Post by Lindsey on Jun 12, 2007 14:35:05 GMT -5
I hope you guys aren't bored with this chapter--People have said there's not enough plot 
, but believe me, it IS coming! 
I'm not the greatest at writing *short* things, so I guess I just take a while to build up to the main conflict... For now, I'm hoping you guys can see the internal conflict going on inside of Grace (and Apolo, for that matter, even though this is entirely from Grace's perspective). Please be patient. The pace will pick up soon! 
Note: I did a little research to go along with this! ;D I've only visited Seattle once, so I looked up some places to go. The place where this scene occurs is a real place, and it's actually just a few miles away from P.F. Chang's--the restaurant where Grace met Apolo the second time. When I first wrote that chapter, I had no idea where I was going with this chapter, so I think I just got lucky that there was actually a P.F. Chang's close to Waterfront Park.
Photos where this *happens*--to help you visualize:
-----------------------
Grace bit her lip thoughtfully as he waited for her to make up her mind. This is Apolo, Olympic champion, Dancing star. He can’t be that bad.
Just then, thunder crashed. The skies opened up and a heavy Seattle rain began to pour down on them. They both looked up and laughed as in mere seconds they were soaked from head to foot.
“Come on,” Grace shouted as she accepted Apolo’s hand, and they dashed to the SUV. Jake, the driver, looked back at the two, who were dripping wet, and chuckled as he started the car.
“Where to?” he asked.
Apolo looked at Grace with a look she’d never seen from anyone before. “Anywhere. You have any ideas?”
Grace guffawed. “You’re the one who wanted to go someplace!”
“Let’s just go to Waterfront Park, then,” Apolo told Jake. “That’s close by,” he addressed Grace.
A few minutes later, Apolo was pulling a protesting Grace out of the SUV.
“We’re going to catch our deaths of cold!”
“C’mon! It’ll be fun!”
Grace allowed him to pull her out into the rain and Jake drove away, leaving the two of them to stand in the rain together. To her surprise, the rain was a warm, gentle rain, despite the ominous sound of thunder above them.
The park was deserted, obviously. At least people won’t see me out here with him, Grace thought. Seeing Apolo and herself splashed all over the tabloids wasn’t something she was interested in.
“Let’s go look at the water,” Apolo suggested.
Grace was more than surprised when he took her hand in his as they walked over to the railing. She stared at him, not sure of what to say.
Apolo caught her glance. “Sorry.” He dropped her hand, looking slightly embarrassed. “I wasn’t thinking.”
Grace couldn’t stop looking at him. What was happening? Was Apolo attracted to her? If he was, she couldn’t understand why. He could have anyone he wanted. Why was he out here with her?
“It’s weird,” Apolo said, turning to face the water. The waves were beginning to beat turbulently onto the shore and the wind was picking up.
A gust of wind blew Grace’s hair over her eyes. She brushed it away with the back of her hand, annoyed as the wet strands stuck to her face. She shivered in spite of herself. The wind made the rain feel cold and harsh. “What’s weird?”
“The way I feel right now. I feel so empty inside.”
Grace was again puzzled as to why he was being so frank with her. But then again, her whole relationship—it wasn’t even a relationship—had been strange and awkward and open from the start. “You have everything you could ever want. What else do you need?”
“Grace, all my life I’ve depended completely on myself. Yeah, I depended on my dad when I was growing up, and I’ve depended on my team at championships. But I never had to completely rely on someone else for what I was working towards. But now—”
Grace understood what he meant. “You feel lost without Julianne?”
Apolo nodded, saying nothing.
“Were you in love with her?”
Apolo slapped his hands down on the railing, leaning forward and allowing the wind to whip through his hair and the rain to pelt his body. “I don’t think so. It was just so nice to be with someone. I can’t explain it. And now she’s gone back to her own life, and I’ve gone back to mine, and I’ve realized that I have no life. I have no friends, I have no love interest. Everybody thinks I’ve got it all. But I’ve got nothing.”
Thunder boomed somewhere in the distance, and simultaneously Grace felt her guard come up. “Apolo, look, I don’t know you very well, and I don’t know what you’re thinking, but we’re out here in the rain together having some serious conversation, and I have to tell you that if you’re hoping I’ll be something—”
Apolo turned and looked at her quickly. “No, Grace. I’m not asking you to be that for me. I just need a friend right now.”
As quickly as he’d turned to her, she faced the open water, desperately trying to avoid his eyes. There was something in his eyes that completely unnerved her at times. “What makes you think I’d be a good friend?”
He was silent for a while, so she gathered up the courage to look back at him. Locks of hair had once again plastered themselves (unattractively, she was sure) to the side of her face, but this time it was Apolo’s hand that swept them away.
“Because you’re like me. You’re alone in the city, without someone to talk to or someone to hang out with. You like your privacy, but you feel a little lonely sometimes, too. You’re a little nervous and a little reserved on the outside, but on the inside you’re funny and sweet and likable. And I think you need a friend, too.”
Grace hated the way he’d read her like an open book. But she couldn’t deny the fact that he was right about her needing a friend. But Apolo, of all people! Was he really friend material? Looking at him, standing there in the rain, his damp hair starting to curl up around his neck, his shirt stuck to his well-defined chest and arms, and his golden brown skin bespattered with small droplets of rain, she still felt a little star-struck. No wonder hundreds of girls were willing to throw themselves at his feet as if he was some Greek god who deserved their ceaseless worship. Slowly, she forced herself to look into his eyes. He is human, after all.
The rain was stopping and the wind was dying down. Grace stood straighter, lifted her chin and put on her confident face.
“Well, Apolo Anton Ohno, I don’t really know what to make of you, but I guess I can give you a chance. I suppose we can be friends.”
Something about the way she said it made her think of two schoolchildren making a pact on the playground to be chums for life. She wanted to laugh.
Apolo’s face, which had been serious up to this point, broke into a smile. “Then friends it is,” he said, turning back to the oceanfront. He looked back at her over his shoulder and laughed. “You don’t know what you just got yourself into.”
“I have a funny feeling about it,” Grace laughed. A warm ray of sun breaking through the clouds touched her face and Grace looked beyond Apolo. She walked backwards away from him, sliding her hand along the railing. He noticed her going and began to follow her.
Grace motioned with her chin towards the aquarium, where people who’d taken refuge there during the brief storm were now emerging. “We’d better get out of here.”
, but believe me, it IS coming! 
I'm not the greatest at writing *short* things, so I guess I just take a while to build up to the main conflict... For now, I'm hoping you guys can see the internal conflict going on inside of Grace (and Apolo, for that matter, even though this is entirely from Grace's perspective). Please be patient. The pace will pick up soon! Note: I did a little research to go along with this! ;D I've only visited Seattle once, so I looked up some places to go. The place where this scene occurs is a real place, and it's actually just a few miles away from P.F. Chang's--the restaurant where Grace met Apolo the second time. When I first wrote that chapter, I had no idea where I was going with this chapter, so I think I just got lucky that there was actually a P.F. Chang's close to Waterfront Park.
Photos where this *happens*--to help you visualize:
-----------------------
Grace bit her lip thoughtfully as he waited for her to make up her mind. This is Apolo, Olympic champion, Dancing star. He can’t be that bad.
Just then, thunder crashed. The skies opened up and a heavy Seattle rain began to pour down on them. They both looked up and laughed as in mere seconds they were soaked from head to foot.
“Come on,” Grace shouted as she accepted Apolo’s hand, and they dashed to the SUV. Jake, the driver, looked back at the two, who were dripping wet, and chuckled as he started the car.
“Where to?” he asked.
Apolo looked at Grace with a look she’d never seen from anyone before. “Anywhere. You have any ideas?”
Grace guffawed. “You’re the one who wanted to go someplace!”
“Let’s just go to Waterfront Park, then,” Apolo told Jake. “That’s close by,” he addressed Grace.
A few minutes later, Apolo was pulling a protesting Grace out of the SUV.
“We’re going to catch our deaths of cold!”
“C’mon! It’ll be fun!”
Grace allowed him to pull her out into the rain and Jake drove away, leaving the two of them to stand in the rain together. To her surprise, the rain was a warm, gentle rain, despite the ominous sound of thunder above them.
The park was deserted, obviously. At least people won’t see me out here with him, Grace thought. Seeing Apolo and herself splashed all over the tabloids wasn’t something she was interested in.
“Let’s go look at the water,” Apolo suggested.
Grace was more than surprised when he took her hand in his as they walked over to the railing. She stared at him, not sure of what to say.
Apolo caught her glance. “Sorry.” He dropped her hand, looking slightly embarrassed. “I wasn’t thinking.”
Grace couldn’t stop looking at him. What was happening? Was Apolo attracted to her? If he was, she couldn’t understand why. He could have anyone he wanted. Why was he out here with her?
“It’s weird,” Apolo said, turning to face the water. The waves were beginning to beat turbulently onto the shore and the wind was picking up.
A gust of wind blew Grace’s hair over her eyes. She brushed it away with the back of her hand, annoyed as the wet strands stuck to her face. She shivered in spite of herself. The wind made the rain feel cold and harsh. “What’s weird?”
“The way I feel right now. I feel so empty inside.”
Grace was again puzzled as to why he was being so frank with her. But then again, her whole relationship—it wasn’t even a relationship—had been strange and awkward and open from the start. “You have everything you could ever want. What else do you need?”
“Grace, all my life I’ve depended completely on myself. Yeah, I depended on my dad when I was growing up, and I’ve depended on my team at championships. But I never had to completely rely on someone else for what I was working towards. But now—”
Grace understood what he meant. “You feel lost without Julianne?”
Apolo nodded, saying nothing.
“Were you in love with her?”
Apolo slapped his hands down on the railing, leaning forward and allowing the wind to whip through his hair and the rain to pelt his body. “I don’t think so. It was just so nice to be with someone. I can’t explain it. And now she’s gone back to her own life, and I’ve gone back to mine, and I’ve realized that I have no life. I have no friends, I have no love interest. Everybody thinks I’ve got it all. But I’ve got nothing.”
Thunder boomed somewhere in the distance, and simultaneously Grace felt her guard come up. “Apolo, look, I don’t know you very well, and I don’t know what you’re thinking, but we’re out here in the rain together having some serious conversation, and I have to tell you that if you’re hoping I’ll be something—”
Apolo turned and looked at her quickly. “No, Grace. I’m not asking you to be that for me. I just need a friend right now.”
As quickly as he’d turned to her, she faced the open water, desperately trying to avoid his eyes. There was something in his eyes that completely unnerved her at times. “What makes you think I’d be a good friend?”
He was silent for a while, so she gathered up the courage to look back at him. Locks of hair had once again plastered themselves (unattractively, she was sure) to the side of her face, but this time it was Apolo’s hand that swept them away.
“Because you’re like me. You’re alone in the city, without someone to talk to or someone to hang out with. You like your privacy, but you feel a little lonely sometimes, too. You’re a little nervous and a little reserved on the outside, but on the inside you’re funny and sweet and likable. And I think you need a friend, too.”
Grace hated the way he’d read her like an open book. But she couldn’t deny the fact that he was right about her needing a friend. But Apolo, of all people! Was he really friend material? Looking at him, standing there in the rain, his damp hair starting to curl up around his neck, his shirt stuck to his well-defined chest and arms, and his golden brown skin bespattered with small droplets of rain, she still felt a little star-struck. No wonder hundreds of girls were willing to throw themselves at his feet as if he was some Greek god who deserved their ceaseless worship. Slowly, she forced herself to look into his eyes. He is human, after all.
The rain was stopping and the wind was dying down. Grace stood straighter, lifted her chin and put on her confident face.
“Well, Apolo Anton Ohno, I don’t really know what to make of you, but I guess I can give you a chance. I suppose we can be friends.”
Something about the way she said it made her think of two schoolchildren making a pact on the playground to be chums for life. She wanted to laugh.
Apolo’s face, which had been serious up to this point, broke into a smile. “Then friends it is,” he said, turning back to the oceanfront. He looked back at her over his shoulder and laughed. “You don’t know what you just got yourself into.”
“I have a funny feeling about it,” Grace laughed. A warm ray of sun breaking through the clouds touched her face and Grace looked beyond Apolo. She walked backwards away from him, sliding her hand along the railing. He noticed her going and began to follow her.
Grace motioned with her chin towards the aquarium, where people who’d taken refuge there during the brief storm were now emerging. “We’d better get out of here.”
Let's hope that is what will happen between Grace and Apolo.
