State Of Grace

Chapter 20 - Forever & Always

"No," Rachel exclaimed, "I can support you, you don't need them," she was tearing up.

"Rachel, I love you, and I always will, but I need some sort of stability that isn't going to expire and I don't want to be alone in the system again," she explained, "If the Tuckers decide to get rid of me, Anita will probably move me across the state again and I'll never see get to see you. Trust me, this is for the best. For both of us."

Rachel let out a long sigh, "The second you turn eighteen, you and I are getting out of this town, we'll go where no one can find us, and start a real life. I love you," Rachel said.

The bell for class rang, and Gracie returned the sentiment and said goodbye to her girlfriend, longing for the day they could be together with no outside judgment, hoping they wouldn't have to wait that long and run away to get that.

"Hey, you coming?" Elle waved to Gracie from across the courtyard, and the two girls went to their math class. "I heard that you and Jason broke up," she whispered to Gracie as they sat at the back of the classroom, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's for the best, I'm not even straight." Gracie hadn't planned on coming out to any more people, but talking to Elle was easy and it just slipped out.

"Wait for real?" Elle was surprised, "Wow, I guess almost all my friends are gay now," she joked.

"I mean," Gracie stuttered, "Yeah, I guess I'm a lesbian, or gay, or whatever."

It was the first time Gracie had called herself a lesbian. In the past, that word had been used as an insult, but since living with the Tuckers and hearing Stella and Lilah proudly calling themselves that, Gracie started to see that maybe it wasn't an insult after all. If she had to be put into a box, she was glad to share it with two of the most incredible, inspirational, and aspirational women she'd ever met.

"That's awesome!" Elle kept her voice down, and Gracie was grateful, "Thank you for telling me."

"Thanks, and uh, you're welcome, I guess," Gracie smiled, happy she'd confided in Elle, her honesty and Elle's support had cemented their already strong friendship.

Now all she had to do was formally tell the rest of the Tuckers and after that, she didn't care who knew and who didn't. She only wished she could be honest about Rachel.

That evening, Riley, Maia, and Gracie were in their room discussing how they were going to ask Stella and Lilah about the adoption.

"Do you want to be there when we ask them?" Riley asked Gracie, who was shaking like a leaf.

"Um, no, I don't want to put too much pressure on them, you know?" Gracie hadn't been this nervous since the trial. "I don't want them to feel like I'm putting them on the spot."

"Okay, well, they'll probably wanna take the weekend to think about it anyway," Maia said, "So, we'll go ask them now and we'll come and tell you what they say afterward."

"Okay," Gracie nodded, and her foster sisters hugged her.

She planned to wait patiently in her room and focus on her homework but after just a few seconds she couldn't take the anticipation, so with quiet steps, she made her way downstairs and stopped just around the corner from the kitchen, avoiding the squeaky floorboard. Gracie knew she shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but she couldn't sit around waiting for an answer.

"So, you're all on the same page?" She heard Stella's voice.

"You want us to foster Gracie long-term?" Lilah asked.

"Well, we've been talking about it for a while now, she needs a family," Marco said.

"And we can be that for her," Danny added.