For the first time in five months, Grace wakes up with a smile on her face, feeling as though she can properly breath again. Having Justin back felt like she could take on absolutely anything. Her heart felt full, she felt lighter, and the pain has finally been taken away.
Unfortunately for her though, she was being forced to go to school today which meant that she couldn't look after Justin. She was slightly worried, feeling like if he wasn't in her direct eye line for a single second, he would get up and leave.
She knew she shouldn't think of the negatives, but she couldn't help it.
She throws on a hoodie over her tank top and shorts and goes into Clay's room, seeing Justin curled up on the couch. She grins at how cute and innocent the boy looks and goes over to join him, the boy taking her into a hug.
Clay sits on his bed looking over at the couple in disgust. Even though he does like them together, although he would never admit it to them, he really didn't want anyone being overly affectionate with his little sister. "Justin, do you think that you can keep your shit together until someone comes over and to look after you later? I'm running late and I have to get to school. Also, Grace is going to court again today."
"I'm fine, I don't need a babysitter and Grace you really shouldn't be stressing yourself over all that." Justin sighs, pulling the blanket over him and Grace. "It's just so fucking cold in here."
"It's chills because you have a fever." Grace informs her boyfriend, tucking him in more.
Clay gets another blanket and throws it over the two, looking at Justin in distaste. "Maybe a shower would help."
"I'm not that bad." Justin shrugs.
"I can say for definite that you are that bad." Grace tells him with a grin. "You're lucky I can stand to be this close to you right now."
"I'm hungry."
Clay raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "How can you be hungry? You threw everything up."
"Maybe that's why I'm hungry."
"Just take a shower." Clay instructs before going downstairs to do Justin some breakfast.
Grace then has to pry Justin's arms off of her, making her let out a chuckle. "Come on, J, Let's go run you a shower."
Rather reluctantly, Justin removes himself from the couch and follows Grace into the shower. She grabs a towel for him, placing it on the toilet seat and a few of Clay's products.
Justin strips off of his shirt and Grace's eyes widen, turning around in embarrassment. Seeing this, Justin laughs.
"You know, you could join me." He grins suggestively, taking off the shorts he's wearing.
Grace feels her cheeks heat up and she shakes her head, "I'm going to wait outside for you." She insists and exits the bathroom, letting out a breath while leaning on the door.
"Hey." Matt Jensen greets as he exits his room. "Is the shower on?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that's my shower, I'm just waiting for it to heat up." Grace replies easily.
"Yeah, the new tankless heater takes a while to warm up. It shouldn't take this long." Matt says worriedly and places his hand on the doorknob of the bathroom.
Grace quickly steps in front of him again. "Don't worry about it, it's not a big deal." She assures, surprising Matt with a smile. "I'm gonna go in there now and I'll see you later."
And with that, she enters the bathroom. She hears Justin showering and ponders whether or not she should join him.
Making up her mind, she begins to slowly take off the hoodie, tank top and shorts off, leaving her in her underwear. She knows she shouldn't feel insecure in doing this, Justin is her boyfriend and one of the kindest people she knows, but she can't help but feel self conscious of him seeing her fully naked for the first time.
Gaining a sense of confidence, she removes her black lace bra along with her matching pants. She grabs the shower curtain and moves it slightly.
Seeing the movement, Justin looks over and smiles at her lovingly, "Hey."
"Hi." Grace mumbles, stepping into the shower and next to him.
They're face to face now, only a few centimetres apart. Justin looks at her body, almost hungrily and Grace's breath quickens.
Leaving no room to talk, Justin smashes their lips together, Grace immediately responding and tangling her fingers into his hair. She pulls on it, swallowing his groans. She then begins to feel Justin's hands wander down her body, cupping her ass and squeezing it softly, making Grace gasp into his mouth.
He separates their lips and begins to plant kisses from her cheek to her neck, turning the girl on even further.
Grace's hand travels down until it reaches his hard and sensitive area, earning a wide eyed look from him. She keeps eye contact while slowly starting to pump him with her right hand. His breathy gets heavy and he leans forward placing his forehead on her shoulder, overwhelmed with the sudden pleasure. Her thumb slides over his tip and he groans again, unaware of him thrusting his hips slightly.
Letting out a breath, Grace falls to her knees in front of him nervously.
Justin looks down at his girl and he looks at her doubtfully. He didn't want her thinking that's all he wanted or that she has to do it because she doesn't. "Are you sure? Because you don't have to do anything, I promise."
"I want to." She assures his worries.
She then places her mouth over him, her mouth taking in the tip, swirling her tongue over him, smiling to herself when he moans. she starts bobbing her head slightly, getting used to the feel of him. She watches proudly as Justin's eyes roll back into his head and he sighs in pleasure.
Seeing that she's doing the right thing causes her to take him in fully, the tip pressing at the back of her throat. She grabs his balls with her hand softly plays with them, adding to the pleasure.
Justin wasn't going to last long, he already knew that. There was something about how Grace looked at him. The innocence in her eyes as she sucked him off devilishly. She continued this, swirling her tongue around him.
Justin pants loudly, "Grace, I'm going to cum." He warns her. "So, if you don't want to take it, you can stop now."
But Grace doesn't listen and continues her movements, fully wanting to carry on.
A few seconds pass and he suddenly spasms, exploding into her mouth. The warm liquid spills into her mouth and she swallows it down easily.
Justin helps the girl up off the floor of the shower and kisses her lightly, tasting himself on her.
"Was that okay?" She asks self consciously.
Justin scoffs in incredulity and smiles at her with love in his eyes. "Grace, that was fucking perfect."
He watches as her eyes fill with relief and he presses a kiss into her hairline, pulling her to his body. Grace feels herself smile, holding in the three word phrase that she so desperately wants to let out.
"We should actually probably shower now." Grace chuckles, grabbing the shampoo and lathering it in his hair.
***
After their shower, they sit down on the couch again and stare at the two polaroids, trying to work out what room the people are in and where it's located.
"It's definitely not the pool house." Justin tells them, holding onto one of the polaroids. "I could ask one of the guys and maybe figure out—"
Clay shakes his head, "No. You stay here until you get clean. For Jessica."
"I could just show this around." Justin shrugs, like it's no big deal.
"Oh, yeah, just show the picture around of Bryce raping a girl, no big deal. Why don't you show Porter while we're at it?" Grace remarks casually, taking Justin's free hand.
Rustling is heard from the window and Clay abruptly snatches the polaroid from Justin's grip, hiding it in his pocket.
Tony stumbles through the window. "Fuck me."
"Well that was graceful." Grace comments.
"Wait, he's my babysitter? What happened to Sheri?" Justin whines.
"I don't know if I should be worried or not that you want Sheri so much." Grace teases him, earning her a kiss on the cheek.
"Never."
"Sheri couldn't skip twice in a row." Clay speaks up, breaking their heartfelt moment. "She's taking the evening shift."
"I thought he wanted nothing to do with me?"
"No, I don't." Tony says bluntly. "So keep your mouth shut and don't piss me off."
"Don't piss me off." Justin snaps back defensively and Grace smiles, not knowing why but she's always loved hearing Justin swear.
"And if you puke on this leather, I'm gonna have to kick your ass." Tony declares casually.
"Great." Grace and Clay both comment.
Justin shifts uncomfortably, "I really fucking hate when you do that twin telepathy shit."
"So, WebMD detox info and contingency plans are on the desk." Clay instructs, turning to Justin. "Don't let anyone see you. We gotta go."
"Do me a favour and don't kill each other please." Grace begs while giving Tony a hug. She then walks over to Justin and gives him a soft kiss, ignoring the other boy's groans.
She's suddenly pulled away by the arm by her brother and she rolls her eyes, leaving the room with him as Justin glares at Clay's retreating figure.
***
For the fourth time, Grace sets foot in the courtroom, ready to hear Ryan's story. She hoped that he was one of the ones to tell the truth. After seeing online all the lies that Marcus spread, she honestly had to hope for Hannah.
"Nothing that's worth anything comes without pain. A work of art is only good if it arises from necessity, from need." Ryan starts off in his usual poetic way, honestly slightly confusing Grace. "And it can be political need or personal need, or, ideally, both. Art should be confrontation. It should shock and scare you. And Hannah, she was an artist in need. And I think that's what happened. And she freaked people out. A soul in need needs a way to express it. Silence is never the answer. But when there's so much going on inside you... society expects us to stay silent. But, as it almost always the case in high school, we mock what we don't understand. And that's what kids at Liberty did to Hannah."
Dennis stands up, ready to ask the first question, "And what about faculty? I mean, didn't they express concern over the poems suicidal contents?"
"The poem was read aloud in Mrs. Cusick's class." Ryan answers honestly. "That's about it."
"So no one addressed the anonymous author's obvious cry for help or asked you who wrote it?" He questions, pacing to exaggerate his point.
"Nope. No one took it seriously. But then again, they rarely do." Ryan says sassily.
Dennis nods, going back to his seat, letting Sonya have her turn. She stands up proudly and moves onto the topic of why Ryan didn't do anything when he heard the poem.
"I can't pretend to know what goes on in someone else's head." He responds. "It's poetry. Most of the poets in our group write about dark and messed up things.
"So you had no idea that Hannah was crying out for help in her work, or so the prosecution would have us believe, but you expect the school to draw that conclusion?" Sonya asks.
"It's their job, isn't it?" Ryan enquires rhetorically. "I mean, I'm sorry, but I'm not a licensed therapist, or a teacher."
Sonya turns around, annoyed with that answer and grabs a few poems from the desk. "Ryan, isn't it true that you worked with Hannah on many of her other poems?"
"Some, yes."
"And do you recognise these?" She questions, placing the poems in front of him.
Ryan flicks through them quickly, "Yes, they're other poems from Hannah's journals."
"Defender Exhibit F, Your Honor." She tells the judge before placing a singular poem in front of Ryan. "Uh, Ryan, did you work with Hannah on this poem?"
"Yes, I did."
"Would you read this poem for the court, please?" She questions, although the didn't have much of a choice.
He looks around cautiously before picking it up. ""Oh, fruit forbidden, so sour, so sweet... I have been banished from the garden, and I don't think I miss it. And yet I want another bite."
"Can you read this poem please?"
""It was the smile that did it first. The way it seemed so easy for you to be so happy. That smile I wish I'd never seen."
Grace chews her bottom lip anxiously, already having a feeling that she knows who the poem is about, she just needed Ryan to confirm it.
"And do you know who this poem is about, Ryan?" Sonya asks, awaiting his answer.
"Objection. Hearsay." Dennis interrupts.
"Declarant unavailable, Your Honour."
"I'll allow it." The judge says.
"And who is this poem about, Ryan." She asks him once again.
Ryan looks over at Grace Jensen, before lying easily, "I don't know."
"Hmm." She sighs, gesturing to another poem. "Ryan, why don't you read another poem for us?"
He reads another poem about a forbidden love, almost confirming for Grace who the poem was written about. She silently prayed it wasn't about her boyfriend, she didn't know that if she could handle that. Because if he was the one that she was writing about, that means that he was the one she was sexting with.
"You've read us three poems now, so I'll ask you again, who were these poems about?" Sonya interrogates, seeing is stressed expression.
"Objection. Asked and answered." Dennis says.
"Your Honor?" She questions.
"I'll allow it." The judge tells her, Grace rolling her eyes at how he's practically kissing her ass.
"Who's the poem about, Ryan?"
"Justin Foley." He reveals quietly, Grace sighing sadly. How come Justin had to be involved with every single female at Liberty?
Sonya's eyebrows crease, "So, after Justin Foley, in her own words, "ruined her and destroyed her reputation," she maintained in contact with him?"
"Yes." He admits.
"And kept writing poetry about him?"
"Yes."
"Nearly a half dozen poems. Any further mention of depression or cries for help?" She asks.
"No." He replies quietly.
"And to your knowledge, did she maintain personal contact with Justin Foley?"
"I...I don't know." He stutters, lying. "I mean, she wrote about longing, about love and the lack of love."
"Then why didn't you publish any of those poems?" Sonya questions.
"Because they weren't any good."
"Ryan, be honest." Sonya chuckles humourlessly. "You published the poem you did not because it was her truth, but because you thought it would shock the most, didn't you?"
Ryan looks over at Olivia and Andy Baker, hesitating before replying, "No. She wasn't happy. She was extremely upset and hurting. She wrote about Justin and— and other boys because she was lonely. It's not about them, it's what they represented. What they did to her and what you're doing right—"
Sonya cuts him off as he gets snappy, "No further questions, Your Honor. Thank you, Ryan."
She takes her seat, Dennis standing up again. "Redirect, Your Honor?" He asks before speaking to the younger boy. "Ryan, why do you think Hannah continued texting with Justin?"
"Justin Foley was a bad decision." Ryan voices, looking at Grace as he says this, making her refrain from glaring at him. "We all make bad decisions. Especially when we're desperately alone."
***
Grace comes into Clay's bedroom seeing Justin on his bed, reading an Alien Killer Robot comic. When he notices her come in, he places it down next to him, giving her full attention. He knew that she found out about him and Hannah, and he didn't know what to say about that.
"Hey," He says awkwardly. "A-Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm just really tired." Grace tells him quietly, coming over and curling into his side. He wraps an arm around her protectively as she rests her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.
"I'm guessing you found out." He mutters, playing with her hair. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not mad at you." Grace responds instantly, wanting to be one hundred percent honest with him. "I guess, I was just surprised, that's all. I thought you stopped speaking when the picture came out."
"Yeah, we were texting a lot after I was apologising for, like, a month." He says.
"We're you sexting?" She questions cautiously, already knowing the answer but wanting him to tell her. "Tyler said that he saw something, that looked like sexting and if it's true that you two continued speaking then..."
She trails off, not knowing how to continue.
"Yeah." He mumbles shamefully, pressing a kiss in her hairline. "It was only for like a month, but, yeah... we were."
Grace doesn't say anything for a while, nodding her head on Justin's chest. "Okay." She accepts quietly, finally glad to know the full truth.
The bedroom door opens and Clay rushes in, his eyes set on Justin. "When were you going to tell me someone saw you?"
Grace lifts herself up from Justin's chest, "Someone saw you?"
"When were you going to tell me about Jess?" Justin shots back at him. "I talked to Tony. She doesn't want me here, does she?"
"It's complicated." Grace sighs.
Justin turns on the girl, "You knew? And you didn't say anything?" He asks, his face full of betrayal. "You lied to me."
Clay looks between the two awkwardly between the two before backing out of the room.
"I didn't know how to tell you! And Jess will change her mind, I'm sure of it. You just have to get clean—"
"Fuck that." He snaps, grabbing his bag and beginning to put his shoes on. "I'm wasting my time."
"Oh, so being with me is a waste of time." Grace scoffs out a laugh, standing up from the bed and running a hand through her hair in frustration. "God, you are so bipolar! One minute, you're making all these promises, saying that you'll never leave again, and the next, you're mentioning your ex girlfriend and trying to leave. So, for God sake, Justin, make a choice and stick to it!"
"Is that why you lied to me?" Justin fumes, stepping closer to her. "Because you're jealous."
Grace shakes her head, trying to compose herself, she wasn't going to let him talk to her like that. "No, I did it because I thought if you didn't know, you would stay. Clearly, I was wrong. Leave if you want to leave, I won't stop you anymore."
A tear falls out of her eye, Grace wiping it away angrily as soon as it falls. She looks at him once more before grabbing the handle of the door and leaving the room altogether, leaving him with his thoughts.