Grace.

Chapter 27.

Gloria had the most gorgeous dress for prom. She looked absolutely stunning! Her date was Daniel and their outfits were matching. I thought I was going to borrow that dress for Homecoming because I didn't have a date anyway.
But things changed.
I...didn't see it coming. I got home and sat in my room for a while just thinking about it. I couldn't stop thinking about him! Him and Edgar. Edgar's situation honestly stressed me out. But him and I were being careful. No one knew and it was our little secret. The perfect relationship. Right? Mamá always used to say that if you have to hide something or keep a secret, then you need to ask yourself why. Not all secrets are bad, but mine and Edgar's wasn't good either.
All I knew and believed was that him and I made sense. That we fitted perfectly and he was my first crush. Of course we were eventually going to end up together! What we were most afraid of were the people closest to us — family...friends. I knew that if they ever found out, my relationship with Edgar would face serious challenges. And I didn't want that. It's not how I pictured it.
At school the next day, we had a free period. The teacher was sick. Kids were still buzzing about Homecoming and everyone just couldn't wait. My friends and I couldn't stop talking about it as well. That and Homecoming King and Queen.
"It'll definitely be Austin!" Naomi blushed.
"What are you gonna do? Vote for him a million times?!" Lucy scoffed.
"Don't be mean. You know she's right. Everyone loves Austin," Bebe voiced.
"Except for me," Lucy gibed.
I didn't want to say anything. Fighting with Lucy was exhausting. My attention was on an empty desk one aisle away from me. Where was he? And as if knowing that I was wondering where he was, his head popped through the door, eyes darting across the room. When he spotted me he smiled and walked in. The others were shocked to see him coming to us.
"Hey, girls. Hi, Grace," he greeted.
"What do you want?" Luce bit.
"Not you. I'm here for Grace, actually," he responded.
"W-what for?" I inquired.
"Can I steal you for a moment?" He asked.
I never told my friends about Ethan. Never! I mean, what was I going to say? "Oh, you guys! I'm talking to Ethan Byers. He's cool. He's really cool!" They were going to think that I'm nuts! But then again, it was all in my head. Honestly speaking, they found Ethan really attractive and hardly ever said anything bad about him. I think that I was the one with the problem. It must've been his horrible, disturbing reputation.
"Okay," I agreed.
I stood up from my chair and followed him out of the class. Half of the kids had gone quiet and were staring at us like they'd just seen Bigfoot or something. Funny enough, I did not seem to mind. We walked beside one another in the corridors until we reached a very, very old classroom. Was he planning on doing something terrible?
"Close your eyes," he ordered.
"Why?" I worried.
"It's a surprise," he chuckled.
I hesitated but eventually closed my eyes. I told myself that I'd stay alert and won't fall into any prank or trap he might've set. When I felt his gentle touch on the lower part of my back as he carefully led me into the room, I sort of relaxed.
"Keep them closed."
I could hear the door lock behind us, "Ethan?!" I called out.
"I'm still here. I'm right here," he purred, taking both my hands in his. "Okay...open your eyes," he said.
He was standing right in front of me and I found myself looking at him as we stood inside the old classroom. I pulled my eyebrows together.
"Before I show you, promise not to freak out?"
I could feel his hands grip mine a bit tighter than normal.
"I promise," I vowed in a whisper.
And that's when he let go of my hands and stepped aside, revealing a desk covered with a white cloth, rose petals on it, a cake, some fries and milkshakes!
"W-what?" I breathed. I was speechless! What was going on?!
"Your favorite meal: Fries and milkshakes. I wasn't happy with the way I approached you yesterday about going to Homecoming with me. So I thought I should do it again," he explained.
"Ethan..." I found myself saying.
I couldn't get my eyes off of the set up. It was simple but so darn cute! I noticed how the classroom was clean. The windows were open and the floor had been swept and mopped. It was clean. The two chairs were clean. The set-up was cute and...
"Whoa, Grace?!"
I...got too emotional. I was literally on my knees! It was a moment I had read about in books, you know? When the guy goes out of his way to impress the girl? Even if it was the smallest gesture, it's the thought that counts. I had never imagined that I'd get to experience it. He knelt beside me, fear written all over his face.
"D-did I do something wrong?"
"No. You did everything right. I am speechless. This is so beautiful," I marveled.
"I'm glad you like it. Can we get you off this cold floor and onto the chair before the food gets cold?" He chuckled.
"Yes," I smiled, taking his hand as he lifted me up.
He pulled a chair out for me and I sat, him taking a seat opposite me.
"So, today on the menu we've got vanilla flavored milkshake as well as strawberry flavored milkshake. Then we've got the shoestring fries, seasoned with...different delicious spices, actually," he laughed.
"They look and smell delicious!"
"Thank you. The order took some time but it finally arrived. My sister is the best at baking. She told me what to do and I did it. I baked you a cake. With a question on it."
"So, how do I give you an answer?"
"If it's a 'no', you cut the cake yourself and eat it. If it's a 'yes', I cut the cake for you and feed it to you," he smirked.
"Mmh, very interesting."
"So, will you go to Homecoming with me?"
Pretending to think about it, I could see him sweat. So, I took the knife which was placed next to the cake and if I'm not mistaken, it looked as though his soul almost left his body. His eyes widened and before his jaw dropped into his glass of milkshake, I handed the knife to him.
"If you agree to go to Homecoming with me, take this knife, cut a piece of cake, and feed it to me," I smirked.
His dropped jaw widened into a smile as he carefully took the knife from me. The cake looked so moist and the icing was done just right. But did it taste good? He lifted the cut piece and fed it to me. I took a bite into it and my gosh, it was so good! He chucked the remaining piece into his mouth and slightly nodded his head. No lie, the cake was really good.
"That was really good. You did a great job!" I complimented him.
"You know what means the most to me right now?"
"What?"
"The fact that you actually believe that I made this cake all by myself."
"But that's what you said!" I giggled.
"It is what I said, and it is true. It's just that I didn't think you'd believe me," he said.
"I believe you."
"You're the first. Not only do you believe me, you've trusted me as well."
"What do you mean?"
"You came to an old classroom with the school player. A guy known for sleeping with girls. We walked out of class together!"
Was he trying to tell me that I made a mistake?
"So?" I tried to downplay it.
"Aren't you worried they'll get the wrong impression? I'm sorry, this isn't how I wanted this to go. It's just that I'm only realizing this now. I should've planned this some place else."
"And so what if they do?"
Because, so what if they did? Ethan and I knew the truth. We couldn't worry ourselves with what other people thought.
"You're Grace Hills."
"A normal kid. I swear everyone just thinks I'm an alien or something!" I laughed.
"And you're not," he chuckled.
"You said it yourself. I'm human. You're human. We all are. It gets tiring sometimes, being Grace Hills. Does that mean I can't rebel and sneak off with the Quarterback into a dodgy classroom and enjoy some good food?"
"Of course you can! And between you and me? It looks good on you," he winked.
"What does?" I laughed.
"Rebelling. Sneaking off with the Quarterback and having a meal in a dodgy classroom," he chewed with a smirk on his face.
"Can we strike a deal?" I asked.
"I'm all ears."
"When we're together, I'm not Grace Hills. I'm Grace, the normal girl."
"Yes, ma'am. You're Grace and you like fries, burgers and milkshakes. You take killer pictures. You enjoy painting. You're funny and not to forget....breathtaking. How's that Grace? Do you like her?"
"I love her!" I grinned.
"Can I strike two deals?"
"I'm listening."
"When we're together, I'm not Ethan Byers. Also, please allow me to take you out to a proper restaurant, and last one, we should hang out more before Homecoming."
"Whoa! That's a million deals!" I cried out. After taking a sip of my milkshake, I answered him. "When we're together you're Ethan, the Quarterback. You absolutely love training and food. You dress really well and you're quite handsome. Not to forget, really sweet. How's that Ethan?"
"He sounds amazing. I'd love to meet him one day!"
I laughed, "And, yes we may go to a proper restaurant and yes, we can hangout before Homecoming."
"I'll let you know when then. So, does that mean we can move on to phone calls and texts?" He tested.
"A call or two won't hurt," I shrugged, blushing.
'Grace, what are you doing?' That's the question I kept asking myself, but I couldn't seem to get an answer to. I didn't know why. I honestly didn't. I knew I had to stay away from Ethan...but I couldn't.
"Are you okay? Is the food not good?"
"The food's good. I'm sorry. I'm ruining the mood," I sighed.
"No, you're not. Is it something you want to talk about?"
"No. No. It's...nothing."
"O-kay. Grace, listen," he leaned in and reached out for my hand which was resting on the table. "You can talk to me. About anything. We can talk to each other. Like...a safe space type of thing."
"For real?"
"I'm down if you are."
"Sounds cool."
He squeezed my hand before letting go. Time had gone and we didn't even realize it. We finished our food and cleared up the space before heading back to class. Again, we walked back together, but this time, we had little conversations and laughs on our way back. He had...a beautiful smile. And there was something about his vibe. Ethan was so free, actually. Very respectful, and goofy.
I returned to my seat feeling lighter than when I left. All eyes were on me but it didn't bother me. The only set of eyes which tore through me were those of Naomi's because when I looked at them, I saw Edgar. It made me think about our thing, and how it started and how he was the first guy I fell for.
It made me think of my life plan. Edgar wasn't a part of it, but he fit perfectly. I did think about it, and it was...destiny.
My dreams and my future plans meant a lot to me. I was hell-bent on making sure that everything played out exactly as I had planned it to. I had myself and my family to make proud. And I was going to do just that.