Thinking back to Pastor Tim’s sermon, Lindsay realized that if someone happened upon them at just that moment, Lindsay would immediately appear just as guilty as the others. She hadn’t smoked the cigarettes, and she didn’t even think it was okay that the others had. But still, it would be assumed that she was involved in it or at least condoned the behavior just because she was hanging out with them. She knew that her best bet was to get out of there right away.
“Uh, no thanks. I really need to get going.” Lindsay left immediately and went to find her parents, grateful she hadn’t been forced to learn this lesson the hard way.
Lindsay could hear her computer chirping for her the instant they entered the house after having lunch with some of her parents’ friends after church. She was getting instant messages, and lots of them. Rushing to her room, she saw her messenger program lit up like a Christmas tree. Sam, Kelly, and Macy were all online and trying to get her to show up for a chat session. Knowing that these chat sessions could take hours, Lindsay ran to get a can of soda before she settled in and let them know she was there.
“Linds,” her mom called, hearing her in the kitchen, “if you’re planning to get on the computer, you only have about thirty minutes before we head over to your grandma’s—don’t forget.”
“No problem, Mom,” Lindsay replied, not letting her mom know that she had, in fact, forgotten about the visit.
Rushing back to her room, Lindsay plopped down into her chair and typed a message to the group. I’m here!
Macy: Hi, stranger!
Kelly: Where’ve u been?
Lindsay: Church, just got home, and I have to leave in 30. So what’s up?
Sam: Kelly has a plan. She’s just getting ready to tell us.
Lindsay: Cool! What is it?
Kelly: The other night was a blast, right?
Lindsay: Oh yeah!
Macy: Total blast! Sam: Definitely!
Kelly: So let’s make it a tradition. Let’s have a sleepover every Friday at a different house. Macy: I’m in!
Sam: Me, too, probably. I’ll have to ask my mom; she’s still kind of mad about the shoes. I guess my brother thinks he should get new shoes out of the deal.
Macy: lol
Kelly: LOL! Just give her some time. She’ll be ready by the time it’s your turn again. What do you say, Linds?
Lindsay: Oh sure, count me in!
Sam: So whose house is next, then?
Macy: I’ll go next. My dad’s going to be out of town this weekend, so my mom won’t mind having us there.
Lindsay: Sounds good to me.
Kelly: Okay, then I’ll go next.
Sam: Great!
Lindsay: After Kelly is my turn. Kelly: Perfect! And we can play our game every time. It will be our tradition.
Lindsay: Didn’t we cause enough trouble last time?
Macy: Yeah! I still can’t look Tyler Turner in the eye!
Sam: And my mom was really mad about the shoes.
Kelly: That’s part of the game. It’s a risk. That’s what makes it fun. We can make a rule that nothing we do can be destructiveto anyone’s property. How about that?
Lindsay: I think that def. should be the rule!
Sam: I agree.
Macy: Definitely!
Lindsay: Sounds like a plan. I have to run!
Macy: C U later!
Kelly: C U guys tomorrow!
Sam: Bye!
After signing off her instant messenger program, Lindsay paused for a moment and considered the message of Pastor Tim’s sermon this morning: Sin is slow; it creeps in like a dark mist, and you don’t realize it until it engulfs you and everything around you until you can’t see anything clearly. I hope that doesn’t ever happen to me. But why worry? Everything was great. There was nothing to be concerned about.
Chapter 6
HOSTESS MACY
“What time should we be at your house tonight, Macy?” Lindsay asked, referring to the sleepover party they had planned for that night.
“Oh, anytime after five would be fine, I think. My dad is leaving for his trip this morning, and Mom likes to be home when I have friends over, as you all already know,” Macy replied, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah, my parents are like that, too,” Lindsay replied just as the bell rang, which signified that class was about to begin.
“Good morning, boys and girls,” Mrs. Portney began the class. “Go ahead and get your projects out of your bins.” One student from each group shuffled toward the bank of yellow bins in the cupboards on the wall where they had stored their project materials, notes, and scraps between classes. The bin for each group was clearly labeled with the names of each group and what they had chosen to make—except for Lindsay, Kelly, Sam, and Macy’s bin. On theirs, it only said their names because of the special permission to keep their project a secret until it was finished.
The big yellow bins were placed on the tables in front of the group members, and the students awaited further instructions.
“Class,” Mrs. Portney said, “I’d like for you to take a moment to make notes in your project notebook of what supplies and materials you’ve used and exactly how much you think you will use to complete the project. Then estimate the total cost of materials for your project. You can designate a group secretary for note-taking and then go ahead and get started. There is a supply list in the notebook on the front table if you need to consult it for names and prices of goods that have been provided to you. If there is something you have brought from home and you don’t know the price, make an estimate and then write a question mark next to it so that we will know later on that it was only an estimate.”
The girls took a look inside their bin and removed their materials from the brown paper bags. They spread out the piles of felt that they intended to use to make the body and the clothes, the aluminum foil for the eyeglasses, the movable eyes they would affix to Mrs. Portney’s face, and all of the other supplies that they had contributed but weren’t yet sure they would use.
“Mrs. Portney?” Lindsay raised her hand.
“Yes, Ms. Martin,” Mrs. Portney responded.
“What about the things that we have in our bins that we aren’t sure we’ll use on our pillows? Should we include those things on the list?”
“Ah, good question. Yes, please include everything that you think you may use, and estimate prices like I’ve explained already. When the project is over, you’ll be making a new list and comparing it to the old list—just for fun—to see how closely they match.”
The four girls spread their supplies out into piles. Lindsay agreed to act as group secretary and began the list. They spent the rest of the class period getting their supplies figured out and planning ahead for what they wanted to do with their project. They had to be very careful that the other students didn’t overhear them talking. Since the girls’ pillow project was a secret, the other students were desperately trying to figure it out and went so far as to beg the girls to let them in on the secret. The girls were holding out, though. They vowed not to tell a single person what their pillow was going to be.
Engrossed in their project, the bell rang before any of them realized that class was about to end. They hastily cleaned up their workstation, returned their bin to the appropriate shelf on the wall, and headed off to their respective classes.
“See you at lunch!” they shouted to each other as they raced in separate directions down the hall.
“Mom, I’m leaving for Macy’s house,” Lindsay called up the stairs when she saw Kelly’s mom pull into the driveway to pick her up. She heard some quick rustling, and her mom came bounding down the stairs, making sure she didn’t miss Lindsay’s exit.
“Now, Linds, let’s not have a repeat of last time, okay?”
“Don’t worry, Mom. We’ve agreed that there can be no destruction of private property during our sleepovers.” Lindsay laughed.
Mrs. Martin, not finding the comment very funny, became a bit more stern and said, “Lin
dsay, I am not kidding. You think before you act and be an example to your friends. Okay?”
“Yeah, Mom. I get it. I’ll behave,” Lindsay promised as Kelly’s mom honked her horn. “Gotta go, Mom. Love you.” Lindsay gave her a quick kiss and was out the door before Mom could say another word. With a bounce in her step, Lindsay skipped off to the waiting SUV.
When Lindsay and Kelly arrived at Macy’s house, they had to wait a moment before pulling into the driveway because Sam’s mom was backing out. Kelly’s mom rolled into the driveway, and the girls hopped out, grabbing their sleeping bags and pillows as they went.
“Bye, Mom!” Kelly shouted as she closed her door. Her mom nodded and waved as she backed out of the driveway and drove off. The girls rushed up to the door, which was propped open, waiting for them. Slowly, Lindsay pushed it open just a bit more and looked inside. They assumed that Macy and Sam saw them pulling in, so they didn’t bother to ring the doorbell. But Lindsay wondered where they had taken off to.
“Hello?” Lindsay tentatively stepped into the house.
“Anyone there?” Kelly stepped in behind her.
“Roar!” Sam and Macy jumped at the other two girls from behind the half wall where they were hiding. Lindsay and Kelly both squealed in shock and then laughed at the silliness. When their heart rates recovered, Lindsay grabbed Macy and Kelly caught Sam, and they tickled the girls until they cried for mercy.
“So what are we going to do first?” Kelly asked when they had all recovered and caught their breath.
“My mom said she’d drop us off at the movie theater if we want to go,” Macy replied.
“Hey, that’s a great idea,” Lindsay responded. “I’m all for that.”
“Me, too,” Kelly and Sam agreed simultaneously.
The girls opened the newspaper to the movie section and spread it out on the kitchen table so they could select the movie that they wanted to see. It only took a moment to decide because they had already seen two of the options together, so those were naturally out. Several of the other movies had ratings the girls weren’t allowed to watch. With two movies left to choose from—a cowboy movie or a romantic comedy—they decided on the comedy.
With only an hour before it was time to leave, all four girls crammed into Macy’s tiny but private pink bathroom to get ready. Amid their piles of makeup, hairbrushes, earrings, and perfume, they treated the outing as if they were headed to the prom—”You never know who you might run into,” they always said. Sam felt unprepared because she hadn’t brought anything special to wear. Undaunted, the girls saw that as an opportunity to plow through Macy’s closet in efforts to find something for Sam to wear. They tried several things, but they were all too big for Sam’s slight frame. “Okay, okay,” Macy gave in. “I have a new shirt that I’ve been saving for when I lose ten more pounds on my diet. I haven’t even taken the tags off it yet. You can wear it if you want to, Sam.”
“Really?” Sam squealed. “Are you sure?” Macy assured Sam that she didn’t mind and reached far back into her closet to find the shirt. She pulled out a cute little long-sleeved red top with silver buttons down the front and little pockets on the chest. Excitedly, Sam tried it on, and it fit perfectly.
“That movie was funny!” Lindsay said as they laughed and bumped into each other coming out of the theater. They giggled as their eyes adjusted to the light, and they headed toward the food court. The movie ended at eight thirty, but Macy’s mom wasn’t due to pick them up until nine thirty. Hang out time! With one order of french fries smothered in cheddar cheese and a diet cola to share, they chose their favorite seat on the edge of the food court so they could watch the people go by.
“So, Sam,” Macy casually asked, “did you ever ask Tyler’s cousin to ask Kenny if he liked me?”
“Oh! I totally forgot to tell you this,” Sam leaned forward on her elbows. “I did ask her. She talked to Kenny, and Kenny didn’t even have to ask Tyler about you. Kenny told Stephanie that Tyler talks about you all the time and that he has for what seems like years. Kenny also said that he’s been trying to get Tyler to make a move forever but that Tyler’s just been too shy. What do you think about that?”
Macy tried not to make a big deal out of it, but she couldn’t help the grin that quickly spread across her face. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, then.”
“Just see what happens? Are you kidding me?” Kelly was so excited. “You might be the first one of us ever to have a boyfriend. We have to figure out a way to push that boy along a little.”
“No, no. I don’t want to push him along, because I don’t really know what I’m ready for. I mean, what am I going to do? Push him to ask me out only to have to tell him that I can’t date? I would be so embarrassed,” Macy explained. “I’m just happy to know that he is as interested in me as I am in him. If it took another year to act on it, that would be fine with me.”
“I think that’s the right way to look at it, Mace,” Lindsay said.
“I guess I agree, even though I don’t really like it.” Sam pouted.
“I totally disagree,” Kelly emphatically said. “I think that where there’s a will, there’s a way. And you’ll regret it if you don’t pursue this, Macy.”
“Well, like I said, it really doesn’t matter because he hasn’t asked me out, and even if he did, I couldn’t go.” Macy sighed. “Let’s just give it some time and see what happens.”
The girls gathered in a circle on the floor for another game of Truth or Dare. This time Lindsay was first. She picked Truth again, and the other three girls groaned.
“Come on, Linds, you have to take a chance in life. What fun is it to do the samething over and over?” Kelly prodded her.
“Yeah,” Macy agreed. “You need to walk on the wild side now and then.”
“Well, I’ll pick Truth this time, but if we play again, I promise I’ll pick Dare,” Lindsay said, taking the chance and hoping that there might not be a next time.
“Okay.” Sam gave in. “As long as you promise. It’s no fun for us if you’re going to play it safe every time.”
“I promise.”
“Well then, girls, let’s go come up with a good Truth for Lindsay.”
The three girls left Lindsay to sit in the circle while they discussed what to ask her for her Truth. While she waited, Lindsay wondered if she was getting herself into a mess. Maybe by giving them a whole week to come up with a good dare, she’d find herself in even more of a predicament than she would have if she had just done it right then. Oh well, she decided, it’s too late to worry about that now. It’ll be okay.… She hoped.
The girls ran back to the floor and dove into their spots. Since Sam was next in the circle, she got to ask Lindsay her Truth question. “Lindsay, which of the three of us do you like the best?”
“Oh, come on!” Lindsay wailed. “You can’t seriously expect me to answer that.”
“Oh yes, you have to answer,” Kelly replied. “You didn’t think we’d make it easy for you, did you?”
Macy just looked on with a nervous expression on her face. “No one will be upset by your answer, Lindsay. But you do need to answer. It’s part of the game.”
“Fine. You guys asked for it.” Lindsay was a little frustrated and figured that they deserved it
if they didn’t like her answer. “I’ll have to say that my answer is Macy. She is the one I’ve known the longest, and her parents and my parents have been friends for decades. She understands and supports my religion and church commitments, and she deals with the same kind of rules from her parents as I do,” Lindsay answered but cut Kelly off before she could interrupt.
“But … I’m not finished. Kelly and Sam, you two are my best friends on an equal level with Macy. I could have gone my whole life without answering that question. Since I had to, those were the reasons I chose. I love you all equally, though. There, are you happy?”
The three girls collapsed into fits of giggles. They found it amusing that Lindsa
y was so worried about answering the question. Sam assured her that they knew how she would answer and that it was a logical and fair answer. Kelly wiped pretend tears from her eyes. “It’s not like we really care who your favorite is anyway, Lindsay,” Kelly said sarcastically and then smiled when she saw the worried expression on Lindsay’s face. “Oh, come on now. I’m just kidding.”
“Now it’s Sam’s turn,” said Macy, obviously wanting to change the subject.
“I choose Dare. Judging from Lindsay’s question, Truth is no easier than Dare.” Sam laughed.
Lindsay, Macy, and Kelly rushed off to come up with a good dare for Sam. They whispered for a few moments, but it didn’t take them long. They came back to the circle and told Sam what her dare was.
“Oh, that’s no problem at all.” Sam jumped up to perform her dare, and the other three looked a little disappointed that she didn’t seem to mind it a bit.
Sam went upstairs to Macy’s kitchen and, carefully, so that she didn’t wake anyone up, took everything out of the kitchen cabinets and put it all neatly back into different cabinets. The glasses that had originally been right next to the sink were moved to the little cabinet over the refrigerator. The plates and bowls that had once been housed over the kitchen counter had switched places with the pots and pans.
Lindsay, Kelly, and Macy watched her in action, giggling. Well, Lindsay and Kelly were giggling, anyway. Macy knew that she’d be the one to have to put it all back the way it had been as soon as her mom tried to find something the next day. But she finally found the humor in the situation when she imagined her mom opening the cabinet to get a coffee cup and finding the blender instead.
“Macy’s turn!” Kelly exclaimed as soon as they arrived downstairs after Sam completed the kitchen cabinet dare.
“I pick Dare,” Macy said confidently.
“We already know what your dare is, Mace,” Lindsay said smugly.
Dare to Be Different Page 4