Page 69 of Fall From Grace

Noah sat down next to me. “Well, I’ve been working at a garage and I like the work so I figured I’d probably stick to mechanics.” Dad said nothing, only nodded as he took a bite of his mashed potatoes.

“What about you, Grace?” Mom asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “I haven’t thought about it.”

“You only have a year left before you hit college and have to decide from there,” Dad added.

“I know,” I muttered.

“You can always become a teacher… Then we can be the mother-daughter duo,” Mom voiced, batting her eyes like a child.

I grinned. She was still young at heart when it came to certain things. “Next, you’ll be wanting to dress us the same,” I told her.

Her eyes twinkled. “Want to?”

Noah laughed. “You two already favor each other, I think it could work.”

I groaned. “Let’s not give her any ideas.”

After leaving my house, we went to Dean’s and ate where I got Janet to give me her potato casserole recipe. It had been delicious. My favorite part of the day was when I finally got to be alone with Noah. He brought me up to his room.

“All this food has made me so tired,” I grumbled as I flopped down on his bed.

He joined me. “No kidding.”

I rolled over against him and nuzzled his neck then oh, so slowly slid my hand down and grabbed his erection. He rolled over atop of me and we made out for the longest time, rolling all over the bed. We ended up napping with me lying completely on top of him. Janet came upstairs and woke us up to play some UNO with them. Noah laughed and pointed to the huge drool spot I had left on his shirt while I admired the cute sleepiness in his eyes.

Everything was going great. A little too perfect. I should have known life would rain on our parade.

31

Grace age 17

Noah age 17

Through the week, my mind is all about Grace… I move through classes, talk to friends, work at the garage, effortlessly, but she’s always there, even when she’s not here, she’s inside me. That’s why I know she’s my one. She’s my always.

Everyone’s catching affections in high school, back and forth, new and old, they all move together but none of them are looking for everlasting.

I think I’m an old soul, or I think that’s what people might call me. Or I’m just a guy that gets fixated on one girl and that’s it. There’s no going back, no changing it because I don’t want to and I’m never going to try. I did once when I was asked, only because it was Grace’s mom, but never again.

I’m connected, completely whole with Grace. We fit. We mesh. We go together.

N.P.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with us?” Sara asked me as she pulled into my driveway. She offered to drop me off from cheer practice—football season was over but basketball was just around the corner. I needed a vehicle but at the same time, I didn’t want to ask my parents for one. Maybe, like Noah, I should think about getting a part-time job.

“Who’s that?” Tiffany asked in the passenger side seat. I scooted up in the back seat and looked back and wished I hadn’t when I saw who was waiting by our mailbox. I didn’t know his name, it was the young guy that hung out at John’s all the time.

“I don’t know,” I lied and slid across the seat to open the door and get out. “I’ll see you guys later.”

Sara looked back at him again. “Are you sure? Are your parents’ home yet?”

“Mom’s car is here,” I told her. “Bye.”

He waited until she backed out of the driveway before approaching me. I turned around and headed for the porch even though I saw him coming. “Grace!” he yelled and I was tempted to ignore him.

I turned around. “My dad would skin you if he saw someone like you standing by our yard,” I told him as I crossed my arms. “He’s about to come home too,” I made sure to add.