Turning Grace

by J. Q. Davis

  “There’s blood on your neck Tristen, Is that fake or coming from Grace?” she asked, panic creeping through her voice. Phoebe turned my face away from his neck to get a better view.

  “Shit! Gracie, your nose is gushing!”

  I reached up slowly to see what she was talking out. “What?” was all I managed to ask before everything went black.

  “Grace. Grace. Please wake up. Can you hear me sweetheart?”

  My eyes fluttered open and horror flushed over me when I saw a man covered in blood and gore hovering in my view. Was I having one of my morbid dreams? I sucked in a breath of air and jumped a little, slowly realizing that I was not dreaming and that Tristen’s beautiful face was underneath the Halloween makeup.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “You passed out. How do you feel? Here,” he said as he rubbed a cold, wet cloth on my forehead. I turned my head, taking in the coolness; it being apparent then that I was lying down in the back seat of Marilyn.

  My mouth was dry. As I imagined a cold glass of water, Tristen brought a bottle of water to my mouth, slowly spilling a little at a time into it. How did he know what to do and when to do it all the time?

  I heard Phoebe’s voice. “Is she awake?”

  “Yeah, she’s awake. Grace, tell me what you need.”

  I reached around with my hand in search of my bag. I knew exactly what I needed. It was the only thing on my mind.

  Of course, Tristen sensed this and handed me my purse. I reached in and grabbed one of the Ziplocks of treats Mom made for me. I began to eat, feeling a thousand times better before I even swallowed, and a million times better knowing Tristen was right next to me.

  “Oh she’s fine, thank God.” Phoebe said in relief.

  “How do you know, babe?” Eric asked curiously.

  “Because if she doesn’t eat,” she turned to give me the stink eye, “she gets faint and sick.”

  I managed to give her the finger in between bites.

  “Is that true? Do you get sick if you don’t eat?” Tristen asked.

  I nodded my head, only wanting everyone to just stay quiet and let me eat. Tristen smoothed my hair out of my face. His expression remained the same, still and serious. Concerned. Phoebe continued to give me the stink eye. Over the past few weeks, she had also noticed changes in me.

  Although she didn’t quite know to what extreme my body had been changing, she noticed that there was a change in my eating habits. I explained to her at some point that Mom had been monitoring me to make sure that everything was okay. She naively believed the whole hormones story and never really asked any more questions as to why I had been eating so much. She did, however, witness me becoming extremely fatigued and sickly because I needed food when we were studying at my house. It was very hard to not pig out in front of her, but I managed to get by without seeming like a hungry maniac. Luckily, I was able to come up with an excuse to end our study session early so that I could devour as much food as humanly possible.

  “You scared me,” he whispered.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t talk. Eat. Now woman.” His gorgeous smile grew, as did mine.

  Marilyn rumbled beneath us, and Eric turned his body to look as he backed out of the parking space.

  “G, are you feeling well enough to continue our night?” Phoebe asked.

  Throwing the second empty Ziplock back into my bag and reaching for another, I mumbled yes. To be completely honest, what I really wanted to do was take Tristen back home to my house and prepare a lovely dinner for just the both of us. However, seeing as how I was fighting with everything in me to keep from gulping down my treats, plastic baggie and all, that didn’t seem to be a good idea. I managed to sit up straight and concentrate on eating like a lady. Tristan kept his hand on my leg, glancing over at me every ten seconds to make sure I was okay.

  “Are you feeling better?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. Sorry about what happened back there,” I looked down at my fingers and began to fidget. Tristen squeezed my thigh, prompting me to look up at him.

  “Grace, you never have to be sorry for anything when you’re with me.”

  “But I made a complete ass out of both of us…”

  “No you didn’t. Not me at least.”

  I looked over at him, stunned that he would say that. His smile was radiating off his face. I remained still, until a second later when I couldn’t hold in my laugh any longer. We both laughed out loud, causing Phoebe to turn around.

  “Hey, what’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” we sang in unison.

  “Okay, so what are the plans? Mona Lisa Drive? Or do you guys wanna head to Mardi Gras World for some more haunted house excitement. Minus the passing out and nose bleeds of course,” Phoebe chuckled out. I plucked the back of her head. “Hey!”

  “Do you guys wanna crash a party?” Tristen asked.

  “What party?” Eric asked, intrigue in his tone.

  “Sonny’s party.”

  I shot a look over at Tristen, not quite sure what I was feeling. Phoebe obviously felt the same; however she didn’t bite her tongue.

  “Sonny’s party? Why the hell would we go to that witch’s house? She and her Minions are probably getting ready to jump on their broom sticks to fly around town and wreak havoc on innocent children.”

  “To crash it,” Tristen answered. “And I kind of have some things to talk to her about,” he whispered only loudly enough for my ears to hear. He glanced over at me and the butterflies were fluttering around in my stomach as if they were trapped and trying to get out. What was he suggesting? Was he suggesting we go to Sonny’s party so that he could tell her once and for all that he wants me? Why now? Holy crap!

  “I’m in,” Eric declared. He looked over at Phoebe, who was now looking over at me, searching my eyes for any hint to the answer she was supposed to give. I was completely stumped, not sure of what or how to feel.

  “Is that okay with you Grace?” Tristen asked, resting his hands on mine.

  I stared into his hazel eyes, frantically searching for an answer in them. They were soft and despite his bloody, dead-like makeup, there was no mistaking the language between us at that moment. He wanted me to say yes.

  “Yes.” I caved.

  “Well alright, let’s go crash a party!”

  “Really Eric, is it that exciting?” Phoebe asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.

  “C’mon babe, you know it will be fun. Plus, I’m pretty hot, you can rub it in her face,” Eric smiled a glamorous smile as he threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him in the bench seat.

  Tristen kept his eyes on me. He leaned in closer. “Are you sure?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

  “I have never been more sure of anything. Grace, you are smart, beautiful, funny, and everything I have wanted in a long time.”

  “But you don’t even know me that well, Tristen,” I stated, suddenly feeling insecure.

  “Grace, I know enough to know that I wanna know more. And I can’t get to know you more with… baggage.”

  “Yeah, but don’t you think—”

  He put a finger over my mouth as if to shut me up, but gently. I did as he implied, desperately hoping that he would switch his finger out for his lips. Instead, he embraced my face with his hand and tenderly squeezed.

  “It’ll be okay. There will be tons of people there. We can just walk in, I’ll pull her aside and tell her and she won’t even know you’re there. Honestly, she will probably already have another boyfriend by the end of her party.” He knew that I was nervous. He was trying to reassure me that everything would be okay.

  I nodded, hoping that he was right. This had drama written all over it, but I had Tristen, Phoebe, and Eric on my side. If Sonny tried anything stupid, Phoebe would be on her like white on rice. And something told me Eric wouldn’t pull her off this time.

  Tristen directed Eric to Sonny’s house from th
e back seat. As we pulled up, I soon realized that it wasn’t a house at all, but a mansion nestled away in a quiet cul-de-sac. The street was lined with cars and the enormous yard was infested with drunken teenagers. We found a spot almost around the corner and made our way up the street to the party.

  The house sat between two slightly smaller houses, both with their lights off and seeming as if the tenants were not home. It was two stories and white, with four round pillars acting as if to hold up the roof. It was reminiscent of the White House, and I briefly wondered what the hell her parents did to afford such an amazing home.

  We walked up to the lawn, which was larger than it looked from the car. The driveway led to a circular one. In the middle stood a huge water fountain that reminded me of photos in history class of the old water fountains in Rome, minus the large W that was visible through the sparkling water. The initial for “Westwood” I was assuming, unless it was the initial for “wowthey’vegotalotofmoney”. Why did I suddenly feel the need to hashtag that?

  Teenagers were scattered around, some with cups of what I presumed to be alcohol. The base was pumping inside that house, sounding muffled from the outside. There was absolutely nothing Halloween about this party. No one was dressed up. No one had Halloween makeup on. This sort of pissed me off, leaving me with the feeling that they were too good for it. No one was too good for Halloween.

  As we walked up the driveway, eyes began to descend upon us. Of course, since no one here was in costume, we were the oddballs. Eric grabbed Phoebe’s hand; probably making sure that he had a hold on her as we approached a group of girls who began giggling and pointing their fingers at us. I didn’t look their way, trying hard not to give them what they wanted, which was attention. At that moment, Tristen’s hand found mine, and I looked down to make sure it was really happening and not just something I was imagining. I glanced up at him, only to find him smiling down at me, lips stretched from ear to ear.

  This was amazing and scary at the same time. I was thrilled to be this close to Tristen and that he was going out of his way to make a big gesture, but scared out of my mind that tonight would end up badly. Hopefully the inside of this castle would be filled with preppy drunks, allowing me to keep away from Sonny and her Minions. I was sure my Zombie-like appearance would help hide me.

  As we made our way to the line to get in the front door, the music got louder, along with the sounds of drunken teens. My heart began pounding and in that moment I realized that my stomach was growling. Oh not now!

  I did eat three and a half bags of treats, however I didn’t know what I was thinking when I thought that would be enough.

  I tried to ignore it, concentrating on hiding from you know who.

  Upon entering the house, I felt like I was in the middle of Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras day. We could barely maneuver through the crowd. Tristen kept a hold of my hand as he led the way. I felt Phoebe clutch on to my shirt, making sure not to lose me through the crowd. People were drinking, talking, and well…partying all around us.

  From the little glimpses I managed to get in between the sea of people, the inside of the house was just as immaculate as the outside. There were two large majestic staircases, one on either side of what seemed to be the foyer. Everything was white, and the walls were filled with hanging portraits of art work. I would not have been surprised if somewhere in this house there was a bathroom made out of twenty-four karat gold. It screamed “I’m rich, and I can do anything I want”.

  I wasn’t sure where Tristen was taking me, until suddenly I felt a shift around us. We moved into a tiny opening in one of the rooms. Everyone around us was moving, bouncing and swaying to the loud music.

  A hip hop song slowly turned into a more dance friendly song. I recognized it immediately and thought to myself how much I loved it.

  Tristen stopped in front of me, bopping his head to the rhythm of the song as the rest of his body began to follow. He turned around to face me and leaned in close to my ear.

  “I love this song!” he yelled.

  I smiled wide, knowing full well that we would have the same taste in music. His arms found their way around my waist and he pulled me closer. Without taking his eyes off mine, he moved me to the music with him and I was forced to let go of any inhibitions I had. His beautiful zombie face lit up when he felt me begin to carry his same rhythm, and we were soon in sync. I wrapped my arms around his neck, suddenly forgetting about Sonny, food, or what tonight may bring. Thoughts of my mother, my body changing, Megan, and my possible departure to Costa Rica began trailing off into a distant area of my brain. I could feel the bass pumping between us and allowed my body to relax in his arms, feeling safe and sound, just what Capital Cities was singing about.

  A bubble was beginning to form around Tristen and me, and soon it felt as though we were the only people in the room. He lifted his hand, grabbing my neck and squeezing gently. The touch of his skin created sheer bliss, jubilation that made my body quiver. The alcohol from earlier in the night still coursed through my veins, generating a slight buzz. And with the music, I closed my eyes and tilted my head up, giving him more space to rub and send tingles through me.

  I felt a soft kiss on my neck, causing my eyes to roll. His other hand met my face and he gently forced me to look into his smoldering eyes. Our bodies continued to move together, swaying and bopping in the same motion, as if it were meant to. He grazed his thumb over my bottom lip and gave me a half smile. I wasn’t anticipating it. I wasn’t bracing myself. I didn’t even begin my countdown. In that moment, the only thing I wanted more was to taste his lips on mine. And without our bodies stopping their movement to the music, I leaned in.

  As soon as my lips touched his, I felt his body relax, as if it were a relief. I felt my body do the same and without a skip to our beat we pressed our lips harder on one another’s. His hands moved from my face and through my hair as I pulled him closer to me, feeling as if he weren’t close enough. His lips parted, as did mine, and his tongue slowly and tenderly entered my mouth and tasted mine. The butterflies in my stomach danced with us and my heart slowed its beats. Without catching a breath, we kissed slowly and passionately, savoring every moment. I grabbed the back of his head, gently pulling his hair. We kissed like we had never kissed anyone else before. There was nothing else in the world at that moment that could be better than what I was feeling.

  Suddenly, I felt a force on my back. Someone pushed me firmly against Tristen, and Tristen quickly held on to me, stopping me from causing us both to fall on the ground. I turned around feeling really pissed off that someone ruined the incredible electricity that was flowing between us. And maybe a little punch-drunk from it being our amazing first kiss.

  Sonny stood in front of us, arms folded across her chest. The music suddenly stopped. Kind of like what happens in the movies when the DJ stops a track too quickly and it screeches. I stifled a chuckle as it reminded me of that.

  “What the hell, Tristen!”

  Chapter 12

  The Appetizer

  I glanced around and noticed that we were suddenly in the middle of a large crowd, resembling a crowd watching a dance off or something of that nature. I spotted Phoebe and Eric standing on the opposite side of Tristen and I. Eric had his hands around Phoebe’s waist and I swore I could see his muscles flexing as if to hold her back.

  Tristen stepped in front of me and quickly tried to defuse the situation. “Sonny, can we talk in private, please?” he asked in a calm manner.

  “No! No we can’t. What the hell are you doing here with her! And why the hell are you two making out in my house?”

  “Sonny, you really wanna do this right here, in front of everyone?”

  “I don’t give a shit who is around! You obviously have no trouble making out with that skank in front of everyone here.” And she actually had a point. I briefly began to realize that it did take a lot of…balls…for Tristen to come here in front of all his friends with me. But I guess he was just trying to get hi
s point across.

  “So, what...are you two going out now? When the hell were you going to tell me this?” she asked. I suddenly felt pity for her having to find out this way. I looked down at my feet, awkwardness and shame beginning to seep through me.

  “Well, Sonny, I was actually coming here to tell you that…” He looked over at me. Feeling everyone’s eyes begin to rest on me, I started to wish there was a rock I could crawl under.

  “What?” she asked impatiently.

  Tristen turned back to Sonny. “I was coming to tell you that we can’t be together anymore. I have feelings for Grace.” He turned back toward me and I swore I could see a twinkle in his eyes. I had known for a couple of weeks now that Tristen was interested, however I guess it didn’t completely hit me until then. Hearing him actually profess this was something completely different. It was a clarification. It was the truth. It was the beginning of something wonderful. It was him holding his heart in his hands, and it was mine for the taking. I saw Phoebe smile across from me and I knew that she was thinking the same thing.

  I shifted my eyes to Sonny, who was now turning into a monster right in front of us. She threw her tightened fists to her sides and yelled, “Are you freaking kidding me!” She pointed at me. “How could you possibly want to be with that? She is a waste of air, Tristen. She is hideous!”

  “Hey!” Tristen yelled. “That’s enough!” He grabbed my hand. “I came and said what I had to say. We’re through, Sonny. We’re leaving.”

  Tristen began to lead us through the crowd. As we walked past Sonny, she grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled me to the ground. I lost Tristen’s hand on the way down. I grabbed the back of my head immediately, wondering to myself if this was really happening. Tristen quickly ran to my side and I caught a glimpse of Eric completely holding Phoebe off the ground as she continuously tried to kick her way loose. I ignored Tristen’s hand, as suddenly a wave of anger flowed through me. This was definitely a “Oh no she didn’t!” moment.

  I got up slowly, watching Sonny’s every move.