Perf-ect Night

A/N: A request for a short Nelson/Grace (I guess the name for the couple is Grason? You guys may have to help me out with that one.) one-shot. Takes place right after "How to Rock a Guest List". Some very minor one-sided Kevin/Molly (Kolly? Mevin? Molvin?) as well. Enjoy! :D

Justin Cole's party was winding down and only a few guests remained. It took a while for Nelson Baxter to realize that most of his fellow Gravity 5 members had gone home. Kacey, Stevie, and Zander had all left after saying their goodbyes. He remembered that he had planned on sleeping over at Kevin's that night, but he couldn't find him anywhere.

"Looking for someone?"

Nelson spun around and shifted nervously as the stunning blonde Perf graced his presence. It was only fitting that her name was in fact, Grace. He had spent the first part of the party trying not to embarrass himself when he talked to her. It had failed, but after some advice from Kacey, he was successful.

"J-Just looking for Kevin," he answered.

"Oh, he's in the bathroom," Grace said.

"I guess that chocolate roast-beef sandwich didn't agree with him," Nelson joked.

"Guess not..."

Nelson shifted once more as he thought of what to say. He decided that another summer camp memory would probably not be a good idea.

"Want me to walk you home?" he blurted out suddenly before putting a hand to his mouth.

Grace stared at him in confusion before a smile crept across her face.

"Sure, Nelson. I don't mind walking since it's a pretty night."

Before anything else could be said, the pair were interrupted by their friends. Kevin tapped Nelson on the shoulder as Molly grabbed Grace's wrist.

"Ready to go, buddy?" Kevin asked Nelson.

"Come on, Grace," Molly said, not even acknowledging Nelson and Kevin's presence. "This party's getting boring..."

"Actually..." Grace started. "Nelson's walking me home."

Molly arched an eyebrow and then let out a laugh. "Nice joke, Grace. Now, come on, let's go."

"I'm not joking though," Grace replied innocently.

Molly rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just be careful. If you let loser-ness rub off on you too much, you'll end up like Kacey Simon."

"Well, Molly..." Kevin said as he popped his collar. "If you need a ride home, you can ride in the basket on my bike."

"As if..." Molly scoffed as she headed out of the door.

Kevin turned back to Nelson and grinned. "Saw how I charmed her? Anyway, you're still coming to my house, right?"

"Yep," Nelson answered.

"Cool, I'll see you in a minute."

Kevin made his way out the front door, leaving Nelson and Grace alone once more. They grabbed their papaya cups and prepared to leave. It was half an hour before midnight and the stars were quite visible. The two walked in silence for a while before Nelson managed to say something.

"You sure Molly won't be too mad?" he asked curiously.

Grace shook her head and smiled. "She can't be mad at me. I'm her best friend."

"Yeah, but so was Kacey..."

Nelson could tell that comment struck a nerve. Grace didn't know how to respond, so she didn't. She remembered how the she, Molly, and the rest of the Perfs had turned on Kacey after the latter had been forced to wear glasses and braces despite the fact that they had been friends for years. Grace King wasn't the smartest kid in school, but she knew that there was no way to justify their actions. There was also the fact that she had always suspected that Molly was jealous of Kacey and was just waiting for the right moment when she could dethrone her.

"So..." Nelson said, trying to change the topic. "Do you remember that hotdog eating contest at summer camp?"

"Definitely!" Grace replied excitedly. "You won big time!"

"And got a tapeworm," Nelson finished. "But it was worth it."

"Can't argue with that," Grace said. "So, tell me about your band. You guys were really good tonight."

"Well," Nelson began. "It was originally just me, Kevin, and Stevie. We weren't really even an actual band then. We just goofed off with our instruments until Zander came along. He's the one who decided that we should form Gravity 5 - or Gravity 4 at that time. Ever since Kacey joined, we've been getting a lot of good gigs. You should check us out some time."

Grace smiled. "I'll be sure to do that."

The two continued talking and were so deep in their conversation that they were both surprised when they finally arrived at Grace's house. They walked to the front door and Nelson managed to keep himself composed.

"So, I guess I'll see you at school with the Perfs on Monday?"

"I guess so...I guess I'll see you with your band on Monday?"

Nelson nodded. "M-Maybe we can see each other a bit earlier than that. W-Wanna hang out tomorrow?"

"Sorry, I'm busy..." Grace answered as she stared at the ground.

"Oh yeah, I totally understand," Nelson said. "I have band stuff anyway and uh-"

"I'm free on Sunday," Grace interrupted as a smile crept across her face. "I'll call you tomorrow night after I get home...Um, goodnight."

"Goodnight..."

Nelson stretched out his hand and Grace shook it. The two of them stared at one another for a moment and it was almost as if each was expecting a hug from the other. They moved closer, but suddenly stopped as they heard the unmistakable sounds of their cell phones going off.

"That's Molly," Grace stated.

"Kevin," Nelson replied. "I gotta take this."

"Me too."

"Later..." they both said in unison as Nelson started walking down the sidewalk.

He answered his phone and talked to Kevin about the party, the band, Furious Pigeons, and other things as he walked towards Kevin's home. However, Nelson couldn't bring himself to fully listen to his best friend go on and on. The only thing on his mind was Sunday...