Here's chapter 72! I hope you like it! Please R&R! I do not own anything from The Secret Life Of The American Teenager! Thank you! I really appreciate everyone's reviews! :)
Italics=Grace
Bold=Ricky
Plain=Other characters
Meanwhile at Mike's apartment...
Brandon knocked on the door with Chloe next to him. He took a deep breath and the door opened.
"Brandon? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" Mike said concerned.
"Yeah but Mom said I could skip...I have to tell you something..." Brandon said seriously as he walked through the door with Chloe.
"What is it? And who's this?" Mike said intrigued as he closed the door and turned to look at Chloe.
"I'm Chloe sir...I encouraged Brandon to tell you about a mistake he made..." Chloe said honestly.
"All right...Well?" Mike said worried as he looked at Brandon while they sat at the kitchen table.
"You're probably going to kill me but...I had sex with...Dani...After you broke up with her..." Brandon said sadly.
"You did what?! Brandon! Why did you do it?" Mike said as he raised his voice.
"I am so sorry, Dad...It didn't mean anything and...I was drinking...Mom and Lena said I'm grounded for the rest of the school year...They said I can come here anytime as long as you're here and school...Other than that, I have to be at home..."Brandon said sincerely and Chloe rubbed his back.
"I can't believe Dani didn't tell me...She could go to jail cause you're under eighteen...I'm glad you're grounded. Maybe it will help you grow up a little...I thought your mom and Lena went a little too soft on you. And I'll try to forgive you...At least you're ok..." Mike said seriously.
"Ok? I'm dying because of what Dani and I did! I even ran away cause I thought my parents wouldn't love me anymore...I'm a terrible person, Dad..." Brandon said defensively and sadly.
"Brandon! I will always love you no matter what and so will your mom and Lena...Yes...you made a terrible choice but that doesn't change the fact that I still love you. You're my son and...I want to help you in any way that I can...I know I haven't always been...the best dad because of alcohol but I'm going to quit drinking...For you...And I'm glad you told me the truth instead of hiding this from me." Mike said honestly.
"Thanks Dad...I love you too..." Brandon said nicely as he wiped his eyes.
"I knew you could do it Brandon..." Chloe said sweetly.
"Thanks for encouraging him to tell me, Chloe...I really appreciate it." Mike said kindly.
"No problem...I need to get going back to school so I'll see ya around Brandon..." Chloe said smiling and she walked towards the door.
"Do you have a ride back?" Brandon asked concerned.
"Yeah...One of my friends will be here soon." Chloe said nicely and she walked out the door.
"So...How did you meet Chloe?" Mike asked intrigued.
"At a gas station...You actually arrested one of her friends for being a prostitute..." Brandon said awkwardly.
"Oh man...I did...That was a few years ago...Wow...So did she used to be one too?" Mike said surprised.
"Yeah...She finally got out of it last spring...Um...Could I go out with her? I really like her." Brandon said nervously.
"Heh...She is cute...I guess but don't tell your moms...She influenced you to tell me about Dani so I don't why you can't hang out with her." Mike said kindly.
"Thanks Dad. You're the best! Do you want to get dinner later?" Brandon said smiling.
"No problem...Just don't make another mistake...And I would like to get dinner later." Mike said seriously and then happily.
"Heh...I'll try..." Brandon said honestly.
A couple hours later at the butcher shop...
"Hey Ethan...What's up with Kathy?" Ricky said concerned as he walked by Ethan.
"The good news is...she's not pregnant but...the bad news is that she cheated on me...With Brian..." Ethan said sadly.
"Wow...I'm so sorry...Who's Brian?" Ricky said sincerely and then intrigued.
"I don't need your pity...I should have known Kathy was too good to be true...She makes me sick...And Brian is an ass...He thinks he's smarter than everyone else just cause he's won state spelling bees..." Ethan said angrily as he crossed his arms.
"Well...If you want to talk more later we can...I have a lot of baskets for you to make today..." Ricky said nicely as he gave Ethan a clipboard with orders on it.
"All right...I'll get to work..." Ethan sighed as he grabbed the clipboard from Ricky and he walked over to the baskets.
A few minutes later Kathy walked into the butcher shop.
"Get the hell out of here!" Ethan said cruelly as he looked at Kathy.
"I'm sorry Ethan...I thought we could talk..." Kathy said sadly.
"Uh...He's still mad at you, Kathy...But I can talk to you for a few minutes..." Ricky said seriously as he walked over to Kathy and then they walked outside.
"I feel so horrible Ricky...I didn't know how badly this would hurt Ethan..." Kathy said sadly.
"I know how you feel...I've cheated on Adrian and Grace...I even thought about cheating on Amy but I didn't...It hurts to cheat...I even had drunk sex with Amy shortly after I got back with Grace...but she forgave me..." Ricky said honestly.
"It does really hurt but...you're a guy...It's more acceptable for guys to cheat especially cause they're more interested in sleeping with as many partners as possible unlike girls...And you're lucky that Grace is so forgiving...Ethan isn't..." Kathy said concerned.
"It is not more acceptable for guys to cheat...That's a negative stereotype...And I cheated cause I was selfish and used sex to help me forget about my horrible childhood...But now I realize how wrong I was and I wish I could take it back...But I can't...Just like you can't take back what you did, Kathy...All you can do is try to make things right...Even if Ethan never forgives you, you can still love him and care about him...He deserves that no matter how hurt he feels or how hostile he is towards you...I am very lucky to have Grace and maybe...you will be as lucky as we are someday..." Ricky explained sternly and kindly.
"Thanks Ricky...And I'm sorry about the stereotype...I will try to love and care for Ethan...Bye..." Kathy said nicely and she got in her car.
Ricky sighed and went back into the butcher shop.
Meanwhile in New York...
Amy was working on homework while Ben was cooking chicken and rice for dinner.
"So...How was Jimmy?" Amy said kindly as she put her history book on the table.
"He's doing good...But...he's breaking up with Maria...Cause she's going to Italy in the summer..." Ben said seriously.
"Oh...That's too bad...Long distance relationships are hard though...We need to talk about...last night..." Amy said sadly and then concerned.
"Yeah...Last night was amazing...and very fun..." Ben said smiling as he sat down at the table.
"Heh...It was...But...I only wanted to do it to...help me feel better about losing Minsy...That's what I talked to Adrian about earlier..." Amy said honestly.
"Oh...That's what I thought...So you used me..." Ben said sadly.
"Uh...Kind of but...I still love you, Ben...I'm sorry...I don't want to use sex like that again..." Amy said sincerely.
"I love you too, Amy...And we can talk about Mimsy as much as you want." Ben said kindly.
"All right...I'm still getting used to her being gone so...I don't think we should have sex anytime soon...or do the chocolate syrup..." Amy said seriously.
"I understand...Whatever you want to do is fine with me...I need to take the chicken out." Ben said kindly as he stood up and walked over to the oven.
Amy smiled as she watched Ben take the chicken out of the oven and John coloring.
"Look what I made Mommy! It's you and Benny and me at the park!" John said happily as he showed Amy the drawing he made with his crayons.
"Aww! John! This is really good! I'll put it on the fridge!" Amy said happily as she looked at John's stick figures he drew.
"Heh...That is really good buddy..." Ben said nicely as he put the food on the table.
A few minutes later Amy's phone rang after they started eating.
"Hey Adrian...What's up?" Amy said sweetly after wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Hey Amy...I was wondering if you and Ben want to come to dinner tomorrow night with Omar and I...Max and Shawna will be there too...They're friends of ours..." Adrian said kindly.
"Sure...Sounds like fun...When and where?" Amy said intrigued.
"Charley's at 7...And I wanted to tell you that Kathy cheated on Ethan...Ricky texted me about it and he thought you should know..." Adrian said nicely and then awkwardly.
"What? Are you serious? After Chase cheated on her?! I can't believe this!" Amy said shocked and Ben looked at her with a confused look on his face.
"Yeah...I was surprised too...I don't really know Kathy but I've heard she's a nice girl...And I have no idea when she cheated..." Adrian said honestly.
"She is...Thanks for telling me...And why would Ricky tell you before he told me?" Amy said concerned.
"I don't know...I guess he wanted both of us to know...I hope Kathy and Ethan are ok..." Adrian said seriously.
"Yeah...Me too...I'll have to talk to them later...See you tomorrow Adrian." Amy said sweetly.
"All right...Bye Amy..." Adrian said nicely and she hung up.
"What was that about?" Ben said concerned.
"Kathy cheated on Ethan...I can't believe it..." Amy said sadly.
"Wow...That's crazy...I hope they're ok..." Ben said surprised.
"I know...And we're having dinner tomorrow with Adrian, Omar, and two of their friends." Amy said smiling.
"Oh...That's great...What are we gonna do with John?" Ben said intrigued.
"Um...He could come with us but...I guess I could drop him off at a friend's house after school." Amy said sweetly.
"Sounds good to me...Did you want to talk about Mimsy more?" Ben said worried.
"Not right now...Let's just enjoy the rest of our dinner..." Amy said kindly as she cut up some of her chicken.
Meanwhile at Grace's house...
"I'm here Mom...What do you-...Uh...What are Grant and Cappie doing here?" Grace said confused as she walked into the kitchen.
"They're here to tell me what happened to you at that toga party...And I think you should know too since you were on ecstasy." Kathleen said seriously.
"I already know what happened to me...Ricky told me everything and Cappie apologized..." Grace said a little irritated.
"I'm glad to hear that but I would like to know why did you put a drug in my daughter's drink, Cappie?" Kathleen said concerned as she looked at Cappie intensely.
"Well...Ma'am...The fact of the matter is I thought a little bit of ecstasy would help Grace and Tom Cruise have a better time at the party...I know it was stupid and whatever...But at least they're ok..." Cappie said honestly.
"You do have a point, Cappie...But I hope you don't do that ever again...If you do, you could go to jail...You're lucky that my husband and I are willing to forgive you...And who's Tom Cruise?" Kathleen said sternly and then confused.
"Thank you for not having me arrested...And Tom Cruise is my nickname for Gracie's boyfriend...I gave all my Kappa Tau bros nicknames...Spitter was my little brother...Boy we had good times together...So...are we done here?" Cappie said kindly as he smiled.
"Yes and thank you for coming over..." Kathleen said sweetly.
"No problemo...I'll see ya later Grant..." Cappie said happily and he walked out the kitchen door.
"Why are you here?" Grace said annoyed as she rolled her eyes at Grant.
"Be nice Grace...Is there anything else I need to know about that party, Grant?" Kathleen said sternly and then concerned.
"I don't think so...Grace and Ricky slept in a guest room...And Ricky told me that they didn't do anything so...There's nothing else you need to know...And I'm sorry about my cousin...He used to pull pranks on me as a kid..." Grant said honestly.
"All right...Thanks for telling me Grant...I'm going to get dinner started...You're welcome to stay if you want..." Kathleen said nicely.
"I don't think so...I'll walk you out..." Grace said a little irritated as she grabbed Grant's arm and they walked out the front door.
"Geeze, Grace...What's your problem?" Grant said surprised.
"I know what she's trying to do...I think she wants us back together...She always liked you best out of all my boyfriends..." Grace said firmly as she crossed her arms.
"What?! Grace! That's crazy. There's no way your mother would do that. You're with Ricky and I just started dating Zoe." Grant said shocked.
"I hope you're right...I just don't understand why my Mom likes you...You're such a jerk...Getting into freaking Harvard...Ugh...How is Zoe?" Grace said a little irritated.
"Ha ha...Come on...I'm not that bad...And maybe you'll go to med school at Harvard...We still have a lot of college to get through before we're doctors...And Zoe is really great...I like her a lot." Grant said kindly.
"Heh...Yeah...Maybe...I'm glad you like Zoe...And...I hope you use protection cause she's been around..." Grace said awkwardly.
"I know...I'm always careful, Grace...And I hope you are with Ricky...He's a very lucky guy to have you." Grant said nicely.
"Aww! Grant! Do you really mean that?" Grace said sweetly.
"Of course I do, Grace...You're a real keeper in my book..." Grant said happily.
"Ha ha...Very funny...How much did my Mom pay you to say that one?" Grace said sarcastically as she smiled.
"Heh...Not enough...Ha ha...But seriously...You haven't changed a bit since we dated...You still have that good sense of humor that I loved." Grant said smiling.
"Uh...I think I've changed a little bit since we were together...I'm not having sex with Ricky until we're married." Grace said seriously as she smiled.
"Oh...Good luck with that...Heh...I'll see ya around Grace..." Grant said kindly and Grace gave him a short hug.
"Yeah...Good luck with Zoe...Bye Grant..." Grace said sweetly as Grant pulled away from her and he walked to his car.
Meanwhile in New York...
"Thanks for the cherry pie, Adrian...It was delicious." Omar said happily.
"Oh...It was nothing...All I had to do was heat it up in the oven." Adrian said sweetly.
"Yeah...But it was so good...How was school?" Omar said kindly as he put their plates in the sink.
"It was all right...The same old stuff...I'm so glad the semester's almost over...I also talked to Amy..." Adrian said nicely.
"Me too...Then we'll have more time to focus on the baby...And...other things...What did you talk to Amy about?" Omar said smiling as he sat down.
"Heh...We talked about Ben a little...She uh...slept with him to help her feel better about Mimsy..." Amy said awkwardly.
"Oh...Well...That's too bad? I don't really know what to say...I guess she thought it would help her cope..." Omar said confused.
"Yeah...I'm sure they'll be fine...Ben knows what she's going through since he lost his mom...And they're joining us for dinner tomorrow." Adrian said sincerely.
"You're probably right and that's great...I love hanging out with them...Heh...Are they coming to the trial?" Omar said intrigued.
"I think so...But we don't have to worry about that now...And one of Amy's friends cheated on her boyfriend...Ricky told me about it..." Adrian said sadly.
"That's really sad...What were you doing talking to Ricky?" Omar said concerned.
"Uh...You know we're friends, right? He wanted to tell me and then I told Amy..." Adrian said suspiciously.
"Heh...I'm joking, Adrian...I don't care if you talk to Ricky." Omar said as he laughed.
"Right cause you're friends with him too...Heh...That wasn't very funny." Adrian said a little irritated.
"I know...But...It's been a long day at work and...I don't have any good jokes...Except for this one...Why did Omar cross the road?" Omar said as he smirked.
"Hmm...I don't know...Why did Omar cross the road?" Adrian asked intrigued as she smiled.
"To get into bed with Adrian..." Omar said seductively as he leaned over and then he gave Adrian a long kiss.
"Mmm...I like where this is going...Give me ten minutes..." Adrian said sweetly as she licked her lips and then Omar ran into the bed room.
As Adrian stood up she got a text from Grace that read:
Please call me whenever you get the chance. Thanks. :)
"Ugh...This better be important..." Adrian said annoyed and she called Grace.
"Hey Adrian...So...I had dinner with my family and I'm about to go back to the apartment but...before I had dinner...Grant was kind of...flirting with me..." Grace said awkwardly.
"What?! Grant who? That Harvard guy? Why was he at your house?" Adrian said shocked and concerned.
"That's him...My Mom invited him over to tell her about the toga party and his cousin was there too...I couldn't believe it...Anyway, he just started going out with Zoe but...he said that he loved my sense of humor..." Grace said seriously.
"Oh...That's kind of awkward...And he's with that tramp that Ricky slept with?" Adrian said sternly.
"Yeah...I guess he was just being nice...I'm probably over analyzing this...just like when Jack told me that he loved me the other night...And Ricky did sleep with Zoe..." Grace said honestly.
"Jack did what?!" Adrian said loudly as her eyes widened.
"Uh...Yeah...So...he called me for a ride from the club the other night and...before I hung up he told me that he loved me...Then I saw him at the gym yesterday and...I was mean to him...And he apologized for saying he loved me...But I don't know if he meant it..." Grace said sadly as she got in her car.
"Wow...Jack is really getting to you again, huh? Listen, Grace...You should just forget about him...You and Ricky have been together for months...Ignore Jack and then maybe he'll stop doing stupid stuff like saying that he loves you and trying to make moves on you..." Adrian said honestly.
"No...He's not getting to me...I'm just worried about him...I don't want him to do something terrible like die from alcohol poisoning or jump off a bridge or something because we're not together anymore...He said Ricky is all I care about now but that's not true...I still care about Jack...Just not like I used to..." Grace said sadly.
"Oh...I get it...You're feeling guilty for breaking up with him...Again...I doubt that he will do something like kill himself...Jack's not that kind of guy, Grace...He has a strong faith and maybe if he starts talking to God more, then hopefully he will be over you..." Adrian said seriously.
"Guilty? Teh...I'm not feeling guilty...I said I'm worried about him...And I do hope that his faith with God gets stronger...It has to since he's going to be a minister..." Grace said nervously and then nicely.
"And those feelings of worry and concern for Jack come from your guilt of breaking up with him...I know break ups hurt...And if you're still feeling bad about ending your relationship with Jack then maybe you should talk to Ricky about it...It's not fair to him if you don't tell him how you really feel deep down..." Adrian said sincerely.
"Wow...Since when did you get so good at this psychology stuff? Heh...But...caring about people is just part of who I am, Adrian...I can't help worrying and being concerned for everyone that I love...I even worry about you..." Grace said honestly.
"Heh...I did take a psych class last year...And I've been through a lot of crazy stuff...We all have...I know caring about people is part of who you are, Grace...That's one of the many qualities that few people have these days...And I really appreciate it...But...you don't have to worry about me..." Adrian said kindly.
"You're welcome...And I do...I worry about how much sex you have with Omar...I hope you two are careful and don't hurt the baby..." Grace said sarcastically.
"Ha ha...Very funny...We don't have sex that much..." Adrian said as she smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Oh really? What were you doing before you called me?" Grace said intrigued.
"Uh...Eating cherry pie..." Adrian said awkwardly.
"Uh huh...Off of a plate or off of Omar's stomach?" Grace said as she smiled.
"A plate...You know the food in the bedroom is not really our thing..." Adrian said a little irritated.
"I know...I was joking...Heh...Are you two about to have sex right now?" Grace said seriously.
"Um...No...I gotta go..." Adrian said nervously.
"Heh...Have a good night, Adrian...I love you..." Grace said sweetly.
"Thanks, Grace...I love you too...Talk to you later..." Adrian said happily and she hung up and then walked into her room where Omar was waiting for her.
Meanwhile in California...
Grace walked into the apartment and her eyes widened as she saw candles lit up, some roses in a vase on the table, and two pieces of German chocolate cake on the table on plates.
Ricky walked into the living room dressed in a black tux with dress pants and shoes.
"Ricky? Did you do all this?" Grace said surprised.
"Yes I did...Do you like it?" Ricky said intrigued.
"Oh my gosh! I love it!" Grace said excited as she gave Ricky a hug and then she gave him a long kiss.
"Mmm...I'm glad...Since we've been so busy with our friends and school lately, I thought it would be nice to spend a romantic evening with you..." Ricky said as he smiled slowly.
"Aww...You didn't have to do this...You're too sweet..." Grace said happily.
"Heh...I thought you earned it...For being such an amazing girlfriend to me..." Ricky said kindly and then he pressed play on his stereo and his song You're Amazing started playing.
"Oh Ricky...Did...you make this song?" Grace said surprised as she listened to the song.
"Yes I did...With a little help from Brandon...Heh..." Ricky said happily.
"I knew you two were up to something when I saw recording software on your laptop...Heh...You can actually sing..." Grace said smiling.
"Thank you...Shall we?" Ricky said nicely as they walked over to the table and sat down.
"Everything is so perfect...The candles, the roses, the cake...And you smell really good too..." Grace said sweetly.
"Yeah it is...And you do too...Heh...I didn't have much time to put this together after work...Ethan helped me out a little...He's kind of going through a rough time right now..." Ricky said smiling and then concerned after taking a bite of his cake.
"Well...You two did a great job...What's going on with Ethan?" Grace said nicely after taking a bite of her cake.
"Kathy cheated on him...With some other kid..." Ricky said seriously.
"That's so sad...I hope Ethan's all right...I can't believe Kathy would do that...And...is she not pregnant?" Grace said worried.
"She's not pregnant...I'm sure they'll be ok...And she cheated on him awhile ago so it didn't happen recently..." Ricky said honestly.
"Oh...That's a relief that she's not pregnant...I'm sure they will be fine...Wait...You didn't set up all this romantic stuff to try and tell me that...you're cheating on me, did you?" Grace said nicely and then concerned.
"Of course not! You know I would never hurt you, Grace...I set up all this stuff to...thank you..." Ricky said honestly.
"To thank me? For what?" Grace said intrigued.
"For being the best thing that ever happened to me...You helped me find God...And I couldn't be happier and more grateful for that...I also wanted to give you this..." Ricky said smiling as he pulled out a small jewelry box from his pocket.
"Uh...What is that?" Grace said nervously.
"Relax...It's just a little something Margaret got for me to give you..." Ricky said happily as he handed Grace the box.
Grace smiled as she opened the box and saw a small and golden necklace with a cross on it.
"Aww! It's beautiful, Ricky...Thank you." Grace said sweetly and she took it out of the box.
"You're welcome...I wanted to give you something that inspired you to want to help me become a better person..." Ricky said happily as he got up and walked over to Grace. He took the necklace from Grace's hands and put it around her neck after she lifted her hair up.
"I love it...And I'm glad that I inspired you to become a better person but...God is the one who did all this..." Grace said happily.
"I know..That's why I thank Him for you every day...I love you." Ricky said kindly as he grabbed Grace's hand from across the table.
"I love you too...And I thank God for you every day too..." Grace said sweetly and then she took another bite from her cake.
A few minutes later Grace and Ricky finished their cake and then they sat on the coach.
"What did you think was in the box?" Ricky said intrigued.
"Oh...I don't know...Earrings or something smaller than a necklace...Heh..." Grace said awkwardly as her cheeks turned red.
"Heh...You are so hot when you're nervous..." Ricky smirked and he gave Grace a long kiss.
"Mmm...So...How much did this cost?" Grace said smiling.
"I don't know...My Mom bought it...I need to save my money...for something else..." Ricky said seriously.
"Uh huh...And what would that be?" Grace said suspiciously.
"Heh...You'll have to wait awhile to find out..." Ricky said nicely.
"All right...Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be worth waiting for..." Grace said sweetly.
"Trust me...It will...And I talked to Jack earlier...About what you two talked about on the phone..." Ricky said kindly and then concerned.
"Oh...So he told you that...he said he loved me?" Grace said sadly.
"What? No he didn't...He really said that?" Ricky said surprised.
"Yes he did...But then he apologized at the gym yesterday and said that he didn't mean it...I hung up on him after he said it..." Grace said honestly.
"Good...You should just ignore him for awhile...Then maybe he'll stop bothering us..." Ricky said firmly.
"Heh...That's what Adrian said too...Don't worry about Jack...You know I love you, Ricky..." Grace said sweetly as she moved her face closer to his.
"Yeah...I know you do..." Ricky said nicely as he leaned in and he gave Grace a long kiss and then he laid down on his back with Grace on top of him
"You know...You look really sexy in a suite..." Grace smirked and then she started to kiss Ricky passionately.
"Mmm...I know...Heh...And you look really hot in a dress..." Ricky said smiling and then he kissed Grace back.
A few minutes later Grace and Ricky heard a loud noise from downstairs.
Oh no! What caused the loud noise at the butcher shop? I almost ended this chapter after Ricky pulled out the jewelry box but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging with that. Ha ha! Grace and Ricky keep getting closer. At least Brandon told Mike the truth and he's going to go out with Chloe but will he get caught since Lena and Stef grounded him? Will Kathy and Ethan get along? What's going to happen at dinner with Omar, Adrian, Max, Shawna, Ben, and Amy? How is Amy going to cope more with losing Mimsy? Was Grant flirting with Grace or did she overreact? What's going to happen next with Jack? Stay tuned to find out! Let me know what you think! Thank you! :)