by Sandra Byrd
Supriya nudged me. “Have a look over there.”
Coming down the hill from the parking lot was Tommy.
Chapter 32
He was in his soccer—um, football uniform. “I didn’t know he was going to show up,” Penny said.
“I didn’t know either,” I whispered. Then I spoke up, trying to appear unfazed. “Hey, Tommy!”
He came over and gave me a friendly hug. It was the first time he’d ever done so, and even though guys and girls hugged each other all the time at school, this time I was very aware that my dad was only feet away, watching the whole thing.
“Hey, Sav,” he said. “I hope it’s okay . . .”
I grinned. “I’m so glad you could come. But your match?”
“I’ll be a little late,” he said. “My grandfather is waiting in the car to take me to the game in a bit.” I’d forgotten that Tommy’s mom had broken her foot and couldn’t drive yet, and his dad often traveled for work.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“Not at all,” he answered. And then it was time for me to head down to the riverbank.
I wasn’t sure, but I guessed that the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, was a bit warmer than the River Thames. Oh, and by the way, it probably didn’t have eels. But I still thought it was cool to be baptized in a river, just like Jesus.
Two people went ahead of me, and then it was my turn to face the group of people gathered. I shared how I had become a Christian when I was a little girl. And also how I kept forgetting whether I’d really asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life, so my mom had told me I should go ahead and give my life to Him once more and she’d write the date on the back of a wooden cross. We hung the cross in my bedroom and then, anytime I wondered if I was really His, I’d pull the cross off my wall and look at it, reassured.
Then I mentioned the forwards and texts. “Some of those texts and e-mails promised good things. But every good thing comes only from God. They also threatened disaster if I didn’t ‘obey’ them. But the only time I was flirting with disaster was when I trusted them. I don’t believe in luck. Or chance. Or horoscopes. I trust God. That’s all.”
I smiled and indicated to Joe that I was ready.
Chapter 33
Joe waded into the flat brown water with me, my flip-flops suctioning for all their worth in the silty riverbed. Once we were a few feet out, he said loudly enough for everyone on the bank to hear, “Based on your profession of faith and your desire to follow Christ wherever He leads you, I baptize you, Savannah Smith, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
I closed my eyes as he put his arm around me, but it didn’t feel like Joe’s arm—it somehow felt like God’s. He was holding on to me, and there was nothing that could separate me from Him.
“Two are better than one.”
When Joe lifted me out of the water, everyone on the shore clapped, and I made my way to the edge. My mom held out a towel and dried off my face before handing it to me to wrap up in.
A few others were baptized. Tommy gave me a little wave good-bye and then slipped silently up the bank again to the parking lot, where his grandfather waited to take him to his game.
My mom pulled me aside and handed me a jewelry box.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Open it,” she said.
Dad and Louanne came alongside me too; Penny and Supriya were talking with some of the others. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Supriya introducing Penny to them.
I turned my attention back to the jewelry box and cracked it open. The hinges moved smoothly. Inside was a beautiful gold cross.
“Turn it over!” Louanne said.
I did. On the other side was etched today’s date—making a matching set, in a way, with the cross on my wall. “Thank you,” I said and kissed each of their cheeks. “I’m kinda cold. I might go see if Penny is ready to go.” They said they’d meet us at the car.
I walked up to Supriya and Penny. “Hey!”
“That was lovely,” Penny said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“I have a gift for you, Savvy,” Supriya said, “but it’s not something I can hand to you.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Well, thank you. But what is it?”
“I know the problems you’ve had with the forwards and the texts and all. And, you know, I’ve been tempted by them myself. So each week I’m going to find a Bible verse and text it to you. That’ll be the encouraging text for the week instead. You can even forward it, if you want.”
At that, the three of us started laughing. We said good-bye, and Penny whispered, “You know, Savvy, I wouldn’t mind if you forwarded it on to me.”
“I will,” I said, seeing the possibility of a new branch shooting from the Vine.
“Savvy, can I see you for a second?” Joe called, waving me over.
I nodded and asked Penny if it would be okay if she went to the car ahead of me.
“Nicely done,” Joe said. “Have you prayed about playing on worship team?”
I smiled broadly. “I have—and I’d love to.”
“Good.” Joe turned to go, but then he stepped back toward me, a serious look suddenly replacing his grin. “I’ll be sending you a packet of information via e-mail tonight or tomorrow, just some follow-up Scriptures and thoughts. You know, sometimes things actually get more difficult for a bit after baptism. I just want to warn you.”
I looked at him, slightly alarmed. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” he started, “it’s like a new car.”
Inwardly, I groaned. Was there no end to where Top Gear and speedy cars interrupted my life? But I said nothing, allowing him to continue.
“You do the design, you unveil the new model—and then you do several test-drives to see how it handles real-life challenges and where adjustments might need to be made.”
“Tests?” I said. “Challenges?” That didn’t sound like a slow country drive down safe, straight roads.
“Even the Lord was led into the desert for testing shortly after His baptism, Savvy,” Joe said. “Testing will come. Probably right away.”
Chapter 34
Supriya’s first text came that night, right after I’d slipped on both my new cross and my pajamas. I was really excited to get the text, till I looked up the verses: Isaiah 43:1-3.
Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I figured she’d picked that passage because I’d just been baptized in a river and the words had some similarities. But she had probably prayed about which verses to send too. Part of me felt encouraged. Part of me moaned, But I don’t want deep waters or rivers of difficulty or fires of oppression!
Chapter 35
Sunday at church I met with the worship team. Everyone was welcoming, and I knew I was going to fit right in. I got the music for the next Wednesday and took it home to practice. I agreed to come early on Wednesday nights so we could go over the songs once or twice before hanging out.
So far, so good.
Then at Sunday school, Tommy pulled me aside. “Hey, are you interested in going to a film next Saturday?”
“Um, sure,” I said.
“Oliver is asking Penny, and my friend Bill and his girlfriend, Maddie, are coming too.”
I exercised amazing control over all forty-three of my facial muscles so I wouldn’t smile. Three couples. It’s not like we were official or anything, but these were definitely couples. And since it wasn’t a one-on-one
date, I knew my dad would let me go.
“I’d love to.”
“Great.” He grinned. “I’ll get you the details later in the week.”
If this was the testing, bring it on!
Chapter 36
Monday we stayed after school to have our final newspaper meeting before the Great Vote. We got to hear from each of the candidates. I personally thought it was a huge waste of time because everyone had already divvied up into Team Hazelle and Team Natalie.
Except for me, of course. Less than twenty-four hours before the vote, I was still wishy-washy. Natalie found me before the meeting was about to begin. “Almost finished with that article on Be@titude?” she asked. “I’m looking forward to seeing it. And hearing your ideas for a spirituality column.”
I nodded and smiled, but she still made me feel like I needed to escape her as soon as possible. I supposed that didn’t matter. You had to be able to work with and for people you didn’t necessarily like. Especially if they were going to help you meet your goals. Christian goals that were going to help other people, too. Like Becky. And Emma.
Hazelle didn’t try to sway me in any way. She wasn’t even particularly friendly. She went about her business doing what she normally did with her hangdog, I-miss-Brian look whenever I caught her unawares. It was a good thing she was running for editor and not for public office because she seriously didn’t know how to manage a campaign.
She did try to dress up her uniform a bit, though; I’d give her that. But then she had to go and ask my opinion.
She pulled me aside. “Savvy, what do you think of the accessories—makeup, hair, you know?”
I looked her over and offered nothing.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I asked you because I can trust you to be honest with me. You’ve got a lot of shortcomings, but you’re always honest.”
A lot of shortcomings, eh?
“Well,” I said. “Um, I think that, you know, you’ve got a lot of natural beauty that the heavy makeup is covering up. And there’s a lot of humidity in England. Pretty much everyone’s got to straighten their hair to keep away the frizzies.” Her face looked so fragile that I reached for something kind but true to say. I glanced at her bracelets—cool Indian bangles like Supriya might wear. “Love the bracelets,” I said.
“Thanks,” she said. “I got them at the museum gift shop.”
Her dad was a security guard for the British Museum. But there was girl rule #169: Don’t tell people you bought your accessories at a museum. “They’re beautiful,” was all I said. And they were. Then I saw a look cross her face for the first time.
She was worried about the vote.
Chapter 37
Tuesday morning we cast our votes.
“Thanks, everybody,” Jack said. “I’ll take the votes and tally them. After I’ve had a chance to talk with both candidates, I’ll make a general announcement.”
At lunch Hazelle was not at the newspaper table, and neither was Jack. I sat with Penny because I couldn’t stand the tension at the Wexburg Academy Times table.
I went home and did my homework, ate dinner, and turned in my column to Jack. This wouldn’t normally be a column week for me, but he’d juggled the editorial schedule a bit to accommodate end-of-the-year events. Then I tried to sleep.
In first period on Wednesday, I knew the answer before Jack had even made the announcement. Hazelle flounced into first period, her Ruby Desire lipstick as dark as ever, and plopped down right next to me.
“Hey, Hazelle,” I said.
She smiled at me, but it was a superior I-am-the-queen kind of smile. “Hullo, Savannah,” she said.
“I take it congratulations are in order?” I said.
She nodded. “Yes, thanks.”
“Oh, good,” I said, my hopes starting to flail a little at her iceberg-just-below-the-surface attitude. “Maybe sometime this week we can talk about my article. Maybe Thursday, when the new edition of the paper comes out?”
“I’ll try to squeeze it in,” she said. “I’ll have a lot going on during the transition. I’m sure we’ll be able to give you some little topic to fulfill Jack’s promise.” And with that, she turned to what was, I assumed, a very important text before Mr. Thompson came in to start class.
I purposely avoided Brian so I wouldn’t have to make eye contact with him. Before today, I’d been thinking he was a creep for dumping Hazelle. But now I wasn’t so sure.
After class I saw Natalie in the hall. I tried to smile, but she glared at me and started to walk by. Then she turned on her heel and came after me. “You made a very bad choice,” she said. “And it’s all going to come down on your head. Wait and see.” Then she threw her arm around Rhys’s waist and strode away.
She knew I’d had the deciding vote and hadn’t voted for her. I thought I’d done the right thing—even if Hazelle wasn’t warm and fuzzy, at least she was trustworthy and honest. But what had Natalie meant about it all coming down on my head?
Chapter 38
Wednesday night, my first night with the worship team. I was kind of sad because neither Supriya nor Tommy was there, but it did allow me a chance to get to know the others in the worship band. For some reason, though, I had the sense that doom was just ahead. I couldn’t shake the dark feeling. I was in the house of the Lord, playing His music with His people, and I still felt nervous.
It reminded me of a feeling I’d had when I was little. Once, in the middle of the night, I could hear noises coming from underneath my bed. I just had to lie there and hope that daylight would come soon. In the morning, Dad looked and said nothing had been there, but I knew different. Something had been after me.
Chapter 39
Thursday finally arrived, and my column was in the paper—the one I’d based on real Scripture again. Before I left to deliver the papers, I stopped Hazelle in the newspaper office. “Can we meet today?”
“Sure,” she said, but I couldn’t read her expression. “After school, in here, okay?”
“Okay.” Maybe things weren’t going to be so bad after all. She’d let me do the Be@titude piece, and we’d be okay. I let my mind turn to happier things—the group date with Tommy on Saturday night.
At lunch, Jack pulled me aside. “Savvy, I wanted to let you be the one to tell Hazelle the news that you were writing the Asking for Trouble column. But when her sister found out Hazelle had made editor, she started discussing things with her, including your writing the column and how Julia had thought it was a brilliant idea.”
“Oh,” I said. “How did Hazelle take it?”
“Not well, I’m afraid. I won’t be here after school today, as I’ve got a tennis match. But I wanted you to know.”
To be warned, he meant.
After school I stepped into the Wexburg Academy Times office. One look at Hazelle’s bright red face when she glanced in my direction slowed me right down. I heard the breathing under the bed again.
Something was very wrong. She pulled me into Jack’s office and closed the door behind her. She sat down at Jack’s desk, and I sat on the other side, like a kid in the headmaster’s office. All I could think was, You made this monster, Savvy. You voted her in.
Yes, but after prayer. It was bewildering. Had I heard incorrectly?
“I’m really disappointed,” Hazelle started. “I mean, well, I do see that you have some—or the beginnings of some—writing talent. But above all, I thought I could always trust you to be honest with me. And all this time you’ve been lying, kind of. Keeping the secret that you were the writer of the advice column. Julia told me that hadn’t been a part of the deal. That it had been your idea.” She drummed her fingers on the desk. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
My own face was red now; I could feel it. Hazelle was calling me a liar when my motives had been pure. However, she was the new editor, and it was going to be up to her whether or not I wrote the story about Be@titude—and also whether or not I kept my column.
She was waiting for an answer, I
could see. Here were some of the things I could have told her, all of them honest, though I had no idea if any of them would even wash with her:
1. We weren’t friends then, and apparently we aren’t really friends now, though I kind of thought we were. So why should I tell you anything?
2. Because I felt that God wanted me to do my good deeds in private, but you wouldn’t understand because you think religion is for fruitcakes.
3. Because I didn’t want to hurt your feelings since I was chosen and not you. I knew you’d feel bad that your sister didn’t pick you.
4. Because no one thought our school would listen to an American.
Oh, all right. “Well, I didn’t think anyone would listen to an American. So I needed to build credibility first.”
She stared at me, but I could practically read her thoughts: Oh. Right. Makes sense, then.
“Well, Savvy, journalistic integrity is critical. Critical! I have to know what you’re doing and why and that you’ll be honest with me and that I can trust you to do what the paper needs.”
“You can,” I said. “Really.”
Hazelle looked at me. “All right, then. Here’s an assignment for you. Up till now, Natalie has been in charge of getting our horoscope column delivered to us from one of the local syndicates. She’s decided to leave the paper immediately.”
What? Natalie was quitting?
“That means we need a new horoscope column. Whoever was supplying it to Natalie was doing it for free as a courtesy to her. She’s angry, and she said she’s going to put an end to that. That’s where you step in. You need to keep the horoscope column going.”