Chapter 7
RESTING MY CHEEK on the palm of my hand, I tried to pay attention to Mr. Jackson’s monotone voice in English class. But it was no use. After counting tiles in the ceiling I doodled on my math notebook. When I glanced at the clock I saw I still had a half hour before the bell rang.
Mr. Jackson wrote something on the blackboard. The chalk particles collected into an image of Mike’s face. The dust kept moving across the board until I could make out the outline of his upper body. He smiled and winked at me.
Nice trick! I knew he could hear my thoughts.
“Thanks.” Mike mimicked Mr. Jackson as he waved his textbook, dramatically explaining the meaning of a poem we were studying. A giggle slipped out. Mr. Jackson shot me a disapproving look.
John Matthews, a guy I went out with once last semester, winked at me, obviously just as bored with this class as I was.
On my first date with him, he asked if he could kiss me, and I said no. He had salami breath. Disgusting! Our second date got canceled on account of a flat tire. He never rescheduled.
I looked up at Mike’s face on the blackboard. Did you deflate John’s tire to keep me from going on that date?
“Guilty!” Mike wagged his finger at me. “That guy has slept around. I didn’t want you with him. If it helps you feel any better, he picks his nose when he does his homework.”
No way. Another giggle came bubbling up, so I put my head down on my desk to help contain it. When I had gained my composure, I looked up again.
Mike’s eyes darted in the direction of Bill Chathem’s desk. I blushed at the memory of that date. It was one of those awkward kissing experiences I’d rather forget.
That date ended quickly when the car sputtered to a halt on the way home. He had to call his dad to pick us up. He never asked me out again either.
“I unplugged his spark plug. I didn’t want him touching you.”
Darn it, he did it again!
“You pick some real winners, Olivia. Oops, sorry. In John’s case, no pun intended!” Mike tossed his head back, laughing. As he did, the particles of chalk dust scattered like someone had blown on them.
Although disappointed at his departure, I sailed through the rest of the day, feeling good that Mike cared about me. He made me feel special. I didn’t feel alone anymore.
When you’re a child of God, you’re never alone. This wasn’t Mike’s voice. It was my holy Father speaking directly to me, just as I had heard those other nights. You are very special to Me.
I’d always thought of prayer as a one-sided conversation that sounded like a long grocery list of things people wanted. I now realized the communication was supposed to be two sided. And I was beginning to listen to the other side.
So this was what people meant when they talked about a personal relationship with God.
Arriving home from school and volleyball practice on Tuesday night, I found my parents sitting at the kitchen table. Usually after they both got out of work at the elementary school where they taught, they ate dinner and then spent the night in the living room either watching TV or reading. The fact that they were waiting for me when I walked in the door clued me in that something wasn’t right.
“What’s up?” I yawned, hoping I could make this brief by acting tired.
“Your father and I think you need to see a psychologist.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. “Dad?” I pleaded.
“Your mom and I talked about this last night. I’m sorry, but I agree with her. Since you’ve been seeing things no one else does, we think it would be a good idea for you to talk to someone about it.”
“I’m not crazy.”
Mom folded her hands across her chest. “Sane people don’t have hallucinations.”
I slammed my backpack onto the floor. “I won’t go. You can’t make me.”
“Honey,” my dad said in a timid voice, “a psychologist can help you know what’s real and what isn’t.”
“Can I go to my room now?”
“Yes,” Dad said.
I picked up my backpack and ran upstairs to my room. I flung my pack onto the floor and jumped on my bed, landing face down.
After crying for a minute or two, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. But I didn’t want to talk to Mike right now. If it weren’t for him, my parents wouldn’t think I was crazy.
God, why did You allow me to get into this mess? I need some help here.
God had sent a guardian angel to help me. But I doubted he could help me with this.
Chapter 8
IN A FOG because of the fight with my parents the night before, I walked down the hallway at school with my eyes toward the floor, not wanting to talk to anyone. Suddenly someone smashed into me, causing me to drop my book bag and stumble a few feet. I heard a high-pitched laugh and looked up to find Vicki Beecham staring at me, hands on her hips.
“Watch where you’re going, twit. Oh, and watch out at practice today. A stray ball might just hit you right in the face.”
Really? Today of all days? Vicki had been bullying me since seventh grade. I had no idea what I ever did to cause it.
As I steadied myself and readjusted my backpack on my shoulder, my cell phone rang, and I pulled it out of my jacket pocket to see who was calling. Andy Fergusen. We sat together in Spanish class, and we’d been having a lot of fun joking around lately. He was a soccer player, funny, gorgeous—and Vicki’s boyfriend for the past two years. Rumor was that they’d just broken up this past week.
I tossed a smug look at Vicki and raced down the hall so I could answer the phone.
“Andy, you there?”
“¡Hola, mi amiga bonita!”
I blushed at him calling me beautiful. “Your girlfriend just bumped into me and almost sent me skidding ten feet down the hallway. That was not an accident.”
“You mean my ex-girlfriend?”
I laughed. I needed that.
“Hey, you wanna hang out Saturday night?”
I swallowed hard, surprised at his question. My eyes caught sight of Vicki walking my way, flipping her long blonde hair, strutting as she always did.
“Yes.” It flew out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
Oh, such sweet revenge.
“G-great . . . uh . . . I’ll pick you up at seven o’clock at your place. Movie?”
“Sounds great. Gotta go.” I hung up and thrust my phone into my jacket pocket.
My boy-crazy streak was emerging again. I hadn’t dated anyone in a while, and I had a chance to make Vicki insanely jealous.
I tried on three separate outfits, wondering which one Andy would like best for our date to the movie theater. I finally settled on jeans, flats, and my favorite band T-shirt.
I half expected Mike to show up and try to talk me out of this date, considering all the other dates he’d ruined for me. But I hadn’t seen him for a couple of days. I hoped Mike wouldn’t botch this date up like the others. I really liked Andy. I never thought I’d go out with a jock, but I was warming up to the idea. After all, he was one of the best-looking guys at school.
And to be honest, I wanted to get back at Vicki for being so mean to me.
Let’s hope she never finds out, or the bullying may get worse.
As I brushed my hair I noticed my Bible sitting on my nightstand. I hadn’t opened it for several days. But I didn’t have time for that right now. I had to get down to the business of finding Mr. Right. After all, Mike had told me he’d be coming. Maybe Andy was the one.
I rarely wore makeup, but for tonight I used a little bit of blush and mascara. Vicki wore a lot of makeup, so I hoped Andy would like this touch of color better.
I grabbed my red sweater off a hanger in my closet, then stepped into my bathroom looking for some perfume. I hardly ever used the stuff, but Christina said it had quite an effect on guys. As I picked up the bottle I noticed the name on the label.
Innocence Lost.
Ignoring the twinge of guilt, I sprayed
some on my neck and wrists, then set the bottle down on the bathroom sink and grabbed my sweater.
I heard a knock on the front door. After one last glance in the full-length mirror on the back of my bedroom door, I hurried down the stairs.
Mom opened the door, and Andy walked in. His muscular thighs stretched at the fabric of his jeans.
Down, girl.
“Come in, dear,” my mom cooed. My mom and Andy’s mom had been friends since high school, and they went to the same church as us. I knew Mom would let me go out with him.
“Thank you, Mrs. Stanton.” His deep blue eyes seemed to burn right through me as I came to the bottom stair. “You look amazing.”
My face felt hot. “Thanks.”
I fumbled to put on my sweater. When Andy noticed, he held a sleeve for me.
My revenge date was becoming so much more. I really liked this guy.
Dad entered the foyer and shook hands with Andy.
“So nice to see you, sir.”
Dad winked at me, just like he did before every date. It was his reminder that I could call him if I ever felt uncomfortable and he’d come pick me up. That was the whole reason he bought a cell phone for me.
“We’ll be back by ten,” Andy said. He opened the door for me. I waved good-bye to my parents.
Andy smiled at me as we walked down the sidewalk. The front door closed behind us with a thunk. “Thanks for going out with me tonight.”
“No problem.” I spotted his shiny blue classic Corvette parked in our driveway. “Nice car!” I’d always been a fan of vintage sports cars.
“I restored it myself. It’s a ’77.”
I already knew that.
We both reached for the handle on the passenger side at the same time, and his hand caught mine for a moment.
“Watch your head. Getting into this car is like stuffing yourself into a sardine can.”
I laughed and slipped into the seat. Andy shut my door. The smell of his musky cologne filled the car.
When he got in, we were so close our elbows touched. He turned the key, put the car in reverse, and backed out of the driveway.
“Vicki’s not going to be happy about this.”
Andy sniffed. “Let’s forget about her tonight. I’m here to spend time with you.”
I was excited to get to know him better and have some good laughs. I stared at his full lips, wondering what it’d be like to kiss him.
Andy pulled into the parking lot at the movie theater and looked at the sign. “Wait a minute. I don’t see Revenger listed. Is there another movie you’d like to see?”
I scanned the list. “Not particularly.” Even if there had been, I wouldn’t have said so. I wanted to spend time talking with Andy instead of staring at a screen for two hours.
“Maybe we could go to Hopkins Park and watch the sun set. Feed the geese on the pond. Then get a bite to eat at the Charcoal Pit.”
Going in a car with a guy for two hours was not a good idea. A small voice inside my head said no. I ignored it.
“Sure, let’s go.”
“There’s an unopened bag of potato chips in the backseat if you’re hungry.”
I reached around, grabbed it, and tore it open. While munching on our snack, Andy and I shared amusing soccer-team stories on the way to the park. By the time we got there we were both breathless from laughing so hard. While he parked I grabbed the review mirror, turned it in my direction to make sure my mascara wasn’t running down my face, then moved the mirror back into its original position as best I could.
I looked at Andy’s hands on the steering wheel. I wondered what they’d feel like cradling my chin.
Maybe I should splash some of that pond water on my face to cool off.
Just before we got out, rain started coming down, so we stayed in the car. We talked about Spanish class, sports, and what colleges we were thinking of going to next year.
“Who are you going to the school dance with?”
Was he going to ask me to the dance? “I’m not going, since no one asked me.”
“I was planning to ask Vicki, but now I’m not so sure.”
I waited for him to ask me, but he didn’t. “I hope this doesn’t offend you, but you seem like a nice guy. How could you date her? Do you know what a jerk she is to me?”
“Yeah.” He paused and slipped another potato chip in his mouth. While still crunching on it he added, “I’m really sorry she’s like that with you. I guess I only dated her because she’s a nice accessory to have on my arm. She must be jealous of you.”
Jealous of me? She’s so beauty-queen beautiful, and I’m so . . . average pretty.
Andy interrupted my thoughts as he pointed at me and giggled. “You have a piece of potato chip on your lip.”
“I do?” I stuck out my tongue to try to get it.
“Here. Let me just . . . ” He reached out to brush it off. When his hand neared my mouth, I grabbed it and stared into his eyes.
He kissed me. I kissed him back. He pressed me against the passenger door. I ran my fingers through his hair, satisfying the urge I’d had all night to do that.
I’d kissed three boys before, all of which had been quite awkward. I could never quite get the head tilt right or how big to open my mouth or whether to let a tongue in. Of course, the salami-breath guy was a major turn-off. I hadn’t really looked forward to the opportunity again—until now.
After a couple of minutes, the windows fogged up. The two of us were getting cramped in the small space, and my foot got stuck in the steering wheel. Andy grabbed me around my torso and pulled me over the center console. When my head hit the roof, we laughed. I quickly pulled him close again.
I could get used to this. I wished time could stop for a while—at least until I became dehydrated and had to have nourishment.
I buried my nose into his neck and breathed in his musky scent.
Andy drew back, and his eyes wandered to the opening of my blouse.
I knew I should suggest we go for a juicy cheeseburger before this went further than I wanted. So I pushed away from him, but he gripped my waist and his lips pressed harder on mine.
OK—just a minute longer.
His hands moved from my waist and started tugging at my blouse.
“Andy, don’t.” I tried to wiggle away, but his strong grasp overpowered me. His body weight crushed me into the vinyl seat.
I felt his hand slip inside my blouse. I pushed it away.
He tried unbuttoning it. I pushed his hand away again.
As he stretched the material, I heard my blouse rip. The lust in his eye landed on my exposed bra.
God, help!
I heard a noise like claws scratching at the car door. Andy snapped up to a sitting position. A low growl rumbled. Yellow eyes appeared through the window, and globs of drool ran in rivulets across its fogged surface. My mind exploded in fear.
Andy let go of me and scrambled into the driver’s seat, letting out a string of curse words. I clutched my ripped bloused together. He turned the key, rammed the car into reverse, and stomped on the gas pedal.
I peered out the back window, searching for the creature that attacked the car. It looked like a wild dog—maybe a Siberian husky. Its breath sent billows of steam into the cool evening air. Its fierce topaz eyes glowed.
As I watched, the creature thinned into a vertical line of light. Then I spotted a red shirt, jeans, and white sneakers.
Mike! He’d ruined another date. I was relieved this time.
Andy drove to my house in silence, dropped me off without saying good-bye, then sped off. I was pretty certain that was our first and last date.
Fortunately, my parents were already in bed when I got inside, so I didn’t have to explain the ripped blouse.
When I opened my bedroom door, I found Mike leaning against the bookshelf with his arms crossed, glaring at me. I’d never seen him angry. My angel notebook did say that angels had emotions, so why was I surprised?
“What we
re you thinking? Oh yeah, you weren’t thinking.”
“You didn’t have to be so dramatic. I mean, come on, a wild dog?”
“I think your dad would have thought the rabid dog thing was a nice touch.” Mike continued glaring.
“Stop looking at me like that.” I turned my back to him.
“That boy was attacking you, Liv.”
Then it hit me. What might have happened if Mike hadn’t shown up?
Maybe Andy wouldn’t have stopped.
I turned to face Mike. “Are you saying I could’ve been raped?”
“Yes. But you weren’t.”
“Because you intervened?”
“Because you prayed.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you did. I always show up when you invite me.”
I tried to remember when I’d prayed. Then I recalled crying out to God for help in the car when I heard my blouse rip.
I flopped hard onto my bed and put my head in my hands. “I shouldn’t have gone out with Andy in the first place. But I’ve been feeling lonely lately. And when I saw the chance to get back at Vicki, I started on a big ego trip.”
“How did you feel when you accepted the date?”
I thought back. “My stomach felt tied up in knots.”
I’d had several other red flags that I ignored, like knowing I was going out with a guy that I knew slept around a lot and who dated a girl that was a jerk.
How could I be so naïve and reckless?
Mike sprawled out on my floor, his head resting on the backs of his hands. He looked up at me. “You’re human. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re still learning. And the Enemy tends to attack people in the areas where they’re the weakest.”
“In my case, boys.” I rolled my eyes.
“But now that you recognize your area of weakness, you can conquer it.”
“How?”
“By listening to the voice of God. He can give you power over temptation.”
“Yeah, that twinge of guilt I felt in my bathroom right before I left on the date was God telling me I was making a bad choice. But I ignored it.”
New Wings Page 7