The next day, Grace feels apprehensive for the day due to it being Justin's first day back at Liberty High school. It could either go two ways; good or bad. It was almost inevitable that Justin would have to deal with the annoyance that is Bryce walker and his posse. She could tell that Justin was nervous by the way he scoffed his breakfast down his throat that morning. He always eats when he's nervous, she's noticed from watching him throughout the years. It's like he was the opposite of her, which they both liked.
She was the angel and he was the devil.
Walking into the school grounds, Grace keeps a tight grip on Justin's hand, feeling all eyes turn to them, more specifically, him.
She's pulled back when Justin randomly stops, pulling on her hand and she turns to him in question. "This is weird, right?" He asks her, making sure it's not just all in his head.
"It is." She nods assuringly and squeezes his hand. "You'll be okay, though. I believe in you."
Hearing those words come from her mouth lifts his mouth up into a smile. "You're amazing." He compliments, his eyes looking at her in awe.
Grace blushes, placing a hair around her ear bashfully, "So are you." She beams, pressing a kiss to his cheek. She was weary of PDA. Even though she didn't mind it, she refrained from doing more, knowing that it's Justin's first day back in school and he already had so many eyes on him.
They continue their way, meeting Clay at the front of the school, wanting to all walk in together. They open the doors, trying to ignore everyone the best they can.
The three of them are then bombarded with Sheri, the girl instantly interrogating Clay, "Did you not get any of my texts?" She asks him.
"Uh, my ringer must be off." He lies unconvincingly. Just then his phone starts to ring, Sheri looking at him in incredulity.
Clay smiles at her awkwardly and looks at his phone, his eyes widening at the name on the screen. Without further notice, he answers the call happily, "Skye?" He questions, and steps away from them to talk to her.
Sheri shakes her head in disappointment, beginning to acknowledge Justin's and Grace's presence. "Hey, guys. I'd say welcome back, but kind of shitty timing."
Grace squints her eyes at her words, "What do you mean?" She enquires politely.
"I mean about the tapes." She informs the two. Seeing the couple's bewildered expressions, she feels the need to explain. "The tapes are out. Someone posted them online and everyone listened listened all last night."
Grace scoffs angrily, already having a good indication of who posted them. She strolls up to her brother, taking his phone out of his hands while ignoring his protests.
She brings the phone to her ear before speaking into it sweetly, "Hey, Skye. It's Grace. Clay is going to have to call you back because I'm going to strangle him."
Ending the call, Grace then pushes Clay into the locker doors, making everyone's eyes widen at her sudden violent outburst. Grace is usually very concealed and private, so seeing her angry like this was quite shocking.
"Do you ever think about anyone other than Hannah?" Grace scoffs, disregarding Clay's look of distress. "Did you think about how other people are going to get affected like Alex, Jess, especially Justin." She snaps, pointing a finger at the Foley boy that has come to stand by her.
Clay shakes his head, his mind somewhere else completely. "I... I gotta go." He stutters and rushes out of the corridor leaving Grace to gape after him along with Justin and Sheri.
"Jensen. Hey, Clay!" Justin calls after him. "Where the fuck are you going?"
"Just leave him." Grace advises, grabbing his hand again. "No doubt he's seeing Skye after she ignored him for weeks."
She starts to walk them down the corridor to Justin's locker that he hasn't visited for over five months.
"We're having a meeting, by the way." Sheri tells them before leaving to go to her own locker in a different hall.
Once Justin puts his books away, he closes us and leans against it casually, facing Grace. "It's only the start of the day and I'm already drained."
Grace laughs, "Imagine how I feel, I didn't get any breaks."
Justin chuckles but his body freezes when he spots Bryce Walker on the phone at his locker a few lockers down. Grace notices his expression causing her to turn around to see what he's looking at.
She instantly shakes her head at him, "Don't do it, J. You know that no good can come from this."
"It will only take two seconds." Is all Justin says, not taking his eyes off of Bryce. He saunters over to him casually, hiding his anxiousness.
Bryce blows out a silent breath upon setting eyes on Justin, not knowing how the conversation is going to go. He ends the call hurriedly, not even paying attention to Grace walking up to them.
"I heard your confession." Justin is the first to speak, swallowing awkwardly.
Bryce ignores his words, looking over the boy in false worry. "Are you feeling okay, brother?" He questions and Grace rolls her eyes discreetly. "You didn't look so good the other day."
"You're going down, Bryce." Justin says bluntly.
"How do you see that happening, exactly? Without you going down with me?" Bryce taunts.
Justin takes a step towards him so Grace's hand flies up to rest on his chest, stopping him from any further violent activities. She doesn't say anything to either of them though. Justin sighs, knowing that he needs to hold in his anger for her, not wanting her to see that angry side to him.
"I will do whatever I have to... to make you fucking pay." He threatens lowly.
Grace eyebrows scrunch together when Bryce laughs quietly. "I'm not gonna pay for a goddamn thing, Justin. I've got a legal team working for me around the clock. I've got state fucking senators that will talk about what a fine citizen I am." He shrugs casually before taunting him again, "What have you got? A junkie mom and a deadbeat dad? Oh, shit, you don't even know your dad, do you? You're just a white trash piece of shit, Justin. Nobody's gonna listen to your truth. Nobody gives a shit about you. You've got nothing and nobody."
Grace, having enough of Bryce's taunts, finally snaps, "That's where you're wrong, Bryce. He's has me. Unlike you, he has people who actually care about him and don't stay with him because they're afraid."
She then begins laughing mockingly, "It must feel like real shit being you. A dad that doesn't even love you, a mom that's disappointed in you."
Bryce nostrils flare, taking a step closer to Grace, who remains unfazed. Justin goes to shove Bryce away but stops, seeing Grace's look. "Do you have any idea what I could do to you, Jensen?" Bryce asks her, fuming.
"Yeah, I do." Grace tells him plainly. "But you won't. So kindly shove off before I go to the FBI and tell them what you did to Jess and Hannah."
Bryce looks affected by her words and narrows his eyes, "Be careful, Grace. We wouldn't want the same thing to happen to you, would we?"
He then proceeds to walk away, leaving the two there. Grace let's out a breath of air, Justin looks at her with an unknown expression.
"What?" She asks him innocently.
"Why the fuck would you do that, Grace?"
Hearing his angered tone, she takes a step back. "Would you rather me just let him talk all that crap about you?" She scoffs and takes his hand. "I did that for you, why are you so angry?"
He chuckles nastily and rips his hand out of hers, "Don't even fucking worry about it."
And with that, he leaves Grace there alone, in a matter of confusion and sadness. She gulps down the lump that has formed in her throat and she wipes away the tear that has feel before anyone is able to notice.
She then pushes herself off of the locker, strutting to her first class which is geometry.
***
It is now lunchtime and Grace wasted half the day to look around for Justin, but remaining unsuccessful. She wants to sort out their argument, not being able to concentrate until their issues have been resolved. She then got told that Justin went home, suddenly feeling sick.
So, she decides to go home to check on him due to him ignoring all of her worried texts. She opens the house door, throwing the keys on the living room table before going upstairs.
She knocks on Clay's door three times, sighing when she hears no answer from him.
"Justin, please." Grace begs, her voice breaking slightly. "Look, I still believe I'm right but I'm sorry if I upset you, okay?"
She frowns when there is still no response. She places her hand on the handle of the door to open it and her eyes narrow when it doesn't open, he's locked it. She freezes, thinking the worst. She sobs as she bangs on the door.
"Open the fucking door, Justin!" She cries, attempting to nudge the door open with her body but failing miserably. "Foley, please!"
The handle keeps jangling noisily as she continues to harshly open it. She then gives up and takes a step away from the door, getting ready to break it.
She kicks the door full force, making the door come off its hinges but open forcefully.
She immediately enters, gasping at the sight of Justin Foley lying on Clay's bed unconscious with a needle in his arm.
A desperate sob leaves her throat and she springs herself into action. She rests her legs on the bed while she takes the needle out of his arm. She then begins tapping his face gently, trying to get him to wake up.
As it doesn't work, she cries harder, making it difficult to see because of the tears in her eyes. "No, no, no. Justin, wake up! Please!" She screams brokenly, shaking his body roughly. "Baby, please... you can't leave me."
Grace hears Justin start to gag and choke on his own puke and she panics, "Don't you dare die on me, Foley! I can't live without you."
She manages to grab onto his body and roll it over, causing Justin to puke all over the floor as he wakes up from being unconscious. He gasps and coughs, being able to breath again. Grace sighs in relief, grabbing his face in her hands.
"You are going to be the death of me, Foley." She mutters to him, helping him sit up properly.
First, she goes into the bathroom to get paper towels and she cleans up the puke that's on the floor. Next, she grabs the needles and throws them in the trash. And after that, she goes back in Clay's room to sit with her boyfriend.
The silence is almost deafening. Neither know what to say to each other. Justin looks at the girl who feels herself getting emotional again.
"I'm so sorry." He speaks up into the silence. "Bryce got into my head and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Please don't hate me."
Hearing those depressive words spill from his mouth, Grace moves towards him, letting him pull her into his chest. "I could never hate you."
Justin's body calms down, the feeling of air returning to his body. His arms circle her waist, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead.
"Y-You could've fucking died." Grace stutters over her words, still trying to make sense over what had just happened.
"Like anyone would even care at this point." Justin mumbles in a whisper, sadness and anger clouding his thoughts.
Hearing this, Grace pulls out of his hold abruptly, looking at him in a mix of pain and confusion. "I would!" She exclaims, not harshly but softly, trying to get him aware of how important he is. "Don't you get that, Foley? It's you and I forever."
Justin manages to meet her brown eyes, feeling guilty about making her feel so upset and broken. He takes her hand, rubbing gently over it.
"Plus," She looks down at their clasped hands, "You shouldn't joke about that, J."
"Shit. Sorry." He apologises with an awkward chuckle, knowing they were all still grieving over Hannah's death and he was making it worse.
The door is pulled open, Clay walking in and looking over the scene in uncertainty. Justin wears a depressive expression whereas Grace looks pained.
"What the hell happened?" He bewilderedly asks. As he had left for hours to meet with Skye, he had no idea what was going on.
Grace sighs but tells him the truth, "He shot up and then he almost choked on his own puke. Luckily, I rolled him over in time."
Clay places his back down on the floor and steps further into the room. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Justin? You were just clean—"
"Leave him alone." Grace interferes, not wanting Justin to face all of the guilt for his previous reckless behaviour.
"Why are you defending him, Grace, he could've died!"
"Yes, I know that, idiot." Grace feels herself begin to get worked up, thinking about how Clay released the tapes without anyone's permission. "What we're you thinking with the tapes? Do you have any idea what you did to Jessica and everyone else on them?"
"Yeah, I was trying to get justice for Hannah." Clay defends, less sure of his actions. "And I'm sorry if it hurt Jessica, but maybe it's time for her truth to come out, too."
Justin is then the one to speak up, curious to how Clay could believe that his actions were right. "What the fuck gives you the right to decide what needs to come out?"
"Look, I've done everything I can, everything I can think of to make things right." Clay crouches down on the floor, sighing. "But I can't do it alone."
"You sure thought you could when you released the tapes." Grace can't help but remark, backing down when she's earned two deadpanned looks.
"I'm sorry about the tapes. But it's gonna get worse before it gets better. And I need you guys."
***
Unfortunately, Matt and Lainey had somehow found out that Justin was on drugs, giving Justin more of a reason to leave. Clay and Grace wince as they're called into the kitchen and immediately started getting interrogated by their parents.
"Why didn't you tell us he was on drugs?" Lainey questions, pacing around the room.
"He was getting better, okay? Anyway, I didn't even know about the drugs when I first brought him here and neither did Grace." Clay defends, playing with his hands that are stretched out on the table. Grace stays silent through his words, not wanting to escalate the situation.
"Should we call social services?" Matt asks.
Grace immediately protests, not wanting Justin to be unsafe in the care system and also knowing that the boy was most likely listening to the conversation and would get scared. "No!"
Lainey sighs, standing behind Grace and holding a shoulder to relieve her of stress and paranoia. "If we call social services, he disappears into the system, he doesn't testify."
"Jesus, is that what we care about?" Matt asks her loudly, becoming annoyed at another mention of the case.
"No, I care about keeping the kids safe, which is hard to do when they're all fighting against us." Lainey scoffs, taking a sip of her whine.
Both Jensen twins furrow their eyebrows at their mother, "How are we fighting you?" They ask simultaneously.
"The register called me today." Lainey informs the two. "Those audio files were watermarked. Clay, you stole them from my computer."
"You told me that you weren't working on the case." Clay snarks back, leaning forward in his chair.
"That's no excuse."
"You told Sonya. About Zach texting Hannah. That's how they knew everything."
The revelation causes Grace to raise her eyebrows with widen eyes. Matt is also shocked and turns to her in question, "Is that true?"
"She's a colleague. I pointed her in a direction. It's hardly the same thing." Lainey says strictly before getting more worked up. "Clay, you endangered my job, my license, our livelihood."
"You ruined my fucking life!" Clay lets out in a scream, surprising everyone in the room at his outburst.
"I think you're all being totally dramatic, if I'm honest." Grace says bluntly, placing her head in her hands, attempting to drown out the conversation.
"Jesus, you found like children. And there's only two children in the room." Matt shouts aloud, his hands gripping the table in frustration.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Lainey becomes defensive towards her husband.
"Clay and Grace need us to be his parents now."
"I don't need anything from you guys." Clay scoffs argumentatively and Grace gives him a warning glare, silently telling him that he's overreacting and he needs to calm down.
"Clay, go to your room." Matt orders, not taking his eyes off of his wife that stares at him gobsmacked.
Clay looks between his parents in surprise, not seeing how they could not be taking response for their own actions. He then scoffs and stands up, the chair shrieking as he did so and flees the room from anger.
"I think I'm going to retire too." Grace says and takes her departure after her brother, not wanting to be there when her parents were arguing.
When she sees Justin sitting on the stairs, she looks at him in sympathy, knowing that he believes that he's screwing everything up.
She takes his hand, helping him up off the ground and taking him inside her room.
Justin tells Grace that he wants to see his mother, telling her that he would be back in a few days. Grace is weary to let him out of her sight at first, knowing that when both times she did, nothing good came out of it. But eventually, she agrees, wanting Justin to feel supported in his decisions.