Page 33 of Fall From Grace

She nodded like she already knew what I was going to say. “He’s not Noah?” I gave her a tired smile and nodded.

“Do you think Noah still thinks about me like I think about him?” I asked lamely.

She smiled mischievously. “Of course, he does! You have my good looks and some long legs like your daddy, I know that boy ain’t going to forget about you.”

I placed my chin in my palm as I rested my elbow on the table. “Don’t make it about looks, Mom… But, I can imagine what a few years would add to Noah… I bet he’s even better looking now, I wonder if he grew any taller.” My tummy felt like lava just thinking about Noah while every time I kissed Dustin, it was lukewarm.

“Your face is a little red, child, cool it down,” Mom teased. “So, the boys play their first game this Friday, don’t they?” Mom changed the subject and I nodded. “Who are they playing… Bulldogs, right? Jewel County?” Jewel County was right next to our county.

“I think so.”

“You made the right choice by going back to the team.”

I squinted my eyes. “You practically harassed me into getting back on the team.”

She feigned ignorance. “I did no such thing.”

“Anyway… I’m glad I got back on the team, it gives me something to do, at least.”

She smirked. “You won’t regret it.”

“I swear, if you plan on sneaking onto the bleachers and filming me cheering, I’ll quit right now,” I said. She giggled like a little girl. “I’m serious, your face has me worried.”

She tossed her hand up. “Relax. I won’t even get to go if I wanted to, I have to work one of the ball games for the middle school that night.” She made a pouty face. “I really wanted to go.” And the truth came out.

I pretended to be annoyed. “Why are you acting so childish?”

“You act like I’m old or something, I’m only thirty-eight.”

“And you’re onnneeee hottttt mammmaaaa,” I started singing Trace Adkins, “One Hot Mama” and she pushed down her shades and bounced her head until I started laughing.

19

Grace age 16

Noah age 17

Please be there tomorrow. I need to see you. If I don’t see you, I might have to go back on the words I said to your mom and come to you.

N.P.

Something had spurred Dustin’s pushiness yesterday and today. Yesterday he had become more insistent about trying to come inside before Mom got home from school, and today he actually took his truck on the back of the mountain so that he could be alone with me. I had told him I hadn’t wanted to come up here but he shrugged off my choice like it didn’t matter.

I was slightly frustrated and even a little scared that he made this choice so he had to butter me up for a good ten minutes before I finally let him kiss me. Of course, he wanted more. That was the whole reason he brought me up here. I even tried to wrap my arms around him and I thought about the sexy way he smiled sometimes or the moments he actually knew how to be a gentleman and held the door open for people, but the moment he slipped his hand up my shirt, I tensed and started pushing him away. No matter what my reason was, I just couldn’t do this with him, at least not until I was comfortable. It was okay to want comfortable. I wasn’t going to feel bad the moment he leaned back and sighed. “What’s wrong?” he asked, a little breathy. He did look good up close. His eyes were darker than his hair. He had perfect eyebrows too.

“I just want to take things slow. We’ve only been dating a few weeks.”

“We can do slow,” he said, pulling back and I blushed and looked away when he started adjusting his junk right in front of me. “You let Noah touch you, I figured you were ready to mess around.”

I frowned. “Noah told you he touched me?”

He leaned his head back and smirked, the one he did when he was pissed off. “So, he did touch you? You let him touch you in middle school and won’t let me in high school?”

I gaped at him. “You said it in a way that I would misunderstand.” He had tricked me into getting an answer.

“Does it matter?” he asked. “We’re dating now, what’s wrong with wanting to know?”

“I don’t ask you about all the girls you’ve fooled around with, let alone slept with.” I crossed my arms and stared ahead. “Take me home.”