Alright, here's a longer chapter for all of you who like the story. Enjoy
and review, pretty please :)
Chapter 10- Decisions, Decisions
"Bad news guys, Gracie's parents don't want her hanging out with us anymore." Jackie stated solemnly.
"Why?" Gordie asked, stunned.
"They think that hanging out with you guys has only brought me trouble." Gracie responded, looking at the ground.
"Are they just really angry- do you think it will pass?" Chris inquired, sounding very concerned. He only knew a little about Gracie's family, but from what he did know, Gracie loved them all. Disobeying her parents wouldn't be easy on her.
"I think my mom is being very understanding. I just don't know about my dad- he seemed so angry."
"But it's not even our fault!" Teddy protested.
"I know that, it's my father who is out in left field." Gracie replied. "He's probably just really stressed out from the move and his new job. It's just been really hard reading him lately" Gracie tried to explain, and, in a way, sounded defensive.
"So what are you gonna do?" Sophie inquired, "Are you still gonna hang out with us?"
"Of course I will, I just have to be more discreet and lay low for a while. If my parents find out about me hanging out with you guys and about me lying to them, I wouldn't be surprised if they sent me to a nunnery"
"But then you'd get to wear those weird hats" Teddy replied thoughtfully, lightening the mood a bit.
Back at the Evans Home
David came home from his lunch break and noticed that his eldest daughter had disappeared. "Caroline, where is Gracie?"
"Oh, she and Jackie went out to breakfast, I told Gracie could spend the day with her."
"Caroline, she could be hanging out with those kids again!" David replied, sounding very agitated.
"David, don't you think you're being a little hard on her? We just moved here and, fortunately, she made some friends. She's under enough stress as it is, don't you think you could lighten up?"
"Three days after we move in, she has a black eye. And it was from hanging out with that group. I just don't want her to associate with people who bring her such negative associations"
"But David..." Caroline tried to protest.
"No, just listen. You want to know something interesting? One of the guys she "hangs out" with is Chris Chambers, right?"
"Right, where are you going with this?" Caroline inquired.
"His father has two priors for domestic violence and was charged with a DUI a year ago. His brother, "Eyeball" Chambers has a history with the police as well."
"Where did you get that information?"
"I called an old friend from the DA's office before I left for lunch"
"David, you really shouldn't hold Chris' family's decisions and mistakes against him, it just isn't right. Not to mention the fact that the information you're holding is supposed to be confidential."
"I can't believe you're fine with letting our 15 year old daughter hang around with a guy who has a family full of criminals!" David responded, sounding extremely agitated.
"I trust our daughter to make the right decision. She has an ability to judge character so well. If we tell her she can't be with her friends- what are we saying?"
"That we want the best for her" David responded instantly.
"No, we're saying we don't trust her enough to live her life. We have done a wonderful job of instilling the right values to Gracie. She's 15, and we have to treat her like it."
"I am treating her like she's 15. I'm still her father. I don't mind if she hangs around with Jackie, Sophie or Gwen. Even Gordie and Vern are okay in my book. But as long as I live, I will not have her being friends with Chris Chambers or Teddy Duchamp."
"David....." Caroline tried to get David to not be so narrow-minded and was going to try to warn him about making decisions that were not open to change, but he just wouldn't have it.
"No, that's it, and that's final. I have to go back to work." Before Caroline could say a word, David had left the house.
Back to the Tree House
Vern, Gordie, Chris and Teddy were playing Black Jack while he girls seemed to be dying of boredom.
"Teddy, I swear to God, I don't know how you can spend all your time playing a stupid card game" Sophie exclaimed, sounding agitated.
"That's because girls don't understand the complex nature of Black Jack" Teddy remarked.
" I could beat you all at Black Jack, easy" Gracie replied nonchalantly.
"Oh you can, can you?" Gordie smirked, not fully believing that a girl would know anything about gambling. Teddy's mouth was dropped open, astonished that a girl would state that she's better than four boys at playing Black Jack. Vern didn't really seem to notice and Chris just sat there; he was amused by Gracie's comment and felt even more admiration for her than he had before.
"Yeah, right" Teddy commented.
"Don't believe me? Let me play" Gracie responded.
"Alright. Gordie, deal her in" Chris was always up for a challenge.
Maybe it was luck, maybe the boys just seriously underestimated her, whatever it was, Gracie kicked some serious ass at Blackjack. Continuously.
"I can't believe this, you've gotta be cheating somehow" Vern responded.
"Yeah!" The other boys seemed to like the idea.
"I am not!" Gracie replied with a smile on her face, "Stop trying to justify the fact that I am better than all of you; you guys should really just bow at my feet and save your breath." The boys seemed stumped and didn't really know how to respond.
"Well Gracie, I think you've damaged their egos well enough. Why don't we go get some ice cream now?" Jackie offered.
"Ice cream sounds really good," Teddy agreed. Everyone else seemed to really be liking the idea until Gracie realized that she probably couldn't go into town with them.
"Oh, I can't go with you guys, my dad might see me if he's out on his break." Gracie replied solemnly.
"Oh, well we can do something else," Gwen replied.
"No, you guys go ahead. I don't wanna keep you guys from having fun. I'll just head on home."
"No, we can all do something else" Chris stated, really wanting to keep the group together. Maybe wanting to spend a little more time with Gracie, too.
"Man, I am so hungry, I really want some ice cream," Teddy replied.
"Yeah, me too" Vern added, a little guiltily.
"We can't just abandon Gracie," Jackie replied.
"You guys, really, go ahead. I'll be fine. I will not keep you guys from having a good time." Everyone just sort of stood around, not really knowing what to say. "Really, it's fine, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Gracie said as she left the tree house.
She started walking the path to the street that would lead to her house when she heard someone running up behind her.
"Gracie, wait up" Chris called out. Gracie turned around, happy to see him jogging up to her.
"Hey," Chris said as he reached her.
"Chris, what are you doing- why aren't you going with the group?"
"Thought you could use some company. I told them to go on ahead" Chris replied.
"You didn't have to do that" Gracie responded.
"Yeah, well, ice cream wasn't sounding all that appealing anyways" Chris said as they started walking.
"You're not a very good liar, you know that right?" Gracie smiled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Chris said as he returned the smile.
A few minutes went by when they both started to say something, accidentally interrupting each other.
"Go ahead" Gracie stated.
"No, you" Chris responded.
"Um...I know that you blame yourself for what happened with Ace. I just wanted to let you know that it wasn't your fault at all. If anything, I was the instigator"
"Why do you think I blame myself?"
"It's written all over you face. Since it happened, you've been distant" Gracie replied.
Chris was amazed that Gracie knew what he thought about the incident. He hadn't told anyone about feeling guilty, not even Gordie. He couldn't believe how well she could read him. It kinda scared him in a way.
"I guess in the back of my mind, I think it was my fault. If you had been walking with any other guy in town, Ace and his gang probably wouldn't have even looked twice. But because it was me, well, that's why you got their attention."
"Why do they hate you so much?" Gracie asked.
"Long story."
"Okay"
"It's not that I don't wanna tell you, I just don't want to talk about it today" Chris assured Gracie.
"I understand." Gracie replied, a little mystified. "What did you want to tell me?"
Chris was nervous beyond all reasoning. "Um...well, last night, before Ace interrupted, I was gonna ask you something." Chris managed to get that part out but was having a little trouble with the rest. The two had reached the lake and sat down on a boulder facing the water.
"Which was?" Gracie prodded, catching his drift and silently doing cartwheels in her stomach. She was so giddy, she had never felt this way about any boy in her life. Her mind was telling her to slow things down, don't commit so soon. Though she didn't really care to listen to logic, she never had before and she wasn't about to start today.
"Um," Chris cleared his throat, "If I were to ask if you wanted to, I don't know, go out and see a movie, or go to the diner sometime, by ourselves, what would you say?" Chris was desperately trying to keep his cool, though all of his efforts were leading to no avail.
"I would say yes" Gracie said simply. Chris seemed visibly relieved and Gracie just smiled at him. "Are you gonna ask me?" Gracie replied sweetly, she loved making things harder on guys.
"Oh, yeah. Um, will you go see a movie Friday night with me?"
"Yes, I'd love to." Gracie beamed as Chris grinned from ear to ear. Chris was even leaning in to kiss Gracie when she was called back down to earth from cloud nine.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked, noticing the difference in her disposition.
"My dad," Gracie replied simply with disdain.
"Oh" Chris said as realization sunk in, "do you not want to go now?"
"No," Gracie replied quickly
"Because I would understand."
"Chris...."
"I really don't want to be the person who comes between you and your family" Chris stated sincerely.
Gracie paused a minute to think. She tried to make a decision that wasn't completely dominated by her high emotions. After a while, she had made a decision about her future with Chris.
Hey guys, I'm gonna end it there. What did you guys think of the chapter? I promise I'll update soon if I get some feedback. Thanks for everything and have a lovely day.
Chapter 10- Decisions, Decisions
"Bad news guys, Gracie's parents don't want her hanging out with us anymore." Jackie stated solemnly.
"Why?" Gordie asked, stunned.
"They think that hanging out with you guys has only brought me trouble." Gracie responded, looking at the ground.
"Are they just really angry- do you think it will pass?" Chris inquired, sounding very concerned. He only knew a little about Gracie's family, but from what he did know, Gracie loved them all. Disobeying her parents wouldn't be easy on her.
"I think my mom is being very understanding. I just don't know about my dad- he seemed so angry."
"But it's not even our fault!" Teddy protested.
"I know that, it's my father who is out in left field." Gracie replied. "He's probably just really stressed out from the move and his new job. It's just been really hard reading him lately" Gracie tried to explain, and, in a way, sounded defensive.
"So what are you gonna do?" Sophie inquired, "Are you still gonna hang out with us?"
"Of course I will, I just have to be more discreet and lay low for a while. If my parents find out about me hanging out with you guys and about me lying to them, I wouldn't be surprised if they sent me to a nunnery"
"But then you'd get to wear those weird hats" Teddy replied thoughtfully, lightening the mood a bit.
Back at the Evans Home
David came home from his lunch break and noticed that his eldest daughter had disappeared. "Caroline, where is Gracie?"
"Oh, she and Jackie went out to breakfast, I told Gracie could spend the day with her."
"Caroline, she could be hanging out with those kids again!" David replied, sounding very agitated.
"David, don't you think you're being a little hard on her? We just moved here and, fortunately, she made some friends. She's under enough stress as it is, don't you think you could lighten up?"
"Three days after we move in, she has a black eye. And it was from hanging out with that group. I just don't want her to associate with people who bring her such negative associations"
"But David..." Caroline tried to protest.
"No, just listen. You want to know something interesting? One of the guys she "hangs out" with is Chris Chambers, right?"
"Right, where are you going with this?" Caroline inquired.
"His father has two priors for domestic violence and was charged with a DUI a year ago. His brother, "Eyeball" Chambers has a history with the police as well."
"Where did you get that information?"
"I called an old friend from the DA's office before I left for lunch"
"David, you really shouldn't hold Chris' family's decisions and mistakes against him, it just isn't right. Not to mention the fact that the information you're holding is supposed to be confidential."
"I can't believe you're fine with letting our 15 year old daughter hang around with a guy who has a family full of criminals!" David responded, sounding extremely agitated.
"I trust our daughter to make the right decision. She has an ability to judge character so well. If we tell her she can't be with her friends- what are we saying?"
"That we want the best for her" David responded instantly.
"No, we're saying we don't trust her enough to live her life. We have done a wonderful job of instilling the right values to Gracie. She's 15, and we have to treat her like it."
"I am treating her like she's 15. I'm still her father. I don't mind if she hangs around with Jackie, Sophie or Gwen. Even Gordie and Vern are okay in my book. But as long as I live, I will not have her being friends with Chris Chambers or Teddy Duchamp."
"David....." Caroline tried to get David to not be so narrow-minded and was going to try to warn him about making decisions that were not open to change, but he just wouldn't have it.
"No, that's it, and that's final. I have to go back to work." Before Caroline could say a word, David had left the house.
Back to the Tree House
Vern, Gordie, Chris and Teddy were playing Black Jack while he girls seemed to be dying of boredom.
"Teddy, I swear to God, I don't know how you can spend all your time playing a stupid card game" Sophie exclaimed, sounding agitated.
"That's because girls don't understand the complex nature of Black Jack" Teddy remarked.
" I could beat you all at Black Jack, easy" Gracie replied nonchalantly.
"Oh you can, can you?" Gordie smirked, not fully believing that a girl would know anything about gambling. Teddy's mouth was dropped open, astonished that a girl would state that she's better than four boys at playing Black Jack. Vern didn't really seem to notice and Chris just sat there; he was amused by Gracie's comment and felt even more admiration for her than he had before.
"Yeah, right" Teddy commented.
"Don't believe me? Let me play" Gracie responded.
"Alright. Gordie, deal her in" Chris was always up for a challenge.
Maybe it was luck, maybe the boys just seriously underestimated her, whatever it was, Gracie kicked some serious ass at Blackjack. Continuously.
"I can't believe this, you've gotta be cheating somehow" Vern responded.
"Yeah!" The other boys seemed to like the idea.
"I am not!" Gracie replied with a smile on her face, "Stop trying to justify the fact that I am better than all of you; you guys should really just bow at my feet and save your breath." The boys seemed stumped and didn't really know how to respond.
"Well Gracie, I think you've damaged their egos well enough. Why don't we go get some ice cream now?" Jackie offered.
"Ice cream sounds really good," Teddy agreed. Everyone else seemed to really be liking the idea until Gracie realized that she probably couldn't go into town with them.
"Oh, I can't go with you guys, my dad might see me if he's out on his break." Gracie replied solemnly.
"Oh, well we can do something else," Gwen replied.
"No, you guys go ahead. I don't wanna keep you guys from having fun. I'll just head on home."
"No, we can all do something else" Chris stated, really wanting to keep the group together. Maybe wanting to spend a little more time with Gracie, too.
"Man, I am so hungry, I really want some ice cream," Teddy replied.
"Yeah, me too" Vern added, a little guiltily.
"We can't just abandon Gracie," Jackie replied.
"You guys, really, go ahead. I'll be fine. I will not keep you guys from having a good time." Everyone just sort of stood around, not really knowing what to say. "Really, it's fine, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Gracie said as she left the tree house.
She started walking the path to the street that would lead to her house when she heard someone running up behind her.
"Gracie, wait up" Chris called out. Gracie turned around, happy to see him jogging up to her.
"Hey," Chris said as he reached her.
"Chris, what are you doing- why aren't you going with the group?"
"Thought you could use some company. I told them to go on ahead" Chris replied.
"You didn't have to do that" Gracie responded.
"Yeah, well, ice cream wasn't sounding all that appealing anyways" Chris said as they started walking.
"You're not a very good liar, you know that right?" Gracie smiled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Chris said as he returned the smile.
A few minutes went by when they both started to say something, accidentally interrupting each other.
"Go ahead" Gracie stated.
"No, you" Chris responded.
"Um...I know that you blame yourself for what happened with Ace. I just wanted to let you know that it wasn't your fault at all. If anything, I was the instigator"
"Why do you think I blame myself?"
"It's written all over you face. Since it happened, you've been distant" Gracie replied.
Chris was amazed that Gracie knew what he thought about the incident. He hadn't told anyone about feeling guilty, not even Gordie. He couldn't believe how well she could read him. It kinda scared him in a way.
"I guess in the back of my mind, I think it was my fault. If you had been walking with any other guy in town, Ace and his gang probably wouldn't have even looked twice. But because it was me, well, that's why you got their attention."
"Why do they hate you so much?" Gracie asked.
"Long story."
"Okay"
"It's not that I don't wanna tell you, I just don't want to talk about it today" Chris assured Gracie.
"I understand." Gracie replied, a little mystified. "What did you want to tell me?"
Chris was nervous beyond all reasoning. "Um...well, last night, before Ace interrupted, I was gonna ask you something." Chris managed to get that part out but was having a little trouble with the rest. The two had reached the lake and sat down on a boulder facing the water.
"Which was?" Gracie prodded, catching his drift and silently doing cartwheels in her stomach. She was so giddy, she had never felt this way about any boy in her life. Her mind was telling her to slow things down, don't commit so soon. Though she didn't really care to listen to logic, she never had before and she wasn't about to start today.
"Um," Chris cleared his throat, "If I were to ask if you wanted to, I don't know, go out and see a movie, or go to the diner sometime, by ourselves, what would you say?" Chris was desperately trying to keep his cool, though all of his efforts were leading to no avail.
"I would say yes" Gracie said simply. Chris seemed visibly relieved and Gracie just smiled at him. "Are you gonna ask me?" Gracie replied sweetly, she loved making things harder on guys.
"Oh, yeah. Um, will you go see a movie Friday night with me?"
"Yes, I'd love to." Gracie beamed as Chris grinned from ear to ear. Chris was even leaning in to kiss Gracie when she was called back down to earth from cloud nine.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked, noticing the difference in her disposition.
"My dad," Gracie replied simply with disdain.
"Oh" Chris said as realization sunk in, "do you not want to go now?"
"No," Gracie replied quickly
"Because I would understand."
"Chris...."
"I really don't want to be the person who comes between you and your family" Chris stated sincerely.
Gracie paused a minute to think. She tried to make a decision that wasn't completely dominated by her high emotions. After a while, she had made a decision about her future with Chris.
Hey guys, I'm gonna end it there. What did you guys think of the chapter? I promise I'll update soon if I get some feedback. Thanks for everything and have a lovely day.
