By Lindsay Porter

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 Every school has cliques, which I find unfortunate. In a normal

school, there are the Populars, the Jocks (the ones that always smell

like gym lockers), the Goths, the Geeks, and the Normals. And one oh-

so-normal girl was me. A junior in high school, I had blond hair that just

wasn’t blonde enough, glasses that were just a little out of style, and a

sense of fashion, and this is beyond my comprehension, that was bland

and boring.

Why am I writing about myself if I am so boring, you ask? Because

something happened. Something happened that would change my life

forever…

The alarm rang.

I shoved my glasses on my face, struggled out of bed, turned on the

lights, and looked in the mirror.

I sighed. The same old me stared back. Same glasses, same hair,

same wardrobe. I made a face. The reflection made a face back.

My door was slammed open and two identical little boys ran into my

room.

“Sasha,I need your-”

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 “Sash, can I-” the boys continued to demand requests of me until

she walked in.

“Sasha, dear,” my stepmother stroked my face, “you’ll do whatever

the boys ask, won’t you? Remember what happened last time.” She

smiled sarcastically and I winced. “There’s a good girl.” She pat my

head and sashayed out of my room.

After I had managed to get the boys out of my room, I ran

downstairs to the kitchen. I had hoped to find my father seated at the

table, eating his usual raisin bran muffin and sipping his usual black cup

of coffee, but, instead, I found a note in his place.

“Sasha,

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I had a business trip. I’ll be gone for a

while. See you in a month or so!

Love,

Dad.”

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 I sighed. My father was always gone, away on business trips almost

every other month.

“Sasha,” my stepmom pranced through the kitchen door dressed in

a brand new workout outfit, “You’ll have to drive Tommy and Sam to

school today. I have yoga class.”

“Jenna, your yoga class starts at ten.”

“Who else will look good for Andre?” she giggled and looked in a

nearby mirror.

“I’m surprised it didn’t break.” I mumbled under my breath. Jenna

turned to me, an expression of contempt on her face.

“Excuse me?” she asked sassily.

“Nothing.” I looked down at the floor, unwilling to meet Jenna’s

eyes.

“That’s what I thought. When I say no talking back, I mean no talking

back. I am your parent now, and you obey me.” Jenna stepped closer,

a breath away. “When I tell you to jump off of a cliff, you jump off of a

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cliff. When I tell you not to cry, you don’t cry.” Jenna brought her hand

to my face and slapped me. “Now thank me.”

My eyes filled with tears. Red streaked across my cheekbone and my

eyelid started swelling shut.

“I said, ‘Thank me!’ ” Jenna yelled. I stared at the ground and

opened my mouth.

Softly, I whispered, “Thank you.”

“That’s what I thought. Now leave.”

My cheek burned, as did my temper. A trickle of blood ran down my

cheek from where Jenna’s claw-like nail had make contact with my

skin. All I could do was walk away, listening to Jenna’s quiet chuckle.

“That… that woman!” my friend dabbed a cold cloth on my cheek.

“How dare she! Who does she think she is? The ruler of all Pakistan?

That rat!”

“Cool it, Dallas. No big deal.”

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 “No big deal?!” she jerked my face sideways and forced me to look

at my reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. “She did this to you.”

Red and purple streaked across my cheekbone. “That beast!”

“I get your point.” I pushed Dallas’s hand away and walked out of

the bathroom.

Suddenly, I was thrown on the ground, my books and bags

scattering everywhere.

“Hey! Watch it!” I looked up to see a guy looking at me. Dark brown

hair brushed across his forehead, highlighting his bright blue eyes. His

features were edgy and sharp, his shirt pulled tight across his chest.

Apologies sprung out of his lips.

“I’m so sorry! I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” He smiled

sheepishly, gave a deep-throated chuckle, and reached out his hand.

Reluctantly, I grasped it. Once I had stood up, the guy bent over and

helped me gather up my things.

“It’s okay, I guess.” I muttered. He finally glanced up at me and then

did a double take.

“Oh my word, did I do that?”

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 I suddenly covered my cheek with my hand. “No, actually.” I replied.

“Oh, well, that makes me feel better.” He smiled, lighting up his tan

face. “My name’s Chase, by the way.” he stuck out his hand.

“My name’s-” Dallas stormed out of the bathroom.

“C’mon! We’re gonna be late to class!” she grabbed my hand and

started rushing away. “Who’s the hunk?”

“Chase.”

“He’s hot.”

I laughed. “Of course, Dallas. You just have to put that in there.”

“Well…” she gave me a wink. “How’d you meet?”

“When I walked out of the bathroom, he ran into me and knocked

me over.”

“It serves you right for blowing me off!” Dallas smiled.

“Hey, I’m sorry.” I answered in a defensive tone. We entered the

classroom just as the bell rang and sat in our seats.

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 “You have to admit, you think he’s hot too.” Dallas whispered to me

and grinned.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Oh, come off it, Sash. You haven’t been in a relationship since-” I

cut her off with a deadly look. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned

it.” She paused. “But, Sasha, as your friend, I’m going to tell you that

you need to get over it. And I know you’re going to yell at me for

saying it.” I didn’t look at her. Didn’t move a muscle. I only waited until

the bell rang, grabbed Dallas’s hand, and dragged her into a nearby

broom closet.

“You’re right, Dallas. I am going to yell at you. You had absolutely no

right, no knowledge, of what I was put through!” I was furious. Her

words had taken me back to the past, a place I didn’t want to be.

Dallas stood her ground. “Sash, you’re just living in the past with no

way out! You have your mind set on sacrificing friendships and even

some relationships,” at this I looked away, my jaw clicking, “yes, Sasha,

even Brian, just so you can stay in your comfortable little bubble.” I

turned and faced the wall behind me.

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 “People don’t stay away because I push them away. They stay away

because I have so much baggage. Brian told me that much.”

“Well, he was a jerk. Besides,” she whispered,” I think you’re

wrong.”

I spun around, my eyes on fire. “I was beaten, Dallas! A man’s hand

repeatedly pounded against me, rendering me unconscious in my own

driveway! I lay in a pool of my own blood! Tell me people don’t look at

me like there’s something wrong with me! Tell me people don’t look at

me and see a big, huge mistake! I just save myself the heartache.”

“Why do you think I stuck around? Huh? I didn’t do it to watch you

sit around on your sorry little butt feeling sorry for yourself! I did it

because I know what’s inside of you.” Dallas put her handover her

heart. “It doesn’t matter if some guy bruised you beyond recognition.

It matters what’s in your heart.”

“Other people don’t think that. Face it, Dallas. They hate me without

even knowing me! I’m… I’m just the joke of the school!” I ran out of

the closet with tears streaming down my face. I leaned against the

lockers and covered my face with my hands. I felt someone slide down

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next to me and their hand splayed across my back. I opened my eyes

and say Chase looking at me, concern etched across his face. I closed

my eyes, wishing he was gone, but so grateful that someone was there

just the same.

“Hey… what’s wrong?” I shook my head, willing away the upcoming

headache. Chase waited until I had stopped crying, his hand rubbing

back and forth across my shoulder blades. “Do you want a ride home?”

He finally asked.

I tried to think of someone else who could, but no one came to

mind. I found myself nodding my head in reply. Chase stood up and

walked to the school’s office, no doubt explaining how I didn’t feel well

and how I didn’t have a ride home to the school nurse.

Once the woman had signed both him and I out, he walked over to

me and helped me up.

We walked outside and the cold was like a slap in the face. I

groaned. Why do I have to live in Virginia? I thought. Chase, sensing my

discomfort, fished off his jacket and tossed it in my direction. It

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dwarfed my shoulders and smelled musty and rustic. The worn leather

created a cocoon of warmth.

“Over here,” He guided. He led me to his car.

After we rode in silence for a few minutes, Chase spoke. “What

happened back there?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” I turned to the window and closed my

eyes.

“Well, here’s another question: where am I going?”

“I’d tell you my address, but I know I’d feel even worse there,” I

confessed. “How about you take me to-” I rattled off Dallas’s address,

glad that her parents treated me like their second child.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking another question, but I never did

get your name.”

I smiled slightly and turned to him in my seat. “Sasha. Sasha Taylor.”

“Nice to meet you.” He smiled at me before turning back to the

road. “So, Sasha. Hmmm. Unusual. Where’d your parents get it from?”

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 “My mom actually died in child birth, and with her last breath she

named me Sasha. My dad told me it was from her favorite book.”

“I like it. It suits you… or what I think is you.” He chuckled. He pulled

the car to the curb of the Clarkson’s modest suburban home.

“Thanks for the ride, Chase.”

“Anytime. And hey, maybe we can talk sometime? About today, I

mean.”

I sobered. “Maybe. See ya, Chase.” I got out of the car and walked

up to the Clarkson’s front door and took a spare key out from under a

rocking chair’s cushion. Unlocking it, I walked through the entryway to

find Kath and Steve sitting at the kitchen table. Kathy got up, moving

close to me.

“Hi, sweetheart. Dallas called and said you’d probably come. She

also said to tell you she was sorry.” She gave me a sad look and

wrapped me in a hug. “How are you doing?”

“Better. I think I just need a good movie and a pair of slippers.” We

all chuckled.

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 “Well, we’re glad to hear that. How about you change into

something of Dallas’s, grab a movie, and I can make you some tea.

Sound good?”

“Sounds completely wonderful. Thanks, Kathy.” I gave her another

quick hug before running upstairs and slipping on a pair of sweats and

a t-shirt from Dallas’s expansive closet. I walked downstairs and put in

“A Walk to Remember,” and settled into the couch. Kathy presently

brought me a steaming mug of tea and settled in next to me.

“A Walk to Remember, huh? Did you feel like crying even more?”

Kathy teased and looked over her mug at me.

Near the end of the movie, Kathy and I were crying our eyes out and

I heard Steve mutter from the kitchen, “Women.”

Kathy turned around, her mascara making streaks down her cheeks.

“Stephen Clarkson, don’t tell me that you haven’t cried over the silliest

of movies.” She looked over at me. “This goober cried over Finding

Nemo!” we both giggled.

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 Dallas walked through the door, threw her backpack down, and sat

down on the other side of me. We shared a look and she wrapped her

arms around me, giving me a side hug. “I’m so, so sorry.” She said.

“It’s okay, Dallas. Really. I was just being pigheaded.”

“So you’ll give the guy a chance? Even just to be friends?” I nodded

my head and she squeezed my and. “Good girl.”

I placed my lunchtray down and

sighed. Dallas had gone home sick that day so I sat there, feeling like

everyone was look at me. I looked up from my food and directly across

from me, sitting at another table, was Stacey. Stacey Hillmeyer had

been in my class since second grade and had made it her life’s goal to

ruin my ife. Even in second grade, her evil mind had always been

coniving. We had a second grade play in which I was the lead role.

Being such a drama queen, Stacey was extremely jealous. So she

tripped me on stage, spilled water down my costume, and made me so

nervous that I messed up every single line. Needless to say, I had not

been in a play since.

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 She looked up and, since she saw me looking, decided to glare. She

got up and walked over to where I sat, her crew directly behind her.

“Hey there, clumsy-feet.” She giggled. I ignored her.

“I’m talkin’ to you, Taylor.” She moved her face closer to mine. “Ya

hear me? Or maybe you can’t hear me over your loud hair. It just

screams ‘dork.’ ” she sneered. I looked up at her, preparing to retort

until I saw Chase walking over.

“Hey, Sasha. Everything okay?” he looked back and forth between

Stacey and me.

Satcey chose to answer for me. “Oh, we’re better than fine.” She

gave hi what was supposed to be a dazzling smile, but hers fell a little

short of a clown’s.

“Are you sure?” Chase looked pointedly at me.

“What I’m sure of is that we haven’t met. And I’m positive we

should have.” She gave him another smile. He continued to stare at me

but I glanced away, feeling awkward. “Where’d you get your good

looks?” Stacey flirted. I chose this time to see if what Stacey said was

true. Today, he had dressed in a collared shirt and a grey teed jacket

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with distressed jeans. His brown hair was again pushed to the side and

he eyes pierced mine. His six foot stature didn’t even begin to mask his

muscular build. Stacey and Dallas were both right. He didn’t begin to

disappoint.

“Are you gonna talk to me, honey?” Stacey probed.

Finally finding my voice, I stood up. “Back off, Hillmeyer,” my tone

surprising me.

“Uh, I don’t think you have anything to do with our conversation,

huh, Sasha?” Stacey glared at me yet again.

“Well, the conversation seems a little one-sided, don’t you think,

Stacey?” I smiled sarcastically. Chase hid his grin behind his hand.

Stacey chose this time to stalk off with a huff.

“Are you okay?” Chase asked, sitting across from me.

“I’ve had to deal with her since second grade. I think I’m fine.”

“Man, she’s…” he whistled and rolled his eyes, indicating

displeasure.

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 “Glad you agree with me.” We sat in silence for a few minutes until

Chase spoke up.

“You said we’d talk about yesterday.”

“I said maybe.” I pointed out.

“Well, are we going to? Or do you think that I can’t handle it?”

“I don’t know, Chase. I mean, I don’t really know you yet, but,

somehow, I feel like I trust you.”

“How about we go to the fair tonight then? Just as friends. So you

can get to know me.”

I hesitated. “Well… I guess so.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Light swirled around us,

loud, booming noise mixed with children’s laughter, and the smell of

popcorn and cotton candy wafted through the air to fill my senses.

“What’s first?” Chase asked.

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 Spotting the Scrambler, I indicated to it and started walking towards

it. While we waited in line, Chase came up with a game.

“I ask a question, you answer truthfully, you ask me a question, etc.

Sound good?” I nodded. “Okay. Favorite color?”

“Blue. Favorite sport?” I asked.

“Soccer. Favorite movie?”

“Pirates. All of them.” I smiled. “Favorite store?”

“Please. I’m a guy.” He offered me an adorable smile and I laughed.

“Middle name?”

“Anne. You?”

“Owen.”

“Owen?” I asked, skeptic. “Haven’t heard that one in a while. Chase

Owen. Any significance?”

“My grandfather’s name. He died on my birthday.”

“I’m so sorry.” We stood in silence. “It’s your turn.”

“Favorite food?”

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 “Nachos.” I smiled. “Favorite sibling?”

“My younger sister, Ana.” He looked at the ride. “We’re up.” We

boarded it and slowly the ride picked up speed. The only thing I could

think of was Chase’s closeness. His smell was intoxicating, his nearness

practically made me dizzy. It’s just the ride, I corrected, you hardly

know the guy.

We stepped off the ride and I tried to gain my footing only to collide

with Chase.

“Sorry!” I laughed.

“What’s next?” he asked. “Ferris Wheel?”

I grew serious. “You’re biggest fear?”

“Dark rooms with people in them.” He grinned. “Yours?”

“Heights.” I replied, eyeing the Ferris wheel looming in front of us.

It dawned on him what I was talking about. “Oh.” He thought for a

minute. “If you go on the Ferris wheel, I’ll go the haunted house with

you.” I looked at him like he had grown a third nostril. “Please? For

me?” he begged.

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 “Fine.” I mumbled.

“Great!” he started pushing me to the line. “I’ll go get some cotton

candy for us?”

I walked to the line. What am I doing? I thought. You have never

gone on a Ferris wheel, I chided. You could back out now, you know. You

could just-

“Here you go.” Chase handed me a bag of cotton candy. “Favorite

school subject?”

“English.” I smiled, momentarily distracted. “Yours?”

“Music appreciation.”

“What instrument?”

“Piano and guitar.”

“Nice. I actually learned how to play piano when I was little but I

always wanted to try guitar.”

“What if I teach you?”

“That’d be nice.”

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 “Ready?” he questioned, motioning towards the Ferris Wheel.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” We boarded and I focused on the floor of

the compartment rather than the shrinking ground.

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah, actually.” We sat in silence until we were at the peak of the

wheel’s path, when all of the sudden, the Ferris Wheel groaned to a

stop.

“Sorry, folks,” the attendant spoke through a bullhorn, “technical

difficulties. Should be twenty minutes max.” I looked at Chase with

wide eyes.

“Don’t look down.” He cautioned. I looked. He groaned. I gasped.

“Chase,” I stage-whispered, “get us down!”

“Sorry, honey. I can’t.” he slid closer to me. “Hey. Just focus on me.”

I look at him and tried not to gasp. The sun cast rays across his face,

causing him to glow. His nearness made me dizzy yet again. I tried to

scoot back without being too obvious.

21
 “Favorite childhood memory?” he asked. His voice was soothing and

calm. I closed my eyes.

“I have two: I would sit in my old clubhouse I made out of twigs and

write stories all the time. I would stay out there until eleven or twelve

at night. I forgot everything- especially my dad’s marriage. The other

one is playing piano. I would sit and play Tschaikovsky and

Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Bach, all of the great composers.”

“Why did you stop?”

“My father forced me to. He said that little girls don’t spend their

time daydreaming about dead people. He said that if I went in to

music, I would be unsuccessful.”

“I think that if you put your mind to anything, you could accomplish

anything you wanted.” He smiled at me. “I’m sure that you were

wonderful.”

“Thanks.” The carriage swayed back and forth, rocking like a cradle.

Suddenly, I no longer felt afraid. I felt as if I had always been safe with

Chase by my side.

22
 “Hey, Sasha, check this out.” I glanced behind us to see a

magnificent sunset spread out before us. “Always look for the silver

lining.” He grinned at me.

“Are you always this positive?”

“Why? Does it bother you?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“Then I shall make a habit of being so.” He grinned like a little boy

and I punched playfully on the arm. “Okay, so I have a serious question

now.” He cleared his throat. “Have you ever heard about Jesus Christ?”

“I was taken aback. That had totally surprised me, leaving me sitting

there speechless.

“Yeah, a little.” I finally answered.

“Well, have you heard about being a Christian?”

“Yeah. I heard that the try to be morally righteous and they pray to

God and read the Bible. And that Christianity is the only religion that is

said to have a real relationship with Jesus. I’ve also heard the Easter

story and the Christmas story.” Where did that come from? I thought.

23
 “Right. You see, we believe that Jesus sacrificed himself for us

because he loves us so much, he died so all mankind could have a way

to enter into eternity through his death. The world needed, and still

needs, a sacrifice, the Ultimate Sacrifice, to have direct interaction with

God. Before Christ’s time, the world needed people to give animal

sacrifices to God as an apology for our sins. But now, we can have a

relationship with Him.” He paused. “Are you following me?”

“I guess. So, I mean, a guy died for me? Because he loves me?”

“He died because of you. If you weren’t a sinner, then he wouldn’t

have had to have died.

“Also, there’s a spirit form of God, or the Holy Spirit, that lives in

your spiritual heart when you ask Christ into your life.”

“Oh. I think I get it.” I paused. The ride began to move again nd

there were several cheers, but they seemed distant and foreign.

“Sasha, what are you thinking?” my hand had been resting on the

seat next ot me, and he covered it with his own, an act that he would

no doubt have done to his sister.

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 “I never thought about what I believed before. i mean, I know I

believe that God exists , but I still don’t know enough about Jesus to

believe lie you do.” I shook my head. The Ferris wheel came to a stop

when we hovered over the platform. Chase offered me his hand and

helped me out, then led me to a secluded bench.

“So, are you ready to tell me about yesterday now?”

I slowly nodded my head, and suddenly I found myelf talking about

what happened. I explained how I didn’t have any other friends excdpt

Dallas, and she tried to tell me I needed more friends.

“Then she brought up one point.” I waited a few minutes unti the

lump in my throat went away. “When I was fifteen, I was beaten by a

man I didn’t even know.” Chase moved closer to me and wiped away

one of my errant tears. “I was in y driveway, getting my mail. At the

time, my dad worked for a shady guy and I knew something bogus was

going down. Well, when I started wlking towards the houe, a man

came out of the bushes and put a gun to my head.” Tears were

streaming down my face, but I closed my eyes and kept on going. “He

demanded I give him the mail, and I knew there was something

important in it, so I refused,. He hit me over the head with the gun,

25
dropped it, then continued to hit me with his fists on my face and on

my abdomen. He took the mail, stood up, and when I was laying there,

semi-conscious and bleeding heavily, he shot me in the shoulder. My

father ran out at the sound and drove me to the hospital, where they

discovered that he had made a blood clot in my head and the bullet

was still lodged in my shoulder. The medics did two surgeries to try and

stop the bleeding and to extract the bullet. I couldn’t even see out of

my right eye for a month.” I stopped, tears streaming down my face.

“I’m so, so sorry.” Chase put his arm around my shoulders. “That

must’ve been terrible for you.”

“That’s why I’m hesitant about this,” I motioned back and forth

between us. “I haven’t had a guy friend since then.”

Chase backed up some. “You know, you don’t have to-” Chase

started getting up.

I stopped him with my hand. “No. I need to do this. For me.” I closed

my eyes. I don’t know how long I sat there, but when I opened them,

Chase was crouched in front of me, water bottle in hand. I took a sip,

grateful for the relief.

26
 “Are you okay?” his face was etched with concern.

“That seems to be your favorite question.” We chuckled. “C’mon.

Let’s get out of here.”

“You what?!”

“I went to the fair with him. No big deal.”

“Oh, this is just great! You go home sick one day and you miss

everything!” I could hear the sigh in her voice.

“Dallas, you’re such a drama queen.” I laughed into the phone.

“Well, I told you to give the guy a chance, and the next day you’re

on a date!”

“It was not a date.”

“Did he ask you?”

“Yeah.”

“Did he pick you up?”

27
 “Yeah, Totally freaked out about my house, by the way.” I chuckled

in remembrance of his gawking face when he stared at my palatial

home.

“Did he pay?”

“Yes.”

“Did he drive you home after curfew?”

“I don’t have a-”

“That’s beside the point.” She cut in quickly. “Look at the facts!”

“Dallas, he wanted me to get to know him. Nothing more.” Silence

came over us. I walked out of my room and down the stairs into the

Great room. My house, well, mansion, was eerily quiet due to Jenna

joining my father on his business trip and my brothers staying at their

friend’s. Settling into the sectional, I turned on some quiet music to fill

the void.

“Hey, are you alone tonight?”

“Yup.” I replied with a sigh. It seemed to be my usual status.

“Can I come over?”

28
 “Nothing would please me more.” I waited for Dallas’s arrival, eager

at having someone to calm my anxiety. I wandered around the house,

remembering how Chase and I said goodbye.

The drive home had been pleasant enough. We made small talk,

discovering information about the other person. I found out that he

was a senior this year, he found out about my stepmother. I found out

about his twin sisters, he found out about my twin half-brothers.

Things really got interesting when the car stalled out. We puttered

to a stop along the side of the road. To make matters worse, splatters

of rain danced across the windshield. We sat there in silence for a few

minutes, wishing that we had both remembered our phones. Finally, I

discovered that we had broken down about a quarter of a mile from

my house. We got out of the car and started jogging. Within minutes,

we were soaked to the bone. Chase had taken off his shirt, which was

more the reason that I was shivering rather than the rain. We arrived at

my house dripping with condensation. Still, that did not prevent Chase

from pausing in my driveway to survey my home. His jaw dropped at

the size of the home before him.

“C’mon!” I called to him from the doorway.

29
 “What on-” he stepped through the doorway, his Converse making

muddy footprints on the tile.

“Hold on just one sec.” I jogged up my stairs and ran into my room.

Within minutes, I had changed my clothes and brought back a towel

for Chase. I watched him as he slowly brought the towel up to his

chest, wiping it dry. The contours of his torso made my stomach tight.

He definitely works out on a daily basis, I thought. Water dripped from

strands of his hair and onto his face. He stood there, staring at me, the

atmosphere suddenly sucked out of the room.

“How about a snack?” I suddenly asked, my voice squeaking. Calm

down, I thought.

“Sounds great.” He said with a hooded look.

Leading him to the kitchen, I analyzed his shock. His gaze trickled

over the flat screen TV, the damask dining room that held paintings

worth thousands upon thousands of dollars, his eyes growing wide at

the ornately furnished living spaces.

When we walked into the kitchen, he stopped short. Stainless steel

covered every appliance, the black-and-silver countertops gleamed,

30
and the pot and pans created a shine throughout the room. Beautiful

tile made up the backsplash and modern bar stools begged to be sat

upon.

“Wow. This is…”

“Mhmm.” I threw him a grin. I moved towards the refrigerator and

opened it up. I grabbed the ingredients I needed and started dicing a

tomato.

“Need help?” Chase had asked after a while of silence.

“Sure. How about you grab a knife and help me cut these?”

He slipped out a knife from the drawer and walked over to where I

was. Inching over, I allowed him some space on the cutting board.

After a few minutes, I noticed Chase had stopped cutting. I looked up,

only to find him staring at me intently. My breathing grew hitched and

my palms grew sweaty.

“Sasha…” he reached up to my face but stopped midway. He

stepped back, shaking his head. “This isn’t a good idea.” He continued

to walk away and finally turned around, intending to leave.

31
 “Chase-wait!” I called. He turned around, shirt in hand. His gaze

collided with mine; he slowly made his way back to where I was

standing.

“I trust you.” I whispered.

He took a step closer. “That was the wrong thing to stay.” He said

slowly. Suddenly, he covered my mouth with his. His hand moved to

my cheek and his other arm encircled my waist. I rested my hand on

the back of his head. I melted into his embrace, willing the kiss to last

forever.

Breathing heavily, he broke away. “Goodnight.” He whispered. And

then he was gone.

Pulled out of my reverie, I heard Dallas calling down the hallway.

“Hey, Sash!”

“Hi, Dallas.” I greeted.

“So… I didn’t come here for nothing. What happened?” she

plopped down next to me on the couch.

32
 “Well, I told him about my abuse, he told me he was a Christian, and

I have concluded that I like him- and may even be falling for him.” I

added softly.

“Whoa! That’s a lot to dump on a girl in one sentence! Tell me

details.” Dallas looked so genuinely excited that I laughed.

“Okay. We went to the fair, had a lot of fun, talked, drove home but

the car broke down so we walked the rest of the way, made food, but

he ended up leaving early because he said it wasn’t a good idea that

we were in the house alone.” I paused and Dallas whistled.

“Man, he really is a Christian. He totally acts like it, though. I asked

around and everyone who knows him says that he’s totally awesome

and he’d never try to do anything wrong.”

“Yeah. I thought it was sweet, though. although, when he was

leaving, I called after him, he came back.”

“Well… what’d he do?”

“Kissed me.” I said bluntly, and then grinned. Just the phantom-

feeling of his lips on mine made me blush.

33
 “Girl, we got some romance going on!” she giggled. “I can’t believe

it! Who would’ve thought that what began with a collision would end

in such a romantic way?” she sighed happily.

“Dallas, you need a boyfriend.” I grinned. Suddenly, the phone

began to ring. I ran to pick it up, sliding on the floor with my socks.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hi, sweetheart!”

“Oh. Hi, Dad.” My enthusiasm fell some.

“How’s my little girl?”

“I’m not little anymore, Dad.” I retorted with a huff.

He chose to ignore me. “I called to tell you that it’ll be another

month or so until I make it home with Jenna.” My face fell.

“Dad, when’re you gonna stop this?” I practically yelled.

“Stop what, sweetheart?”

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 “Stop running! Stop running away from me! Stop running away from

life! Stop running away from me!” I slid down the wall next to me,

landing in a heap on the floor. “You’re never home. I never see you.”

“Jenna says that you get along fabulously without me.” He said in an

upbeat tone. I heard a feminine laugh in the background.

“Oh, yeah, Jenna pays enough attention to me to know.” I huffed.

“I’m glad you two get along so well.” My dad ignored my obvious

sarcasm. “I gotta go, sweetheart-”

“But, Dad, wait-”

“- see you later!” dial tone buzzed in my ear. I slammed down the

phone.

“You okay, Sasha?” Dallas walked up behind me.

“Why does everyone think I’m not okay? Is there something always

wrong with me? Why don’t they just leave me alone!” I yelled. Dallas

looked at me, concern in her eyes. Thank goodness she knew just how

I was feeling.

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 “It’s okay, Sasha. I know you don’t mean it.” I got up and slowly put

my arms around her. I laid my head on her shoulder. “You know what

we should do?”

“What?” I asked through sniffles.

“We should make cupcakes.”

“What?” I asked yet again, perking up. “You’ve gotta be crazy. At

eleven at night, you wanna make cupcakes.”

An hour later found us in the kitchen, surveying our unnatural

disaster. Flour was sprinkled over every surface, batter smeared the

island’s countertop, and globs of icing dotted its surface.

We cast a glance at our handiwork. A dozen cupcakes sat on the

counter like soldiers. They were completed to perfection.

“They’re…so… cute!” Dallas squealed. She grabbed two cupcakes,

gave one to me, and proceeded to devour hers.

“Dallas… how’re we gonna clean this up?” I looked around the

room again. I would most likely take us an hour to just find the kitchen

floor again, let alone clean it.

36
 ‘Well, tomorrow’s Saturday,” she managed to say through a

mouthful of cupcake. “Doesn’t Kate come then?”

I imagined the uptight Iris cleaning lady walking into our mess. I

shuddered. “You gotta be kidding me, Dal. She’d skin me alive!”

Have you seen the two of us together?” She cocked a brow. “I think

we’ll manage.” And with that, we continued to eat our way through

our cupcakes.

“Oh… my… Lord…” the

buxom woman stepped one foot in the kitchen, only to retract it. She

cowered in the wake of the disaster, then straightened like a soldier. “I

refuse to clean this kitchen!” she declared, her Irish accent thick.

“Now, now, Kate,” Dallas chided, “what do the Taylors pay you to

do?” she didn’t allow Kate to answer. “Clean their house. And last time

I checked, the kitchen was part of the house. Don’t you think?” Dallas

gave Kate a cheeky grin.

“Teenagers and their antics.” She set down her cleaning supplies

and set to work. “Why, if I-”

37
 Her words were drowned out by the kitchen door that now

separated us. Dallas pretended to dust off her hands, then put them on

her hips. “That takes care of that! What next?”

Suddenly, something dawned on me. “What’s today’s date?”

“November twenty-first. Why?”

“Tommy and Sam’s play! They have a play today!” I grabbed my car

keys from the rack on the wall and ran out the door. “Come on!” I

called back to her.

Twenty minutes later, we hurriedly took our seats in a crowded

auditorium. Parents stood chatting to each other, all of them proud of

their little fourth graders. Soon, the lights dimmed and the curtain

went up. Kids walked out of the side stage, dressed in clothing that

seemed a little too big. Dallas and I smiled and laughed, wondering if

we were like that at their age.

Shortly, Tommy and Sam walked out on the stage. They were

dressed in matching suits that bulged at the shoulders and moustaches

that gave them the appearance of being cowboys.

38
 “They’re so adorable!” Dallas laughed. The rest of the time, we sat

back and watched, enjoying the scene before us. Parents oohed and

aahed at the right times, making a picture-perfect moment.

Half an hour later, plates and platters were being brought out for

the after-party, parents were congratulating their kids, beaming with

pride, and I jumped when someone tapped on my shoulder.

“Hi.” I turned around to see Chase laughing at me.

“What are you doing here?” I exclaimed.

He held up a broom in his hand. “Cleanup party.” He grinned. “Is this

for your brothers?”

“Yeah, actually.”

“Sasha!” my little brothers came running up to me. “Wasn’t it good?

Did you like it?”

“It was great guys!” I gave both of them a peck on the head. I

turned to Chase. “I want you guys to meet Chase.”

Tommy turned to me. “Is he your boyfriend?”

39
 Chase bent down, eye level with the boys. “No, I’m not.” I blushed.

Chase continued talking to the boys. “You guys did awesome! I really

like your costumes!”

“Thanks, mister!” Sam exclaimed. When my brothers had spotted

the cookies, they suddenly took off.

I turned to Dallas. “Chase, this is Dallas. Dallas, Chase.”

“Nice to meet you.” Chase smiled.

“You too. I’ve heard so much about you.” She sent me a lazy grin

and I elbowed her in the gut.

“Oh, really?” Chase grinned at me. He was really enjoying my

discomfort.

“You two are relentless. I might just ditch you both.”

“Yeah, but we know you won’t.” Dallas laughed.

“Well, I’d love to stick around and make fun of Sasha, but I have a

job to do. See ya.” Chase walked off and began cleaning up.

“I like him.” Dallas said cheekily. “I’m so glad I introduced you.”

40
 “But you didn’t.”

“I’m the reason you two met though.”

“Yeah, okay, Dallas. Keep on thinking that.” I rolled my eyes. “Well, I

gotta take the boys to their friend’s house. Let’s head out.”

When I arrived home, I tossed

the keys on the counter in the kitchen. Suddenly, I tensed. I could hear

a slight noise coming from the opposite side of the room. I walked

around the island to see Kate bent over on the floor, her hair in

complete disarray, her cheeks flushed.

“Ugh… you missies are such a mess!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, Kate…but, it is what you’re paid for.” I chuckled. I sat

down on a bar stool, frozen in thought. Presently, something dawned

on me. “Kate, you’re a Christian, right?”

“That I am, missy. What about it?”

“Well, I met a guy-” she rolled her eyes-“no, no, we’re just a

friends.” Right now, anyway, I added in my head. “Anyway, he told me

41
he was a Christian. And I was wondering… do you think I should look

into it?”

Kate paused, searching for the words. “Sasha, you have to realize,

Christianity isn’t just a whole lot of mumbo-jumbo religion stuff. It’s a

relationship with your Creator. You can’t just look into it. You need to

want it with your whole heart. Aye, when I accepted Christ into my

heart, I thought that I could just go on living the way I lived before. And

I’ll tell ya, it wasn’t good. But one of my dear friends, who then became

my husband, God rest his soul, taught me otherwise. He explained how

God was supposed to be my best friend. I was confused at that. I

questioned Liam how could I be best friends with a person who

doesn’t answer me back.” Kate stood up, looking deep into my eyes.

“do you know what he told me? He said, ‘Katie, girl, God’s answer is as

soft as the wind. If you listen hard enough, you can hear the wind

gently moving along, keeping the world as it should be. Sometimes the

wind blows awful fierce, and yet, other times, it’s just a crinkle in

time.’ ” Kate sighed, staring into space. She slowly looked back at me,

contemplating. “Sasha, what do you think you should do?”

“I think… I should go to church with Chase tomorrow.”

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 “Good girl.” I slid off the chair, gave Kate a quick peck on the cheek,

and then slipped outside to make a call.

“Hey, Chase!” I greeted when he picked up.

“Hey. What’s up?” he said, a smile evident in his voice.

“Well, I was wondering… could I… maybe… go to church with you

tomorrow?” I stammered.

Excitement lit up his voice. “Of course! That’d be awesome!”

“Great!” I exclaimed, my face glowing.

“Alright. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“Okay.” I hung up and smiled. I looked up at the sky, marveling at

the starts. Suddenly, white drifted down, settling on my face. My

breath sent fog out through the air. “Snow,” I whispered. Holding out

my hand, I stepped into the yard.

“Well, bless my stars!” I heard a voice say. I turned around to see

Kate walking out of the door, her coat donned and her things bundled

about her. “It’s snow! In November!”

“It’s glorious, isn’t it?” I asked, fairly glowing.

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 “It’s one of God’s many miracles.” Kate said, and then walked to her

car.

“Can you hear me, God?” I whispered. “I’ve never really done this

before, so I’m not sure how this works. But, what I do know is that

Chase loves You and I trust Chase.” I stayed quiet for a while, thinking.

“I hear that You love me, but how do I know?”

I have always loved you, Daughter. Like a gentle whisper, the

response echoed in my heart. Is that You, God? I thought. I waited, but

nothing else came. I promise that I’ll try. I’ll try to want this. I’ll try to

want You.

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