Omniscient Leaps (5 page)

I couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen much else besides the church and his leapers in over a hundred years. How did he not go stir crazy? He was definitely devoted far beyond anything I could comprehend. I bet he didn’t date either. How could he unless it was one of his leapers? I wondered if Luke had to lead a life similar to a Catholic priest. I knew they couldn’t marry. Of all the things about the night, I wanted to know how Luke stayed so youthful.

Unlike Luke, I didn’t have a clue where to start when it came to faith. I most definitely believed in God now, but I certainly didn’t have the first clue to understanding Him or His plan for me. I buried my face in my pillow. As much as I wanted to focus on my relationship with God, I couldn’t stop thinking about why he chose Luke to guide me. If He knew me better than anyone, He had to know I would fall for him. How was I ever going to be able to concentrate again?

I woke with a groan the following morning. Music did a lousy job of rousing me from my sleep, so I had to turn to the only other option.  The relentless high pitched beep of the alarm clock had always been on my list of the top most annoying sounds, but this morning I was ready to chuck it across the room.

My sheets were covered in a damp sweat and as I sat up to examine myself in the mirror, I noticed that my hair was matted to one side of my head.
Lovely
. I dragged myself down to the bathroom and by the time I was ready to head out the door I finally felt like a real person once again.

“A bunch of the gang is hanging out downtown tonight if you want to come,” Reyna said, tapping her fingers lightly on the hood of the car.

“I take it you need a ride,” I laughed, climbing in to unlock her door. “And I already have plans for tonight, but thanks.”

“My car is in the shop,” she grumbled. “Do you have some new friends that I don’t know about or something? You always hang out with us.” She was busy examining herself in her handheld mirror and hadn’t caught the irritated expression unfurling across my face.

I revved the engine. “Do I really need to explain myself to you?”

“Does this have to do with Friday night?” Reyna asked. Trying to down play her discomfort, she twirled her blond hair around her finger and blew out a series of bubbles with the gum she’d been gnawing.

“Yes,” I smiled. “You’ll always be a dear friend, Reyna, but I’m exhausted by the constant need to fit in. It’s too much work and I haven’t enjoyed myself in years.”

“Gee thanks,” Reyna snarled as she glared out the window.

“I’m not talking about my time with you,” I said, grabbing her free hand. “But the group as a whole is shallow and self-centered. Do you really see yourself hanging out with them once you go away to college?”

Reyna didn’t answer. She continued to avoid making eye contact. “So who do you have plans with tonight? Have you joined the science club after all?”

“Ha. Ha. Good one,” I chuckled, slapping her on the arm. “No. I am going to a Young Life meeting. It’s a Christian youth group and it’s supposed to be fun.”

“Since when do you care about God?”

“He answered a prayer,” I replied as I pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car. “And I think I owe him a shot at a relationship.”

“Well, have fun, Kara,” Reyna mocked, leaping from her seat. “I love God and all, but don’t expect me to listen when you get all preachy on me.”

“Right.” I sighed before we both headed for class.

The
day passed uneventfully, unless of course I counted my unintentional run-ins with Gage. I found that he’d do anything to avoid making eye contact, and whether it was right or not, I couldn’t help but relish somewhat in the discomfort my presence caused him.

My classes were a dull recap of things I already knew, but I sat through them and completed all my assignments like the good student I was. I couldn’t wait for college. While many of my former acquaintances tried to talk me into going out with them, the simple mention of Young Life seemed to send them scurrying away.

When seven o’clock finally rolled around, I helped Mom finish up the dishes and headed for the door. “See you in a couple of hours or maybe sooner if it stinks.”

“Enjoy yourself,” she chuckled, closing the door behind me.

I pulled out the flyer and laid it on the seat beside me. Our rural town was impossible to get lost in, especially when I’d spent my entire life here, so I already knew where I was headed. The meeting was convening at someone’s residence and I hoped it wasn’t someone from school who’d been picked on by my former acquaintances. Hopefully once they knew me, they wouldn’t associate me with that crowd any longer.

I parked the car along the curb and pulled the keys from the ignition. Getting the nerve up to get out of the car was another story. Going to the meeting at the library alone the night before had been out of character for me—an outing that had proven to be a disaster. Being a loner was a role I could easily slide into, but attending something new on my own without backup was definitely a stretch.

“Here goes nothing,” I said as I forced myself out of the car.

“Kara, what are you doing here?” I turned to see Jenna Mathews standing on the sidewalk in front of the house I was heading for. Her arms were struggling with a load of groceries and the giant hole in one of the bags was about to heighten the complexity of her dilemma.

I reached out to help her. “I’m here for the Young Life meeting.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened with interest. “I didn’t think this kind of club would be your thing.”

“I don’t know if it is, but I’m willing to find out,” I smiled. “Do you know the people hosting?”

“Yes,” she said, pulling me forward. “I am. Everyone in our group takes turns and this week is mine. You are actually a little early. It doesn’t start until 7:30. No one ever shows up early.”

“Yeah, well have you ever seen me show up late for class?” Jenna smiled as she tucked a curl behind her ear. “Besides, I thought it would take me at least fifteen minutes to work up the nerve to get out of my car.”

She opened the door and I followed her into the kitchen. Her parents were both busy tidying up their large family room. “They love it when we host,” Jenna laughed. “Actually, they love it whenever my friends come over. It’s always a production. Be prepared to be catered to.”

Jenna began to follow her parents’ lead as she swung into full preparedness mode. I assisted her with the unpacking of groceries, laying out the snacks and making the punch. I was already enjoying myself and the meeting hadn’t even begun yet. I hoped everyone in the group was as friendly as Jenna. There was only one high school in our small town so I was certain to have seen everyone coming tonight.

We served ourselves some treats and then took a seat in the family room. “This is so exciting,” Jenna began. “We haven’t had anyone new join our group in forever. You are going to be the center of attention for sure.”

“Great,” I coughed, unexpectedly choking on my chip.

“Oh please, don’t think anyone is going to be pushing you to do anything,” Jenna added concerned. “These club meetings are all about fun. I know you are used to crazy parties, but I really think you will enjoy yourself here.”

Jenna’s eyes were pleading with me.  I couldn’t help but feel guilty for making her fret over me. “I’ve never really had a good time at any of the parties I attended. It was just comfortable for me to stay friends with the people I was closest to when I was younger. Actually, I wouldn’t really consider them friends; Most of them were just acquaintances.”

“So why did you hang out with them? I mean, there are lots of great people at our school that are not part of
that
crowd.” Jenna played with her hands to avoid meeting my eyes. Maybe she expected me to get defensive.

“I’ve never been one for trying new things. I like to do what’s familiar. Besides, it was better than being alone.” She nodded her head sympathetically. “But I’m here now, stepping out of what’s comfortable for me.”

Jenna began twisting her shirt. “Can I ask you something personal?”

“I guess,” I replied, waiting for her ask me about Friday night.

“Did…Did Gage Parton hurt you?” she stammered quietly.

“Let’s just say he tried,” I replied quickly. “Did you have an encounter with him?”

“Umm, kind of,” she replied softly. Her eyes had misted over and I knew she was contemplating whether or not she should reveal her personal business to me—a stranger.

I put a hand on her shoulder and nodded reassuringly. While she agonized over how to explain what had happened, the doorbell rang. Tense and deeply engulfed in the magnitude of our conversation, I knocked my soda over just as Jenna leaped to her feet.

Jenna’s mom had an internal radar for detecting spills and arrived out of nowhere with her handheld stain removing vac. My mess was cleaned up by the time the words
I’m sorry
floated out of my mouth.

“It happens all the time, dear,” she smiled. “I expect this kind of thing when Jenna’s friends are here. Now give me your glass and I’ll go refill it.”

I handed it over as I watched several familiar faces make their way into the house. Everyone was staring in my direction and whispering. It felt like Monday at school all over again. My stomach churned and knotted. I suddenly wished I was home vegging on the couch with my mom. I had enjoyed my time with Jenna, but I wasn’t sure about hanging out with a group of complete strangers.

After taking notice of their welcoming and non-judgmental expressions, I decided to relax. They were all people I’d seen in passing at school, but my obsessive focus with my schoolwork had kept me from getting to know them on a more personal level.

“Kara Benson, we are so happy to see you here,” a handsome male of Asian descent embraced me briefly. “Jer Ko. You’ve had a class or two with me over the years, but we’ve never officially met.”

“I remember seeing you,” I said, giving him a wink. “I tend to get over involved in my assignments and forget about conversing with my classmates. Sorry.”

“And I just thought you were shy,” another male added. After a quick glance, I knew I’d seen the tall lanky dark skinned male on the basketball team during the pep rallies. “Scott Finch,” he said, extending his hand. “Don’t worry. You’ll blend in fine with the rest of us after you attend a few club meetings.”

“Thanks,” I giggled nervously.

For the next ten minutes I was bombarded by greetings from every member of the group. Although I knew everyone was present to celebrate God in some capacity or another, no one was forcing his or her religious views on me. The setting was relaxed and genuine. Even if I could offer a strong testimony, I was certain I knew less about God’s personal plan for me than anyone in the room.

“Now that we are all acquainted, let’s begin with a prayer,” Jess, the leader and young man who’d given me the flyer in the library, announced. We all bowed our heads. “Dear Lord, please help us to hear your message tonight as we celebrate through songs, prayer and a little mischief.” He paused while the girls let out a few giggles. “We are excited to have a new friend among us and we pray for your guidance tonight. We don’t want to scare her off, so help us make her feel at home while she is with us. Amen.” He glanced in my direction and winked.

“Amen!” Everyone called out.

The lights went out and an overhead projector rigged to Jess’ computer illuminated the room. A few taps on the keyboard and a montage of words was soon staring back at me. With a steady stream of music adding to the background noise, the group began to sing. Able to let go of my self-consciousness, I belted out the words to a wide variety of songs. From oldies to unfamiliar Christian tunes, I found myself enjoying the serenity of my new venture.

When the singing changed to role-playing theatrics, I sat back quietly and observed. I wasn’t much for making a fool out of myself, but I definitely enjoyed watching the rest of my peers try to reenact some goofy Mad Lib inspired scripts. My stomach ached from all the incessant laughter.

Jess presented several biblical readings and explained the underlying messages behind each passage in easy to understand terms. I prayed after enough sessions I’d be able to read the book on my own and understand it. Jess said the only way to know what God expects from me is by reading His Word. Once I’m familiar enough with it, I should hear Him speaking to me like a conscience.

“So what did you think?” Jenna asked, once the rest of the group had cleared the room and headed to the refreshment table.

“It was a lot of fun,” I admitted. “Very entertaining and not at all condemnatory.” Her expression shifted to one more alarming. “Not that I expected it to be, but I had a bad experience with another group.”

“Oh good,” she said relieved. “You should know that all these people here are just as friendly at school. They’ll have your back if you need them to.”

“I’d love to come regularly. Do you guys have a schedule or something or do you meet here regularly?”

Jenna scanned the room, spotted what she needed and immediately began to rifle through a pile of papers. “Sorry, we are not always so disorganized. Here is the schedule. You can feel free to host one at your house if you want.”

“Umm.” I struggled with what to say. I couldn’t imagine this rowdy bunch in our small house. And the grocery bill to feed them would only add more stress to my mom’s life. It wasn’t something I wanted to burden her with.

“Oh, you don’t have to if you don’t want,” Jenna replied after seeing my reaction.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” I began. “But our home is really small and we don’t have a lot of money. I know it probably sounds completely selfish, but I don’t want to trouble my mom with extra groceries.”

“And this is going to sound so judgmental,” she began, “I always thought you had everything. I mean, you hang out with a lot of the rich kids and I just assumed since you lived near Reyna that your parents had a lot of money too.”

Jer suddenly stepped forward to join in our conversation. He’d been making jokes the entire evening and I wondered what crack he was going to let loose now. “That was awful, Jenna. I can’t believe that came out of your mouth.”