“You’re proving your loyalty. Your loyalty is to your stupid rules and your dumb church. I always wondered if they were more important to you than we are, but now I know for sure. “
“No, you’re missing the point. I’m not choosing my church and my rules—as you call them, which, by the way, aren’t nearly as stupid as the rules you’ve made up for this game—over you guys. I’m choosing right over wrong, doing the right thing over doing the dare. But if you can’t see that, I guess we aren’t really the friends I thought we were anyway. How about you, Sam and Macy?” Lindsay asked, wanting to find out exactly where she stood. “Are you in agreement with this?”
At the same moment, both Sam and Macy silently looked away, telling Lindsay just how they felt about it.
“Well, I’m going to call my mom to come and get me, and then you three can continue your fun.” Lindsay went to the phone and called home, asking her mom to come and pick her up. She didn’t tell her much of the story over the phone, but it was clear from Lindsay’s voice that this was very different than a five-year-old calling home because she missed her mommy.
“I’ll be right there, Linds.”
Lindsay gathered up her belongings: her swimsuit that was still drying over the shower curtain in the basement bathroom, the toothbrush she had left on the vanity, the snacks she had brought to share … and she also grabbed a few items that she had left there during past visits. She placed all the items into her backpack and silently walked to the front porch, where she sat on the stoop crying softly while she waited for her mom to arrive.
At just after one in the morning, Mom pulled into the driveway, and Lindsay rose from the stoop, collected her things, and, with her head down, made the lonely walk to the car. Mercifully her mom didn’t say anything on the short drive home because Lindsay was withdrawn, quiet, and not quite ready to talk about what had happened.
When they arrived home, Mom helped Lindsay get her things out of the car and set them on the tile floor in the foyer just inside the front door. Still without saying a word, Mom went into the kitchen and put some water into the teakettle to heat for hot chocolate.
Lindsay washed up in the bathroom and then walked back down the hallway to join her mom. She was hesitant, because she didn’t know quite what to say or how much to tell her mom. When she entered the kitchen and Mom looked up at her from the kitchen table, Lindsay started to cry.
“Oh, sweetie.” Mom was instantly on her feet and held her daughter as she cried big, sad tears. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Mom, they—they—they picked a game over me. They didn’t have any respect for what I wanted. They don’t even know m–m–me, really.” Lindsay was crying and not making much sense.
“Slow down, honey. Let’s take this one step at a time. Tell me what happened—from the beginning.”
“Well, we were playing a game. It started back a few weeks ago when we first started our Friday night sleepovers. The game was a sort of deal that we made. It’s called Truth or Dare.” Lindsay noticed the look of recognition on her mom’s face. “You’ve heard of it?”
“Linds, everyone has played Truth or Dare. It’s not anything new.”
“Well, we played seriously. It was a matter of honor to take your turn and either answer the question truthfully or perform your dare with no complaints.” Lindsay paused to take a deep breath and blow her nose. “Well, it was my turn, and I picked Dare because they were all mad that I was only choosing Truth.” Lindsay started to rush her story, wanting to get it all out as quickly as possible. “My dare was horrible, and I couldn’t do it, and they said that if I didn’t do it, I was out of the group. But I didn’t do it, and so they told me I had to leave, so I called you.”
“Okay, slow down. Take a deep breath. What was the dare?”
“I can’t tell you yet, Mom.”
“Why not? Oh, you mean they still might be doing whatever it is they dared you to do?”
Lindsay nodded, her eyes downcast.
“Lindsay,” Mrs. Martin said sternly, “if your friends are in any danger or if they are doing something to endanger someone else, you need to tell me.”
“They aren’t my friends, and I don’t think they’re in danger. I’ll tell you what they’re doing, though,” Lindsay pulled a chair out from the table and slumped into it. “I was given a dare, and since I wouldn’t do it, they made me leave. But Sam had to take on my dare in my place. She has to leave the house with the other girls following and walk down to the corner store and buy a can of beer. She doesn’t have to drink it or anything, just buy it.”
Mrs. Martin looked horrified. “Lindsay, first of all, I am very proud of you for having no part in that dare. We’ll talk more about that later, though. For now, we have a big problem. Are you aware that not only will they be in trouble with their parents but also with the police? Buying alcohol as a minor is illegal. If they attempt to do it, the shop owner will have to call the police, and they will likely be arrested.”
“I thought it was illegal only if we drank it!” Suddenly Lindsay was scared for her friends and worried that something horrible was about to happen.
Lindsay watched her mom pick up the phone.
“Mom!”
She held her hand up to Lindsay and began to tell the story to Kelly’s mom.
Finishing up her conversation, Mom said, “Well, I just got home. So, since I’m still dressed, I’ll head over there right now and see if I can stop this from happening.” She hung up the phone and grabbed her purse, cell phone, and keys and headed for the door. As a last thought, she stopped and scribbled a note to Lindsay’s dad in case he woke up before they got back. She hurried to the garage, Lindsay scrambling along after her—there was no way she was going to stay home.
They made the short drive back toward Kelly’s house and turned the corner to drive to the convenience store. As soon as they made the turn toward the store, they could see the lights. There were two police cars in the parking lot with their lights flashing on top. “Oh no! We’re too late!” Lindsay cried.
“Lindsay, it’s not your fault that this happened. And maybe getting caught is the best thing that could happen to the girls. They will hopefully learn a lot from this experience. Let’s go see what we can do, though.” Mrs. Martin parked her car and got out, motioning for Lindsay to stay in her seat. Lindsay didn’t argue, because she wasn’t in any hurry to see her presumably angry friends, anyway.
From the car, Lindsay could see into the store through the big plate glass front window. She saw her three friends, with their backs against the checkout counter, facing the policeman who stood in front of them, obviously questioning the girls. Lindsay felt so bad for her friends. They didn’t know that what they were trying to do was illegal—they did know it was wrong, though.
The three girls turned to face the counters, and the policewoman who had been quiet stepped forward and spoke sternly to the crying girls. Mom approached them and tried to reason with the police but was motioned to step back and stay out of the situation. Because she wasn’t one of the girls’ mothers and she didn’t have a child involved in the prank, there was nothing she could do but use her cell phone to call their parents.
Since Kelly’s mom was already on her way, Mom dialed Sam’s home first. Sam was in the most trouble because she was the one who had actually asked for the beer. Lindsay watched her mom cry as she told Mrs. Lowell the story. There was nothing left to say, so she hung up the phone and called Macy’s house.
Lindsay sat in the car, quietly praying for her ex-friends, worried about the trouble that they had gotten into and what would happen to them—and to their friendship.
Back in the Martins’ cheery kitchen, Lindsay felt anything but cheerful as she sipped her reheated hot chocolate. She impatiently waited for her mom to finish her phone conversation so she could find out what had happened to her friends.
“Lindsay,” her mom started hesitantly after she hung up the phone, “that was Kelly’s dad. He
r mom was too upset to answer her cell phone.
It seems that they are going to make examples of the girls. Sam is in trouble for attempting to purchase alcohol, and Kelly is in even bigger trouble for consuming alcohol. They discovered that she drank an entire can of beer. I thought you said that there was no drinking involved?”
Lindsay buried her head in her hands and sobbed. She was so sad and scared for her friends but also relieved that she had avoided, though narrowly, this trouble for herself. Between her tears, she attempted to answer her mom. “There was no drinking involved in my dare, but Kelly’s dare was to drink an entire can of beer from her parents’ refrigerator. I should have stood up to them then. Maybe this whole thing could have been avoided.” She continued to cry, shaking her head.
“Sweetie, there are a lot of things about tonight that I wish had gone differently. But one thing I am confident of is that I am so proud of you for taking the stand you did. Whether it should have been sooner or could have been done differently isn’t the question. Each one of you girls is responsible for—and will have to pay for—your own actions. In your case, you’ve only made me more proud of you and more confident in your trustworthiness. You faced some very difficult and very adult decisions tonight, Lindsay, and you did the right things even though they were very hard. In fact, it’s because your choices were so hard that they are so honorable.
“I know it seems pretty bleak right now. Not only do you feel like you lost your best friends, but you still love them and know that they are suffering right now.” Lindsay was crying so hard that her shoulders were shaking. “Lindsay, honey, it’s going to be okay.”
“I know, Mom, I’m just so … relieved. And I feel guilty about that. But I am so glad that I did what I did.”
“I have an idea. Let’s pray for the girls right now.”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Father in heaven, thank You for keeping all four of these girls safe tonight. Thank You for giving Lindsay the strength and confidence she needed to withstand the pressures that she endured from the other girls. Please protect those three girls and help them to learn a valuable lesson from all of this, and please help Lindsay to continue to be used as a witness for You in the midst of this tragedy. Amen.” “Amen.”
Chapter 10
OUT OF THE CLUB
The walk into the school was a very lonely one for Lindsay. She kept her head down and put one foot in front of the other until she found herself at her locker. She didn’t want to see if her friends were talking near their favorite tree—and she especially didn’t want to see if they weren’t. Kelly and Sam weren’t taking calls from Lindsay, and Macy wasn’t allowed to come to the phone, so Lindsay didn’t have any new word on what had happened on Friday night.
Without looking around at the students milling in the halls, she slowly gathered the things she would need from her locker for her first class. She wasn’t in any hurry to get to class, so she stood there for much longer than she actually needed to.
“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” a male voice said from right behind her left ear.
Lindsay jumped with a startled squeal and turned to face Tyler Turner, who stood at her locker with a sad look on his face. He wore his typical outfit: baggy jeans and a baseball T-shirt with a ball cap on his head. But today, somehow he just looked dark. His black jeans and dark gray T-shirt along with the black baseball cap seemed to match the expression on his face: dark and sad.
“Yeah, sure, what’s up?” Lindsay was pretty sure she already knew what he wanted to talk to her about.
“Um, well, Macy and I were supposed to have a movie date yesterday, but she didn’t answer her phone, didn’t answer her doorbell, and never called to tell me what happened. It’s almost as if she just completely blew me off. Did I do something to upset her?” Tyler looked perplexed and genuinely concerned.
“You mean you haven’t heard what happened?” Lindsay asked with disbelief.
“No, I haven’t heard anything.” Tyler seemed to realize all of a sudden that something could actually have gone wrong. “Is Macy hurt? Is she okay?” he asked frantically.
“Yes, Macy is fine. She’s in quite a bit of trouble and was probably not allowed to use the phone. I’m going to be late to class, and I don’t really want to talk about it. Just know that she’ll be okay, and she’ll fill you in on the details when she’s ready. And, um, her part in the trouble isn’t as bad as it could have been, if that helps at all.” She turned immediately to leave, hoping to escape without any more questions.
“Wait, I just need to know one more thing,” Tyler begged, needing reassurance. “Before this thing happened, was she excited about our date?”
“Yes, Tyler, she was very excited. I promise you that.” At that moment, the bell rang and the two parted ways without saying another word.
The first class of the day wasn’t too bad, but by second period, word had started to get around and kids were looking at Lindsay with funny expressions. She could feel their stares as she walked down the hall. She was sure that some of them would make fun of her for leaving the girls’ party. But at that point, she didn’t care.
The worst moment came when she had to enter home ec. Knowing that it was the final week to work on their project in class, Lindsay was dreading what was sure to be a very awkward and uncomfortable hour. But they had to complete their project so it could be presented to the class the next week.
Standing outside the classroom, waiting until the last second before the bell rang to slip in, hoping to avoid the awkward silence before class started, Lindsay said a quick prayer. Just as the bell was about to ring, she walked in with her head held high. She noticed that none of her friends were in their seats. She hadn’t seen them all day, but she had thought that they must be avoiding her, not that they were absent. She became very worried and approached her teacher. “Mrs. Portney, I don’t think any of my group members are here. Are they sick or something?”
“Well, Lindsay, I don’t think it’s that they’re sick. I am sure you’re aware of some of the circumstances from the weekend.” When Lindsay nodded silently, Mrs. Portney continued. “They are on a school suspension for a short time until the administration decides what needs to be done.”
“Oh, I see.” Lindsay slumped back to her seat and sat at their big table all by herself. She quietly spread the craft items in front of her after deciding to go ahead and finish the project on her own. She got lost in her work until the bell rang, and without a word to anyone else, she packed up and left for lunch, where she also sat alone. It was becoming too much to bear. The loneliness. The worry. The fear. The embarrassment. She felt her eyes welling up with tears, so she escaped to the hallway where she could use the phone to call her mom.
“Mom, it’s horrible!” Lindsay cried into the phone. “The kids are all staring at me, and Sam, Macy, and Kelly aren’t even in school today. They’re suspended. What’s happening to them?”
“Slow down, sweetie. I know you only have a few minutes, so just listen to me. The girls are fine. I’ve spoken to Mrs. Lowell and Mrs. Monroe. Yes, they are suspended for three days, but they’ll be back in school on Thursday. And yes, they are in trouble at home, of course, and will have a punishment to deal with for quite a while, I would imagine. We aren’t sure yet what the legal situation will be, but these are young girls who have never been in trouble before. Whatever happens, they can and will get through it. The important thing for you to remember, Linds,” Mom stressed, “is that you did the right thing. Let things play out now, and they will work out. Everything has a way of working out. Use this to build your reputation. Don’t slink away because of it. Use it as part of your witness for Jesus, or it will be all for nothing. Just hold your head up high, and show your confidence.”
“Okay, Mom. That really helps. I’m going to do it. At least now I don’t have to worry so much about what’s happening to the girls. I have to go now—the bell’s about to ring.”
“Bye, Lindsay. I lov
e you.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
The week crept by while Lindsay waited for her friends to come back to school. On one hand, she couldn’t wait to see them, to see if they were really okay; but on the other hand, she dreaded facing the fact that they really wanted nothing to do with her. One thing she knew for sure: She was really looking forward to being out of the limelight and past the whispering stage. The other kids were so curious about what had happened that they either came right out and asked Lindsay every chance they got, or worse, they whispered behind her back and speculated about what might have happened.
The most difficult part of the week was continuing with the pillow the group had been making for home ec class. It was supposed to be a group project, but Lindsay had to finish it by herself. She asked Mrs. Portney if there was anything else she could do, but her teacher urged her to continue and use the class time wisely. So the pillow was almost complete. Lindsay was hoping that on Thursday the other girls would be able to put some personal finishing touches on it—if they would even speak to her.
On Wednesday afternoon, Lindsay went home right after school, as had been the pattern all week long. She sat in the family’s formal dining room to complete her homework. Distracted by the birds being chased by a squirrel in the backyard, Lindsay stared out the large, plate-glass bay window.
As her thoughts wandered, she didn’t hear the sound of a car pulling into their long driveway, nor did she hear the doorbell ring. Moments later, Mrs. Martin escorted a very timid Macy into the dining room. “Sweetie, someone is here to see you. I’ll leave you two to talk, and Mrs. Monroe and I will be in the kitchen having a cup of coffee.”
Lindsay was silent as she looked at her friend. She willed herself not to cry but was quickly losing the battle. The tears started to form, and knowing there was nothing she could do about it, she let them fall.
Macy ran to her side and hugged her. “Lindsay, I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?” Macy begged.
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