State of Grace
Chapter
29
Teddy was two
months old when Ashley Smithson finally dumped Luke Taylor. For
reasons the rest of the future senior class couldn’t
understand, Luke was beyond happy.
“Luke,” said Luke’s good friend, “Ashley
is one of the hottest girls in our entire school! Are you stupid
or something?”
Luke wasn’t stupid; he just hadn’t been that smart.
He had wanted to be rid of her for awhile but he didn’t
have the heart to break up with her. Apparently the break up
hadn’t gone over well either. Things were thrown and
profanity was used in ways someone shouldn’t have to
hear.
Luke actually got to work with Grace in the fields that day,
confessing later to Grace that Ashley had forbid it before.
“Why is your arm bleeding?” she asked him.
“Oh Ash threw something at it. She was aiming for my
head,” he shrugged.
“Ash?” she said, smirking. He shoved her into the
dirt, “Hey! Jerk,” she said, half laughing. She got
up, brushed the dirt of her jeans, and poked him in the side,
“You’re it!”
“Real mature,” he said, his hands on his hips.
“Are you slow or just a chicken?” she mocked. He
dropped the tool he had been using and sprinted after her. They
ran through the fields until they got to her house. When Mr. and
Mrs. Foster, Annie and Ryan saw Grace and Luke come out of the
fields laughing and panting, they all exchanged a look.
“Ya’ll okay?” called Grace’s dad, looking
a little worried. They hadn’t seen Luke or Grace interact
in weeks or look this happy.
“Yes sir, we’ve been thinking we try out this thing
all the normal people call “friendship” and see where
it gets us,” said Luke, smiling down at Grace.
Later that night, when her family had already gone to bed, Grace
and Luke stayed out talking on the porch. She took his hand in
hers and asked, “Friendship?”
Even in the dark she could tell he was blushing again. “For
now,” he started, “That’s all I thought
you’d want… since your last relationship went so
well with John.”
She punched him on the arm and he pretended it hurt while they
both laughed. “I’d like to be more then friends
though,” she said after they had stopped laughing.
“Me too, darlin’, me too,”
He stood up, kissed the top of her head and got in his truck and
drove away. When the headlights disappeared, Grace went up to
another sleepless night.
