Are we Growing up, or just Going Down?
Chap. One
So. This all began to kick off when I left for Prague. Where I lived with Patrick and Mary for a substantial amount of time. Grace and I were at the airport. Yes I know we’re both called Grace. Shut up. We’ll both tell our different stories; it’s the only way to make things clear for other people.
“I’ll miss you too.” I said, hugging her. “But this is my life. I’m living my dream… Once I get there and meet the publisher and stuff, go to an international university… I’ll be there Grace, and I’ll come back for you. We’re best friends and believe me I’m not going to let some stupid career and English channel get in the way of it. I finally get the chance to become what I have wanted to do my entire life.” I stepped back and picked up the bag.
“Maybe you’ll make some new friends.” She said, her blue eyes staring into mine. She was about to cry; I knew it.
“They won’t be as nearly as good as you, or the guys.”
“Well, at least you have two people over there you know already.” She was right. I had pen pals to help me out with things. They were also going to the same university as me. We were hoping to share a dorm block together.
“Mary and Patrick…” I murmured, tucking my untameable, short dark hair behind one of my ears. I flicked my fringe away too. I think Grace needed to see both of my eyes right now. “Keep in touch, okay?” I managed to stutter out over the bustle and noise of the airport.
“Prague will be great for you, I know it.”
“It won’t be good as here… at home…” I felt a pain stab at my throat, and before I knew it, we burst out crying. In public. Hugging each other like two idiots. “You’ll still have Harri and Fruby and The guys, won’t you?”
“Yeah.” She sniffed.
“Looks at us, we’re 18, and yet still crying little girls.”
“It’s disgraceful!” We both exclaimed at the same time, a little louder than expected. It was like an inside joke. It was either graceful or disgraceful. We’re both DropDeadGraceful, for example.
“Oh and tell Ray I’m sorry he couldn’t make it…” Grace and Ray were the ones I felt closest to, the ones I trusted who would support me in whatever choices I made, even if it was leaving the flippin country!
“Sure.”
“Well, I guess… I should… go… now…” I said, pondering whether to hug her again…
”Oh stop stalling!” She joked, smiling, even though her eyeliner was incredibly smudged she still looked as pretty as ever. I went, stopped and turned to her.
“GOOD LUCK WITH FRANK!” I shouted. She pulled a mock anger face as I scurried off, a cheesy smile etched all over my face, humming. ‘Gracie and Frank, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…’
I got on the plane, sad, but downright excited. I was going to start a whole new life! This was it! I rubbed my eyes. Shit. My eyeliner had smudged; obviously got wet and now I had just rubbed it all over my cheek. Brilliant. I was gonna look like some deranged goth girl now, and none of the air hostesses will be polite to me and then they’ll murmur stuff about me… Well, at least I found my seat alright… But some random guy and his obviously stupid-Paris-Hilton-type girlfriend seemed like they had been given a fate worse than death when I appeared next to them. I shoved my black roller case into the overhead locker and slumped next to miss-prep-president. I smiled at the expression on her face. Priceless. I let out a sudden “HA” which scared her pretty much lifeless. Great! Now she won’t bother me! Yay!
GRACE C'S P.O.V
Aaaaaaaaaaaah! No no no no no no NO! Garce was off! (Yes Garce, that’s her nickname) ON A FLIPPIN PLANE! TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC! Aaah that was NOT FAIR. She went on her on behalf too! Now what am I going to tell the guys? AAAAH!
Great. My eyeliner has smudged, hadn’t it? I now looked like some weird emo girl taking the bus back to the coffee shop to cry more. Yeah the coffee shop. The gang always met there after school. You know, Fruby and Harri and Frank and Gee and the guys… So this is when I’d tell them why I wasn’t at school, and why the other Grace wasn’t there. I got to the outside of the coffee shop, avoiding the weird glances from the other people who got off the bus. Also, I had to ask why the hell Ray couldn’t come?! He was probably ill… or something… Yeah, ill or som- WHAT THE HELL?!
I stood there in the open doorway of ‘The Bean’ coffee shop. You can guess why Bob liked to hang out here. The guys were sitting at the usual table: Fruby, Harri, Mikey, Gerard, Bob, Frank… and RAY. WHAT THE HELL WAS RAY DOING HERE?! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ILL OR SOMETHING!
I was greeted to the table with numerous “Hi”s and “hello”s. I smiled back, sat down, and then glared at Ray. “Hi Grace.” He nodded, an uncertain smile on his face, then looking away, avoiding eye contact. So he knew! He knew he had to come! But he didn’t!
“Hello…? Graaaaace? HELLOOOOOOOO?” Gee waved his hand in front of my face and I was brought away from my thoughts.
“Wha…?” I said, looking around dazedly.
“Okay, one, where have you been all day, two, why do you have the Marilyn Manson eye thing going on here, and three, where’s Garce?” He said, counting off on his fingers. I blinked and shook my head before answering, wonder how to explain everything. But then I realised, I didn’t have to say anything!
“Why don’t you ask Ray?” I said, glaring at him again. Why didn’t he come to see his best friend for the last time?! “Yeah, he knows.” I smiled. REVENGE!
“I’ll miss you too.” I said, hugging her. “But this is my life. I’m living my dream… Once I get there and meet the publisher and stuff, go to an international university… I’ll be there Grace, and I’ll come back for you. We’re best friends and believe me I’m not going to let some stupid career and English channel get in the way of it. I finally get the chance to become what I have wanted to do my entire life.” I stepped back and picked up the bag.
“Maybe you’ll make some new friends.” She said, her blue eyes staring into mine. She was about to cry; I knew it.
“They won’t be as nearly as good as you, or the guys.”
“Well, at least you have two people over there you know already.” She was right. I had pen pals to help me out with things. They were also going to the same university as me. We were hoping to share a dorm block together.
“Mary and Patrick…” I murmured, tucking my untameable, short dark hair behind one of my ears. I flicked my fringe away too. I think Grace needed to see both of my eyes right now. “Keep in touch, okay?” I managed to stutter out over the bustle and noise of the airport.
“Prague will be great for you, I know it.”
“It won’t be good as here… at home…” I felt a pain stab at my throat, and before I knew it, we burst out crying. In public. Hugging each other like two idiots. “You’ll still have Harri and Fruby and The guys, won’t you?”
“Yeah.” She sniffed.
“Looks at us, we’re 18, and yet still crying little girls.”
“It’s disgraceful!” We both exclaimed at the same time, a little louder than expected. It was like an inside joke. It was either graceful or disgraceful. We’re both DropDeadGraceful, for example.
“Oh and tell Ray I’m sorry he couldn’t make it…” Grace and Ray were the ones I felt closest to, the ones I trusted who would support me in whatever choices I made, even if it was leaving the flippin country!
“Sure.”
“Well, I guess… I should… go… now…” I said, pondering whether to hug her again…
”Oh stop stalling!” She joked, smiling, even though her eyeliner was incredibly smudged she still looked as pretty as ever. I went, stopped and turned to her.
“GOOD LUCK WITH FRANK!” I shouted. She pulled a mock anger face as I scurried off, a cheesy smile etched all over my face, humming. ‘Gracie and Frank, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…’
I got on the plane, sad, but downright excited. I was going to start a whole new life! This was it! I rubbed my eyes. Shit. My eyeliner had smudged; obviously got wet and now I had just rubbed it all over my cheek. Brilliant. I was gonna look like some deranged goth girl now, and none of the air hostesses will be polite to me and then they’ll murmur stuff about me… Well, at least I found my seat alright… But some random guy and his obviously stupid-Paris-Hilton-type girlfriend seemed like they had been given a fate worse than death when I appeared next to them. I shoved my black roller case into the overhead locker and slumped next to miss-prep-president. I smiled at the expression on her face. Priceless. I let out a sudden “HA” which scared her pretty much lifeless. Great! Now she won’t bother me! Yay!
GRACE C'S P.O.V
Aaaaaaaaaaaah! No no no no no no NO! Garce was off! (Yes Garce, that’s her nickname) ON A FLIPPIN PLANE! TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC! Aaah that was NOT FAIR. She went on her on behalf too! Now what am I going to tell the guys? AAAAH!
Great. My eyeliner has smudged, hadn’t it? I now looked like some weird emo girl taking the bus back to the coffee shop to cry more. Yeah the coffee shop. The gang always met there after school. You know, Fruby and Harri and Frank and Gee and the guys… So this is when I’d tell them why I wasn’t at school, and why the other Grace wasn’t there. I got to the outside of the coffee shop, avoiding the weird glances from the other people who got off the bus. Also, I had to ask why the hell Ray couldn’t come?! He was probably ill… or something… Yeah, ill or som- WHAT THE HELL?!
I stood there in the open doorway of ‘The Bean’ coffee shop. You can guess why Bob liked to hang out here. The guys were sitting at the usual table: Fruby, Harri, Mikey, Gerard, Bob, Frank… and RAY. WHAT THE HELL WAS RAY DOING HERE?! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ILL OR SOMETHING!
I was greeted to the table with numerous “Hi”s and “hello”s. I smiled back, sat down, and then glared at Ray. “Hi Grace.” He nodded, an uncertain smile on his face, then looking away, avoiding eye contact. So he knew! He knew he had to come! But he didn’t!
“Hello…? Graaaaace? HELLOOOOOOOO?” Gee waved his hand in front of my face and I was brought away from my thoughts.
“Wha…?” I said, looking around dazedly.
“Okay, one, where have you been all day, two, why do you have the Marilyn Manson eye thing going on here, and three, where’s Garce?” He said, counting off on his fingers. I blinked and shook my head before answering, wonder how to explain everything. But then I realised, I didn’t have to say anything!
“Why don’t you ask Ray?” I said, glaring at him again. Why didn’t he come to see his best friend for the last time?! “Yeah, he knows.” I smiled. REVENGE!