Chapter 8

"But you guys were careful right?"

"You mean did we use a condom?" Grace turned to her friend with an incredulous look.

"Well uh yeah" Leah ducked her head unable to meet her friends gaze.

"God Leah! What do you think I am stupid?" Grace said angrily.

"Grace I'm sorry it's just that you said that you were late so…"

"So you just assumed that Eli and I were having unprotected sex. Great Leah, some support you are" Grace sighed standing up from her bed. "You know what? I thought telling you would help but obviously I was wrong, I think I just want to be alone right now".

"So how's things going with you and Grace?" Coop asked casually as he and Eli made their way around to the back of their science building.

Eli shrugged running a hand through his hair, "Honesty man, I have no idea. You know first this crap with My mum and Jake wanting to be all protective and shit… it's weird but despite all that things were actually pretty good with me and Grace… but the few days have been different"

"Different how?"

"I wish I knew" Eli said taking the lit cigarette that his friend offered him, "It's like she's gone all distant on me or something. Things were great after I admitted that what we had meant something, but yeah it's like she's avoided letting me touch her for days now"

Coop nodded thoughtfully, "Maybe she's freaked out by the fact that her parents are coming back soon. I mean it pretty much means that whatever is going on between you is over right?"

"Yeah…Maybe" Eli answered indecisively, taking a drag of his smoke before passing it back to Coop. "I guess I kind of thought that they didn't have to know".

"You'd be risking a lot man trying to hide something like that"

"I know, but I'm kinda thinking it's worth it Coop. This thing with Grace, it isn't just about sex anymore, I don't think it ever was, it just took me awhile to be willing to admit to it"

"Eli I honestly think that you need to talk to Grace… there's obviously something bothering her and if it has something to do with her you should know… and if it doesn't, be there for her anyway. If you want to make this thing work with her you have to show her that you want more than just sex, you have to be her friend Eli"

"Grace, I know you've been avoiding me the last few days" Eli rehearsed under his breath as he approached her closed bedroom door. Pausing for a second outside it he ran his hand through his hair, it was never meant to be this hard, he thought with a sigh, thats why he tried to avoid relationships, they just got way to messy. But Grace was different, their situation was well... it was messy.

Taking a deep breath he reached over a knocked on the door. Recieving no reply he knocked again, before opening her door.

Weird he thought, he was sure Grace had told him that she would be home this afternoon when he called her, walking into her room hehe took in the sight of her unually messy room. Usually everything was perfectly clean and yet here he was standing in front of an unmade bed, clothes were scattered around everywhere, and hang on, what was that?

Walking over to her rubbish bin behind the door he leaned over and picked up a purple box that had seemed to have fallen out, his heart thumping against his chest ashe read the front of the box.

It was past 1am when Grace finally retured home to find Eli fast asleep on her bed, still holding the box from her pregnancy test in his hand. Standing in the doorway she reached into her pocket, pulling out the stick which had, that afternoon, confirmed her fears of being pregnant. She hadn't taken the test until after Eli had called her. At the time she had honestly planned on being home, but once she had found outshe realised that she just wasn't ready to face him. How could she?

Putting the stick back in her pocket she went and sat next to him. She had thought a lot about everything in the last few hours, about her and Eli's relationship, about her baby... god it was so weird to think that right then, inside of her was a living thing. In just 8 months time she could be a mother. But that was the thing, she was just 16, she wasn't ready to be a mother anymore than Eli was ready to be a father. Laying down next to Eli on the bed she took his hand, a tear sliding down her cheek as he awoke slightly and reached over to hold her in his arms. She knew what she had to do, but for now, she just wanted him to hold her.

The feeling of Eli's arms around me, as we both lay there together that night is one that I can't forget. Even when our whole world was falling apart he made me feel as if everything would be okay. It was a feeling I needed to hold onto, and it's a feeling that I still hold onto today, because even though so much has changed since then, it's a feeling that helps me get through the bad days, knowing that I am not the only one.

It was while I was lying there in his arms that I made one of the most difficult decisions of my life.