Risky Business (28 page)

“Well, I don’t know …,” she teased, sounding like her old self.

Kate’s shoulders relaxed, and she breathed a deep sigh of relief. She could tell that Olivia’s heart had softened. She’d never let life get in the way of making time for her best friend ever again.

The doorbell rang at the same instant as she hung up the phone.

Mark!
Kate scurried to change her clothes. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten their plans to go for a walk in the snow. Hurrying down the stairs, she pulled on her mittens and then went into the night.

They walked in silence under the stars as the snow fell.

How can I say this?
Kate knew she needed to be honest. “This vacation has been an incredible two weeks. We’ve had so much time to spend together, and I’ve enjoyed every single second of it.” She bit her lip.

“But?” he prodded.

“But I’m afraid that by rushing into a relationship that I’m not ready for, it will be the death of a wonderful friendship…. I don’t want to risk our friendship, Mark.”

“I know what you mean.” He looked up into the sky and let the snowflakes hit his wind-burned cheeks. “It just sort of felt like this was supposed to be our next step, and I didn’t want to let the opportunity get away from us. Because you’re important to me—you always have been.”

Kate nodded and blew steam from her mouth. “You know what?”

“No, what?” Mark answered and laughed, tweaking her on the chin.

“If we’re really meant to be more than friends, a couple of years wouldn’t make a difference, right?”

“No, I suppose it wouldn’t.”

“But if we’re not meant to have that kind of relationship, then by rushing into it, it will cost us a great friendship.”

“Hmm, that’s a good way to look at it.” He slipped a casual arm around her shoulders as they walked.

“So, let’s just step back to what we know we can handle and put the rest on hold. I mean, we’ll still be together all the time, so nothing will change. We have band practice and our gigs, plus we can hang out anytime without the pressure of a relationship.”

“I’m all for that, Kate.” He actually looked relieved. “Will you promise me one thing, though?” He had a twinkle in his eye.

“Sure, what?”

“Don’t let anyone else have your first kiss. Okay? It’s all mine.” He winked and gave her a gorgeous grin.

Her stomach flipped. Friends could still be handsome, right?

“Deal!” They shook hands and laughed.

How could Christmas break be over already? Kate couldn’t believe how fast it had gone. She groaned, rolled over, and pulled the covers over her head. Her body clock still beat to the rhythm of vacation.

When she finally pulled herself from her bed, she had to rush to get out of the house for her first swim practice with the boys’ team. It would be strange without Pam and Sandy to swim with—and no other girls had been invited to swim off-season. So she’d be the only girl in the pool with twenty boys.

Ugh! The boys might not like having me there. I’m a nark, after all
. Kate’s thoughts ran wild as she hurried to get out of the house. The drive to the school ended way too fast.

“Hi, Kate,” the boys’ team called out in one voice when Coach Thompson introduced her.

“She’ll be the only one from the girls’ team joining us for now. I hope you’ll all make her feel welcome.” Coach narrowed her focus to include each boy. “This is your season. Kate won’t get in the way of your practices. She’s just here to swim and stay in shape.”

“Well, that shouldn’t be hard for her.”

Kate turned beet red but had no idea which boy said that. Several others snickered.

“Okay, let’s not be childish, boys,” Coach scolded. “Come on now, go swim.” She sent them off to find their lane assignments and workout schedule.

“Hey, Kate.”

She turned from the bleachers to find twopopular seniors waiting to say something to her.

“Yeah?” She braced herself.

The tallest one said, “We just wanted you to know that we’re glad you turned in the girls for using speed. Junk like that gives sports a bad name.” He looked shy. “So … good for you.”

He left before she had a chance to thank him. Smiling, she eased herself into the cold water and adjusted her goggles.
Ahhh. Home
. She started her swim at a steady pace, warming up her muscles that had been on a two-week hiatus. She eased her speed up to a clip that would tax her, but not force her to crawl from the pool in agony.

How could water be so healing? She let its purity wash away all of her worries and cares. It cleansed her soul and comforted her heart. Nothing mattered in the pool.

Sitting at a desk, Kate looked out the window, lost in her thoughts of walking with Mark the night before. She chewed the end of her pencil, knowing she’d done the right thing.

“Hey, Kate.”

She dropped her pencil as a voice at her left shoulder snapped her back from her snowy memories.
Sandy
.

“Hey.” Kate looked down.

“We don’t have much time before class. But I wanted to tell you that I did a lot of thinking over the holiday.” The bell cut her off. “I’ll have to talk to you later, okay?” She left before Kate could respond.

A little later, after the third-period bell rang, Kate and Mark walked into the bustling lunchroom. As always, students climbed over benches, bags were tossed from one table to the next, and smells had mingled into an unidentifiable biohazard. While they waited in line, she took a quick look around and immediately noticed Pam and Brittany on one of the benches right outside the commons. They saw Kate and looked the other way, whispering. Kate sighed, hopes of forgiveness and the restoration of their friendships … impossible.

“Hey, what did you expect?” Mark read her mind as they slid onto a seat with one of the red plastic lunch trays that always smelled of mildew. “They weren’t really your friends, anyway. They didn’t even know the real you.”

“I know.” She poked at her food. “I just hoped they’d have figured some things out in the time away.”

“Just pray for them. Keep praying for them.

Someone outside of the situation will have to show them what’s what before they’re ever going to be able to come around and forgive you.”

“That’s probably very true.” She played with her food. “I’ll have to just pray that the Lord sends someone their way who can help them see the truth.”

“Kate, can I talk to you for a minute?” Sandy asked in a soft voice near Kate’s shoulder.

Kate coughed, choking on her drink.

“Hi, Sandy. Sure you can. Have a seat.” Mark grabbed his apple off the tray and waved good-bye as he headed to his class while Sandy sat in his spot.

Kate looked at the clock. “We’ve only got about ten minutes.”

“Probably. If I were you, I wouldn’t even want to listen that long.” She took a deep breath and looked into Kate’s eyes. “I’m really sorry. You were so right about everything and … well … I have a secret to tell you.”

Kate leaned forward.

“Well, I take that back; it’s not going to be a secret anymore. It’s something I’ve kept hidden at school but shouldn’t have.” She took another deep breath and looked down at the table. “I’m a Christian, too. There, I said it.” She exhaled and looked Kate in the eye. “Why is it so hard for me to tell people? It shouldn’t be, but it just is.”

Kate smiled. “Sandy, I’m so glad you told me. You’re right, it shouldn’t be. But I understand. It’s like Peter …” Kate shared with Sandy the same story that Mark had reminded her of a few weeks ago. “So, you see, even Peter failed when it came time to share his faith in Jesus. None of us are perfect, but the question is how are you going to change now that you know? No more secrets, right?”

Sandy nodded then lowered her big brown eyes. “I’m afraid, though.”

“Sure you are. It’s okay to be afraid. It’s only not okay if you let it cripple you into doing nothing.” Kate looked up and rubbed her chin. “Hey, I’ve been thinking about starting something, and I think that now might be the perfect time.”

Sandy eyes lit up, and she took a bite of Kate’s uneaten brownie.

Kate waved her hand, offering her the whole thing. “I think we should start a Bible study group before school. I know Mark would join and a few others. We could take turns leading the group. It would only be for about twenty minutes right before class. What do you think?”

Sandy’s big eyes grew even larger. “Oh, wow. Talk about making waves.” She took a deep breath. “Well, it’s time for me to put up or shut up, I guess. Count me in.” Sandy smiled and ate the rest of Kate’s brownie.

Exactly two weeks later, Kate rushed to get dressed after her early morning swim so she could get to the first Bible study meeting on time. She jogged down the long hall from the locker room to the meeting room that Principal Coleman had offered for their use. Rushing in the door, almost late, she joined the eleven students who had arranged their seats in a large oval. Several even had Bibles with them. Panting to catch her breath, Kate slid in between Mark and Sandy and tucked her bag under her seat.

“Welcome to the first meeting of our new Bible study and prayer group.” Mark smiled warmly. “First, I want you to know I’ve been so excited ever since Kate came to me with her idea about starting this group. That there are students in this school who will give up their time and risk having a reputation of being a religious fanatic”—several students giggled at the term—”because of their passion for Christ … well … I’m at a loss for words. It sure lit a fire in me.”

He nodded as he looked around the room. “This group right here,”—Mark spread his arms out to include all the students—”this is our core group. We are called by God to be leaders in this school, to share the gospel, and to be examples of Christ.” He looked right at several of them. “You want to know how I know He’s called you for that?”

They all nodded, transfixed.

“Two reasons. One, because He’s called me, too. We’re all called to be ambassadors for the cause of Christ—every single one of us. And two, because you’re willing—you’re here. That’s it. That’s all it takes to be used by God.”

Mark opened up his Bible. “This is what I want for us to be to each other here in this group … it’s the same thing that Paul asked of his friends as recorded in Ephesians, chapter six. Paul asked them to ‘Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.’ “

Kate stared at Mark, humbled by his words and impressed by his clear thoughts. He’d make a great preacher one day.

Mark closed his Bible and looked around the circle. “So, let’s commit to each other to be here each week. We’ll have a prayer time, a short devotion which we can take turns leading, and then time to share concerns.” He smiled at the group. “Eventually, people will want what we have, and this room will be overflowing.”

At that very precise moment, the door slowly creaked open.

Kate and Sandy stared with open mouths as Pam and Brittany peeked into the room. After a brief hesitation, Pam timidly asked, “Is it too late to join you guys?”

Kate smiled and scooted her chair over to make room in the circle. “It’s never too late.”