Post by Noxeema Jackson on Mar 7, 2009 15:16:47 GMT -5
Lila smiled lightly as she looked over her rose bushes. The small buds were starting to open up, the first sign of the blood red bath of color surrounded by a sea of deep green that was about to take over her garden. This was the part she loved the most. The point when all her year-long efforts started to come into fruition as her flower garden started to open up again and fill itself with color other than that of the leaves and foliage. She stood up, placing her hands on her hips as she surveyed the garden and was contented. With a nod, she pulled her gardening gloves from her hands and headed to the front yard to tend to lilac bush that had become somewhat neglected.
Grace sighed and looked down the walk way to Lila and Ben's house. She hadn't seen either of them since the night Ben had been arrested and the night that Logan had forbade her to see Ben.. But he'd actually agreed that it was okay if she dropped by with a thank you gift of sorts for Lila. Grace swallowed, debating whether to go and talk to the older woman, because honestly? She'd gotten the feeling that Lila wasn't all that impressed with her, not that she blamed her. It was because of her Ben had been arrested. She looked down at the pot of miniature roses before finally pushing the front gate open and slowly made her way over towards the front door but stopped dead in her tracks seeing Lila coming around from the back. "Oh.. Hi, Mrs. Buchanan..." She said clutching the potted roses in her hands.
"Grace," Lila exclaimed with a perplexed look. She was taken off-guard by the sudden appearance of her grandson's newest friend, the one that had somehow managed to get a boy with a spotless record arrested. "I'm sorry," she then said. "Benjamin is not here."
"Oh..I uh.." Grace said glancing away for a moment before looking back at the older woman. "I'm here to actually see you." She confessed with a small smile. "I brought these for you.. As a thank you for not leaving me at the police station." She stated holding the potted roses out to Lila. "They're not much.. But I thought that they were pretty.."
"They're lovely," Lila said, accepting the gift graciously. "However unnecessary they are. I just did what anyone would have done." She walked up onto the porch and crossed over to a small table that held various potted plants upon which she set the small potted rosebush Grace had brought her. "Can I interest in you some lemonade or ice tea?"
Grace shifted slightly from foot to foot and looked over at Lila in surprise. She really hadn't expected to be offered anything to drink, but well. She managed a small smile as she hooked her hands together behind her back. "Well a lemonade does sound nice. But only if it isn't too much trouble."
"Don't be silly," Lila waved off the concern as she disappeared into the house only to emerge again a few minutes later with a tray containing pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. "How about we take this out to the gazebo?" she said, starting down the steps of the porch and toward the gazebo in the front yard without waiting for a response.
Grace quickly followed after Lila, with a slight smile. Well Lila certainly was something else. She caught up to Lila just as she was setting the tray on the table. She sank down onto one of the seats, and just watched the older woman silently. What was she suppose to talk to her about? Ben? Yeah.. Right. "Your flowers are really pretty.." She finally said glancing around the yard at the flower beds.
Thank you, darling," Lila replied as she filled the glasses and handed one to Grace before easing herself into one corner of the bench that lined the gazebo. "I must admit, I'm rather surprised to see you. Your brother seemed rather adamant that you no longer be around Ben."
"Well, he knows I came over to bring you the roses.." Grace explained before taking a small sip of the tangy drink. "He still doesn't want me to be around Ben.." She shrugged her shoulders. "I tried explaining it wasn't Ben's fault, that it was mine.. But he won't listen to me."
"So you told him that Ben lied?" Lila asked, taking a sip from her lemonade.
"You knew?" Grace asked rather surprised but nodded her head. "But I did. I've never lied to Logan before.. And I know Ben was just trying to help keep me out of trouble.. But.." She shrugged her shoulders. "He still won't listen.."
"Of course I knew," Lila clarified. "I could spot Benjamin in a lie if he were on the other side of the planet. He's really quite awful at it. I don't know why he bothers."
Grace smiled and took another sip. Lowering the glass she she tok a deep breath. "I really didn't mean to get Ben into trouble.." She begn twisting the glass in her hands. "I feel really bad. I.. Well. Honestly Mrs. Buchanan? After the whole.. incident earlier this year? A lot of students are either too afraid to be friends with me, OR they just want to be friends with me because of it. And Ben? He didn't care.." She trailed off and looked down at her lemonade.
"You don't really have to list off my grandson's qualities for me, Grace," Lila replied with a warm smile. "I'm quite familiar with them."
Grace lifted her gaze and offered Lila a smal smile, "But it doesn't matter.. Logan doesn't know Ben, and he's already decided he's bad for me."
"You're quite taken with him," Lila observed out loud then took another drink from her lemonade.
"What?" Grace asked, quickly lowering the glass back down. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm sorry, did I speak a foreign language?" Lila said quite bluntly.
"I..uh..No.." Grace stammered with a slight frown. "But taken with Ben? Oh.. Oh no.. Ben's one of my few good friends.." She clarified with a nod of her head.
Lila levelled her gaze at the young girl before letting a smile creep across her lips again. "With all due respect, darling, you're a worse liar than he is."
Grace felt a flush creep up into her cheeks and quickly looked back down at her drink. "Well.. Even if I did.. It doesn't matter." Grace stated with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "He's still .. Well he still thinks about Allison, and I'd rather be friends with him than nothing." She looked up at Lila with another shrug of her shoulders.
"Ah, so you're aware of Allison?" Lila said, questioning. She was finding herself quite impressed with how honest Ben actually was with people.
"Yeah..She actually use to be my roommate at school," Grace explained.
"I presumed as much," Lila replied, voicing her suspicion that, from the things that Logan had said, Grace was the girl that had been shot on the Wellington campus. "You said you 'used to be' Allison's roommate?"
Grace nodded slowly, "We got into a ..disagreement." Grace stated vaguely. "And well.. It seemed best.. If I just moved back in with Logan.."
"About what?" the older woman asked with a seemingly innocuous curiousity as she took another drink from her glass, her eyes remaining locked on Grace.
She shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat. "Umm.. Allison seemed to think I was going after Ben while he was.. vulnerable.." Grace admitted, "And well things got kinda heated.. ANd she said some.. things she shouldn't have.." Grace trailed off.
"I see," Lila said with a nod. To say she was surprised would have been a lie. It didn't take any form of presience or mind-reading to know that Allison, despite her insistance that she was fully committed to Jackson, still had some feelings for Ben. "And...are you?"
"Going after Ben?" Grace asked her eyes widening. "No! We're just friends.. And.." She took a breath and leaned forward setting her glass on the tabletop. "I know we won't be anything more. And I'm okay with that.. I'd rather be his friend than nothing at all.."
"Yes, I seem to be hearing that a lot lately about Benjamin," Lila said skeptically.
Holly Manske: "What do you mean?" Grace asked confused.
"Nothing," Lila answered, waving it off and pushing the thought aside before swiftly changing the subject back to her. "So, is Benjamin aware you and Ally have been fighting over him?"
"No, and I really don't think he needs to know.." Grace stated with a small frown. "He thinks so highly about Allison, and well. I don't want to be the one to make him think less of her."
"Well, darling," Lila said standing up as she drained her lemonade and set the glass back on the tray. "I won't object to your being friends with Benjamin. I won't even object to your being more than friends with him if that is where the two of you decide to take things. However, if I find myself bailing him out of jail on a regular basis I may have to change my mind."
Grace blinked and quickly drained the rest of her drink. "Uh, well I don't plan on that happening again.. The whole Ben getting arrested." She murmured softly and set her empty glass back on the tray before standing. "Thank you for the lemonade Mrs. Buchanan, but I.. I should be getting back before Logan sends an agent out to find me."
"Well," Lila said, extending her hand out to the young girl and shaking it. "It was nice to see you again, Grace, and I do hope this won't be the last."
"It was nice to see you too," Grace responded with a grin, shaking the older woman's hand. "And.. Well it won't be the last." She stepped off of the gazebo, but turned around and looked back at Lila. "Can you.. Can you tell Ben I said hello.. And that I'm really sorry for all the trouble I caused?"
"I think that's something better coming from you directly," Lila replied with a warm smile. "He has appointment in court on Monday at ten o'clock. So, if you were to show up, you might be able to tell him then."
Grace's face broghtened and she flashed Lila a thankful smile, "Thanks..I'll do that.. Thank you again." She said before turning and walking out of the yard.
Grace sighed and looked down the walk way to Lila and Ben's house. She hadn't seen either of them since the night Ben had been arrested and the night that Logan had forbade her to see Ben.. But he'd actually agreed that it was okay if she dropped by with a thank you gift of sorts for Lila. Grace swallowed, debating whether to go and talk to the older woman, because honestly? She'd gotten the feeling that Lila wasn't all that impressed with her, not that she blamed her. It was because of her Ben had been arrested. She looked down at the pot of miniature roses before finally pushing the front gate open and slowly made her way over towards the front door but stopped dead in her tracks seeing Lila coming around from the back. "Oh.. Hi, Mrs. Buchanan..." She said clutching the potted roses in her hands.
"Grace," Lila exclaimed with a perplexed look. She was taken off-guard by the sudden appearance of her grandson's newest friend, the one that had somehow managed to get a boy with a spotless record arrested. "I'm sorry," she then said. "Benjamin is not here."
"Oh..I uh.." Grace said glancing away for a moment before looking back at the older woman. "I'm here to actually see you." She confessed with a small smile. "I brought these for you.. As a thank you for not leaving me at the police station." She stated holding the potted roses out to Lila. "They're not much.. But I thought that they were pretty.."
"They're lovely," Lila said, accepting the gift graciously. "However unnecessary they are. I just did what anyone would have done." She walked up onto the porch and crossed over to a small table that held various potted plants upon which she set the small potted rosebush Grace had brought her. "Can I interest in you some lemonade or ice tea?"
Grace shifted slightly from foot to foot and looked over at Lila in surprise. She really hadn't expected to be offered anything to drink, but well. She managed a small smile as she hooked her hands together behind her back. "Well a lemonade does sound nice. But only if it isn't too much trouble."
"Don't be silly," Lila waved off the concern as she disappeared into the house only to emerge again a few minutes later with a tray containing pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. "How about we take this out to the gazebo?" she said, starting down the steps of the porch and toward the gazebo in the front yard without waiting for a response.
Grace quickly followed after Lila, with a slight smile. Well Lila certainly was something else. She caught up to Lila just as she was setting the tray on the table. She sank down onto one of the seats, and just watched the older woman silently. What was she suppose to talk to her about? Ben? Yeah.. Right. "Your flowers are really pretty.." She finally said glancing around the yard at the flower beds.
Thank you, darling," Lila replied as she filled the glasses and handed one to Grace before easing herself into one corner of the bench that lined the gazebo. "I must admit, I'm rather surprised to see you. Your brother seemed rather adamant that you no longer be around Ben."
"Well, he knows I came over to bring you the roses.." Grace explained before taking a small sip of the tangy drink. "He still doesn't want me to be around Ben.." She shrugged her shoulders. "I tried explaining it wasn't Ben's fault, that it was mine.. But he won't listen to me."
"So you told him that Ben lied?" Lila asked, taking a sip from her lemonade.
"You knew?" Grace asked rather surprised but nodded her head. "But I did. I've never lied to Logan before.. And I know Ben was just trying to help keep me out of trouble.. But.." She shrugged her shoulders. "He still won't listen.."
"Of course I knew," Lila clarified. "I could spot Benjamin in a lie if he were on the other side of the planet. He's really quite awful at it. I don't know why he bothers."
Grace smiled and took another sip. Lowering the glass she she tok a deep breath. "I really didn't mean to get Ben into trouble.." She begn twisting the glass in her hands. "I feel really bad. I.. Well. Honestly Mrs. Buchanan? After the whole.. incident earlier this year? A lot of students are either too afraid to be friends with me, OR they just want to be friends with me because of it. And Ben? He didn't care.." She trailed off and looked down at her lemonade.
"You don't really have to list off my grandson's qualities for me, Grace," Lila replied with a warm smile. "I'm quite familiar with them."
Grace lifted her gaze and offered Lila a smal smile, "But it doesn't matter.. Logan doesn't know Ben, and he's already decided he's bad for me."
"You're quite taken with him," Lila observed out loud then took another drink from her lemonade.
"What?" Grace asked, quickly lowering the glass back down. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm sorry, did I speak a foreign language?" Lila said quite bluntly.
"I..uh..No.." Grace stammered with a slight frown. "But taken with Ben? Oh.. Oh no.. Ben's one of my few good friends.." She clarified with a nod of her head.
Lila levelled her gaze at the young girl before letting a smile creep across her lips again. "With all due respect, darling, you're a worse liar than he is."
Grace felt a flush creep up into her cheeks and quickly looked back down at her drink. "Well.. Even if I did.. It doesn't matter." Grace stated with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "He's still .. Well he still thinks about Allison, and I'd rather be friends with him than nothing." She looked up at Lila with another shrug of her shoulders.
"Ah, so you're aware of Allison?" Lila said, questioning. She was finding herself quite impressed with how honest Ben actually was with people.
"Yeah..She actually use to be my roommate at school," Grace explained.
"I presumed as much," Lila replied, voicing her suspicion that, from the things that Logan had said, Grace was the girl that had been shot on the Wellington campus. "You said you 'used to be' Allison's roommate?"
Grace nodded slowly, "We got into a ..disagreement." Grace stated vaguely. "And well.. It seemed best.. If I just moved back in with Logan.."
"About what?" the older woman asked with a seemingly innocuous curiousity as she took another drink from her glass, her eyes remaining locked on Grace.
She shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat. "Umm.. Allison seemed to think I was going after Ben while he was.. vulnerable.." Grace admitted, "And well things got kinda heated.. ANd she said some.. things she shouldn't have.." Grace trailed off.
"I see," Lila said with a nod. To say she was surprised would have been a lie. It didn't take any form of presience or mind-reading to know that Allison, despite her insistance that she was fully committed to Jackson, still had some feelings for Ben. "And...are you?"
"Going after Ben?" Grace asked her eyes widening. "No! We're just friends.. And.." She took a breath and leaned forward setting her glass on the tabletop. "I know we won't be anything more. And I'm okay with that.. I'd rather be his friend than nothing at all.."
"Yes, I seem to be hearing that a lot lately about Benjamin," Lila said skeptically.
Holly Manske: "What do you mean?" Grace asked confused.
"Nothing," Lila answered, waving it off and pushing the thought aside before swiftly changing the subject back to her. "So, is Benjamin aware you and Ally have been fighting over him?"
"No, and I really don't think he needs to know.." Grace stated with a small frown. "He thinks so highly about Allison, and well. I don't want to be the one to make him think less of her."
"Well, darling," Lila said standing up as she drained her lemonade and set the glass back on the tray. "I won't object to your being friends with Benjamin. I won't even object to your being more than friends with him if that is where the two of you decide to take things. However, if I find myself bailing him out of jail on a regular basis I may have to change my mind."
Grace blinked and quickly drained the rest of her drink. "Uh, well I don't plan on that happening again.. The whole Ben getting arrested." She murmured softly and set her empty glass back on the tray before standing. "Thank you for the lemonade Mrs. Buchanan, but I.. I should be getting back before Logan sends an agent out to find me."
"Well," Lila said, extending her hand out to the young girl and shaking it. "It was nice to see you again, Grace, and I do hope this won't be the last."
"It was nice to see you too," Grace responded with a grin, shaking the older woman's hand. "And.. Well it won't be the last." She stepped off of the gazebo, but turned around and looked back at Lila. "Can you.. Can you tell Ben I said hello.. And that I'm really sorry for all the trouble I caused?"
"I think that's something better coming from you directly," Lila replied with a warm smile. "He has appointment in court on Monday at ten o'clock. So, if you were to show up, you might be able to tell him then."
Grace's face broghtened and she flashed Lila a thankful smile, "Thanks..I'll do that.. Thank you again." She said before turning and walking out of the yard.
hello everyone!
