The Scarlet Plan

by Rick W. Warren

  Jordan threw his arm around him.

  “No big deal. It was just funny to see your reaction to Trent. Keep on hoping. That’s why we love ya!”

  “Yeah, don’t worry, Mark,” Josh replied as he was pushing up his glasses in order to see the screen of his iPhone better. “I’ve been working on an app that rates Trent’s jokes and so far he has only gotten a nine.”

  “Hey! Nine out of ten is pretty good I say,” Trent said smiling.

  “It’s not nine out of ten. It’s nine out of a hundred,” Josh shot back smirking at the zinger he just pulled off. Trent’s stunned reaction was exactly what he had hoped it would be.

  They continued to talk as they walked down the sidewalk of Fremont Street. This was an everyday routine for the guys. They would meet up after school and walk together as they made their way home. They all held the same common interests (video games, church, music, etc.…) and yet they were unique in different ways.

  Jordan was the most levelheaded of all of them. He was usually the one who knew the wisest thing to do and it was most often him that kept them out of the trouble that most freshmen guys often get themselves into. Josh was known as the techie of the group. He was always fascinated with the newest device or software. If something need fixed or figured out, Josh was the guy to go to. Mark was certainly the most naïve of the group, but it was due to his caring nature. Out of all their childhoods, he had it the roughest. He was an only child due to his dad’s passing when he was little. His mom never remarried. Add to that the fact that he had always been made fun of because he was on the heavier side of all the kids who were his age and you can see that things were rough for him. However, Jordan, Josh, and even Trent did not treat him that way. Trent was good at teasing each of his friends equally and he was sensitive when it came to Mark’s weight… most of the time. To Mark, those three guys weren’t just his best friends; they were his brothers. Trent certainly was the one known to take things far more lightly. In some ways he was opposite from Jordan. Whereas Jordan would say, “Wait a minute,” Trent would say “Let’s do it!” It wasn’t that Trent was a bad kid. He actually had a very good heart. However, he wanted to have as much fun as he could. The group was certainly a good balance for each other.

  “So are we going to watch Clayton play tonight?” Mark asked.

  “I’m up for it if you guys are,” Jordan replied.

  “You mean we get to see ‘King Clayton’!” Trent said sarcastically. “Do you think I could get him to sign my teddy bear so I could stare at his autograph each night before I sleep! Then in the morning when I open my eyes the first thing I would see is the teddy bear that Clayton Stoneking took the time to sign! Well, we shouldn’t even go home! We should go stand outside the locker room right now!”

  The three other guys couldn’t help but laugh as they watched Trent’s theatrics. They understood why he acted this way, though.

  “Dude, Clayton’s not that bad. He’s just really busy,” Mark said.

  “When is the last time you had an actual conversation with him?” Trent asked. “When have any of you been able to say more that ‘Hi’ or ‘What’s up?’ Have you forgotten how he used to hang out with us all the time in Junior High? As a matter of fact, he used to be as shy as anyone I ever knew and he was so clumsy he could hardly walk down a hallway without knocking something over. Then all of the sudden over the summer he gains this athletic ability and he becomes the hero of Galesburg! After that he had nothing to do with us. What kind of friend is that?”

  “You’re right. It stinks that he effectively threw us away, but that doesn’t mean he won’t someday apologize,” Jordan replied.

  “Threw us away is a nice way to put it. He erased us. He unfriended us on Facebook, he blocked us on Twitter, and he even changed his phone number. What he did to us was just cold and it certainly isn’t the way a Christian is supposed to treat others.”

  “I hear you and I agree with you, but I hold out hope that he will change. At least he still attends church and at least he still comes to youth group. He has actually brought a lot of his football friends.”

  Trent looked at Jordan with a serious look that was very rare for him. “Dude, he brings his friends because they want to check out the girls. It’s not to hear about Jesus. To tell you the truth, they worry me. How do you not see that? You can always tell when something’s up.”

  The truth was that Jordan did see it and it worried him too. He just had a hard time accepting what Clayton had become.

  “I see it, Trent, I see it, but I don’t know what to do about it.”

  “So are we not going to go then?” Mark asked.

  “No, we should go.” Trent responded, “At least it’s fun to watch. It’s history in the making.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll catch you one of those foam footballs that the cheerleaders throw,” Josh said grinning.

  “Sparks, I’ve seen one year olds catch a football better than you. You better stick to your tech stuff and leave the catching to me. I wouldn’t want you dropping your phone through the bleachers. Besides, all the cheerleaders are looking for me anyway.”

  “You’re right. They are searching for a goofy mascot. Hopefully they find you!” Mark jabbed.

  Zing!

  3

  Emma Ironside sat at her desk watching the clock tick towards 4:30. It had been a long week and she was ready for the weekend. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her job as a reporter for the Galesburg Ledger (Read it here first while the rest of the city catches up!); rather she was just genuinely tired. The news cycle had pretty much been consumed by the local football scene which meant most other matters fell by the wayside. One would think that would have made things easier since there wasn’t as much pressure on her, but for Emma it only drove her to try harder. Therefore, the weekend was a relief.

  She looked outside and saw the storm clouds looming. It looked liked it might be a rainy night for the Galesburg Fire.

  “No rain can quench this inferno!” Emma said out loud. “Hey Bruce! You should use that line on the radio tonight.”

  Bruce looked at her from across the news floor bewildered. He was both the sports columnist for the Ledger and the radio commentator for the team. He was known as Galesburg’s voice for 30 years. “Use what?”

  “Tonight if it rains you should introduce the Fire by saying ‘No rain can quench this inferno!’”

  Bruce grinned. “That’s a pretty good line. Do you want credit for it?”

  “Nah, its yours free of charge.”

  “Are you going to the game?”

  “I might if I can find someone to go with.”

  “How does a pretty girl like you not have a person to go with? Are the guys in this town really that blind?”

  Emma blushed. “That’s very nice to say, but I guess I’m still waiting for what God has in store for that. In the meantime, I get to come up with witty lines for your broadcast. Maybe I should live tweet them to you during the game.”

  “Well, I hope you can find a friend. I’m sure there are better things you can do than provide material for an old guy like me.”

  The clock turned to 4:30. Quitting time. Emma spun around in her chair and grabbed her jacket and purse in one fluid motion.

  “See ya, Bruce. Have a great weekend. Don’t go too crazy.”

  “You too.”

  Emma left with a spring in her step. She was glad to be done for the week and she honestly looked forward to the time off. She didn’t realize how long of a weekend she was going to have and the range of emotions she was about to go through.

  4

  James “Convert” Madsen pulled up his Ford F150 into the driveway of Jack and Marie McKenzie’s house a little after 5:00. The downstairs apartment had been his home now for a couple of years and he was ready for the weekend. This week had been a good week for work. He had been able to tear
out and rebuild a deck without much difficulty and the weather had been agreeable as well. He looked up at the sky as he got out of his truck and thanked the Lord for holding off the rain until he was at least done for the day.

  As he walked around the back of the truck he made sure his toolbox was closed and locked. He didn’t want anything to get stolen or wet. Everything looked good and secure. Now his thoughts shifted to what really mattered: supper.

  “Nice truck, mister,” a voice said behind him.

  Convert spun around and saw standing before him in the driveway a couple of teenagers wearing matching black hooded sweatshirts and black jeans. He was surprised to see them standing there because he hadn’t heard the sound of their approach. That was unusual for Convert. He was always aware of his surroundings and the one thing he made sure never to happen was for someone to sneak up on him. I must be slippin’ as I’m getting older, he thought.

  “Thanks,” he replied. “I didn’t notice you guys standin’ there.”

  Both boys stood there staring at him with their hands in the front pockets of their sweatshirts. The one who spoke was grinning while the other one stared blankly. Convert thought they couldn’t have been older than 15 or 16 and he was quickly getting suspicious about why they were standing here at this time.

  “Is there something I can do for you guys?” Convert asked.

  “You go by the name, Convert, don’t you?” The kid with the blank look said. The grinning one just kept grinning. “Is that a Christian thing or something?”

  “Well, yes and sort of yes,” Convert replied. “I do go by that name and it’s because of Jesus that I changed it. Can I ask you guys what your names are?”

  “No,” said the grinning kid.

  Immediately Convert became very uncomfortable. Something was not right here. Something was not safe. “So why are we talking here guys? Is there a problem?”

  They both stood there silent. The grinning kid was still grinning and the blank stare kid was still staring.

  “Alright guys,” Convert said. “I think its time you left. I don’t know what you’re up to and I’m not comfortable with you standing here.”

  “You think that Jesus saves?” Blank stare kid replied. “You think your life is different now that you follow Jesus?”

  What is going on here? Convert thought. “Yes I do with all my heart. Why are you asking me these questions?”

  “Hearts don’t feel,” the grinning kid replied. “Hearts pump blood. If we talked to your heart it wouldn’t tell us anything but ‘Bump bump, bump bump.’ We’ve never heard a heart talk. We’ve heard people talk. We’ve heard people scream, but we’ve never heard anything different come from their heart.”

  At that, Convert had had enough. “I don’t know who you guys are, but you are on private property. It would be best for you to be on your way before I call the police. I don’t understand what your talking about, but I’ll be very blunt with you: I think you’re up to no good and I’m not comfortable with you being here.”

  Grinning kid didn’t flinch. “The problem with living in a past of shadow is that sometimes the shadows come back.”

  Convert reached down to his pocket to grab his cell phone. It wasn’t there. He had left it in the cup holder inside his truck. “Ok, guys. We’ll have it your way,” he said as he went back to the door of his truck to get his phone.

  “That’s exactly right,” the blank stare kid replied. “It will be our way and it will always be our way.”

  With that they turned and walked on. Convert watched as they sauntered down the sidewalk. They walked as if they had nothing else to do with nowhere else to go, but they kept walking. The sight of them sent a chill up Convert’s back. Who were they? Why were they here? Will they try and come back? How did they know him?

  Convert grabbed his phone and walked toward the house. Today was a good day and tonight was supposed to be a good night. However, those two kids brought a kind of darkness to his mood similar to the clouds forming in the sky. Something wasn’t right.

  5

  Football night in Galesburg was a flurry of activity and tonight would be no different. There was excitement everywhere. The smell of hot dogs and brats filled the air as people sat tailgating in the parking lot. Kids ran around laughing with balloons and different noise making devices, such as horns and cowbells, all of which were intended for cheering on the greatest football team in the history of Galesburg. Even though by 6:30 the clouds were heavy and rain was certain, no one was deterred from being at the premier place to be on Friday night.

  Aaron arrived with his buddies, Jason and Tom, with the excited expectation of reaching souls for Christ. The three of them grew up together and after Aaron graduated college and returned to Galesburg as a youth pastor, they helped him out as youth group leaders at the church. All three of them had a stack of fliers to hand out to whatever student they could find in order to invite them to the after football youth event at Truth Community. Aaron had been praying for this event for a long time and his hopes were high. Everything looked like it was coming together perfectly. The fact that Clayton, who was the closest thing to a celebrity in Galesburg, was from the church meant that many of the students would show up after the game because they would want to be around him. Aaron had made sure to ask him to be there and Clayton was adamant that he would be. Excited even!

  “What do you guys say we split up, get all these flyers handed out, and once we’re done we’ll try to find a seat for the game,” Aaron said to his friends.

  “Sounds good,” Tom replied. “This is crazy out here. It’s like the whole town showed up. You sure this isn’t homecoming night?”

  “I know, right?” Aaron replied smiling. “Thanks again for all your help. I definitely do not think our work is going to be in vain tonight.”

  “Hey, as long as we don’t see half of these flyers waded up or turned in to airplanes, I think we should have our biggest turnout yet,” Jason said. “This was a good idea, Clark. It’s nice to see you have one of those every once in a while.”

  “Here’s a good idea. Hand these flyers out before I take you down like I used to in wrestling practice,” Aaron replied with a grin. It was good to be with his friends and it was good to be back home. Thunder rumbled in the far distance, but it was almost unable to be heard from the fanfare of the night. The game was close to starting and they had work to do.

  6

  “Dude, I still can’t get over how crazy this place is on a Friday night!” Mark said as he was riding his bike with his friends to the game.

  “I know,” Jordan replied. “It’s like a rock concert and Clayton is the rock star.”

  “It reminds me of all the football games you see in the movies with the massive crowds and booming music,” Josh said. “The upgraded tech that they put into this is awesome! How in the world were they able to afford it?”

  “What do you mean, Sparks?” Trent replied. “You know the city got that anonymous donation to do this. That’s where they got the money.”

  “I know that, Trent, but do you realize how many millions of dollars it was to do this?” Josh said. “Why would someone give so much for the football field to be upgraded like this especially when it was done before Clayton was ever discovered as a star football player? Think about the perfect timing of the whole thing. The new complex is built and then almost miraculously Clayton emerges and everything explodes into what we see tonight.”

  “Wow, Josh,” Mark replied. “I never thought of that. It is pretty amazing how everything lined up that way. Do you think it means anything?”

  “Yeah,” Trent replied. “It means that Josh remains single because he’s too busy thinking up crazy conspiracy theories about Galesburg football instead of actually talking to a girl.”

  “Well if that’s the case, then what’s the reason you don’t have a girlfriend yet?” Jordan replied with
the full pride of having a witty comment to drop on Trent.

  As usual, Trent didn’t miss a beat. “I’m still trying to decide on which girl to say yes to. I don’t like breaking all those hearts, but I gotta make a choice eventually.”

  “The only choice you have to make is whether to put on your Batman or Superman underwear in the morning,” Mark shot out quickly as he began to immediately laugh at his own cleverness.

  “Actually, I was thinking on trying out some Pokémon underwear. Could I borrow some of yours?”

  Mark looked at him blankly with nothing to say. Trent caught him flat-footed once again.

  7

  The emergence of a good football team in Galesburg was a great thing for the community. It was something that genuinely brought people together. Despite different political affiliations or particular worldviews, this was something that everyone could agree on and talk about. It wasn’t as if the football team didn’t have occasional successful seasons before. This, however, was beyond that. This team was getting national attention and their quarterback was going to be a genuine superstar. Clayton Stoneking was a phenom and the people of Galesburg knew it. That was why everyone was interested in what was going on. People wanted to be part of the “history in the making” right before their eyes.

  The Galesburg Fire was already 8-0 and a victory tonight would secure a home game playoff spot. It wasn’t as if anyone doubted it would happen, but it was an accomplishment to celebrate nonetheless. There was buzz everywhere as people talked about and anticipated each Friday night. It was fascinating to see that these games got so much attention. Clayton’s feats on the field were even shown on ESPN news. Unprecedented things were happening and the little town of Galesburg, with a population of thirty-five thousand people, was in the spotlight.