AUTHORS NOTE : The song Grace listens to in this chapter is YOU ALWAYS SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST by VANESSA WILLIAMS! Read on, and enjoy
Love stays a summer night,
Till lights of morning come;
Then takes her winged flight
Back to her starry home.
Ernest
Dowson
from "The Moon
Maiden's Song"
Grace stared at the poem; it was as though the words were jumping right off her English text and into her heart.
Grace pushed her textbook, note pad and pencils off of her bed, hearing them crash lightly to the ground.
Grace sighed; love poems were the last thing she felt like studying in her English Lit class.
She lowered her body onto her bed, enjoying the softness underneath her tired and tense body.
She closed her eyes, and then fluttered them open; she needed something to take her mind off of……him!
She'd discovered, over the last couple of days, that if- even for a moment- her mind and body were still, her thoughts would inevitably wash over her and memories and images of Eli would unwelcomingly flood into her head.
Without moving too much, she reached her arm out to her bedside table and groped around for her stereo remote.
She clasped it in her hand and pressed the button at the very top, and music began to fill her room- and her thoughts concentrated on the lyrics.
Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon
I see the
passion in your eyes
Sometimes it's
all a big surprise
'Cause there was
a time when all I did was wish
You'd tell me
this was love
It's not the way
I hoped or how I planned
But
somehow it's enough
Grace gave a frustrated sigh. Why was THIS c.d in her stereo? The one thing you don't want to listen to when you're trying to get over someone- is a song about getting over someone!
But Grace was too tired from hours of homework to get up and change c.d's, and it was better than thinking about……him!
And now we're standing face to face
Isn't this world a crazy place
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last
Just as Grace began to sink into the lyrics, she heard the front door open and slam shut- and then the soft thud as someone walked up stairs, and a low mumble as Jessie opened her door, walked into her room, and slammed it shut again,
Grace sighed; maybe she and Katie had had a fight. She thought.
All of the nights you came to me
When some silly girl had set you freeYou wondered how you'd make it through
I wondered what was wrong with you
Jessie lay down on her bed, replaying the argument she'd had with Eli over and over in her mind.
What she really needed was to talk to Katie, but she'd gone out to dinner with her parents tonight.
Cause how could you give your love to someone else
And share your dreams with me
Sometimes the very thing you're looking for
Is the one thing you can't see
Jessie let out an annoyed moan; 'Grace hasn't taken that goddam c.d out of her goddam stereo since Monday!' Jessie thought to herself.
And now we're standing face to face
Isn't this world a crazy place
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last
'What is this chick singing about anyway? Did the guy cheat on her? Does she still love him? Are they back together? -' Jessie REALLY didn't feel like analysing these lyrics tonight, so she slumped off her bed and headed towards Grace's door.
Sometimes the very thing you're looking for
Is the one thing you can't see
Jessie knocked impatiently on her door five times; "yes?" Grace said in a slurry voice, and Jessie pushed her door open.
"Could you not play this song?" Jessie asked, striding over to Grace's stereo.
Grace sat up abruptly, watching as Jessie switched off the stereo and Vanessa Williams's soft voice drifted out of the room.
"There was only one verse left" Grace said, reaching down for the remote, pointing it at her stereo; and the music floated back in.
Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon
Jessie scowled at her; if she heard ONE more goddam word out of Vanessa's mouth- she was going to burst!
Jessie slipped her hand over the 'off' button of the stereo, and the music was gone.
Grace glared at her "what's you're problem?" she asked coolly.
Jessie tossed her hair to one side "nothing- I just can't stand to hear that song for the 50th time! Put another c.d on!" Jessie said, and stomped back to the door.
Grace watched her, and stretched her arm out, pressing the button again; and Jessie stopped dead as she heard the song play again.
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last
You went and saved the best for last
"There" Grace said, switching off her stereo; and Jessie turned to glare at her.
Grace was content, having heard the final verse of the song.
Jessie went to open her mouth, but closed it again, and simply glared at Grace.
"Look, I just had a fight with Eli and right now I don't think I could cope fighting with you aswell. So can you just take that c.d out of you're stereo and throw it in the bin or something? I mean seriously Grace- do you really wanna listen to a song about the very thing you're tyring to do?" Jessie breathed in, and waited for Grace to say something, but she didn't; she just stared at her.
GRACE isn't it weird how the human body works? I mean, you can have all these emotions crammed in there at once. Love, hate, happiness, pain, guilt, jealousy, depression, anger, angst- and most of these emotions lay dormant, until something triggers them to emerge.
Like, say for instance, a name can bring up feelings of love, hate and yearning all at the same time.
She's just said HIS name, and once Grace heard it the rest of Jessie's babbling was blocked out.
"Grace?" Jessie put her hand on her hips "Grace?" she said again, and suddenly Grace shot a glance at her; and she was back on planet earth.
"Yeah, sure whatever sorry I guess" Grace said, and lowered her body back onto the bed.
Jessie sighed; was she really going to have to have a 'heart to heart' just because she'd mentioned Eli's name? Jesus!
Jessie walked towards Grace's bed, and sat on the edge, looking down at Grace's limp body sprawled out on the bed.
"He didn't say much" Jessie lied.
Grace looked at her "about me, you mean?" Grace asked, wanting to keep the words in her mouth; but finding it impossible to do so.
Jessie sighed, examining the clock by Grace's bed; 4:15.
"About anything really" she said, knowing she couldn't tell Grace the truth; that Eli was, or seemed to be slowly, getting over her.
"Oh" Grace said, trying to act uninterested.
"Yeah, but he asked how everyone was…." Jessie glanced down at Grace, and realized that though she probably WANTED to hear the latest about Eli, the fact was that she shouldn't.
Jessie averted her gaze "-yeah, everything's fine with him" she said, trying to wrap up the discussion.
Jessie rose from the edge of Grace's bed, and walked over to her stereo, Grace watching her the whole time; urging her to go on.
"Ok" Grace said, hoping Jessie would give a detailed description of their conversation.
JESSIE what's better? A lie that draws a smile? Or the truth, which brings a tear? – Exactly!
"He hopes your ok" Jessie let the words escape her mouth, and then winced at the lie.
She glanced over her should at Grace, and regretted it even more when she saw the smirk on her face.
"Oh" Grace said, not noticing Jessie glance at her.
Jessie rummaged through Grace's c.d's and pulled one out of the pile.
Opening Grace's stereo and taking out the Vanessa Williams c.d, she placed the new one in.
Grace didn't even notice what Jessie was doing; she was too engulfed in her own thoughts.
Eli actually asked about her. She thought to herself, and she wondered if he and Jessie had talked anymore about her. Though she didn't ask. Jessie.
Jessie walked over to Grace, and grabbed the remote from beside her, pointing it at the stereo and pressing the small button at the top.
Grace smiled as the new c.d's lyrics washed a carefree happiness over her.
Wake up kids
We've got the dreamers disease Age 14 we got you down on your kneesSo polite, you're busy still saying please
Fri-enemies, who when you're down ain't your friend
Every night we smash their Mercedes-Benz
First we run and then we laugh till we cry
"Enjoy" Jessie said, dropping the remote beside Grace, she smiled up at her and watched as she breezed out of her room; closing the door behind her.
Grace listened to the lyrics; was it really a good thing that Eli was thinking- or at least asked about her?
Well it obviously wasn't, because now she was thinking about him again……..Grace pushed all thoughts out of her mind, deciding to concentrate harder than ever on the lyrics.
GRACE it's hard to suppress feelings- but, given time, determination……it can be done.
But when the night is falling
And you cannot find the light, light
If you feel your dreams are dying
Hold tight
Another annoying authors note.
The song Grace listens to at the end of this fic is YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE by the YOUNG RADICALS.
I know you all knew that, it was a very popular song, of course!
Ahhhh…….and I have decided that I am posting these chapters WAY too quickly, a nasty habit of mine.
I usually write about 3 chapters in one day (my life sucks, eh?) and I post them all, pretty much, at one time.
So from now on I am going to restrain myself and post them ONE DAY AT A TIME!
Unless, of course, I have a total writer's spur and simply HAVE to post a chapter.
So continue to check back, you know you can rely on me to keep a story fresh; but don't expect to get bombarded with 4 new chapters at once.
Have a good one!
p.s- Reviews are always and forever welcome! Good and bad
