thursday morning passed by without a problem – Joan made it on time, didn't space out more than usual, and had no run ins with God. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to meet up with Grace at all to talk about the previous night, which was driving her crazy. She couldn't figure out why she had to get Grace to open up about what was bugging her, but she knew it was important to do so. If only she could as Him, not that he'd give her any answers… He never did.

Finally the bell rang, signaling her next class and the one she had been anticipating all day – AP Chem. It was where she could finally confront Grace, plus see Adam. She wasn't quite sure what was up with him that day, either. She didn't know if it was because she wasn't late that she didn't see him, or that he was avoiding her… She had thought something had changed between them Tuesday after school – from the vibes she was getting during their lab exam, and then afterwards when they left the meeting room. But she didn't see him much Wednesday, just in the few classes they had together, and those times he seemed to be spacing out… more so than he usually did. Now that she thought about it, she really hadn't seen much of Iris, either. 'Did something happen between the pair?'

"You should really watch where you are heading. That's how most accidents occur, Joan."

"Oh, can't go a day without the words of wisdom from the Almighty. What is it today?"

"I can't stop to say hello and see how things are going?"

"You're all-seeing. You should know how things are going… Or how they aren't going. I still can't figure out why I had to join. I mean, you've probably seen my lack of grace. I'm never going to get passed the evening gown, and if I do, I'll lose it at the talent."

"You don't really have to do anything… Besides, I think you have a lot of grace. You're just looking for it in the wrong place." With a look down the hall, the janitor walked the opposite direction, whistling a jaunty tune. Joan bit back the urge to say something sarcastic and loud at him, turning to where he had looked previously. She saw her two friends waiting by her locker, both seeming reluctant to be there. With a sigh and completely forgetting God's words of the day, she walked over to meet her friends.

"Hey guys."

"Hey, Jane."

"Hey, Girardi, I don't know why, but you seem to talk to the weirdest people. The lunch lady, the janitor, a hobo with a million dogs…"

"You wouldn't understand me if I tried to explain."

"You know, Girardi, that one I've figured out a long time ago. Ready for AP Chem? I hear after our 180 on Tuesday and totally acing the lab exam, that Lischak is expecting us to be prize-winning students. I don't want to disappoint the old lady just yet, so I'm actually going to make an effort to be on time today."

"Um… are you guys okay?"

"Less talk, more walk." Avoiding Joan's talk, and actually glad of Adam's trip off this planet, Grace moved ahead to take the lead as they went towards their chemistry class. She knew she couldn't dodge Joan's questions for long, and she wondered if what she had to say would affect Joan's decision on being in the Pageant or not. She looked over at Joan as they walked, wondering once again if she could trust Joan. 'Never know until you try- Where the hell did that thought come from?'