“No, that’s not it,” Bryn interrupted. “I called this meeting because I have good news.”
“Good news?” Devon’s thin brows arched.
“You have a date for the dance.”
“Really?” Devon smiled. “Jason came through? But he hasn’t even—”
“Not Jason,” Bryn said quickly.
Devon’s smile faded. “Who then?”
“A good friend of mine,” Bryn began. “He’s my lab partner in chemistry. Very smart. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him. And fortunately for us, he didn’t even go to Mr. Worthington’s little talk. He’s what you’d call an independent thinker.”
Devon looked interested. “I like that.”
“Who is it?” Emma asked, and Abby suppressed the urge to giggle.
“It’s Darrell Zuckerman.” Bryn seemed to be giving the other girls a warning look. “As we agreed on at our very first meeting, it doesn’t matter so much who we date since these are just the Dating Games and we’re all beginners. I think Darrell will be a perfect date for Devon.”
Cassidy looked like she was trying not to laugh as she nodded eagerly. “Yeah, I think so too. Darrell should be a really interesting date for you, Devon.”
“What does he look like?” Devon asked with a worried expression. “Have I ever even met him?”
“Oh, you’ve probably seen him around,” Bryn assured her. “He’s got brown hair, average height—”
“Very solidly built,” Abby interjected. “I’m surprised he doesn’t go out for football.” Well, except that he probably didn’t have an athletic bone in his body and his “solidness” was probably the result of too many pizzas and video games, but she was not going there.
“What if I don’t like him?” Devon said with a creased brow.
Bryn shrugged. “I guess we can’t help that. But since we got you a date for the dance, you can’t claim that we left you out, right?”
“But what if I don’t want to—”
“Remember what you told us,” Emma said. “As long as we all had dates, it—”
“But that was when I thought Harris was taking me . . . or Jason.”
“Has Jason made any moves in your direction?” Cassidy asked pointedly.
“Not exactly.” Devon looked at Bryn. “But you were working on him for me. You said it looked hopeful.”
“I thought it did.” Bryn sighed. “But really, maybe it’s for the best, Devon. From what I hear Jason isn’t such a great catch. Personally, I’m glad not to be going to the dance with him.”
“What do you mean he’s not a good catch?” Devon demanded.
Bryn grimaced, and Abby decided to jump in, retelling what Bryn had told her. “It sounds like both of you dodged a bullet by not going out with him,” she said. “Be thankful.”
“I think you’re just making that up.” Devon glared at Bryn.
“I swear it’s true,” Bryn assured her. “Almost exactly like Abby just told you. I’m sure that’s why Amanda broke up with him. She sounded fed up.”
“Well, maybe Amanda was jerking you around because she wants Jason back.”
“Amanda had no idea I was listening.”
“Even so.” Devon glared at her and the others. “Whoever this Darrell person is, I’m almost certain that I’m not going to like him. This is just your way of making sure you all go to the dance even if I’m dateless. It’s just not fair.” She hit the table with her fist, making their coffee cups jitter.
Suddenly they were all talking at once, arguing over what was and wasn’t fair, who had done what and who hadn’t. Finally, after Abby noticed some of the other coffee patrons giving them looks of irritation, she made an attempt to bring the group to order. “I say we should vote on it,” she told everyone. “All in favor of Devon going to the dance with Darrell, raise their hands.” Four hands shot up, and Devon just rolled her eyes.
“You obviously have the right to refuse to go with him,” Bryn told Devon. “But you have to admit that we didn’t let you down by not getting you a date.”
“A loser date.” Devon narrowed her eyes at Bryn. “How would you like to be stuck with him?”
Bryn gave Devon the slightly superior look she could sometimes pull off. “I would make the best of it,” she declared, “for the sake of my friends—and for Darrell.”
“I believe that,” Abby confirmed. “I’ve known Bryn for years and that’s how she is.”
“Fine.” Devon stood up. “I’ll consider going with Darrell what’s-his-name. But not until I see him first. And just for the record, I am not happy about this.”
After she left, the four girls burst into giggles. “You know she’ll never go with him,” Cassidy said finally.
“Maybe she’d like him if she got to know him,” Bryn said wistfully. “I like him.”
“Enough to go to the dance with him?” Emma asked.
Bryn seemed to consider this. “Maybe . . . maybe I would.”
“Well, if Devon thinks she can switch dates on you, she probably will,” Abby warned. “You better be prepared for it.”
“Yeah, getting Darrell for Devon is kind of a low blow,” Emma said.
“I happen to like Darrell,” Cassidy interjected. “I mean, he’s weird, but he’s nice. And he’s über-smart.”
“Maybe you should go with him,” Emma told her. “Let Devon have Lane.”
Cassidy frowned. “I don’t know . . . I doubt Lane would be that into Devon.”
“Well, I’m sorry she’s not being more cooperative,” Bryn said. “I only set her up with Darrell for you guys. I know how much everyone was looking forward to the dance. I didn’t want Devon to ruin it for us.”
“I think you saved the day,” Abby told Bryn. She looked at the others. “Don’t you guys agree?” Emma and Cassidy nodded. “Speaking of the dance, my mom wants to go shoe shopping with me. I better get moving.”
“Before you leave,” Cassidy said quickly, “I wanted to say something. I’d meant to say it while Devon was here.”
“What’s wrong?” Emma asked.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Cassidy said. “I just wanted to apologize to you guys. I know I’ve been kind of grumpy and negative lately, and I don’t really like acting that way. I mean . . . it’s not very Christlike. And I’m sorry.”
Everyone at the table was quiet now, as if waiting for her to continue.
She smiled. “I just want to try to be more positive, you know. I want to work harder at being a better friend.”
“That’s cool,” Abby said, and the others echoed her, but it was obvious they were all a little uncomfortable with her unexpected declaration. Cassidy could be like that, and you never really knew where she was going with something.
“Don’t worry,” Cassidy said, “it’s not like I’m going to start preaching at you.” She laughed. “Well, I’ll try not to anyway. But I did have an idea for the homecoming dance. Actually, it was my mom’s idea, but I think it’s a good one.” She reminded them of how they’d kind of wrangled the guys into taking them and how there were expenses involved, including a nice meal somewhere. “How about if we provide dinner? I’m willing to host it at my house,” she told them. “I thought each of us could bring one dish. You know, like someone brings a salad and someone brings a—”
“Like a potluck?” Bryn frowned.
“No, like a really elegant dinner. We’ll plan the menu. My mom said we can have it in the dining room and use her good china and have candles and fresh flowers and the works. I’ll take care of all that.”
“I think that sounds nice,” Emma said.
“I do too,” Abby agreed. “It’ll take some pressure off the guys’ wallets too.”
“Let’s vote,” Bryn said. Naturally, it was unanimous.
As Abby hopped on her bike and headed for home, she felt inexplicably hopeful about their upcoming date. Oh, sure, Devon might not be too happy with the new arrangements, but at least she couldn’t claim that they’d left her
behind. And who knew, maybe she’d even like Darrell. Although Abby doubted it. Devon seemed a little too superficial to enjoy a date with someone as quirky as Darrell Zuckerman.
Instead of worrying about that, Abby thought about Kent. In a way it was a relief that he’d made it clear that he only wanted to go out with her as a friend. After all, she wasn’t ready for a hot and heavy relationship. At least she could reassure her dad that nothing would get out of hand on her first date, and she could say that honestly. This was all working out much better than she could have hoped for. Now if she could just find a really cool pair of shoes today!
16
As soon as she came into the house, Emma knew that something was wrong. Mom was on the phone, but the expression on her face was extremely somber. Emma’s immediate thoughts went to Edward. Had something happened to him at college?
“Yes,” Mom said sadly. “But it’s up to you whether or not you should come home, Edward. Don’t do anything to jeopardize your classes.” She glanced at Emma. “He wouldn’t want that.”
Emma frowned. “Who?” she whispered.
Mom held up her hand. “Well, Emma’s here now,” she said. “I need to tell her what’s happened.” She told Edward she loved him and said good-bye, then turned to Emma with tears in her eyes. “It’s your grandpa,” she said solemnly.
“What?” Emma demanded. “Is he sick again?”
“He suffered a heart attack this morning. He died before the ambulance even got there.”
Emma felt her world spinning. “Grandpa?” she cried. “Grandpa is dead?”
Mom just nodded, reaching for Emma. She hugged her tightly.
“But I was supposed to go over there this week,” Emma said through sobs. “To help him sort out the photos.” The tears started coming so fast she couldn’t even talk. Grandpa was gone—and she hadn’t even gone over there like she’d promised. Now it was too late.
Mom was stroking her hair. “Grandpa’s in a better place,” she said quietly. “You know that.”
Emma stepped back and stared at Mom’s tear-streaked face. “But I let him down.” She choked out the words. “I didn’t go like I said I would.”
“Grandpa would understand,” Mom said.
“No.” Emma shook her head. “I let him down.”
The phone rang, and while Mom answered it, Emma dashed to her room and let the tears flow freely. Guilt and sadness washed over her, and she couldn’t believe she would never see him again. Through it all—Dad leaving them and everything else—Grandpa had always been there for her. But where had she been when he needed her? Off trying to connive a stupid date for a ridiculous dance. Oh, if only she’d never heard of the Dating Games club. Why had she allowed that horrible club to distract her from something that really mattered? Like spending time with Grandpa . . . before it was too late. How could she ever forgive herself? One thing she knew for certain—she was not going to the dance now. No way!
By Monday, Emma’s mood had not improved much. She still felt guilty for not spending time with her grandpa before his death, and she still missed him deeply. Why did a person have to lose someone before they fully appreciated them? Afterwards, it was too late.
“I’m sorry about your grandfather,” Cassidy told Emma as they met on the way to the English department. “I heard about it at church yesterday. I know he was an elder in the church. My dad was saying what a great guy he was and how much he’ll be missed.”
Emma nodded sadly. “Yeah, he was . . . and he will be.”
Cassidy put her arm around Emma, pulling her into a comforting hug. “Well, if you need to talk or anything, I’m here.”
“Thanks.” Emma blinked back tears. As they went to their classes, Emma compared Cassidy’s words to Devon’s. Oh, Devon had been sorry, of course, but she’d also been focused on Jason, and she’d seemed obsessed with her plan for getting him to take her to the dance. Emma had almost felt like Devon had brushed her off. When Emma had mentioned that she might not go to the dance, Devon had acted like that was unthinkable.
“Just give yourself some time,” she’d said casually. “You’ll get over it by then.”
Emma hadn’t responded to that, but she knew Devon was wrong. She even questioned what kind of a friend Devon truly was. It was hard enough losing her grandpa, but perhaps she was losing her best friend too.
By lunchtime, Emma had made up her mind. She was going to seek out Isaac and explain her need to cancel their date. Hopefully he would understand. If he was determined to go to the dance, maybe he could take Devon instead of her. That might just make everyone happy.
She found Isaac coming out of the math department and called out to him. He looked surprised but smiled as he came over to join her. But when he saw her expression, his smile faded. “Hey, what’s wrong? You look like you just lost your best friend.”
“It’s kinda like that,” she told him quietly. “Can we talk?”
His fair brows arched, but he nodded and followed her over to a quiet corner. “What’s up?”
She explained that her grandpa had died. “I know some people think I’m overreacting, but I just can’t help myself.” She tried to hold back the tears. “He was really special to me, and I’m so sad . . . I just don’t see how I can go to the dance.”
Isaac nodded soberly. “I understand.”
“I’m sorry.” The tears were coming again. She wiped them with her hand. “It’s just really hard right now.”
Isaac gathered her up in a hug—a sweet, warm hug. “It’s okay, Emma. I do understand,” he whispered. “My mom died a few years ago, and it was pretty rough on me.”
She stepped back and looked at him. “Your mom died?” She wiped her cheeks with the cuff of her hoodie. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah. I was in middle school. She’d had cancer for a long time, so I should’ve been prepared for it. But I wasn’t.”
She shook her head. “Oh . . . I’m sorry. I kinda know how you feel.”
He peered into her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the dance, though? I mean, I do understand if you don’t. But it might be good for you.”
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Well, if you want to think about it, that’s fine. And if you decide not to, it won’t be a problem. Really.”
Emma had liked Isaac from afar for a while, but she was surprised to discover he was this thoughtful up close. “Thanks,” she told him. “I appreciate that.”
He patted her on the back. “I know it’s hard to believe it now,” he said in an assuring tone, “but it will get better with time.”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure it will.” She explained how guilty she felt for not making it over to see her grandpa last week. “I didn’t realize I’d never get another chance.”
“Oh . . .” He looked concerned. “That’s gotta be hard. Was your grandfather a believer? I mean, was he a Christian?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Absolutely.”
Isaac brightened. “Then you’ll see him again someday, right?”
She sighed. “I guess so.”
He looked surprised. “You guess so?”
“Well . . . yeah . . . I mean, sometimes I’m not so sure about all that.”
He looked dismayed now. “You don’t believe in heaven?”
She thought about it. “Well, I guess I do. I guess I just haven’t given it much thought.”
“Well, you should,” he declared. “Especially in light of losing your grandfather. When my mom died, it was all I had to hold on to—believing that I’d see her again.”
“You don’t have any doubts?” she questioned.
“Oh, sure, everyone has doubts sometimes. But faith is a gift from God. So I just take my doubts to him.”
She looked at Isaac as if seeing him for the first time. “You’re quite a guy, you know?”
He laughed. “Well, thanks.”
“I had no idea you had so much depth to you.”
He made a shy smi
le. “That’s because you didn’t really know me.”
She smiled back. “I’d like to get to know you . . . I mean, as a friend.”
He got a thoughtful look. “Can I ask you a question—about your grandpa?”
“Sure.”
“How do you think he feels right now—I mean, if he’s thinking about you? Do you think he’s angry or hurt that you didn’t come to see him?”
She thought hard for a moment, then shook her head. “No. My grandpa wasn’t like that. He was really kind and forgiving. And besides, if he’s in heaven—which I’m sure he is—he probably has better things to do than worry about me.”
Isaac grinned. “That sounds about right.”
Emma felt her stomach growling. “You know, I haven’t had an appetite for a couple of days, and suddenly I feel hungry.”
“That’s a good sign,” he said, nodding toward the cafeteria. “Let’s get some lunch.”
As they walked she told him a little about her grandpa, like some of the things she used to do with him and how she would miss him. It was weird, but instead of it making her feel sadder, she felt like the black cloud she’d been under the past few days was starting to thin a little. Maybe there was hope.
Before they parted ways in the cafeteria, she thanked Isaac once again for encouraging her. “I’ll let you know about the dance,” she promised. “Maybe I was making a knee-jerk reaction.”
“I wonder what your grandpa would want you to do.”
“Well, I’ll tell you this much, I do think my grandpa would like you,” she admitted.
His face lit up. “I’m sure I’d like him too.”
She felt lighter as she walked over to the table where her friends were already seated.
“Looks like you changed your mind,” Devon said a bit smugly. “You’re going to the dance with Isaac after all?”
“Why weren’t you going to go to the dance?” Bryn demanded. “I thought it was all set.”
“Her grandpa died,” Devon explained in a know-it-all tone. “I know it’s a bummer, but it’s still no reason not to go to the dance.”
“It’s a reason if Emma says it’s a reason,” Cassidy countered. “If she’s too sad to enjoy the dance, no one should pressure her.”
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