Eli scribbled down the note on a piece of paper he'd found in his glove compartment.
And examined the cassette; he should really put it in an envelope……..but he didn't have one.
He slowly got out of his car, and headed towards the mailbox.
It creaked open and he placed the note and cassette very carefully inside; hoping that GRACE would be the one to find it.
He sighed and took one last look at the house.
He had considered going to Grace's school………but decided against it……..she'd probably think he was pressuring her.
He took a long breath before walking back to his car.
Staring at the house for a few more moments. He started the engine- ready to head home and collect his suitcases………and make the longest journey of his life………alone.
ELI it's strange……..one girl asks me to run away with her, and she didn't show up………and now, I find myself begging another girl to run away with me……..and she refuses. This all has to work out at some point!
Grace lay on her bed; feeling powerless and alone.
She glanced over at her clock, it was 7:45- she'd have to leave for work soon………Jessie and Rick would be leaving soon aswell- to see Eli off.
Since the moment she got back from her horribly long day at school……..she'd been lying on this bed; thinking hard about not thinking……….which proved to be a very hard thing to do!
Grace rolled over, onto her side, and reached for her phone again, dialling his number for the sixth time that day; in between thinking about not thinking, she'd found herself robotically, uncontrollably ringing his number.
"Hey! Eli here! I'm not in right now……..and I wont be for 3 months! Err, you know my old number, call my dad and ask him how to reach me in New York! Until then………bon voyage!" BEEP!
Dammit! At some time during the day Eli HAD been home.
Grace wondered if he'd deliberately not answered the phone, knowing it was her, or if he'd been in while she was at school!
She hung the phone up violently. And sat up, noticing a figure standing at the door, it was Zoe.
"What?" she asked, a little coldly.
"Nothing" Zoe replied simply.
Grace glared at her for a moment, and then rose from her bed, standing firmly and glaring the whole time at her little sister.
"What!" She asked, practically screamed at her curious face.
"Nothing" Zoe replied, plainly again.
"What do you want?" Grace asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Zoe looked down at the tape in her hands, turning it over and over again; causing Grace's temper to flare.
"What is that?" she asked finally, trying to calm her voice down.
"For you" Zoe said, still staring at the tape.
"Then give it to me-" Grace demanded, taking a few steps towards Zoe.
"Don't you want to know how I got it?" Zoe asked sweetly, taking a step back, into the hallway.
Grace sighed "Ok, fine- how did you get it?" she asked, annoyed and ready to strangle her little sister.
"Eli" Zoe said simply.
"Excuse me?" Grace demanded, choking on her words.
"He left it in the letterbox with this note" Zoe said, pulling out a small piece of paper from her pocket and examining it.
"You read MY letter?" Grace asked, swiping it from her hand.
She scanned it quickly; 'Grace- I want you to have the original version……..it's yours anyway" was all it said.
Grace looked up at Zoe, not wanting to cry in front of her, she outstretched her hand "give it to me" she said coldly, and Zoe, scared by her sister's tone, tentatively gave her the tape.
Grace slammed the door in her face once the tape and note were in her hands, she reread the note as she walked over to her cassette player and popped the tape in; fumbling for the 'play' button.
She stood in the middle of her room her eyes still fixed on the note as the tape started, and Eli's voice filled the room………and her heart;
We
lead two different lives
just like two lines that never cross
And
here we are together
standing closer than we are
but we're
still standing here untouched
too scared to make a move
We want
so much to touch
and we can't wait forever
we know it's
dangerous
for us to be together
She walked quickly over to the cassette played; and hurriedly pressed 'stop' before the next verse could be bellowed out.
She didn't feel tears in her eyes, only the rhythmic beat of her heart- and her husky breaths.
So this was his last attempt? ………She couldn't let it work.
She placed the note carefully on her desk, and turned to walk out her door
Once she got down stairs she saw Jessie and Rick standing by the door; leaving to say goodbye to Eli.
"Give him my best," she murmured, as she headed into the kitchen.
Jessie almost called out to her, but Rick bustled her out the door; they were 10 minutes late already………
JESSIE it shouldn't end this way
GRACE it has to end this way.
Grace looked at herself in the mirror. 'I look like a penguin' she breathed, examining her light white shirt, black skirt and stockings.
She adjusted her hair, and turned around, grabbing her satchel bag from her bed.
She glanced inside for a moment, and noticed the white envelope. But deliberately veered her mind away from thinking about Eli, New York……and what the envelope contained.
"Get a move on!" she heard her mother call from down stairs,
"Coming" Grace replied, and hurriedly walked down the stairs, meeting her mother at the bottom.
"We have to drop Zoe off at her friends house" she explained, and Grace nodded, looking at Zoe who had a stuffed back pack on her shoulders and a sleeping bag and pillow in her hands.
Grace walked over to her and lifted the pillow out of her hands, and bent down slightly, whispering "not a word about the tape" in Zoe's ear; she turned and walked out the door.
Grace looked out at the black night ahead; concentrating on the lyrics that sang through the car radio;
Of all the things
I've
believed in
I just want to
Get it over with
Tears form
behind my eyes
But I do not cry
Counting the days
That pass
me by
I've been searching
Deep down in my soul
Words
that I'm hearing
Are starting to get old
It feels like
I'm
starting all over again
The last three years
Were just
pretend
And I said "Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything
I
thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that
I
tried to hold on to
I still get lost in your eyes
And
it seems that
I can't live a day without you
Closing my eyes
and
You chase my thoughts away
To a place where
I am blinded
by the light
But it's not right
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to
everything
I thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one
thing that
I tried to hold on to
And it hurts to want
everything
And nothing at the same time
I want what's yours
And
I want what's mine
I want you
But I'm not giving in this
time
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything
I thought
I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that
I
tried to hold on to
The one thing that
I tried to hold on
to
And when the stars fall
I will lie awake
You're
my shooting star
As the song ended, Grace reached over the turned the radio off- suddenly noticing that she was shaking, from the cold?
She glanced out the window, and saw that the porch light of the Robertson's house was still on- her mother must still be talking to Bethany's mum……….probably having a coffee and a chin wag about what a pain in the butt kids at Zoe's age are………'but wait till you have a teenager' Grace could hear her mother's voice.
She sighed with relief as she saw her mother emerge- Grace thought, the quicker she got to work and busied herself………the quicker she'd forget………for a few hours at least.
Lily hopped in the car, and started the engine; "That Sandra is so funny" she declared, pulling out onto the road.
Grace nodded in agreement; and stared out the window.
There was a sea of silence, and Lily glanced over at Grace; knowing exactly what she was thinking; "its for the best you know" was all she said.
Grace turned and looked at her; not quite believing that she'd even spoken. There were a million things she could have said back to her- but right now she didn't have the strength……..as now her mother had brought her silent thoughts crashing down……and she was left to think of Eli!
AUTHORS NOTE: ok, I absolutely, positively HAD to include this song in one of my chapters. Not only because I think Michelle Branch is a music genius……..but 'goodbye to you' is one of my MOST FAVOURITE song's ever! I'm serious, I play it over an over again………and while it doesn't really fit into the story, and it's obvious that I just threw it in there for the hell of it…….. I HAD to put it in one of them, it was essential!
I don't think I did very well in this chapter………sorry for the lack, or very small, Eli bit- - I didn't really know what to do with him in this chapter.
But keep checking back for the next chapter………sorry I haven't updated in a while……….life was just bombarding me with chaos. So what else is new?
