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I must've tried on fifteen different outfits. Each on Gerard said was good. Actually the first one he said was fine. Fine? Is he kidding me? I sighed and tried on the next one. He said that that one was fine too. It got to the point where no matter what I put on he gave me the same response. I'm starting to think that maybe he was just enjoying watching me take on and off my clothes and could care less what I wear. Fuck...

I pull out a tiger striped low cut mini spandex dress and squeeze myself into it. It was actually part of a Halloween costume that I had. It even had a tail. "How's this then?" I say spinning around in front of him. The skirt was seriously 2 inches long.

"Elle!" He laughed a little.

"What its not 'fine'?" I teased him swinging the tail in my hand.

"Wait do you have the ears that go with it still?" He says sitting up on my bed a little. I nod and pull them out from the drawer. "Put em on." He says smiling a little.

"Come on Gerard." I roll my eyes at him. He nods insistently. "Fine." I say putting the headband ears on. "What do you think now?" I laugh spinning around again.

"I think Lia's gonna need that outfit back for work!" He laughs and I frown.

"She's not gonna be working there!" I tell him tossing a pillow from the bed at him. "And for your information this is my outfit." I tell him taking the headband out of my hair.

"I know you wore it to Nates party 3 years ago." He says leaning back on my bed.

"That's right!" I exclaim. "How did you remember that?" I say sliding the dress off. He just shrugged. I don't remember him being at that party. Hell I don't even remember being at that party...

"We gotta get going." He sighs standing up.

"Then you pick something." I say throwing my hands in the air. He opens the closet and pulls out an off white sweater dress.

"Here." He says holding out for me. I tried it on. It wasn't half bad. It had a high enough neck and was tight but not too tight. I grabbed a pair of ballet flats and followed him out the door.

I could hear Lia and Bob talking softly in the living room as we left. He was saying something to her like it was her choice and that I'd understand. I'd understand what? I was gonna turn back and ask what they were talking about but

Gerard was outside calling me to hurry up. He didn't want to be late.

We got Mikey and Frankie from detention and dropped Frankie off at home. I was so nervous the whole way to their house.

"What's your grandmothers name again?" I asked Gerard for like the hundredth time.

"Elena." Mikey sighed.

"You met her at your papas funeral Elle." Gerard says reassuringly.

"Gerard do you know how fucked up I was that day?" I tell him.

"Oh yeah." He mumbles.

"She was in the book club with your Papa." Mikey says looking over his shoulder at me. I let him sit up front with Gerard.

"I don't remember their being anyone named Elena." I sighed trying to remember. There was a Helen. I liked her.

There was an Evie. She was pretty cool too. But no one named Ellen or Elena...

"Well she sure knows you." Mikey laughed.

"What?" I gasped.

"She says she knew your grandfather Elle." Gerard says and Mikey nods. "Pretty well too." He adds. "She seems to know a lot about you." He says as we pull up into their driveway... Now I'm totally confused and more nervous than ever. God knows what my Papa told her about me... "Just try not to curse in front of my grandma Elle" Gerard whispers to me as we go inside...I nod.

We get to their house and Gerard brings me inside and introduces me to his mother and father. They were nice. Exactly like he described them. Then he grabs my arm and pulls me towards the kitchen.

"This is my grandma." He says proudly. I look up at the woman and almost die. It's Helen.

"You said your grandmas name was Elena." I say making a face at him. "This is Helen!" I say smiling at her.

"Its only Helen to my friends dear." She says holding her arms out to me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you at the funeral." I say as she hugged me.

"It quite all right dear." She says and I sigh a little. "How are you holding up all alone." She says nodding a little.

"I'm doing okay." I tell her and she looks at Gerard. He nods.

"well good." She says smiling. I can't believe Helen is their grandmother... I love Helen...

As we sat and ate Helen was catching me up with all the gossip from 'book club'. I use to bring my Papa every Sunday and sit with him and wait. It wasn't really even about the books. It was more like a social club for seniors. And since my Papa couldn't drive anymore I would bring him. They'd all sit in the gazebo at the library and supposedly 'discuss' the book. Instead they'd talk about their kids and grandkids and gossip. They were worse than Heather sometimes I swear! Then afterwards they'd all go for the early bird dinner special. Well not everyone. Just their little group.

"So Maude's son got that promotion finally." Helen tells me and I nod.

"Well good for him." I say as I look over at Gerard smiling at me.

"Ah. Its not much more pay and the hours." Helen makes a face.

"Yeah but now Maude can start calling her son 'the executive'." I laugh.

"She's already been doing that for years!" Helen cries out. I smile. Gerard does too. He doesn't know Maude or what the hell we're talking about. He's just happy I guess...

"How's Theodore doing?" I say "He still being a pain in the ass?" I ask Helen.

"Elle!'" Gerard cries out choking on his water a little.

"No its okay Gerard. He really is a pain in the ass." Helen smiles at me.

"You would know that if you went with your grandma to book club some times Gerard." I scold him. He rolls his eyes a little at me.

"Whose this Theodore mom?" Donna interrupts.

"Theodore?" I laugh. "You mean 'the-adorable'!" I laugh and Helen does too.

"Whoa whoa whoa what??" Gerard says a little loud.

"That's what he likes to call himself." I explain to Gerard. "The-adorable, you know Theodore?" I say and Gerard makes a face. So does Donna. And Mikey too for that matter. "He thinks he's some kinda ladies man!" I say and Helen blushes a little.

"Wait a minute grandma. What exactly goes on at these book club meetings?" Gerard says getting a little upset.

"Oh stop it." She tells him waving her hand at him. He looks over at me. I look down at my dish.

"This is really quite good Helen" I say scooping some on to my fork.

"Elle." Gerard insists. I stuff the fork in my mouth and don't answer him.

"Leave her alone." Helen scolds him.

"I think I'm gonna be bringing you to your book club on Sunday grandma." Gerard tells Helen.

"Yeah me too!" Mikey chimes in.

I look over at her. "I'm so sorry." I say softly.

"Don't be." She laughs shaking her head a little at her grandsons. I couldn't help but smile. They were just so cute, worrying about their grandma like that...

The rest of dinner went smoothly. It wasn't until Gerard was ready to bring me home and his dad stopped us at the door.

"It was nice to meet you finally Elle." He said as Gerard helped me put on my coat.

"Um you too." I said nodding a little.

"Yes I couldn't wait to meet the girl that's been keeping my Gerard out at night." Donna says and I almost die!

"What?" He says looking over at her,

"Seriously Gerard. Do you think I really believed Mikey's excuses for you?" She says and Gerard and I look over at Mikey, He's got this total deer in the headlights look.

"Mom. I wasn't -'" Mikey tries to say.

"Save it Mikey." She quips at him and then looks back at me and Gerard. "Your 18 years old." She tells him. "You want to spend the night out." She kinda tosses her hands in the air and turns to me. "But he is graduating high school do you hear me?" She says firmly and I nod. "You are too young lady!" She scolds me.

"I know. I am I mean I want to." I tell her nodding. She frowns a little.

"Promise me." She says looking hard at us. "I'm not ready to be a grandmother." She says and I look down a little.
"Just promise that you'll finish school first." She says firmly.

"I promise ma" Gerard groans. She looks over at me I nod.

"Yeah I promise to." I say and she hugs me sighing a little.

I say good night to everyone and Gerard opens the car door for me when we get outside. I smile a little at him getting in. His moms words bothered me a little... If she only knew how close....

"So that wasn't too bad was it?" Gerard's voice cut through my thoughts.

"No." I sighed. "I had a good time." I say looking over and smiling at him. He reached over and held my hand as he drove.

"Can I ask you something?" He says quite serious too.

"Okay." I say feeling a little nervous. He's grinding his teeth a little. "what is it?" I ask

"I want you to tell me the truth Elle." He says and I nod.

"Of course I will Gerard." I reply.

"Good." He says tapping his finger on the steering wheel. "Now tell me everything you know about this- 'Theodore' clown....."