WHERE DO WE STAND
Two weeks had passed since Jake's and Tiffany's wedding. Lily offered to take care of Maddie so the *just married* couple could have their honey moon. Judy said she could handle the things at Booklovers and Eli even played one of the good guy by offering to help Judy with the 'complicated' things while Jake was out. Rick and Lily chose to wait Jake and Tiffany come back to tell the whole family that Lily was pregnant and that they wouldn't be moving to Australia. So when everything had settled, Rick and Lily proud-happily reported the wonderful news. Eli was very excited with the idea of having a baby sister or a baby brother. The girls were equally trilled but they were also kinda worried. They subconsciously knew that two of them would probably have to share a room and this idea did not please them very much. But their concerns melt away when Lily told them the baby would stay in her room.
*
*
*
"Good morning!", Jessie beamed at the members of her complicated family, making her entrance in the kitchen.
"Morning.", Lily replied. "Want me to cook you something?"
"No, thanks. I'll just have a bagel.", Jessie said as she went to the refrigerator and took out the milk.
"How you're feeling?", Rick came and put his arms Lily's waits, kissing her neck.
"Oh, I'm feeling just wonderful. *We* are feeling just wonderful."
"Morning everyone!!", Eli invaded the kitchen. He was unusually happy.
"You're happy.", Jessie exclaimed, her ton was filled with a little of suspicion.
"Anything wrong with that?", Eli smirked as he served himself pancakes. Jessie made a funny face and shook her head *no*. "Hey!!"
"Hey yourself!!", Grace widely grinned as Eli sat next to her. Things between Grace and Eli were going very well lately. They've got really closer to each other. Jessie even noticed that their mild flirting was back on the scene but this time she chose to silence herself.
"Um. E?", Grace called with a soft girly voice.
"What favor do you want to ask me this time?", Eli figured her intentions. He knew that every time Grace dared to call him *E* was when she needed something from him. When she heard him figuring her thoughts, she made an *offended* face then she let out a snorted laugh and admitted her crime.
"Okay, okay. I do need a favor. Hugh. I have to go to A.J's house today after school. Cynthia, him and me need to finish this geography project and I was wondering if you could pick me up there."
"What time?"
"I don't know. Around eight, eight-thirty?", Grace replied and Eli made a *oh no* face.
Grace noticed he was hesitating in answering her so she figured he had already made plans for the night. "What? you're busy tonight?"
"Um, sort of.", Eli slumped his shoulders.
"Grace, where's my keys?", Lily ran in her purse for the keys but couldn't find them.
"You're leaving already?"
"Grace? The keys?", Lily warned with a bit of impatience. Grace stood up and went up, opened her backpack and took her mother's keys out. "Thank you and bye.", Lily was in a hurry because she had to see her doctor but she had forgotten to let her kids know about it. Rick went upstairs because he was going late to work that day.
"Grace? Grace? Are you ready to go?", Jessie's voice reminded Grace to stop flirting with Eli and go face real life. The teenage crew grabbed their things then headed out.
*
*
*
Eli dropped Jessie and Grace at school. Jessie jumped out of the car and hurried to meet Katie. Grace didn't leave the passenger's sea, she remained sat there, waiting for an answer.
"What?", Eli got out laughing.
"So. what do you say?", Grace smirked as she unhooked the seatbelt.
"About."
"Can you pick me up tonight?", she reminded him. Eli squeezed his lids then opened them. He eagerly watched her. She had this cute funny beseeching look on her face. Grace gracefully pouted then she gave him a beautiful smile; one of her sweet and innocent smiles.
"Alright. I'll pick you up.", Eli reluctantly gave in. Well, he couldn't resist her smile.
"Thank you, thank you.", Grace playfully said then she handed him a piece of paper, A.J's address was written on it. "See you tonight. Bye *E*."
"Bye, *Gracie*.", Eli mocked her, imitating Lily.
* * *
"Girls, it would be a pleasure to stay here with you 'til your ride comes but I got a date.", A.J ironically stated.
"Oh yes, A.J. We know that it's really, really hard for you to leave us here and go suck up faces with some dumb but incredibly hot girl.", Cynthia sarcastically joked and Grace laughed at her teasing.
"Exactly. Well, bye my ladies.", A.J got in his car then took off.
"So, it's okay, you know, your step-brother giving me a ride home?', Cynthia doubtfully asked.
"Sure, it's okay. Definitely.", Grace shrugged.
The two girls waited ten, thirty, fifty minutes and no sign of Eli.
"You're sure he's coming?"
"Yes, I am. Something must have happened.", Grace couldn't hide how worry she was. She thought Eli could be in trouble or maybe something had happened to his mother or her mother. Cynthia could see she was a little too concerned.
"I better go. I mean, we better go.", Cynthia reasoned. "Let's just get a cab or a bus."
"No. Um. let's wait ten more minutes and if he doesn't show up we'll leave. Okay?', Grace still believed Eli would come to get her. The ten minutes had passed then other ten had gone too.
"Grace, I'm leaving.", Cynthia informed, tired of waiting.
"Yeah, um, I'm gonna call my mother and ask if she-", Grace started to speak but was cut by Cynthia.
"Oh my God! Grace, is that your step-brother?", Cynthia quizzed, pointing to a guy who was making out with a girl down around the street corner. Grace, at first, couldn't make out his features so she walked towards the couple and when she could see their faces clearly she recognized it was Eli and Nina, the girl who works for her father. She was extremely pale at that vision.
"It's not surprising that he's way too late.", Cynthia joked and Grace turned away, beginning to leave.
"Hey, where you're going?"
"I'm going home.", Grace annoyingly answered.
"But why? I mean, he's-"
"I am going home . alone if you don't want to come with me.", Grace burst out. Cynthia noticed she wasn't quite normal. She realized that Grace was upset with the scene she had just seen. Cynthia was a little confused because she could see that Grace was not angry at him because he was late but she was angry because he was with a girl.
"Okay, let's go home. I'm tired of standing here, anyway.", Cynthia said then they walked.
*
*
*
It was past midnight and Grace was still awake. She was in the living room, watching TV. The expression on her angelic face was not the most friendly one. There were about six or seven chocolate packings , laying on the couch next to her. As she reached for the remote control, she heard the front door slams.
"Was that some kind of a joke?", Eli nervously inquired. Grace coldly lifted her eyes to look at his face and said nothing. She just coldly stared at him. "What the hell is going on with you? Why stood me up? I waited for you almost two hours.", Grace still remained in silence. All she did was give him a cold blooded look. " I thought something happened to you. Why did you do that? Why didn't you wait for me?", Eli angrily finish is demand, trying to sound not too loud. Grace mutely stood up, turned off the TV and began to go upstairs.
"Grace??!", he called in confusion. "I'm still talking to you and you own me an explanation. Grace??!"
As she trudged up the stairs, she turned her face and gave him a deathly inhuman freezing glare.
Eli watched her disappear in the hall. His mind was pretty damn confused. He had no idea why Grace was being so ironically cold to him. He shook his head in disbelief then went to his garage.
Two weeks had passed since Jake's and Tiffany's wedding. Lily offered to take care of Maddie so the *just married* couple could have their honey moon. Judy said she could handle the things at Booklovers and Eli even played one of the good guy by offering to help Judy with the 'complicated' things while Jake was out. Rick and Lily chose to wait Jake and Tiffany come back to tell the whole family that Lily was pregnant and that they wouldn't be moving to Australia. So when everything had settled, Rick and Lily proud-happily reported the wonderful news. Eli was very excited with the idea of having a baby sister or a baby brother. The girls were equally trilled but they were also kinda worried. They subconsciously knew that two of them would probably have to share a room and this idea did not please them very much. But their concerns melt away when Lily told them the baby would stay in her room.
*
*
*
"Good morning!", Jessie beamed at the members of her complicated family, making her entrance in the kitchen.
"Morning.", Lily replied. "Want me to cook you something?"
"No, thanks. I'll just have a bagel.", Jessie said as she went to the refrigerator and took out the milk.
"How you're feeling?", Rick came and put his arms Lily's waits, kissing her neck.
"Oh, I'm feeling just wonderful. *We* are feeling just wonderful."
"Morning everyone!!", Eli invaded the kitchen. He was unusually happy.
"You're happy.", Jessie exclaimed, her ton was filled with a little of suspicion.
"Anything wrong with that?", Eli smirked as he served himself pancakes. Jessie made a funny face and shook her head *no*. "Hey!!"
"Hey yourself!!", Grace widely grinned as Eli sat next to her. Things between Grace and Eli were going very well lately. They've got really closer to each other. Jessie even noticed that their mild flirting was back on the scene but this time she chose to silence herself.
"Um. E?", Grace called with a soft girly voice.
"What favor do you want to ask me this time?", Eli figured her intentions. He knew that every time Grace dared to call him *E* was when she needed something from him. When she heard him figuring her thoughts, she made an *offended* face then she let out a snorted laugh and admitted her crime.
"Okay, okay. I do need a favor. Hugh. I have to go to A.J's house today after school. Cynthia, him and me need to finish this geography project and I was wondering if you could pick me up there."
"What time?"
"I don't know. Around eight, eight-thirty?", Grace replied and Eli made a *oh no* face.
Grace noticed he was hesitating in answering her so she figured he had already made plans for the night. "What? you're busy tonight?"
"Um, sort of.", Eli slumped his shoulders.
"Grace, where's my keys?", Lily ran in her purse for the keys but couldn't find them.
"You're leaving already?"
"Grace? The keys?", Lily warned with a bit of impatience. Grace stood up and went up, opened her backpack and took her mother's keys out. "Thank you and bye.", Lily was in a hurry because she had to see her doctor but she had forgotten to let her kids know about it. Rick went upstairs because he was going late to work that day.
"Grace? Grace? Are you ready to go?", Jessie's voice reminded Grace to stop flirting with Eli and go face real life. The teenage crew grabbed their things then headed out.
*
*
*
Eli dropped Jessie and Grace at school. Jessie jumped out of the car and hurried to meet Katie. Grace didn't leave the passenger's sea, she remained sat there, waiting for an answer.
"What?", Eli got out laughing.
"So. what do you say?", Grace smirked as she unhooked the seatbelt.
"About."
"Can you pick me up tonight?", she reminded him. Eli squeezed his lids then opened them. He eagerly watched her. She had this cute funny beseeching look on her face. Grace gracefully pouted then she gave him a beautiful smile; one of her sweet and innocent smiles.
"Alright. I'll pick you up.", Eli reluctantly gave in. Well, he couldn't resist her smile.
"Thank you, thank you.", Grace playfully said then she handed him a piece of paper, A.J's address was written on it. "See you tonight. Bye *E*."
"Bye, *Gracie*.", Eli mocked her, imitating Lily.
* * *
"Girls, it would be a pleasure to stay here with you 'til your ride comes but I got a date.", A.J ironically stated.
"Oh yes, A.J. We know that it's really, really hard for you to leave us here and go suck up faces with some dumb but incredibly hot girl.", Cynthia sarcastically joked and Grace laughed at her teasing.
"Exactly. Well, bye my ladies.", A.J got in his car then took off.
"So, it's okay, you know, your step-brother giving me a ride home?', Cynthia doubtfully asked.
"Sure, it's okay. Definitely.", Grace shrugged.
The two girls waited ten, thirty, fifty minutes and no sign of Eli.
"You're sure he's coming?"
"Yes, I am. Something must have happened.", Grace couldn't hide how worry she was. She thought Eli could be in trouble or maybe something had happened to his mother or her mother. Cynthia could see she was a little too concerned.
"I better go. I mean, we better go.", Cynthia reasoned. "Let's just get a cab or a bus."
"No. Um. let's wait ten more minutes and if he doesn't show up we'll leave. Okay?', Grace still believed Eli would come to get her. The ten minutes had passed then other ten had gone too.
"Grace, I'm leaving.", Cynthia informed, tired of waiting.
"Yeah, um, I'm gonna call my mother and ask if she-", Grace started to speak but was cut by Cynthia.
"Oh my God! Grace, is that your step-brother?", Cynthia quizzed, pointing to a guy who was making out with a girl down around the street corner. Grace, at first, couldn't make out his features so she walked towards the couple and when she could see their faces clearly she recognized it was Eli and Nina, the girl who works for her father. She was extremely pale at that vision.
"It's not surprising that he's way too late.", Cynthia joked and Grace turned away, beginning to leave.
"Hey, where you're going?"
"I'm going home.", Grace annoyingly answered.
"But why? I mean, he's-"
"I am going home . alone if you don't want to come with me.", Grace burst out. Cynthia noticed she wasn't quite normal. She realized that Grace was upset with the scene she had just seen. Cynthia was a little confused because she could see that Grace was not angry at him because he was late but she was angry because he was with a girl.
"Okay, let's go home. I'm tired of standing here, anyway.", Cynthia said then they walked.
*
*
*
It was past midnight and Grace was still awake. She was in the living room, watching TV. The expression on her angelic face was not the most friendly one. There were about six or seven chocolate packings , laying on the couch next to her. As she reached for the remote control, she heard the front door slams.
"Was that some kind of a joke?", Eli nervously inquired. Grace coldly lifted her eyes to look at his face and said nothing. She just coldly stared at him. "What the hell is going on with you? Why stood me up? I waited for you almost two hours.", Grace still remained in silence. All she did was give him a cold blooded look. " I thought something happened to you. Why did you do that? Why didn't you wait for me?", Eli angrily finish is demand, trying to sound not too loud. Grace mutely stood up, turned off the TV and began to go upstairs.
"Grace??!", he called in confusion. "I'm still talking to you and you own me an explanation. Grace??!"
As she trudged up the stairs, she turned her face and gave him a deathly inhuman freezing glare.
Eli watched her disappear in the hall. His mind was pretty damn confused. He had no idea why Grace was being so ironically cold to him. He shook his head in disbelief then went to his garage.