Kayla stared at the room in amazement. There was a mural that started on one wall and continued all around the room. By the door where she walked in there was a snowboarder, and then the snow turned into the ocean. The whole right side of the room looked like the beach scene she was used to, complete with surfers. She quickly scanned the room to see if Sara was there. Sure enough, she was standing near the surfing corner of the room talking to a bunch of girls. Kayla was trying to decide what to do when a familiar voice caught her attention.
“Hi Kayla,” Tyler said. “So I guess your grandma goes to Centerville Christian Fellowship.”
“Yeah,” she said just as another familiar face joined them. “I didn’t know you went here,” Josh said.
“Neither did I until tonight,” Kayla said with a shy grin. Before the conversation continued any further, a young man with wavy brown hair and sideburns called for everyone’s attention.
“He’s the youth pastor, Jimmy,” Tyler whispered into her ear as they all took a seat on the floor. Kayla was surprised when Jimmy started playing the guitar and everyone started singing. There was so much enthusiasm in this group. People were closing their eyes and lifting their hands. The songs had an upbeat sound to them. They were not at all like the hymns she was used to singing; although, a lot of the words were the same.
After worship she was really surprised when Jimmy said they were continuing through the book of James. He told everyone to open their Bibles to chapter two. It seemed like everyone had his or her own Bible. Kayla wished she had brought her student Bible, but it was still tucked away in a box somewhere. She decided she would make sure she unpacked the rest of her room soon so she could find it. Also, she had never had a teacher teach through a whole book of the Bible before. She was used to topical teachings that were found here and there. She sat up straight to listen, almost forgetting about Tyler, Josh, and Sara.
Jimmy started reading, “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.” The chapter went on to talk about how Christians should treat people equally, whether they were rich or poor. Kayla was fascinated at how Jimmy made the Bible seem so interesting. When he got to verse fourteen, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” Kayla settled in for a lecture on how Christians should do good deeds, but she was surprised by what Jimmy actually said.
“Good deeds are not something that can be mustered up,” he said. “Nor are they something that can earn forgiveness. Good deeds are evidence of true faith.” Kayla was a little bit flustered. She always thought her good deeds kind of outweighed the bad things she did.
When Jimmy got to verse nineteen, Kayla was horrified. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Suddenly Kayla felt like she was in some kind of horror film. Maybe there is more to being a Christian than just believing in God’s existence, she thought, stunned.
Jimmy went on, “Being a Christian is having the kind of belief that is proven through actions. If you knew there was a bomb in your house, ready to go off at any minute, you would leave the building immediately. If you told me you believed there was a bomb in your house, about to go off, but you just sat on your couch watching T.V., I would have to question whether or not you really believed there was a bomb. In the same way, if you really believe God loves you and died on the cross to pay the price for your sins; you will make Him your Lord and do what He says.”
When the service got out, Kayla’s head was spinning. What could it all mean? She numbly said goodbye to Tyler and Josh and then headed to the car.
As they rode home, Nana asked them all what they thought.
Mom answered her first, “Well, I was a little surprised at first because it was not exactly what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it. It was especially nice to see so many young people.”
Kayla looked over at Cole as he answered. “My youth group was cool. We got to play a bunch of games, and my teacher was nice. She gave me a snickers bar because I could recite the memory verse.” Kayla noticed his dimple as he smiled. She was glad to see her little brother happy again.
Mom cleared her throat and began to speak again, “The teaching was about not being afraid, and trusting in God.” She glanced at Kayla in the rearview mirror. “I know I told you yesterday that I have been paranoid lately, but now I think it is time for me to do more than just admit it isn’t good to be afraid. She took a deep breath, and Kayla could see her chest rise and fall slowly from the front seat before she spoke again. “I think it is time I gave the two of you more freedom. If you want to start walking home from school with Cole, you can, and you can take him to the skate park tomorrow if you still want to. After all, you are twelve, and that is legally old enough to baby sit.”
Cole let out a scream of excitement, and Kayla was so excited that Mom was finally giving her more freedom, she almost forgot about youth group and Jimmy’s troubling teaching.
Chapter 9
Cheated
Thursday morning at school, Kayla felt distracted. Her mind kept wondering, and during P.E. she kept missing the goal in their soccer game.
Hailey had detention during lunch, so Kayla sat with Sara.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to say ‘hi’ at church last night,” Sara said as she dug into her sack lunch and pulled out her strawberry yogurt. “Amber was having a crisis at public school, and she needed me to be there for her.” Kayla figured Amber must be one of the girls Sara was talking to while she was admiring the mural on the wall.
“That’s OK.” Kayla said. “I had to leave right after church anyway.”
“So, what did you think of youth group?” Sara asked.
“Well,” Kayla said, choosing her words carefully. “I thought Jimmy was cool.”
“Oh yeah, totally,” Sara answered with her usual enthusiasm as she pulled out her spoon and started to open her yogurt. “Is your family going to start going to CCF? Or were you just church shopping last night?”
“I think we are going to start going there. My grandma has been going there for years.” Kayla tried to hide her fears and confusion about going to Sara’s church as she spoke.
“Cool,” Sara said. “Jimmy is the best youth pastor ever. He is always planning fun trips. I think he is planning a snowboarding trip to Mt. Ashland as soon as it opens. Do you snow board?”
“I have been once or twice at Big Bear,” Kayla said, glad the conversation was going in a lighthearted direction. “Surfing was way more my thing, because it is kind of a year round sport in Southern Cal.”
Before Kayla knew it, the bell rang, and she was off to history class, glad the school day was almost over. She took her spot next to Hailey, and after the second bell rang, Mr. Bradford handed out a pop quiz. Kayla joined in as there was a collective groan, and then she got out her pen and began to answer the questions. Her mind started to wander. She thought about how exciting it was to get her freedom back, but then her mind drifted to the teaching at youth group. What was it Jimmy had said? Something about good works not outweighing the bad. That part about even the demons believing in God made her feel insecure. She wasn’t sure who she was anymore. If doing good deeds didn’t really matter, then why should she try so hard to be a good kid? Just then she heard a quiet, “pssst.” She turned to her right and saw Hailey mouth, “I need to see your answers. Move your arm.” Kayla hesitated, and then she casually moved her arm and turned her paper so Hailey could see it. What could it hurt? She reasoned.
Just as she was finishing up her quiz, she saw Mr. Bradford’s looming presence right in front of her. She looked up at him as he slipped her paper off of her desk then took Hailey’s as well.
“I’ll need to see you two ladies after class,” He said before he went back to his desk.
After class, Kayla stood in front of his desk with her head down and Hailey at her side.
“Cheating will not be tolerated at Fairview Academy,” He said with such sternness
in his voice it made Kayla shudder.
“You will both receive an ‘F’ on this quiz and detention tomorrow at lunch. And…” he looked directly at Kayla. She tried to look him in the eye, but was unable to. “Kayla, your new seat will be in the back of the class next to Sara Smith.”
As they walked from the room, Kayla felt terrible. She had always been a “good” kid. She had never been in trouble with a teacher before.
As soon as they turned the corner and were out of Mr. Bradford’s hearing, Hailey began fuming. “I can’t believe the nerve of him,” she said with clenched fists. “I’ll think of some way we can get him back.”
Kayla thought it was strange for Hailey to be mad at Mr. Bradford. Hailey was the one who cheated. Kayla was a little upset at her for getting them both into trouble. She turned from Hailey, quickly put her books in her locker, and headed for her bike. She wasn’t about to let Hailey, Mr. Bradford, or Jimmy’s teaching ruin her day. She was going to take Cole to the skate park, all by herself.
“Hey, Cole,” Kayla said when she saw him waiting for her by her bike. “Are you ready to check out the skate park?”
“Yeah,” he answered, but he didn’t seem as excited as Kayla had thought he would be.
“Race you there!” Kayla said, trying to cheer him up as she mounted her bike and started heading out of the school parking lot. He hopped on his skateboard and took off after her.
When they reached the park, Cole got right to work practicing his stunts. Kayla found a spot in the shade to watch. She sat down and leaned her back against a big oak tree. As she reached into her backpack to get out her apple, she thought about what a beautiful day it was to come to the skate park. The sun was shining, and there was a slight breeze. She started to think about her new school and her new friends. She felt a pain of guilt as she thought about letting Hailey cheat off of her. Life seemed so confusing since Dad had passed away. He was her rock, the one who kept everything stable for her. Now, she was living in a new place, with new people, but no father.
Just as she was deep in thought, she heard a voice above her.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Tyler asked as he stood in front of her with his hands in the pockets of his khaki pants.
“I’m here with my little brother, Cole. He’s right there practicing his jumps,” she said as she pointed in Cole’s direction. A slight shiver went through her body at seeing him so suddenly.
“No way. He is good for his age! I didn’t know he was your brother. I have been watching him. He could use a few pointers, but he’s got the basic stuff down really well.”
“Yeah,” Kayla replied, feeling more at ease. She suddenly swelled with pride in her little brother. “He used to be even better. My dad taught him a lot…before he passed away.” She wasn’t sure why she was telling him about Dad. Maybe it was just that she had so much on her mind, or that she didn’t have anyone else to talk to. Well, she was close to Mom, and Nana, but sometimes it was just nice to talk to someone her own age. “Cole didn’t skate at all for a long time after it happened,” she continued. “He just started skating again before the move. I’m glad he wanted to come today. He’s been so quiet lately. I think he is having a hard time making new friends.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” he said with genuine compassion as he ran his fingers through his bleached blond hair. “It must be really hard for you too.”
There was a moment of silence. Kayla heard the leaves of the tree above her swaying in the wind, and then he spoke again. “I know what I can do to help. I have a little brother about the same age as yours, and he loves to skate too. I’ll run home and get him.” With that, he waved over his shoulder and was off. Kayla could hardly believe how nice he was to her. He was by far the cutest boy she had seen at school, and here he was doing personal favors for her.
Before long, he was back with his little brother, Shane. Kayla watched from the shade of the Oak tree as Tyler began to engage the two younger boys in what looked like a mini skate lesson. Before long, all three of them were laughing.
When it was time to go, Kayla walked over to where the boys were skating. Cole flashed her one of his huge smiles. It was the kind she had almost forgotten, it had been so long.
“Just a few more minutes,” he said in a pleading voice.
“O.K.,” Kayla answered, “but we’ve got to get going soon. I’m going over to Sara’s house for dinner tonight.”
Tyler overheard her and said, “Tell Sara ‘hi’ for me.”
“Sure,” Kayla said, almost feeling jealous. “Thanks for helping Cole. It means a lot to me.”
“Anytime,” Tyler said with a smile that made Kayla blush.
“Well, we’ve got to go,” Kayla said as Cole came over to them. “See you later.”
“Bye Tyler, bye Shane,” Cole said as they turned to leave. Kayla rode her bike home with a smile on her face. Somehow, she didn’t feel so bad about the history test anymore. You never know what a day will bring, she thought.
Chapter 10
Adventures in Babysitting
Kayla put her key in the lock and gently pushed open their front door. The house seemed strangely quiet inside without Mom.
“When will Mom be home?” Cole asked, and Kayla could tell from the frown on his face that he felt the same emptiness she did.
“In a couple of hours,” Kayla answered him. “Why don’t we do our homework until she gets here?”
“I need help with mine today,” he said.
Kayla wasn’t sure what she should do. She was supposed to go to Sara’s for dinner, so she needed to work on her own homework now.
“Can’t Mom help you later, after dinner?”
“No,” Cole said as they both made their way upstairs. “She said I needed to get it done before she gets off work.” He screwed up his face into a frown before adding, “We have to go to the grocery store tonight.”
“Oh,” Kayla said. Suddenly this whole babysitting thing didn’t seem so glamorous anymore. She had been hoping to get her homework done quickly, and then download some new music to her iPod. Now she would have to rush just to get her homework done.
She went to her room to put away her backpack before settling down in a beanbag chair in Cole’s room. She glanced at the walls in his room, and was once again thankful he ended up with the blue room and not her. There were still a few boxes of toys yet to be unpacked, but Cole had done a pretty good job of decorating his room, considering it had blue walls. Mom said she would get him a wallpaper boarder with soccer balls on it when she had time, which, lately, seemed like never. Cole had put up two posters of skaters, and she noticed he had already set up the train set Dad had gotten him last Christmas.
“So, what do you need help with?” Kayla asked him after he had gotten situated at his desk.
“Math,” he said wrinkling up his nose.
“Let’s get started then,” Kayla said, just as the phone rang. She ran to Mom’s room to answer it. “Hello,” she said and then heard Jerusha’s familiar voice on the other end of the line. “Hey sis,” Jerusha said, “What are you up to?”
“Oh, I wish I had time to talk, but I have to help Cole with his homework.” Kayla felt annoyed again. She would have loved a chat with Jerusha.
“I’m sorry; I’ll call you back later then.”
“Thanks,” Kayla said, glad to know her friend wouldn’t have any hard feelings.
She went back to Cole’s room bringing the cordless phone with her this time in case there were any more calls. She helped Cole for the next twenty minutes or so trying not to think about what she would rather be doing. Luckily she was a good student and a patient teacher, but when Cole announced he needed a bathroom break, Kayla was in no hurry to make him stay and finish his assignment. “O.K.” she told him as he scurried from the room.
She was trying to figure out how she would explain borrowing in subtraction when the phone rang again. This time it was Nana.
“I was just wondering how you
were doing,” Nana said, but she sounded kind of lonely to Kayla.
“We’re doing fine, what are you up to today?”
“Oh, nothing really. I’m just at home.” Kayla thought of the retirement mobile home park Nana lived in. It was always so quiet. “I decided to go home early from the shop today. Carol wants more hours, so I think I will start taking the afternoons off.”
Just then, Kayla heard a loud scream. Nana must have heard it too, because Kayla heard her ask, “What’s wrong,” as she quickly ran to the bathroom. Cole was sprawled on the floor and blood was running down his cheek. Kayla felt queasy when she saw the big gash on his forehead.
“Oh my gosh! Cole, what happened?” She said trying to calm him, but feeling panic rise in her chest. That’s when she noticed the toilet had overflowed and there was water everywhere.
UNDERCOVER ANGELS: Kayla's Big Move Page 5