With my head above the water
I can breathe to stay aliveBut I'll try a little harder
If you want me to survive
Pre Chorus:
Won't somebody tell me?
How I got to this stage?
When consequence is inconsequential
And
Staring in the spotlight
Is better than real life
Chorus:
It's been surreal, how do you feel
When the seas part before your eyes
It's just so real how does it feel
When the stars that follow die
With my head above the water
I could drift along, beyond the tides
But I can try a little harder
If you help me to reach the other side.
It's been surreal, how do you feel
When the colours have left you blind
It's just so real how does it feel
To have left yourself behind
Eli placed his arms behind his head, and stared up at his ceiling, listening to the soft music play from his stereo.
'I think you should move out' -Lily's words washed over Eli, sending a chill down his spine.
Would his father really throw him out on the street? And all because his heart belonged to the wrong person? -Well, to him Grace wasn't the wrong person, she was completely and totally right for him- but that's not how Rick and Lily saw it.
Eli shivered again, it wasn't the thought of his father betraying him- though that hurt Eli more than he cared to reveal.
And if he did get thrown out, he had a million places to stay; he could easily look after himself.
But it was the idea of not being with Grace. They would find ways around their parents, but not being able to see one another every day?
And Eli knew how much Grace had secretly wanted her mother to be fine with it all; she hated lying to her- and about something that was so important to her.
Eli rolled over onto his side, and began concentrating on the depressing lyrics, wanting to take his mind off of his predicament for just a moment.
But he couldn't help but think about Grace.
He imagined lying next to her, watching as she slept peacefully.
Her angelic face pressed against one of her white pillows, her hair falling down her brow.
Grace rolled over and stared at the glowing red numbers on her alarm clock.
2:45
She sighed and rolled over onto her back, closing her eyes for a moment, but then opening them again- she so badly wanted to sleep, and forget about the screaming that still rang in her head- but she wanted to sleep next to Eli, she wanted to breath in his scent and curl herself around his naked body.
She fidgeted for a moment longer, twisting her blankets between her legs until they were in a tangled clump at the end of her bed.
She sighed heavily and rolled onto her side, pressing her eyes shut.
But she wasn't comfortable; her whole body was stiff with anger at her mother's words, and at Rick's harsh tone.
Finally she sat up, bringing her knees to rest under her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs.
She was still for a moment, and only heard silence throughout the house.
For a little while after she'd come upstairs, she'd heard Rick and Lily talking for about half an hour, and then their footsteps as they went to their room.
That was three hours ago, and Grace hadn't been able to get a wink of sleep.
She stretched her legs out in front of her, and swung them over the side of the bed, quietly placing her feet firmly on the floor.
Grace quietly opened her door, looking out into the dark hallway, and tentatively opened it wider, slowly and quietly walking down the hallway to the staircase.
She took each step with care, praying that the old stairs wouldn't creak, waking Rick and Lily.
Briskly and tentatively she put her foot on the last step, and then ran towards Eli's door- making sure her feet only touched the ground for a second as she ran.
She didn't knock as she stood in front of his door; she only quietly and slowly twisted the handle, and pushed the door open, stepping in, and then closing the door quietly.
Once she was inside his dark room, she could hear the humming of a song coming from his stereo, but she couldn't hear or see him stir.
"Eli" she whispered, creeping forward towards his bed.
Eli had just begun to drift asleep, the picture of Grace's face slowly pulling him deeper and deeper into dreaming, but once he heard his name being called in a faint whisper, his eyes opened and squinted, trying to see into the darkness of his room.
"Eli" the whisper came again, and Eli slowly rose himself into an upright position, and saw Grace's figure outlined in the darkness by her grey pyjama bottoms and white tank top.
"Grace?" he breathed her name, and she crept forward more, her body now fully visible to Eli.
"Grace, what are you-?" Eli had jumped off his bed anxiously, and stood before her.
"You can't be here," he said, looking down at her, seeing the outline of her soft pale face.
"Ssshhh" Grace replied, not fazed by Eli's hushed and urgent whispers.
She opened her arms, and raised herself onto her tippy toes so she could rest her arms in the crook of his neck while she kissed him softly and slowly on the mouth.
Eli wanted to pull away, the idea of Rick and Lily walking in on them, and yelling again, spouting out accusations- he didn't want to do that again, not tonight!
But Grace's evoking lips, pressing against his own- her tongue slowly slipping in and out, massaging his- he lowered his head, and felt as she placed both feet on the ground again.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
They were fused together, not parting their lips, for what seemed like an eternity.
But eventually Eli pulled away, panting quietly for breath, but keeping his arms entwined around her curvy waist.
Grace listened to Eli's small breaths, and smiled as he tightened his grip on her waist.
She looked over at his bed, the covers as tangled and wrung as her own, he obviously couldn't sleep either.
Grace lowered her arms from his neck, running her hands through his hair as he lowered his head back down, kissing her neck lightly.
She let out a low, humid breath- feeling his body rub against hers as they fused together once more.
"Here" Grace breathed, and wrapped her hands around Eli's arms, pulling them from her waist and tugging on them to follow her.
Eli allowed his arms to become like jelly, letting Grace lead him towards his bed.
She turned around, and he could only just see her face in the darkness of his room.
He began kissing her again, and she let out a slight moan.
And slowly she lowered herself onto his bed; Eli did the same, almost as though their bodies were magnets, staying glued to one another as their bodies came to lie on his bed.
He kissed her hungrily on the mouth, and she cupped his head in her hands, urging him to continue.
He raised himself slightly above her, using his arms, and bending his head down so their lips could touch.
Grace wrapped her legs around his waist, squeezing them together, causing Eli's body to move down closer to hers.
"Wait" Eli said, unconvincingly and quietly, as he tried flexing his arms to push himself up from Grace.
"Eli" Grace breathed, lifting her lips from his for only a second, and she squeezed her legs together again, lowering him onto her further.
Eli began kissing her passionately again, but had to stop himself.
"No Grace" he breathed, and pushed himself up, rolling over onto his back.
Grace was still for a moment, looking up where Eli's body was, just a second ago, suspended above her, his lips kissing hers.
Eli rubbed his brow, wincing as he felt his body long for Grace.
ELI I want to. But I know Grace; I know she's only doing it to prove something to herself, or Lily. And I know she'd regret it later.
"You don't want to?" Grace said the words quietly, not turning her head to look at Eli.
He frowned; he didn't want her to think that, especially when it couldn't be further from the truth.
"No- no, I do-" he began, turning his head to look at her, "I want to, but Grace, now isn't the time" he said, and he saw as she swallowed down tears.
"Not after tonight, we'd both only be doing it to spite our parents and prove to ourselves that we are in love-" Eli said, and Grace turned her head to look into his eyes.
"I don't need to have sex with you to know that I love you-" Eli said, bringing one of his hands to brush a strand of hair out of Grace's face.
"But-" Grace stammered at the word, trying to hold back the tears.
Eli brushed his hand against her soft cheek "it should be perfect. I want you're first time to be perfect-" Eli said, hoping she wouldn't cry.
ELI I hate seeing Grace cry. And it's unbearable when I'm the cause of the tears.
"So long as it's with you- it would be perfect," Grace said pleadingly.
GRACE I've wanted him for so long.
Eli laughed at her stubbornness "Not tonight Grace, you'd only regret it later-" Eli said softly, not wanting her to be mad at him.
Grace breathed out, swallowing back more tears.
GRACE I suppose he had to be cruel to be kind. Deep down I knew I wasn't doing it for the right reasons- I'm glad Eli knows me well enough to have figured that out.
"Can we just lie here?" she asked, her voice unsteady.
Eli smiled wider "you read my mind" he breathed, and leaned over to kiss her pink lips.
They pulled away and Grace curled up next to Eli, placing her head against his bare and firm chest, while he brought an arm to rest around her shoulders.
"I love you," he said softly.
"I love you too" Grace answered him.
Now, as they lay together, their bodies entwined, they could both finally drift off to sleep.
The anger in their parent's voices escaping their memories as they held one another in the dark night.
Though they didn't know they would have to confront their parents again..…and so early in the morning, as Rick pushed open Eli's door at 7:00 the next day, and stared in horror at Eli and Grace's entwined bodies……..
