Destination Unknown

by Amy Clipston

  “I know.” She squeezed my hand. “I’m so happy for you and Taylor. I knew things would work out.”

  “Thank you. I owe part of it to you.”

  Emily shook her head. “No. He already knew you two belonged together. He just needed me to push him in the right direction.”

  “You’re the best.” I hugged her.

  A roaring engine drew our attention to a shiny, candy-apple-red Mustang pulling up to the entrance of the hotel.

  “Wow!” Zander’s eyes looked as if they might pop out of his head. “Look at that.”

  “Isn’t it awesome?” Emily ran her fingers over the hood.

  “It’s a gorgeous car.” I stepped over to the passenger door.

  Taylor moved ahead of me and opened the door. “Allow me.”

  “Why, thank you.” I climbed in and smoothed my dress over my legs. I rolled down the window and waved to Emily and Zander. “Good night!”

  “Have fun,” Emily called.

  Taylor jogged around the front of the car and then climbed in beside me.

  “See you two later. We have to get together sometime.” Zander pointed toward the car. “I want to drive it.”

  “I bet you do. Good night.” Taylor revved the engine and pulled away from the curb. He steered through the parking lot and then rested his hand on mine. “Did you have a nice evening?”

  “No.” I teased him. “I had a wonderfully perfect evening.”

  “I did too.” He squeezed my hand.

  “I have a question for you.” I angled my body toward him. “How would you feel if your girlfriend went to Kentwood instead of U?”

  Taylor gave me a sideways glance. “I’d be super proud, and I’d look forward to visiting her often.”

  “Really?”

  He laughed. “Yes, really. Why wouldn’t I support you if you went to Kentwood? Just because we’re a few hours away from each other doesn’t mean our relationship has to end, Whitney. Don’t let the fear of losing me crush your dreams. I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

  I nodded while considering his words.

  He merged onto Main Street. “What made you change your mind about Kentwood?”

  “I had a long talk with Coach Lori, and she shared that she went there. She told me how much she loved it, and she said something I’d heard before but hadn’t really listened to.” I stared through the windshield at the bright stars in the sky. “She said I shouldn’t make my choice about a college just to rebel against my mother. I need to make my choices based on what I want to do with my life. I can respectfully tell my mother I want to follow my own path.”

  He squeezed my hand again. “Exactly.”

  “I was looking at Kentwood’s website this morning, and I started to get really excited about the idea of going there.” I faced him. “I think that’s where I want to go, but I don’t want to lose you.”

  Taylor slowed at a stoplight and turned toward me. “Whitney, I will support whatever you want to do. Just don’t forget me when you go off to your ritzy college.”

  “I won’t. I’ll look forward to your Spanish text messages every night.”

  He laughed and then accelerated through the intersection before turning into Castleton.

  I glanced around the interior of the Mustang. “How did you get your uncle to loan you this amazing car?”

  “It was actually Vanessa’s idea.” He turned onto my street.

  “It was?” I ran my fingers over the dashboard.

  “Yes. She said I had to take you in style, and Mom’s old Ford wasn’t pretty enough for you.”

  “That’s sweet, but the Ford would’ve been fine with me.”

  He pulled into my driveway and parked behind my Jeep.

  I unbuckled my seat belt and turned toward him. “Do you have a few minutes to come inside?”

  Taylor raised his eyebrows. “Are you certain?”

  “I’m absolutely positive. I want to formally introduce you as my boyfriend to my family.” I pushed the door open.

  “Wait. I need to live up to my sister’s expectation of me by treating you like a lady.”

  I laughed as he jogged around the car, opened the door, and held out his hand. “You’re so silly,” I said as he closed the door behind me.

  “No, I’m not silly. I’m a proper gentleman.” He offered me his arm, and I latched on to it as we made our way to the back door of the house.

  Taylor followed me into the kitchen, and I placed my purse and the gift bag full of cookies on the counter. I heard the soft murmur of the television in the family room, and I motioned for Taylor to follow me.

  I found my parents in their robes sitting together on the sofa. A late-night talk show featuring a man behind a desk talking to a lady holding a poodle was on the large flat-screen television.

  “Hi.” I took Taylor’s hand in mine and tugged him forward as we stood in front of my parents. “I’m home.”

  “Whitney.” Dad muted the television. “Did you have a nice time?”

  I gazed up at Taylor. “I had a perfect evening.” I turned back to my parents. “Mom and Dad, you remember my boyfriend, Taylor.”

  “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Richards. It’s great to see you again.” Taylor held out his hand.

  Dad got up from the sofa and shook Taylor’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again too, young man.” Dad gave me a quick wink, and I smiled.

  “Thank you. I think the world of your daughter.” Taylor placed his hand on my back.

  Mom stepped over to Taylor and shook his hand. “Hello, Taylor. You’ve really brought my daughter a lot of joy, and I’m thankful for that.”

  My heart warmed at my mother’s kind words.

  “Thank you,” Taylor said. “She’s been a wonderful inspiration to me and my family. She’s taught my sister and me a lot. I’m really thankful she messed up in calculus so we had the chance to meet up again. It had been a long time since we last talked back in fourth grade.”

  I grinned up at him. “Thank goodness for calculus and Mr. Turner.”

  “I’m glad you helped her bring her calculus grade up to a B-plus.” Mom turned to me. “Whitney thinks a lot of you and your family. We’ll have to have you all over for dinner one night before you leave for college.”

  “That would be great. I know my mom and sister would love that.” Taylor looked at me. “Are you going to tell your parents your decision?”

  I hesitated.

  “What decision?” Mom studied me. “Is this about college?”

  I nodded. “I want to go to Kentwood.”

  Mom clapped her hands. “Oh, I’m so very happy! Oh, Whitney.” She hugged me.

  “Now wait, Mom.” I held up my finger. “Please listen to me.”

  She nodded. “I’m listening.”

  “I’m not going to promise you I’ll join your sorority or any sorority at all. I’m going to Kentwood because it’s my decision.” I pointed to my chest. “I’ll decide which clubs or activities I want to get involved in after I get there. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I do, dear,” she said. “But you’ve made me very happy.”

  Dad hugged me. “As I said before, we’re very proud of you, Whitney.”

  “Thanks, Daddy.” I kissed his cheek.

  “Well, it’s after one.” Dad took Mom’s hand and led her toward the stairs. “We’re going to head to bed.”

  “It was nice seeing you, Mr. and Mrs. Richards.” Taylor waved to my parents.

  “We’ll talk soon about dinner, Taylor,” Mom called as they disappeared up the stairs.

  “Sounds good,” Taylor said.

  After they were gone, I hugged Taylor. “I’m so happy! My parents are finally okay about us being together, and we’re agreeing about my college plans.”

  “I’m happy too.” He squeezed me close. “I’m even invited to dinner.”

  I gazed up at him with my arms around his neck. “Yes. That means you’ve received my mother’s approval.”

  “I’m so
honored.”

  “I know we haven’t worked out everything, but I feel like we’re on the right track.” I rested my head on his chest. “And Emily was right when she said that no matter what happens, God is always there.”

  “Yes, he is.” Taylor’s voice was warm and comforting. “I love you, Whitney.”

  “I love you too, Taylor.” I looked up at him.

  As he dipped his chin and kissed me, I closed my eyes and thanked God for leading me in the right direction.

  Destination Unknown discussion questions

  1. When Whitney wasn’t allowed to go to the prom with Taylor, she lied and told her mother that she didn’t have a date. Just as Emily predicted, the plan fell apart, and Whitney lost Taylor and had a terrible argument with her mother. How do you think Whitney should have handled her desire to go to the prom with Taylor? If you were Whitney, would you have found a way to go with him without lying to your mother?

  2. Whitney’s friends try to pressure her to go out with her ex-boyfriend Brett because they think he and Whitney “belong together.” Yet despite all of their pressure, Whitney doesn’t give in, and she continues to pursue her friendship with Taylor. She refuses to believe she has to date a football player just because she’s a cheerleader. Does anyone try to pressure you away from things you feel passionate about? How have you dealt with those types of moments?

  3. Humiliated and lost after losing Taylor and arguing with her mother, Whitney was feeling pretty low. Thankfully she could talk to Emily, Jenna, and Coach Lori. Whom do you talk to when you’re feeling low and why?

  4. Whitney’s friends don’t understand why she likes Taylor, because he’s not from their side of town or into sports. Whitney decides to quit cheerleading, a sport that she loves, in order to get away from her prejudiced, elitist friends. Do you think Whitney made the right choice when she quit cheerleading? Have you ever faced a situation where your friends weren’t supportive of a choice you made? If yes, explain.

  5. Emily tries to offer Whitney advice and be a good cousin and friend to her while she’s going through a difficult time in her life. If you were Whitney’s friend, how would you try to help her cope?

  6. Whitney believes God led her through this difficult time to build up her faith and figure out what she really wanted to do with her life. Do you ever feel that God is testing you? If so, what did you learn?

  7. Taylor overhears Whitney admit she lied about going to the prom with Taylor, and that she used Taylor to rebel against her mother. Instead of confronting Whitney when he hears her conversations, Taylor avoids her until she confronts him at school. Do you think Taylor was right to avoid Whitney and not be up front with her? Have you ever been in a situation where you overheard something that upset you? If so, how did you handle the news?

  8. Whitney’s mother is constantly criticizing Whitney’s choices and pressuring her to live her life a certain way. If you were in Whitney’s shoes, how would you handle a controlling mother like Darlene?

  9. Whitney uses prayer to help her find the words to apologize to her mother and Taylor. Do you pray regularly? What kinds of things do you discuss with God? How does prayer help you?

  10. Whitney is unsure of which college to pick because her mother is pressuring her to go to her alma mater and join her sorority. If you were Whitney, how would you go about choosing a college? What do you want to do after high school?

  Acknowledgments

  As always, I’m thankful for my loving family, including my mother, Lola Goebelbecker; my husband, Joe; and my sons, Zac and Matt. Thank you, Mom, for always letting me bounce ideas off you. You’re my best plotting partner!

  I’m more grateful than words can express to my patient friends who critique my writing for me—Stacey Barbalace, Margaret Halpin, Janet Pecorella, Lauran Rodriguez, and, of course, my mother. I truly appreciate the time you take out of your busy lives to help me polish my books. Special thanks to Amy Lillard for your fantastic help with the little details that nearly drove me insane.

  Thank you also to Christa Connelly for her assistance with the cheerleading research. Special thanks to Waleska Selles for her help translating text into Spanish.

  Thank you to my wonderful church family at Morning Star Lutheran in Matthews, North Carolina, for your encouragement, prayers, love, and friendship. You all mean so much to my family and me.

  To my agent, Mary Sue Seymour—I am grateful for your friendship, support, and guidance in my writing career. Thank you for all you do!

  Thank you to my amazing editor—Jacque Alberta. I appreciate your guidance and friendship. I’m grateful to each and every person at Zondervan who helped make this book a reality. I’m so blessed to be a part of the HarperCollins Christian Publishing family.

  To my readers—thank you for choosing my novels. My books are a blessing in my life for many reasons, including the special friendships I’ve formed with my readers.

  Thank you, most of all, to God for giving me the inspiration and the words to glorify you. I’m so grateful and humbled you’ve chosen this path for me.