Eternal Sunshine ✓

22. Parents (Part 2)

**again, please excuse any errors**

FLASHBACK LATE '90s - Continued

Something was wrong with Jeremiah Simmons.

Gracie was one hundred percent sure of it, she just had no idea what exactly had transpired. He'd become different with her for the past two days, different in a good way, but still different.

He'd ask her for help with his classwork, telling her he did not understand the material. Of course, a star-struck Gracie didn't even take time to question Jeremiah's sudden change in character, she was just glad he was talking to her. He even seemed to be interested in her.

Weeks passed and things between the two of them were better than ever. Even his little crush on Kayla seemed to be no more and as the annual Winter Ball school dance approached, Gracie was not surprised yet still elated when he asked her to be his date.

Looking back, Grace wondered why she never even took a minute to really wonder why Jeremiah had changed so suddenly.

She saw the way being in his presence changed her, the way she was more at peace, happier, lighter. Years later, she would see the same look on her son when he was around Tasha.

Finally, after a fantastic evening spent dancing and eating, Jeremiah and Gracie ended their Winter Ball with Gracie sneaking him inside her house. Silently, they made their way up the stairs, careful not to wake her mom and siblings, they thanked God her dad was away on a business trip.

Once inside her large room, Jeremiah took in the place. Gracie was too anxious about what was bound to happen between them to notice his eyes training on her possessions as if he was looking for something.

"S-So," she stammered, already getting hot and bothered. "What are we going to do now?"

Jeremiah smiled slowly, "Now Gracie, we're gonna have fun."

.

Gracie was happier than she could ever remember being. She had finally had her first kiss, with the perfect guy too. Happy was an understatement.

At seventeen years old, she believed with all her heart that Jeremiah Simmons was it. They'd finish senior year together, attend the same college or at least colleges of close proximity, then after that would get their own place and get engaged in their mid-twenties.

Finally, they would have two or three kids, two boys and maybe one little girl. Gracie had everything planned out, from her wedding gown to the type of house they'd live in.

For once in her life, she was really happy. So happy she didn't notice that she was living in a bubble, the bliss was bound to fade away, a sharp needle was going to burst her round world of nothing.

At first, she really didn't notice that her possessions were going missing. She couldn't find her favorite golden necklace, but she told herself she probably had just misplaced it and it would turn up the next day. Soon enough, some of her favorite earrings went missing as well.

Still, she had always been a person to lose her stuff, it wasn't much of a weird thing for her to misplace her things. Plus, her mind was so occupied with her relationship with Jeremiah that she couldn't dwell on her material things for too long.

Even when she seemed to lose money, or when her expensive shoes where nowhere to be found, or also when she swore she couldn't find any of her designer skirts.

She put all of that in the back of her mind, not dwelling much on it, it's wasn't as though all of those things couldn't be replaced, surely her dad would be happy to buy her more clothes if she asked.