Eli: Hey all! Glad you liked the chapter. Here's another one! Enjoy!!
Gracie woke up late that morning. She knew she could take her time. Even if he was on time, he could wait a while. She took a shower and changed into a pair of hip huggers she had put out the night before. She tossed on a blue baby tank top that exposed her pretty little tummy. Then she pulled on an oversized blue jacket, kept open. She was fixing her hair into a ponytail with curls on the end when her Mom knocked on her door.
"Come in." Grace told her, not taking her eyes off the mirror. Vicki came in, only half awake and still in her pajamas. She yawned. "Your Dad called. He says that-"
Her daughter cut her off. "Won't be showing up? Cool, I'll spend the day with Chris." She said cooly as she finished the last curl. Perfect! She loved good hair days, especially if they were spent with her boyfriend.
Vicki shook her head. "No, he said he is going to be late." She corrected. She shook her head as Gracie rolled her eyes. "Hey, be nice." Gracie shrugged her shoulders. "Gracie Clarice......" Vicki warned.
"I'll be good, I'll be good." She promised as she turned her curler off. She checked herself over in the mirror. Again, Perfect! Not too much, not too little. Gracie applauded her fashion sense internally as she did one last look over in the mirror. She heard her Mom laugh and put her hands on her hips. "What? I am checking myself over."
Vicky shook her head. "You remind me of your Dad when you do that. He was a fashion freak as well, at least he thought and acted like one." She said with a laugh. Gracie shook her head. "I look good, Daddy dresses like a lost surfer boy." Vicki started laughing harder, tears coming to her eyes. "Oh, c'mon, Mom. I am ready to have a bad Hawaiian shirt bond fire in the middle of his yard!" She said seriously as she put on her necklace.
Just then the door bell rang. Gracie sighed and kissed her mom's cheek, a hard feat when she was laughing this hard. "I'll lock the door behind us." She told her as she rushed down the stairs. She jumped the last one and opened the door. "Hi Daddy!" She said enthusiastically, fake smile plastered onto her face.
He gave her a big bear hug, gripping her so tight she thought he was going to burst. "Hey sweetie." He said softly. "Daddy, you're cutting off my circulation." She squeaked out. He let go of her slowly and she closed the door behind them. They walked down to his car, a black 1966 Chevelle SS . He opened the door for her, and she sat down lightly, automatically taking the Beach Boy CD he had in there out and replacing it with one of her own to cut down on small talk.
Jake winced as her music came on. She was a hip hop/R&B whatever they called that kind of music these days. He didn't know too much about it, he was content with his old music from before Grace was born. But he let her have her way, spoiling her as he always had done. She was sitting quietly, nodding to her music. He turned it down a little, finally getting a good eyeful of what she had on under her jacket.
"Gracie, does your mother know about this outfit?" He asked her, shocked his little girl was wearing something........ so revealing. Gracie hid a grimace of annoyance. "Grace?"
She shrugged her shoulders innocently. "Ma said it was okay. She thought it was cute." She pouted. "Don't you think it's cute, Daddy?" She asked him sadly.
He nodded his head. "Of course I do, sweetheart. You are a gorgeous little angel, but I think it shows a bit much. Just keep your jacket on." He told her, trying to sound cool, even though he wanted to turn around and force a long sleeved black turtle neck onto her. 'Let her have her space, let her have her own stuff going on.' He thought to himself. "So... How's school? Grades good and everything?"
'No, of course not Dad. It takes me twice as long to get anything we do in class, except dance class that it, but you wouldn't know that because you have never made one of my performances, even though I have been taking dance since I was seven. To pass my classes, I get tutored by a freshman, and if he was a genius, I'd be embarrassed as hell!' she thought to herself.
"Fine. Grades are good." She told him brightly. "Oh, I have been warned about some nomination for prom queen for sophomores, or something." She said slyly."
He smiled proudly. "That's my girl!"
Gracie tried not to shake her head. 'I haven't been your girl for a long time, Daddy.' She thought sadly. "You know, just in case I do win, most of the times the parents of said girl come to see her with all the royalty." She mentioned quietly, giving him a chance to participate in her life. He nodded. "I'll do my best to come, you know my bosses." He told her.
Gracie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I know you'll try." She said pleasantly before staring out the window. 'That means no. Oh well, gave him a chance.' She thought to herself. 'Mom can't say I didn't.'
He interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, wait, don't you need a date for that?" He asked sharper than he wanted. 'Damn!' She thought to herself. She shrugged. "One of my friends can be my date. Like Chris, ya know? Or maybe Dom. It's okay, Daddy calm down. You trust me, right?" She asked him, pout with bottom lip biting. He nodded as he went in and out of traffic. "Of course, sweetie. Just making sure. You know you're not suppose to date until you are...."
"Seventeen, of course." She added. The car was silent then. She tried not to sigh or hiss. 'Ignorance is bliss.' She mused.
-Later-
Gracie smiled and waved to her Dad from the door of her house. Things hadn't changed much from when she was six. He still picked her up every two weeks, if that. He tried to pry into answers that would make him pull all his hair out if he knew the truth. He still tried to make up love with shopping sprees, not that she didn't take advantage of it. She picked up her bag and went into the house.
'I'll always be seven to him.' She thought to herself sadly.
Just then, She was lifted off her feet. "Whoa!" She said as she dropped her bags of clothes on the hall. Chris spun her around until they were both dizzy. "Put me down, maniac." She commanded playfully. He put her down and nuzzled her neck. "How was your day?" She asked him.
"Terrible and painful." He mumble into her hair. "Yours?"
"Better." She answered. "You smell like your uniform..." She complained.
He cupped her face. "You smell like Bath and Body works." He complemented before he brushed his lips against hers. "Taste like it, too. Yummy." He told her before he kissed her again, and again, and they were about ready to take it upstairs when.......
"Hands off, buddy." Joey commanded angrily. The teens broke apart breathless, laughing at him. Joey shook a finger at Chris. "You know better. Don't make me get the shovel." He warned as he hugged Gracie. "Hey little girl, how you doin'?" He asked playfully.
She smiled, a real smile. It was funny to think such a simple guy knew more about her than FBI agent Daddy dearest. "Good, got spoiled. Got a Forensics DVD! Wanna watch?!" She asked excitedly. The boys felt their stomachs turn over. They had seen one too many of those types of documentaries. Vicki laughed from the couch in the next room. "Save it for later, Gracie. Let these weaklings keep their lunch." The girls broke out into laughter as Joey frowned and Chris picked up Gracie, not letting go until they were dizzy again.
Coming Attraction:
Without a Cause
Gracie woke up late that morning. She knew she could take her time. Even if he was on time, he could wait a while. She took a shower and changed into a pair of hip huggers she had put out the night before. She tossed on a blue baby tank top that exposed her pretty little tummy. Then she pulled on an oversized blue jacket, kept open. She was fixing her hair into a ponytail with curls on the end when her Mom knocked on her door.
"Come in." Grace told her, not taking her eyes off the mirror. Vicki came in, only half awake and still in her pajamas. She yawned. "Your Dad called. He says that-"
Her daughter cut her off. "Won't be showing up? Cool, I'll spend the day with Chris." She said cooly as she finished the last curl. Perfect! She loved good hair days, especially if they were spent with her boyfriend.
Vicki shook her head. "No, he said he is going to be late." She corrected. She shook her head as Gracie rolled her eyes. "Hey, be nice." Gracie shrugged her shoulders. "Gracie Clarice......" Vicki warned.
"I'll be good, I'll be good." She promised as she turned her curler off. She checked herself over in the mirror. Again, Perfect! Not too much, not too little. Gracie applauded her fashion sense internally as she did one last look over in the mirror. She heard her Mom laugh and put her hands on her hips. "What? I am checking myself over."
Vicky shook her head. "You remind me of your Dad when you do that. He was a fashion freak as well, at least he thought and acted like one." She said with a laugh. Gracie shook her head. "I look good, Daddy dresses like a lost surfer boy." Vicki started laughing harder, tears coming to her eyes. "Oh, c'mon, Mom. I am ready to have a bad Hawaiian shirt bond fire in the middle of his yard!" She said seriously as she put on her necklace.
Just then the door bell rang. Gracie sighed and kissed her mom's cheek, a hard feat when she was laughing this hard. "I'll lock the door behind us." She told her as she rushed down the stairs. She jumped the last one and opened the door. "Hi Daddy!" She said enthusiastically, fake smile plastered onto her face.
He gave her a big bear hug, gripping her so tight she thought he was going to burst. "Hey sweetie." He said softly. "Daddy, you're cutting off my circulation." She squeaked out. He let go of her slowly and she closed the door behind them. They walked down to his car, a black 1966 Chevelle SS . He opened the door for her, and she sat down lightly, automatically taking the Beach Boy CD he had in there out and replacing it with one of her own to cut down on small talk.
Jake winced as her music came on. She was a hip hop/R&B whatever they called that kind of music these days. He didn't know too much about it, he was content with his old music from before Grace was born. But he let her have her way, spoiling her as he always had done. She was sitting quietly, nodding to her music. He turned it down a little, finally getting a good eyeful of what she had on under her jacket.
"Gracie, does your mother know about this outfit?" He asked her, shocked his little girl was wearing something........ so revealing. Gracie hid a grimace of annoyance. "Grace?"
She shrugged her shoulders innocently. "Ma said it was okay. She thought it was cute." She pouted. "Don't you think it's cute, Daddy?" She asked him sadly.
He nodded his head. "Of course I do, sweetheart. You are a gorgeous little angel, but I think it shows a bit much. Just keep your jacket on." He told her, trying to sound cool, even though he wanted to turn around and force a long sleeved black turtle neck onto her. 'Let her have her space, let her have her own stuff going on.' He thought to himself. "So... How's school? Grades good and everything?"
'No, of course not Dad. It takes me twice as long to get anything we do in class, except dance class that it, but you wouldn't know that because you have never made one of my performances, even though I have been taking dance since I was seven. To pass my classes, I get tutored by a freshman, and if he was a genius, I'd be embarrassed as hell!' she thought to herself.
"Fine. Grades are good." She told him brightly. "Oh, I have been warned about some nomination for prom queen for sophomores, or something." She said slyly."
He smiled proudly. "That's my girl!"
Gracie tried not to shake her head. 'I haven't been your girl for a long time, Daddy.' She thought sadly. "You know, just in case I do win, most of the times the parents of said girl come to see her with all the royalty." She mentioned quietly, giving him a chance to participate in her life. He nodded. "I'll do my best to come, you know my bosses." He told her.
Gracie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I know you'll try." She said pleasantly before staring out the window. 'That means no. Oh well, gave him a chance.' She thought to herself. 'Mom can't say I didn't.'
He interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, wait, don't you need a date for that?" He asked sharper than he wanted. 'Damn!' She thought to herself. She shrugged. "One of my friends can be my date. Like Chris, ya know? Or maybe Dom. It's okay, Daddy calm down. You trust me, right?" She asked him, pout with bottom lip biting. He nodded as he went in and out of traffic. "Of course, sweetie. Just making sure. You know you're not suppose to date until you are...."
"Seventeen, of course." She added. The car was silent then. She tried not to sigh or hiss. 'Ignorance is bliss.' She mused.
-Later-
Gracie smiled and waved to her Dad from the door of her house. Things hadn't changed much from when she was six. He still picked her up every two weeks, if that. He tried to pry into answers that would make him pull all his hair out if he knew the truth. He still tried to make up love with shopping sprees, not that she didn't take advantage of it. She picked up her bag and went into the house.
'I'll always be seven to him.' She thought to herself sadly.
Just then, She was lifted off her feet. "Whoa!" She said as she dropped her bags of clothes on the hall. Chris spun her around until they were both dizzy. "Put me down, maniac." She commanded playfully. He put her down and nuzzled her neck. "How was your day?" She asked him.
"Terrible and painful." He mumble into her hair. "Yours?"
"Better." She answered. "You smell like your uniform..." She complained.
He cupped her face. "You smell like Bath and Body works." He complemented before he brushed his lips against hers. "Taste like it, too. Yummy." He told her before he kissed her again, and again, and they were about ready to take it upstairs when.......
"Hands off, buddy." Joey commanded angrily. The teens broke apart breathless, laughing at him. Joey shook a finger at Chris. "You know better. Don't make me get the shovel." He warned as he hugged Gracie. "Hey little girl, how you doin'?" He asked playfully.
She smiled, a real smile. It was funny to think such a simple guy knew more about her than FBI agent Daddy dearest. "Good, got spoiled. Got a Forensics DVD! Wanna watch?!" She asked excitedly. The boys felt their stomachs turn over. They had seen one too many of those types of documentaries. Vicki laughed from the couch in the next room. "Save it for later, Gracie. Let these weaklings keep their lunch." The girls broke out into laughter as Joey frowned and Chris picked up Gracie, not letting go until they were dizzy again.
Coming Attraction:
Without a Cause