grace under pressure • jerome valeska

CHAP.16: Celebration

  Jerome and I laughed the entire way home. We stayed on the outside of the truck, smiling together and the wind blowing threw our hair. I knew my hair would go back to it's frizziness as soon as I got off this truck but I really did not care. I didn't really know what to call us. Me and Jerome. Maybe we shouldn't have a name. We were above that. We were different. We had something no one on this boring place we call earth had. I just enjoyed being around him and that was enough. Plus, while driving home, Jerome had me in front of him, his hand around me and whispering erotic things in my ear. I laughed and blushed at each one of them. 

  When we arrived to the skyscraper I realized that Arnold never made it. Hmm, too bad. Guess I had one less weirdo to think about. I stretched as we walked in, walking to tell Theo about our failure to blow up the cheerleaders. I wasn't really that worried about him though, my mind was on Jerome the whole time. I hadn't ever had anything on my mind for so long before. Not even killing my parents. It seemed as if he occupied my mind 24/7 and I couldn't get him to leave. It felt strange and whenever I was around him I would feel this incredibly weird feeling in my gut. I think people called it butterflies.

  After we all told Galavan about Jim and the police and Arnold, he didn't seem too upset. He said he was a bit disappointed but then he told us it all had to do with a message. We were going to be in the paper once more. We were going to still have a name. A message of fear. For us to strike again. Everyone liked that idea. He then told us we should celebrate. He told us we could do whatever we liked as long as we didn't damage his property. I suggested we have sort of party. A celebration of sorts. Everyone agreed. I then said a celebration...with a twist. A twist we would all love. I told Theo to bring us victims. A purge sort of vibe. Everyone liked that too. (I had just recently watched the Purge and I loved it! I hadn't watched it with my horrible home life so this was a completely new thing to me.)

  We were to have the party tonight so I had to kinda dress up according to Barbara. I hadn't suggested that but she told me I had too because Theo was forcing the guys to dress up in suits. I hated the idea of wearing a dress but agreed against my will. That is why Barbra was throwing random things out of her closet that she thought would fit me while I sit on her bed, ducking and covering to not get hit with shoes. She finally made a sound and turned to me with a black dress. I raise a brow and she threw it at me. I look at her. 

  "Um, no way." I tell her. She rolls her eyes. 

  "Um, yes way." She says and sit next to me, taking the dress and putting it over my chest to see how it would look. She nods. "That will work." I look at the back. It had a criss cross thing on the back and I shake my head vigorously, throwing it back at her. 

  "I'm not wearing that." I tell her. 

  "And why not?" She asks.

  "It shows to much back." I tell her. She tilts her head a bit and chuckles. 

  "Well duh." She states. "You want Jerome to see your back don't you?" I snap my head to her, a look of pure anger crossing my face and I stand, putting my hands out. 

  "No. No I do not. I'm not going. I'm going to stay in my room." I tell her. She stands as well.

  "What? You can't! Your the one who suggested the party in the first place." She tells me. I shake my head and turn away.

  "Hey." She says softly. "What's wrong? How come you don't want to show your back?" I continue to look away from her. "Grace. Look at me." I turn around and glare at her. 

  "You want to know why I don't want to show my back, huh? Because I'm hideous!" I scream at her. She doesn't flinch but just knits her brow.

  "Grace. What are you talking about? Your a beautiful women." She tells me. I growl then sigh, looking down at my feet.