Page 40 of Fall From Grace

Noah age 17

I’m giddy the whole drive home. I can’t stop smiling. It doesn’t matter that she’s with Dustin. She’s still the Grace I know. She’s still my Grace. She’ll come back to me.

N.P.

I called Dustin as I walked up the stairs but it went to voicemail. There was a good chance that he was ignoring my calls. I sent him a text.

Can you call me?

My phone beeped a few seconds later.

I’m not callin just 4 u 2 break up w me

I wasn’t going to feel bad for ending things with him. He had kept Noah’s whereabouts from me. He knew what Noah meant to me while he kept asking me out. Even though I said that, I still felt guilty. Maybe in his own way, Dustin really liked me or it could have just been because I never gave him attention like all the other girls… Maybe this was his way of being better than Noah, he had always been competitive with him.

No matter, it was my feelings that were never going to change. I couldn’t keep seeing someone I wasn’t attracted to, and not after Noah finally stepped back into my life.

Me:It is over, Dustin, we both know it. I’m sorry.

Dustin:So that’s it, ur getting with Noah just like that?

Me:Of course not! We didn’t even talk about getting together. I didn’t even tell him I was breaking up with you!!!

Dustin:If you say so.

I stared at the screen as I shut my bedroom door behind me and plopped down on the bed. I tapped on Noah’s text from earlier and started smiling. He saved his number under Noah, but I went in and added some heart and kisses faces next to it.Ah, much better.

I wondered how long it took him to drive home and if he was still on the road? I wanted to text him but I was afraid he was still driving. I wouldn’t tell him I broke up with Dustin for now either. If I told him, I’d make it too obvious that I wanted to go back to what we were becoming to each other at thirteen. I understood his reason for listening to my mom more than anyone else that kept it from me, I knew Noah was someone that tried to respect and understand adults, especially my parents.

I sent him the picture of Gus and me then sent him a text.

If you’re still driving, text me when you make it home.

After I hit send, I wondered if maybe I shouldn’t have sent anything and just waited for him to contact me. I fell back and placed the phone on my head and sighed. I had no patience when it came to him. I’d waited almost four years to finally hear from him again.

I showered and blow dried my hair and came back to my room to see that I had a text from him. I hoped I didn’t destroy my phone charger when I yanked it off charge.

I’m home.

This is a good pic of u.

I smiled as I climbed into bed.

Me:You told me you’d tell me what I wanted to know.

Noah:I did. What do u want to know?

Me:I want to know about the couple that you’re living with, and I want to know what you’ve been doing the past few years.

Noah:Their names are Dean and Janet. I already told u their boys are in the army… Dean owns a garage over here in Jewel CO. I’ve learned a lot of shit I didn’t know about cars while working there. They’re cool folk, Grace, stop worrying. They pay for my car insurance and everything, and wouldn’t even ask me to help out at the garage if I didn’t tell them I wanted to…for the Jeep, insurance, phone, and extra cash.

Me:So now that Mom set us up to meet again…

Noah:We can see each other whenever we want.

He finished for me. My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much at the screen.

Noah:Is Dustin upset w u?

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