Episode Report Card Niki: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Second Time Around
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 22 | Aired on 05.01.2001
Cut to Jake's Audi pulling up along the curb. He's telling Zoe that just because Lily's getting married again, it doesn't mean things are going to change. Zoe shoots him a condescending look and tells him that's not why she's upset. He asks what she's upset about, then, and suggests that maybe he can help. "You can't," she says decisively, and stares straight ahead. He prods, and she relents, admitting that she's upset because she can't find the hand mirror Judy gave her for Chanukah: "The only way you can tell if your hair looks okay from the back is with a hand mirror, and I don't like going out in public if I haven't checked if my hair looks all right from the back." Jake stares uncomprehendingly at her and then admits he can't help. Her look lets him know that she's really glad he wasted her time, then. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Jake spots Grace reading a piece of fuchsia stationery, and asks who the letter is from. "Carla," Zoe pipes up. "How do you know?" Grace asks. "Because the return address says jail," Zoe retorts. Heh. Grace shoots a disdainful, "Shut up!" and returns to her letter.
Soliloquy Grace reads it to us: "'Still trying to get to Europe this summer. I wish you'd come with me. I mean, believe it or not, I really miss you. I don't miss Eli, like, at all.'" Soliloquy Grace glances up for our reaction, knowing that was harsh. Really, Grace, it's okay to hate Wannabe. Try it; you'll like it.
Cut to Grace at school, outside, where she spots Eli brooding under a tree. Grace walks over and asks what he's doing. He scratches in the dirt with a stick and mutters, "Watching ants." Because that's what tortured souls do. Grace watches him for a second, feeling his pain, and says, "She's fine. She's living with her brother." Then, grinning, she adds, "She wrote me a letter! Like a letter letter!" Eli jumps away from the ants and practically dances around, asking to see it. Insert sound of needle scratching record. Eli sees Grace's face fall and asks, suspiciously, "Why? What'd she say about me?" See? Deep down, even Eli knows Wannabe's a jerk. Grace tries to play it off legit, saying that she can't show it to Eli because she doesn't think Wannabe would want her to. "She didn't mention me?" Eli asks. Grace lies and says she did -- she said she misses him. "Wow!" Eli grins, as if Wannabe crafted a sonnet in his honor. He says he feels like celebrating; on her look, he asks Grace what's wrong, and she shudders, "Nothing. I'm just cold." He scrambles to peel off his hoodie and offers it to her. Through some incredible test of will, Grace refrains from sniffing it. But you know she's going to wear it as long as she can, and hope that Eli forgets to ask for it back so she can wear it to bed and rub the cuff against her cheek and pretend that it's actually Eli and, oh, just go listen to "The Sweater" because Meryn Cadell says it so much better than I ever could.