State Of Grace

Chapter 34 - Bad Blood

"Yeah, we're going to the beach," Gracie replied, crossing her fingers that Danny wouldn't invite himself along. She was nervous enough as it was. At first she was excited, but now the time had arrived and she couldn't stop imagining every possible scenario. How they all seemed to end badly.

Danny bit his lip, "Could I come too?"

"Actually," she said. Lilah's face hardened as she listened to Gracie. "I was hoping to spend some time with just me and her," she shifted awkwardly, once again getting sick of the lies.

"Gracie?" Lilah said. It was all she needed to say for Gracie to know her mother didn't like that she was leaving her brother out.

"It's just-" she panicked briefly. Though he had been rooting for Gracie and her secret girlfriend initially, Danny now felt the same way as the rest of the Tuckers. Rachel hurt Riley, and there was no taking that back. "Well, she's leaving for boarding school at the end of summer, and we've both got a lot going on until then, so this could be one of the last times I'll get to see her."

"Oh right," he nodded.

"Sorry," Gracie said.

"Where's Ethan?" Lilah asked, "You two are usually attached at the hip."

"He's on vacation with his family," Danny rolled his eyes, "For two weeks."

Lilah looked at Gracie again and raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Okay fine," Gracie said, she felt bad for Danny, she'd barely spent any time with him this summer, "You can come."

She excused herself from breakfast when she was finished and went up to the bathroom to call Rachel. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the button, this would be difficult to explain. But she was almost relieved that it would have to be postponed, maybe it was too soon for them to meet each other anyway.

"I'm sorry," Gracie said after explaining she'd have to cancel their plans.

"So you're choosing him over me?" Rachel sounded annoyed.

"No, I'm not choosing anything, it's just this one time I have to cancel, I'm sorry. Danny doesn't know about us yet. I mean, I want to tell him, but I-"

"No. Don't tell him," she raised her voice, taking Gracie aback, "Don't tell anyone. It's like you're trying to break us up!"

Months ago, Rachel wanted their relationship to be out in the open, and Gracie knew it was a risk. But since the incident at the hospital, Rachel had been insistent the Tuckers couldn't know. Gracie still knew it was a risk, and although she was a seasoned secret keeper, the boulder was getting heavier and harder to keep pushing uphill. One misstep and the boulder would come rolling back down, and if it did, Gracie would be the one to get flattened.

Gracie surrendered quickly, "Okay, okay I won't. Just, please don't be mad."

"You can't blame me for being angry. I see you once a week if I'm lucky. It's not my fault that you're choosing your stupid family over me. Again."

Gracie stifled a sob, "That's not what I'm doing, I'm sorry, I-"

"Stop saying that!" She snapped, "God, can't you ever stand up for yourself?"

Gracie stayed silent. Hostility radiated through the speaker. Gracie's skin tingled as she broke a sweat and her heart raced faster than the water from the faucet she turned on whenever she had secret phone calls. It had been so long since they last fought. Again, it was Gracie's fault. She'd forgotten how loud Rachel could get when she was upset. She scolded herself as her brain made the comparison between Rachel and the man who lept at her from across the courtroom.