Popular Meets Unpopular

Issues-19

After cheer practice, I made my way straight to Grant's house. For one, to bring him the homework and so I could talk to him. To be honest, I missed him. After the kiss yesterday, I couldn't wait to see him at school the next day but then he wasn't there and it made me upset.

I pulled up in his driveway and I didn't see his car but there was one there.

I decide to get out of the car and see if he was here anyways. I knock on the door and it takes a few seconds before someone answers and it's his mom.

"Oh, hi, Julianne, I wasn't expecting you. Do you need anything?" she says, leaning against the door frame.

I smile at her. "Hi, I was wondering if Grant was here?"

She looks at me for a while before she opens the door wider. "Why don't you come in, yeah?"

I looked at her, confused but oblige and make my way inside to where we sit on the couch. It's silent for a second before she speaks, "Grant is out with his dad right now."

I nod, slowly, not understanding why she's telling me this. "Okay..?"

She sighs, fiddling with her fingers. "Julianne, Grant's dad is not a good man and I want you know that whatever happens, don't leave Grant for it. You make him really happy, I can tell when he talks about you to me and his sister."

I furrow my eyebrows. Why was his dad not a good man? Is this the reason he wasn't in school today? Because of his father?

"Is everything alright?" I ask once I notice the exhausted look in her eyes. She had dark circles under her eyes and it looked like she wasn't getting that much sleep. It's how Grant looked that one day he slept in my bed.

She gives me a lazy smile. "I'm alright. I just need you to be there for Grant, okay?"

I give her a reassuring smile and nod, "Okay."

I leave, giving the school work to his mom and ask her to give it to him. I'm beyond curious to what's going on between Grant and his father which, is now, another thing I need to talk to him about.

I pull up to my house to see Grant's car there. I furrow my eyebrows when I see him sitting down on my porch, waiting for me.

I put my car in park, quickly getting out the car. "Grant?" I call out, walking towards him.

He stands when he sees me and when I get closer towards him I can see he looks stressed out. I was about to ask him what was wrong but I was cut off when he hugs me.

I stumble a little from surprise but then quickly wrap my arms around him. His arms were tightly wrapped me and he laid his cheek on top of my head.

Without moving from the hug, I ask, softly, "Are you okay? I just talked with your mom and she mentioned something about your dad--"

He pulls away, abruptly, "She didn't tell you anything, did she?"

I frown. "No, but why would it be a problem if she did? Do you not trust me?"

"Of course, I trust you," he says, quickly, "I just...if you're gonna know personal things about me, I want you to hear it from me, not my mom."

I cupped his cheek, nodding. "Okay."

He nods. "So, why were you at my house?"

Him saying that made me remember why I wanted to see him in the first place. To talk about us. What we were going to be after yesterday. But talking with his mom and seeing him looking stressed out and how there is something going on with his dad, prevents me from bringing it up. I didn't want to seem selfish.

I shake my head. "Oh, no reason, I just wanted to know if you were okay because you weren't in school."

He gives me a soft smile and then leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek. "I'm okay."

I lean in to give him a soft peck on the lips. "Good."

He takes my hand. "You wanna go somewhere?"

Ten minutes later, we're parked out towards a trail in my hometown. People come here a lot because of how beautiful it is when you get to the top.

I raise my eyebrows at him. "You're gonna make me exercise even though I just got done?"

He smiles turning off his car. "You can never have to much exercise in one day, right?"

I laugh. "If you plan on passing out, sure."

He laughs along with me as we both get out of the car. "We aren't going to the top, by the way."

I raise my eyebrows as I walk over to him. "Then where?"

He turns around and starts to walk away and then looks back at me. "You coming?"

I roll my eyes at his dorkish ways but have a lingering smile on my face, following him as he led me through the trail.

When we get deeper into the trail, Grant steers off of it and goes into the woods were there is a smaller trail that no one ever goes to. I give him a curios look and hesitate following him.

Once he looks back and sees my hesitation, he reaches his hand out. "Come on, don't you trust me?"

I nod. "Yeah, but I don't trust the woods."

"Julianne, trust me."

My hesitation continues for a second longer before I reach out and grab Grants' hand. He firmly but gently grips it and I follow, hand in hand.

I assume we make it to our destination because Grant stops and looks at me, waiting for my reaction. I take in my surroundings and see we stopped in front of a beautiful river that has gigantic boulders near it. It was a very peaceful place.

I smile at the amazing human beside me. "It's very nice and peaceful."

He nods, agreeing. "This is where I come to just be by myself and read. This is a great spot for reading."

He starts to walk over to one of the big boulders and climbs on top of it to sit down. I make my way over and do the same, Grant helping me up. It's silent as we watch the water and listen to the birds chirp.

"My dad," Grant starts, grabbing my attention. "I hadn't seen him in five years until today." He stops and swallows before he says, "I was shocked when I first saw him because he...he looked like a complete different person. Not my dad."

I glance at him in shock and notice the amount of emotion on his face; pain, hurt, sadness, all that had my hand reaching out towards him to lay on his hand in comfort.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want too." I say, softly.

He shakes his head. "No, I want too. I need to talk about it. It'll help me."

I nod in understanding. "Okay."

A/N:

So, I think this is the first cliffhanger I've done, SORRYYY

Tell me whatcha think :D