Hiding chapter 7: A Thief, a Shock, a Rescue

Sometimes, things happen that are scary and dangerous. During those times one has literally nothing that can save them except God’s mercy. Let me tell you, a situation like that can be very humbling. I recently experienced such a situation, and diary, I am going to tell you all about it.

            I couldn’t believe that the school year had already ended. It seemed like just yesterday I was on the bus sitting next to Rose, on our way to our first day of school. So many things have happened this school year. Like when I went to a sleepover and learned that I can always trust my sister, or when I figured out the true meaning of a birthday party, or when Wendy became a Christian, and the miracle of my baby sister, who will be born in November. Yes, God had blessed my family, my friends, and I with many lessons that we will hopefully never forget.

            I woke up that first summer morning completely rested. It felt really nice to be able to sleep in. I walked downstairs to the kitchen to find Brooke already eating breakfast. “Well, you seem excited.” I told her. “Yeah, and in a few minutes you’ll see why.” Replied Brooke with a smile. While I was pouring milk in my cereal, mom came down the stairs with a smile on her face. “Good morning girls.” She said. “Roxanne, at the beginning of the summer, we give Brooke one hundred dollars to spend. This summer your father and I have decided to continue and give each of you fifty dollars.” I gasped. “Really? Fifty dollars?” Mom answered by handing each of us one twenty, two tens, one five, and five ones. “Wow! Thanks mom” I said with delight. I gave her a big hug and so did Brooke. With fifty dollar, I felt like I was on top of the world.

            After breakfast, we asked dad if we could have our friends over. “Sure, he said, but stay out of the woods. All the rain we’ve been having might make the creek have a fast current.” We called Wendy, Katie, and Noel (who will be leaving next month) and invited them over. Once we were all outside in our backyard, we got the sprinkler out and were soon having lots of fun. That afternoon, we went to the ice cream parlor and got some sweet treats. “Where did you get enough money to treat all of us?” asked Noel curiously. “Our parents gave each of us fifty dollars.” Said Brooke. “Really? Wow, that’s so cool!” said Katie. We heard a snicker behind us and turned to look, Sitting at the table behind us was Hillary, Lindsey, and Rose. “They’re probably gossiping about someone.” Said Wendy, clearly annoyed. As I looked at them, I saw Rose look in our direction with an interested look on her face. I quickly turned around. We soon forgot about them and enjoyed the first day of summer.

            That night, as I lay in bed, I heard a noise. It came from downstairs and it sounded as if someone was sneaking around. I wanted to go check it out, but I was so tired that I just fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I went downstairs to eat. “Hey!” said Brooke. “The money is gone!” “What! Are you sure?” I asked jumping up and looking in the jar where the money used to be. I told Brooke about the noise last night, and she told mom, who called the police. The police said that it was very strange that only the money was missing and not anything that was super valuable. One of them called a call, and told his partner that he had to go. “Apparently, some girl named Rose is missing.” He said before leaving. I looked out the window to see him leave and I thought I saw Rose head into the woods.

            I went outside and ran into the woods. After walking around a bit, I noticed that the creek did indeed have a swift current. I then saw Rose walk away. I followed her until I was at the edge of a clearing. I peeking out from behind the tree and spotting Rose almost at the end of the clearing. I was about to call out to her when two men jumped out and grabbed Rose. I gasped and ran over to where I last saw her. I spotted Rose struggling to get away from the two men. What one of them said nearly made me faint. “So, Vivian, thought the witness protection program would keep your family safe from us, well, guess you thought wrong.”

            I was stunned. Rose was in the witness protection program? Her whole family was? I was shocked. “Well,” I thought. “If that’s the case, then I guess I had better help her. I followed the men until they came to a helicopter. As I walked, I stepped on a twig. The men whirled around and saw me, so I ran. The men quickly caught up to me, however, and took me to the helicopter. They tied us up and went to the front. I quickly wiggled out of the ropes and started to untie Rose. “How did you do that? She whispered. “When they tied me up, I stuck out my stomach so I could wiggle out. I saw it in a movie once.” I whispered back. Rose and I quietly climbed out of the helicopter just as it took off and hid in some bushes. “They’re bound to notice that we’re missing eventually.” Said Rose. Just as she said that the helicopter turned around and started to land. “You run back to my house and tell them what happened. I’ll distract them.” I said “But…” she started to say. “Just go!” I interrupted. We went in opposite directions and I saw the men started to chase after me. I ran faster and faster until I came to the creek. I was trapped.

            I turned around and saw the men catching up. As I looked around, I spotted a log going across the creek. I went to it and started to cross. I went slowly. Step by step. I felt it wobble and I turned around The men were trying to climb on the log. I started to go faster. I slipped, and with a scream, I fell into the fast-moving water.

            I was shocked at how fast I moved. In only five seconds, the men were out of sight. I knew that, even though I was a fairly good swimmer, I would never be able to survive this. I went under and came up, gasping for breath.  I prayed to God as I had never done before. I begged him to save me. As I went under again, I held my breath. I looked up and saw a figure standing there. The last thing I saw before slipping into unconsciousness was the figure reaching towed me. The last thing I felt was warmth.

            “Roxanne? Can you hear me?” I heard a voice. I felt so weak. “Roxanne?” there was that voice again. I finally recognized it as Brooke’s “Eliza!” The urgency in her voice combined with the fact that she used my real name caused me to open my eyes. I was in a hospital, surrounded by mom, dad, Brooke, Rose (or Vivian, I suppose), and a boy I did not recognize. Hi sweetie, I’m glad you’re awake. You’ve been out for nearly a day. I widened my eyes and tried to sit up. I winced from pain and fell back. Careful honey, you’ve got some bruises on your head and your lungs are still a little weak. “What happened?” I asked in a whisper. “You nearly drowned.” Said the boy. “I pulled you out just after you hit your head on a rock.” “You saved my life, Roxanne.” Said Rose, with tears in her eyes. “Thank you.” “Who are you?” I asked, motioning to the boy.” He looked around fifteen and I had no idea who he was. “Roxanne,” said Brooke. “This is my brother, Miles.”

            It turned out that Miles eventually escaped and stowed away on the helicopter, having no idea who was on it or where it was going. Rose and her family were in the WPP because Rose’s grandfather was in the mafia and had hidden lots of money somewhere. Rose had taken mine and Brooke’s money to try to get away. Now that the bad guys were arrested, Rose’s family was free. They are going to move in with her aunt in Maryland. Rose told Brooke and I that she was really sorry for all she had done. She was very grateful that I had saved her despite everything. I told her that God said to love my enemies; she said she might have to check out that church stuff in Maryland. With Miles back, I think this summer is only going to get better. For now, everyone is safe, and we have God to thank for it.      

             

Bringing the Mission Field to Us

This summer, my family and I are hosting an Eastern European orphan for five weeks. Although she is no longer adoptable, we can show her the love of Christ while she is here. She will arrive at the end of June with only the clothes she will be wearing. We will provide her with clothes, toiletries, and anything she needs, which she will be able to take back with her. We plan to do many fun things with her, like swimming, camping, going to Butch Gardens and much more. Before we decided to host this teenager, there was another girl we were considering, but God led us to the other. Recently, the other girl we were praying about got chosen and will come to, out of the whole United States, Williamsburg, VA! We will be able to get together several times. That was definitely God working. We had a garage sale on May 9-10 to raise money. People from our church donated things for us to sell. We raised over one thousand dollars, which was our goal. Also, a buyer told us that she has a neighbor who from the same place that the orphan we are hosting is from. We will talk to her before she gets here and while she's here. God is so good!

Camping

On May 2, we went to a campground for my brother's fifth birthday. We had strawberry shortcake instead of birthday cake. My sister and I slept in a tent all by ourselves, though we have bruises on our legs from sleeping on the ground. The next day after a softball game, we all went canoeing on the lake in the campground. We tried fishing but we didn't catch anything. We roasted marshmallows on a fire both evenings. The next morning, our dad woke us up really early to try fishing again. After fishing for a little bit, I caught a croppy, while looks like a sunfish, except larger. I looked up in the tree and spotted a hawk. A few minutes later, I heard a giant splash. At first, I thought the hawk had died and fallen into the water, but I looked and realized it was trying to catch a fish. It suddenly flew out with a trout in its talons. It flew around three times and then flew away. everybody was amazed. I thought two things. One: that bird was a lot better at fishing than we were. And two: I don't think he was planning to do a catch and release. Anyway, we had a great time last weekend. We also made sure all our equipment was ready for when we go camping more this summer. It was really fun.  

Hiding chapter 6: A Mystery, a Miracle, a Surprise

Tomorrow, we go back to school. It’s amazing how many things can happen in one spring break, how things can change so fast. When I explain what happened during spring break, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

            I watched the clock with anticipation, while looking at a diagram of the structure of a cell is “fun” and all; I knew that, in a few seconds, school would be out for a whole week! I continued to stare. Three seconds; two seconds, one second… When I heard the bell, it took all my strength to keep from squealing with delight, but when we got outside, I let it all out, because we were now on spring break.

            When Brooke and I got home, we called Katie, Wendy, and Noel and asked them to come over. Once they arrived, we hung out for a while, and then Katie said she had something to show us. With that, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. We all gasped. “Where did you get that?” asked Noel. “Well, my older sister, Daniel, got a new cell phone from our grandma when she started college, and so Daniel gave me her old one.” We admired Katie’s new cell phone with amazement. “This phone has an app that can allow me to keep score at a ball game.” Katie said excitedly. “Hey, let’s go to the park, form a kickball game with some of the kids there, and you can keep score, Katie.” Said Brooke. Everyone thought it was a great idea, so we headed to the park.

            It took a while, but we finally had enough players for a kickball game. Both teams played really well. Soon, the score was 11 to 8. Then, however, one of the girls had to go home, and the other team was short a player. Katie was asked if she could kick for them, and she agreed. With the bases loaded, Katie stepped up to home plate and kicked the ball really far. She ran all the way around the bases and the other team won, with the score 12 to 11. I was helping Wendy pick up the bases when we heard Katie say, “Oh no!” we ran over, to see what was wrong. Katie told us that she left her phone on the park bench, and now it was gone. We looked around, but we couldn’t find Katie’s cell phone. It was gone.

            The next day, Brooke, Katie, and I went to the park to look more for her cell phone. We spotted some kids who were at the park when she lost it, so we asked them if they saw who took it. One of them said that they saw Hillary sit down at the bench, take something from the bench, and leave. Katie went over to where Hillary and Rose were standing to confront Hillary. Brooke and I followed. “Hillary, why did you take my cell phone?” demanded Katie. “What are you talking about?” asked Hillary, clearly annoyed. “Yesterday, at the park, you sat down at the bench and took my cell phone, give it back, and maybe I won’t go to the police.” Said Katie. “I don’t have your cell phone, Katie. Come on Rose, let’s go” and with that, Rose and Hillary left. “I can’t believe Hillary didn’t give my cell phone back.” Said Katie. “Actually,” spoke up Brooke, cautiously. “I don’t think Hillary took your phone at all.

            Katie and I stared at Brooke. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well,” started Brooke. “I don’t think Hillary would do something like this.” “You’re defending here?!” questioned Katie accusingly. “No, but Hillary just doesn’t strike me as the type of person to steal something.” Said Brooke defensively. “I don’t believe this!” shouted Katie. “A bully steals my cell phone, and the my best friend takes her side.” Brooke started to deny it, but Katie turned around and marched away. I could hardly believe what just happened. Brooke turned to me and asked if I thought the same way. “No, I don’t think we should accuse someone because of what they did in the past, but I think that Hillary is a suspect.” Although my reassuring made Brooke a little less sad, she was still heartbroken that Katie was angry with her.

            The next day, mom went to the doctor because the baby had not yet exited the body and she thought maybe something was blocking it. A mom across the street asked me if I could watch her son, Billy, while she went to the post office. I agreed and went to Billy’s house. I was helping Billy build a model airplane. Suddenly, a crow came flying down and took one of the pieces. “Hey!” Billy shouted. “Bring that back!” Billy asked me why the bird took the piece. I told him that crows were attracted to shiny things and that, since the piece it took glistened nicely in the sunlight, it made sense that… I stopped, because at that moment I realized that there was now a new suspect in the mystery of Katie’s missing cell phone. After Billy’s mom came home, I told Brooke to follow me. I called Katie and asked her to meet us at the scene of the crime. Once we were there, I went to the bench where the cell phone was. Sure enough, there was a tree next to the bench. I climbed it and saw a nest. Inside, lay Katie’s lost cell phone. I climbed down and handed the cell phone to Katie. She took it and started to cry. She told Brooke that she was so sorry for accusing her of taking Hillary’s side. Brooke forgave Katie without hesitation. Katie said goodbye, thanked me for finding the phone, and went to apologize to Hillary.

            Brooke and I walked in the house to find mom and dad sitting on the couch crying. Brooke ran to them and asked what was wrong. “These are tears of joy.” Said mom. I walked over to them and sat down. “Honey, we went to the doctor to get another ultrasound to see why the baby wasn’t coming out, and they found something.” Said dad, with tears in his eyes. “What did they find?” I asked. “They found a heartbeat. It’s a miracle!” said mom. I couldn’t believe it. The baby was alive! We celebrated and thanked God with all our hearts. God had brought the baby back to life.

That day was probably one of the happiest days of our lives. We called all our friends and family to tell them the good news. We announced it at church, and Everyone was so happy for us. Daniel told me that it was not a miracle, and that the doctor’s equipment was just not working when they gave us the bad news. I was so happy that my brother or sister was alive, that I didn’t even hear him. When I asked mom what the gender of the baby was, she told me that I was going to have a baby sister. I could hardly contain my excitement.

Wendy called all of us (Katie, Brooke, Noel, and me) and said she needed to tell us something. We all met at her house and her mom got us a snack. Wendy then said that she had some news. “Since becoming a Christian, my parents were very excited for me, and recommitted their lives to the Lord. They began praying about something that they have been talking about for a long time. Yesterday, they decided that God was saying yes.” I asked her what God had said yes about. Wendy cleared her throat and continued. “My mom and dad have decided to homeschool me.” Brooke and I looked at each other. “You mean, you won’t go to our school anymore?”  asked Katie. “Nope, I start homeschool in one week, the day after spring break ends.” Said Wendy. None of us could believe how everything changed so fast. “Don’t worry though, this doesn’t change anything about our friendship. We can still hang out.” Everyone agreed and congratulated Wendy. We were very happy for her.

So you see, this spring break has taught me many lessons, like to not accuse someone without evidence, or to trust God in everything. I think that if I can learn all that in one spring break, I can’t even imagine how many lessons God will teach me in my lifetime. All I have to do is be able to receive them.

Hiding chapter 5: A Blessing, a Secret, a Heartbreak

I walked into my geography class and sat at my desk. The teacher was not present yet. I looked around as people began to file in. I opened my desk to gets my pencil and gasped: There was a snake in my desk. When I looked closer, however, I realized that the snake was only a toy. I turned around and saw Daniel Frank snickering. I scowled at him. Daniel Frank was a boy in my class who was always playing mean tricks. It started a month ago when he replaced the gummy worms in my lunch with real worms. Thankfully, I saw right away that the worms were real, but it was still disgusting. I was about to say something to him, but our teacher walked in at that very moment, so I kept quiet. I would’ve told the teacher, but it just so happens that our geography teacher is Mr. Frank, Daniel’s father, so it would just be too awkward. Noel told me that Daniel probably has a crush on me, but I told her that the very idea is ridiculous. I then took my pencil and tried to forget all about it.

            Brooke and I went into our house after school and began our homework. A few minutes later, my mom and dad came into the living room and told us that they needed to talk to us about something. Brooke and I both looked up and listened to what they had to say. They both looked at each other and smiled. “Well,” began mom. “Yesterday we found out that… I’m going to have a baby!” Brooke and I were so shocked at first that we didn’t say anything. Then, started cheering. I couldn’t believe it; I was going to have another brother or sister. Then, Brooke asked when the baby was coming. “The due date is in November.” Said dad. “That’s such a long time away!” I thought. Mom said that we could help get things ready for the baby’s arrival. I couldn’t wait to get started.

            That night, I couldn’t sleep. I was so excited. Brooke must’ve felt the same way, because she came into my room and we started talking. “I can’t believe that were going to have a brother or sister!” I said. “I know! I can’t wait until it gets here.” Said Brooke. I told her that we should help think of names for the baby. “If it’s a boy, I think they’ll name him Miles.” “Why?” I asked. “Oh, uh, no reason; I just think they like the name.” I thought the way she reacted was a little strange but I didn’t say anything. We discussed names a little longer and then went to sleep.

            The next day, we all went to the store to buy baby things. As Brooke and I wandered through the aisles of Babies R Us, we spotted several things that the baby might need. We bought a crib that was solid oak and painted white. When we searched for baby mobiles, we found a princess one, trucks, rainbow, baseball, and finally we saw the one that we wanted. It was a fish mobile with all kinds of sea creatures on it. As soon as we saw it, we knew that it was perfect. After buying a few more things, we went to the hardware store to buy paint for the baby’s room.

            Back at home; we started painting the room with dark blue paint. It seemed to take forever, but we finally painted the whole, entire room. I then called Katie, Wendy, and Noel on the phone and asked them to come over. Once they arrived, they all grabbed paintbrushes and began to paint fish on the wall at first, the fish were simple, but then, once we got the hang of it, we painted all kinds of fish with bright colors. Eventually, it was dinnertime, so mom ordered pizza and we talked about the great day everyone had preparing for the newest Till family member.

            At school, I told my class that my mom was having a baby. The girls in my class all squealed with delight, while the boys told me congratulations, but they honestly didn’t see what the big deal was. Daniel said that when his cousin’s mom had a baby, the whole family started talking like babies. He then mimicked how I would supposedly sound when the baby arrived. It took a lot of strength and self-control to ignore him, but I managed. I think he just needs a friend.

            A week later, my mom and dad went to the doctor to get an ultrasound done. It was the day that we would find out weather the baby was a boy or a girl. On the way home from school, we met up with Katie. We started to talk about names for the baby. We came up with many good names: Polly, Rachel, Hannah, Tanya, and Isabel for the girl names. Richard, Charles, Mitch, David, and Miles were the boy names that we thought of. We said good-bye to Katie, and went inside. We knew that our parents were still at the doctor’s. I needed to talk to Brooke about something urgent.

            I asked Brooke why she got nervous when I asked her why she thought mom and dad would the baby Miles if it was a boy. Brooke thought for a minute, and then looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Well, I guess I’ll have to tell you the reason why we are in the witness protection program.” Said Brooke. “Oh Brooke, you don’t have to…” I began, but Brooke stopped me. “No,” she said. “It’s something that I have to do.” Brooke told me about how when she was six, her family was put in the witness protection program after her father went on a business trip in Washington D.C. and uncovered a plot to assassinate the president. When he contacted the authorities, they put them into the WPP for a short amount of time while they arrested the criminals. The Till family went back to their normal lives. Their adventure became nothing more than an interesting story to tell, until three years ago, when the men escaped from jail and kidnapped Miles. They were immediately sent back into the witness protection program, but they never saw Miles again.

            I stared at Brooke with tears in my own eyes. “Brooke, I am so sorry that happened to you and your family.” I said. “Well, we were still grieving over Miles when you came, so I think that God sent you to us to help us heal, and so that you could have a family.” Said Brooke. We both hugged each other, and wiped our tears. A few minutes later mom and dad walked in with looks on their faces that told both me and Brooke that something was very VERY wrong.

            Mom and dad sat down on the couch and told us to come sit with them. “We have some bad news.” They said. Brooke and I sat down and looked at them. Dad spoke first. “We went to get the ultrasound done.” He started. “And they found something wrong with the baby.” “What is it?” asked Brooke. “Well,” said mom. “The doctor didn’t find a heartbeat” I sat there, staring at them. “What did they mean?” I thought. “You mean, the baby’s dead?” asked Brooke, with tears in her eyes. “Yes honey, the baby didn’t make it, but, she’s in heaven now.” After that, Me, Brooke, mom, and dad started to cry. We hugged each other and cried for what seemed like forever. Finally, mom got up and heated up leftovers for dinner. We ate in silence. Then we all went to bed. I think today was one of the saddest day of my life.

            The next few days went by in a blur. Brooke and I got up, went to school, came home, did our homework, ate dinner, and went to bed. On Sunday, Our verse was the one about giving thanks in all circumstances, so we all took turns saying what we were thankful for. I said I couldn’t think of anything. After church, my Sunday school teacher asked if something was wrong. I told her about how my mom was going to have a baby, but then how the baby died. He told me how sorry he was about what happened, and then told me something I’ll never forget: “God created everyone for a reason, even those who never make it into this world, and when you feel that you are swallowed up in sadness, trust fully in God, and he will pull you to the safety of his loving arms.” I decided that it was not God’s fault that the baby died, and that our brother or sister is with him. And if I never get see the baby on this side of heaven, then I can thank God that I know that the baby is being cradled in the safest arms possible.   

             

     

Family pictures

This is my family at my Aunt's wedding

This is my family just before my dad left on a trip for six months

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

Hiding Chapter 4: A Temptation, a Friend, a Conversion

The other day, I was talking to Brooke about how Mrs. Till taught me how to do my hair to look like a model, when I called her mom. When I said it, I felt really content and happy inside. I have never called anyone else my mother except for my real mother. So, I decided to start calling Mrs. Till mom, and Mr. Till dad. I asked them if they would mind, and they looked like they would cry. They told me that I was like a daughter to them, and that they would be honored if I wanted to call them mom and dad. So, Mr. and Mrs. Till will now be known as my mom and dad.

 When I went to school today, There was a new student. “Students,” said Mr. Butler. “Today, I want to introduce a new student to you. She is an exchange student from China.” With that, a girl stepped into the room and said, “Hi, my name is Noel.” “She will be with us for the rest of the year.” Said Mr. Butler. He told Noel to sit at one of the empty desks, and she chose the one next to mine. She looked at her, and she looked at me. I smiled, and she smiled back. When Mr. Butler told us that it was time for a math quiz, I groaned. I tried to study for that quiz, but math was just so confusing. As I began the quiz, I noticed that Noel was flying through the quiz. “She must be really good at math.” I thought. Suddenly, another thought entered my mind: Noel was sitting right next to me; I could look over and see all of her answers. “What!” I thought to myself “Where did that even come from? But, then again,” I reasoned. “It would be do easy, I could go back and probably understand it anyway, it would be just this once. No one would know.” Suddenly I realized what was happening, I was being tempted! I started panicking; what if I’m not strong enough to resist, what if I give in? I took a deep breath; God said in the Bible that He would not let me be tempted beyond what I could bear. I said a quick prayer, and began my quiz. I ended up getting a C+, which was not very good at all, but I knew that I had done the right thing.

            Over the next week, I got to know Noel better. She sat at the same table as Brooke, Wendy, Katie, and Me. Noel told me that she used to have a lot of trouble with math, but then a friend of hers helped her out and now math is her best subject. When I mentioned that I have trouble with math, Noel offered to be my own personal tutor. I thought it was a great idea. The next day, after school, Noel came over to my house, and helped me with my math. Somewhere in between 2x+3=25 and finding an area of square with a perimeter of 8ft, when mom came in with milk and cookies. After a few more math problems, Noel told me that she had to go home for dinner. I thanked her for helping me, and she left. I couldn’t believe how easy the math problems were to figure out. She really helped me to understand them. If we were to continue this even for a few weeks, everything would change, but I had no idea how true that was, in those few weeks, EVERYTHING changed.

            Noel came over the next day to help me with my math again. About half way through, there was a knock at our door. It was Wendy. She asked if I wanted to go roller-skating with her at the park. I told her I couldn’t because Noel was helping me study for the math test in a few weeks. I told that tomorrow I could hang out. Wendy, looking disappointed, said okay, and left. I felt bad that I couldn’t hang out with her, but I really needed to study for the math test. Noel and I went to study.

            School the next day was strange. Wendy didn’t talk to me at all during lunch, which is not normal. She talked with Brooke and Katie, but not to me or Noel. I figured that she was sad that she didn’t get to hang out with me. Then it hit me: the day before Noel came, Wendy and I were going to hang out, but we got rained out. We agreed that we were going to reschedule for yesterday. I felt really bad that I didn’t keep my word. After school I went to talk to Wendy. “Wendy, I’m really sorry that I didn’t hang out with you.” I said, “If I had remembered, I would have gone with you.” I looked at her, hoping that she would accept my apology. “It’s okay, I understand completely. The stress of a test makes me forget things as well.” Said Wendy. I was so glad that she understood. I didn’t blame her for feeling hurt, if it were me, I would’ve been very sad. I’m thankful that we sorted it all out.

            Not long after I got home, I heard the doorbell. It was Noel. She told me that her aunt, who she lived with while in America, had an unexpected business trip and would be away for a few days. Since I was her closest friend, she asked me if she could stay here. Once my mom arranged it, Noel was my tutor/friend/guest. I got my skates ready and Brooke let Noel borrow hers. I wasn’t totally sure it was a good idea to bring Noel to hang out with Wendy, but she was our guest, so it would’ve been rude to just leave her at home. I just hoped that Wendy would feel the same.

            Wendy seem surprised when I showed up with Noel, but she welcomed Noel, and I didn’t have to explain anything. Because Noel had not been skating much, I had to hold her hand so she wouldn’t fall. Once she was able to do it on her own, I did a few tricks with Wendy. Wendy wanted me to teach her how to skate backwards, but it started raining again, so we had to go home. Wendy offered to walk Noel home, but Noel said that she was staying with me. “It’s like a big sleepover.” She said. Looking disappointed, Wendy went home. I wanted to call Wendy and explain why Noel was staying with me, but she didn’t answer. “I guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” I thought. I didn’t think there was any rush. I was wrong.

At school the next day, Math, history, language, literature, and P.E. were normal classes and progressed normally. When Noel, Brooke and I walked into science class, Wendy and Katie were already there. We began with reading from our textbooks, and then our teacher told us to prepare for an experiment. Each person was supposed to combine baking soda with water. I grabbed the right contents from the cabinet and sat down all of the students including me combined our ingredients. A few seconds later, I noticed a strange smell coming from my container. I put my nose to the container and sniffed. I nearly passed out; that smell was so awful. “Umm, Mrs. Frensky, there is something wrong with mine.” I told her. She walked to me, smelled the chemicals, and told everyone to go out of the classroom. Later, Mrs. Frensky told me that I had combined ammonia and baking soda instead of water. Rose called out, “Noel switched the labels. I saw her!”

            Everyone gasped and looked at Noel. “I didn’t do it!” Noel cried. “Honest!” I spoke up. “Noel didn’t do it!” “Then who did?” questioned Rose. “I probably just grabbed the wrong liquid from the cabinet.” I said. Brooke then said that she saw Wendy in the science room yesterday.  “Wendy, were you the one who replaced the water with ammonia?” questioned Mrs. Frensky. “Yes,” admitted Wendy. “It was my job to clean out the science room yesterday. That’s when I made the switch. I’m really sorry.” Mrs. Frensky took Wendy to the principal’s office, and I didn’t see her again until she came to my house after school. She told that she was so sorry for what she did. I asked her why she did it, and she admitted that she was jealous of Noel. Wendy thought that I didn’t want to be friends with her anymore. So, when she overheard Rose tell Hillary that she didn’t like Noel, Wendy decided to prank me, and figured that Rose would take the chance to blame Noel, which was exactly what happened. Wendy told me that if I didn’t want to be her friend anymore, she would understand. I told her that I forgave her already. Wendy was shocked. “But, how can you forgive me? I was no better than Rose when she told our secrets.” Said Wendy. “Even if that was the case, I’ve already forgiven Rose as well.” At this, Wendy was even more surprised. “How can you forgive Rose and me after what We’ve done?” I told Wendy that it was because Jesus forgave me for everything I’ve done, so it makes it easier to forgive people who have wronged me. “I want that! I want to be able to let go of the grudges I have towards certain people.” Said Wendy. “You mean,” I started. “you want to become a Christian?” “Yes! I want to have Jesus in my heart.” Cried Wendy. As I lead Wendy to the Lord, I realized that, despite the less than pleasant events that happened, that this was one of the happiest days of my life.