Pierced by Love (5 page)

Noelle made it through her classes that morning with a minimum of explanations. After all, this was Friday and she had no institute classes. She managed a late shift at work and then fell asleep that night as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Saturday was another work day for Noelle. She came home late that afternoon to find her laundry already washed and folded. So she and Chase were back, were they? Had she done Noelle’s laundry out of a sense of guilt or as a peace offering?
Or maybe Melody just figured I could use another reminder of our mother’s lessons
, she thought waspishly, reaching for a shirt and refolding it the way she liked.

Noelle studied for a bit, pretending not to notice when Melody entered the apartment. Hannah asked her how the visit to Gilbert had gone and Melody responded that it had gone well enough, holding her hand out for Hannah to see the engagement ring. From the corner of her eye, Noelle noticed Hannah smiling and nodding as Melody described the setting. “Jessie, come look at this rock,” she called. Not a minute later, Jessie came into the room to see what the excitement was about.

“That’s beautiful, Melody.” While they admired the ring, Noelle jumped off the couch and grabbed her car keys. She had to get out of there. Noelle stopped when Melody called, “Noelle?”

She glanced at Melody, steeling her heart against her sister’s forlorn expression. “What?” she ground out.

An awkward pause followed. Finally, Melody spoke again. “Mom and Dad want you to call them. They’re worried about you.”

“Maybe later. I’m going to do some grocery shopping.” But the plaintive look on Melody’s face was etched on her memory for the rest of that day.

Sunday morning, Noelle sat at the table pouring her cereal and wondering what she was going to do about her church meetings. The singles wards on NAU campus were organized alphabetically according to last name. Hannah and Jessie were in a different ward and Noelle and Chase always sat with Melody during sacrament meeting even though Chase was in a different ward. Noelle felt sure that wouldn’t be the case today.

She felt a stab of envy. Noelle had tried so hard to introduce her sister to other college students in her ward. She’d tried to help Melody make friends and feel included. She’d even felt encouraged when she’d seen a cute guy approach Melody at a recent dance. And all this time, Melody had hidden her growing feelings for Chase.

Noelle took a deep breath and forced the thought from her mind while she silently blessed her food. Once again, she asked the Lord to help her overcome the un-Christlike feelings she was battling and love her sister no matter what. Even though she felt badly about the rift between them, she wasn’t sure what to do about it.

A door opened from down the hallway. A few seconds later, Melody entered the kitchen, wearing a navy blue dress and carrying her scriptures. “Hello,” she said hesitantly.

“Hi,” Noelle echoed woodenly and began munching on her cereal.

Melody proceeded to spread cream cheese on a bagel and then took a seat beside Noelle at the table. Trying to avoid gawking at the sparkling diamond solitaire gracing Melody’s hand, Noelle finished her cereal in record time and stood to put her bowl in the sink. She’d almost made her escape when Melody spoke from behind. “How long are you going to give me the silent treatment?”

“I thought the ‘silent treatment’ was something that only husbands and wives do,” Noelle said drily.

“Exactly.” Melody nodded matter-of-factly. “We’re sisters, Noelle. Nothing is ever going to change that. I’m really sorry about this. Chase and I didn’t intentionally set out to betray your trust. I knew I was enjoying being in his company a little too much, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. He’s a fantastic guy. And you’re a wonderful person, but it seemed to me that your relationship was failing.”

Noelle gasped. “What makes you say that?”

Melody’s brows furrowed. “Little things, mostly. Such as the way he asked you what you thought of the lesson last Sunday. I could tell he was hoping you would give him more than a simple Sunday School answer, but instead you brushed it off as if his thoughts on the matter were of no consequence to you. When I saw how disappointed he was, I rushed in to fill the awkward gap. I was trying to keep Chase’s interest in you going by volleying the conversation back to you, but you kept deflecting it with feigned cluelessness.”

Noelle’s cheeks warmed. Little did Melody know that her “cluelessness” had been real. “That’s because I’m not able to quote a scripture on demand or think of one to fit the situation at hand like you can, sis. How can I even be sure that you weren’t intervening on your behalf? Now that you’re engaged to him, surely you can admit that you felt attracted to him. And you can’t tell me that you didn’t act on that attraction.”

Melody’s silence confirmed Noelle’s suspicion. “I know I didn’t make the best choice by not being up-front with you about my feelings for Chase. But they were so intense, I didn’t even know what to think. I kept telling myself that it was okay to make a new friend. Because that’s what he became to me. A friend.”

“Friends don’t sneak around behind someone else’s back, Melody.”

“Would you rather that I lie to you and tell you that it didn’t bother me in the least that I was developing feelings for him? I’m not that heartless!” Her pleading expression tugged at Noelle’s heart, yet she managed to squelch the last ounce of sympathy that existed there. “I don’t mean to trivialize this, but now that I know Chase better, I can understand him wanting a more mature woman in his life.”

Anger boiled inside Noelle. “Is that what he told you?” she said hotly. “How well do you know Chase, Melody? Really know him?”

Melody’s face turned ashen at Noelle’s outburst, her brown eyes filling with unshed tears.

Noelle softened her voice. “Look, I get that Chase would be attracted to you since you are both RMs, but honestly, what do the two of you really have in common? How can you know that he’s the one for you?”

“I know it sounds crazy, Noelle, but I think that we were supposed to meet each other through you. We talk about everything and nothing.” A soft smile came to her lips. “He’s smart and funny, and we agree on all the major issues. We have similar interests and we are both ready to settle down. It might not sound like much, but I promise you, despite the roundabout way our relationship developed, I’ve prayed about this and felt the Spirit telling me that Chase was the right man for me. I’m just sorry that it happened this way, Noelle.”

“Well, you should have been honest with me,” she insisted.

“I agree,” Melody said somberly.

“Jessie already had another girl lined up to room with us after Jill got married. I stuck my neck out for you because I thought we would have so much fun together. But instead, I’ve been pulling my hair out from trying to live up to your impossibly high standards. Imagine my surprise when I discovered they are actually double standards.” Knowing her hurtful words were hitting their mark did nothing to make Noelle feel better.

Now Melody’s voice sounded a little testy. “Please understand, Noelle. I’ve tried to explain my actions. If you don’t believe me, that’s your choice. But here’s something else you might want to think about.”

Oh no
, Noelle thought.
Here we go again. Another well-meaning but misguided lecture from my big sister
.

“Chase mentioned that he has tried to give you the time you need to grow in the gospel, but you haven’t really made much progress, all things considered. Sure, you’ve gone through the temple, but have you pondered what it all means? You’re good at attracting returned missionaries, but if you want to keep one, you’re going to have to put more thought and effort into the process.”

Noelle flinched at the awful words. Why hadn’t Chase talked to her about his concerns? She took a shuddering breath and told herself to calm down. Melody had always been straitlaced, but this mission of hers had made her downright prudish.

The doorbell rang and Melody stood to answer it. No surprise, Chase was on the other side. Melody must be attending his ward today. Her voice still held a bit of an edge when she called, “Bye, Noelle,” then was gone.

FOUR

P
IERCE WAS SITTING in the chapel while waiting for sacrament meeting to begin, trying in vain to tune out the nonsensical chatter of the people behind him. When had the lower classmen become so obnoxious? He’d started noticing his growing discontent with them only recently. He usually liked to joke around with them, but lately their silliness grated on his nerves.

Holding back a sigh, he glanced toward the open doorway leading out to the hallway and classrooms of the institute building and saw Noelle Jensen standing there, nervously scanning the room. A girl in a brown dress approached her. From the way Noelle’s face scrunched up and she shook her head in consternation, he gathered their exchange was not pleasant. Noelle scanned the room once more. Strangely, he hoped that her gaze would connect with his. When it did, he inclined his head, beckoning her over. Her shoulders and expression loosened. Slowly approaching Pierce, she asked, “Are you saving this seat for anyone?”

Now that she was closer, Pierce could see the dark rings beneath her eyes. She looked terrible. Attempting to mask his shock, he picked up his scriptures from the next seat to make room for her. “You,” he offered. His friend Kurt would have to find somewhere else to sit.

“Thanks.” The soft fabric of her striped skirt brushed his arm as she settled into her seat. Pierce was at a loss for words. This was the first time he had seen her since he’d heard about the breakup. Of course, he’d heard a few other students talking about it earlier when he’d arrived, such as Kasey Hamilton, whose loud, whiny voice had carried to him from a few rows back.

He waited for her to open a conversation, but she kept staring at the floor. Feeling the need to break the ice, Pierce gently nudged her shoulder. “Hey,” he said softly. “How are you holding up?”

She turned to him with her brows creased and her fists clenched. “I’m so tired of everyone asking me that, Pierce,” she bit out the words. “So let me just make it clear once and for all.
I’m—just—fine!”

Pierce couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips. She was kind of cute when she was mad. “Yeah, I can see that.”

Now she was scowling. Pierce just grinned at her until her lips slowly loosened into a reluctant smile of their own. “All right, so I’m not fine. I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster, okay?” She huffed. “I’m sick of everyone looking at me as if I’ve grown two heads.” Tilting her head and moving her eyes to the right, she silently indicated two girls a few rows ahead who had turned to watch them.

An unexpected surge of protection had him staring the offenders down. They took the hint quickly and turned around again just as Bishop Thornton stood to conduct the meeting.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“No problem,” he whispered back, hesitating only a moment before deciding to take a chance. “He’s an idiot. You know that, right?”

Her sad smile tugged at his heart. In a shaky voice, she responded, “Is it so wrong to still want to be with that idiot?”

Barely managing to keep a straight face, he fought against the urge to put his arm around her and pull her toward him. “You’ll be all right. You’re a lot stronger than you think.”

Her eyes widened as she studied him carefully. “Thanks,” she said softly.

Fearing that he’d be a goner if he stared into her sorrowful face much longer, Pierce cleared his throat and shifted away from her to get ready for the opening prayer.