Silas shakes his head. “How could you forget? We prayed so hard for that church—that denomination…” he trails off and attends to his food.
All I can think about is my neighbor and his right to marry his partner. They’ve been together for longer than my parents ever were and are raising four children together. If one of them were female, they’d be the perfect family in the eyes surrounding me. But because he isn’t…
Bridgette flashes me a sympathetic smile as the rest of the table seems to take a collective deep breath. I’ll take their sympathy over the disdain I fear is lurking just around the corner.
“So,” Eden hesitates slightly before continuing, “where are you going to go to church now?”
Ah, yes. Another rule highlighting the new mold I must fit into.
Students at Carter University are required to attend a fundamental church during their time as students. On and off campus. This means during weekends at home, and breaks—including summer break. A New England Episcopal church doesn’t make the cut. I don’t even know what a fundamental church actually is. Wikipedia tells me “fundamental” and “evangelical” are synonymous and derive from the Protestant church. However, the Episcopal church is somewhat grouped in with the Protestant church as well, and…well, so far my experience has shown me that I’m not under the same theological umbrella as my classmates.
I shrug. “I’m going to talk to my advisor to see what churches in the area she recommends.” I’ve yet to meet my advisor, but assume this is an appropriate answer.
“You should come home on break with me sometime,” Eden says brightly. “It would be so much fun and you wouldn’t have to worry about backsliding on break.”
I scrunch my eyebrows and run my tongue along the front of my teeth. “What makes you think I’d backslide?” I ask of my cheerleader-like roommate, who seems to think that setting foot on Connecticut soil will cause me to fall into sin.
Eden’s eyes widen as she takes a sharp breath. “No, no,” she puts her hands up in defense, “that’s not what I meant. I just meant—”
She’s cut off by the increasingly annoying girl to my left. “So, what did you do when the church elected that gay bishop?”
“Do?” I whip my head around. “What is there to do?” Heat creeps from my neck into my ears and cheeks as I feel like I’m on the wrong end of some firing squad.
“Guys,” a soft, but firm voice quells the table, “give her a break, huh?”
Swallowing hard, I turn to find Jonah calming the storm.
“She’s here now, isn’t she?” he continues. “Isn’t that all that matters?”
“Sorry,” the still-nameless girl answers with a shrug before clearing her tray and leaving the table.
All that matters? His voice was soothing as he said the words, but their intentions and meaning are lost on me. Still, it was enough, and the crew goes back to eating once again.
I find myself staring at the boy with almost-shaggy hair and skin tanned from a summer in the sun. As his fork approaches his mouth, his eyes shoot to mine.
“Thank you,” I mouth silently before averting my eyes from lips I know I shouldn’t be looking at like that.
A second later, my eyes flicker upward again, and I find him watching me.
“You’re welcome,” he mouths back with a lopsided grin before Silas elbows him and starts asking questions about classes, prayer groups, and who knows what else.
I swallow hard and take a deep breath, wanting desperately to call my mom and have her turn the car around and come pick me up.
I don’t belong here.
CHAPTER FOUR
It is Well
“Ladies, ladies,” our calm and sweet-looking RA says while we settle into place in the common area. She’s trying to calm all the twitters and giggles buzzing through the room.
I’m not part of the cackle. I left my laughter somewhere between Mission Hall and my dorm. Dinner threw me for a loop and I’m still trying to come out of my outsider-haze. It’s ridiculous, I remind myself. Everyone here is nervous on some level, and the more I give in to mine, the more explaining I’ll have to do. It’s not like I worship Satan for Go—
Sigh.
I believe in the same God my classmates do. And, for now, that’s all that matters. I think that’s what Jonah had meant when he came to my social rescue over dinner. I’m operating under the assumption that’s what he meant, though I haven’t talked with him. Dinner ended abruptly when we realized we needed to get back to our rooms to have our first floor meetings with our RAs. Guys off in one direction. Girls in the other.
“My name is Maggie,” the lovely brunette with hazel eyes states. “And I’ll be your RA this year. Let’s join in prayer before we get to introductions.”
The twenty of us form a large but tight circle, joining hands and bowing heads.
“Heavenly Father, we thank you for bringing us together tonight. Let this year be Spirit filled…” Maggie’s voice is soft and fierce as she calls us into prayer.
Jesus Freaks: Sins of the Father
Andrea Randall's books
- Sacred Sins
- Sins and Scarlet Lace
- Sins of a Ruthless Rogue
- Bed of Roses
- Son Of The Morning
- Cover Of Night
- Affairs of State
- A Profiler's Case for Seduction
- Because of Rebecca
- Conflict of Interest
- Eclipse of the Heart
- Flames of Attraction
- Illusions of Love
- Keeper of the Moon
- Keeper of the Shadows
- Legacy of Love
- Love Proof (Laws of Attraction)
- Miles of Pleasure
- Of One Heart
- Off Limits
- Off Sides
- Out of the Dark (The Brethren Series)
- Out of the Depths
- Pool of Crimson
- Prince of Wolves
- Rules of Entanglement
- Shadow of My Heart
- Something of a Kind
- Son of a Preacher Man
- Taste of Desire
- Taste of Love
- Translation of Love
- Web of Deception
- Words of Love
- The Lady of Bolton Hill
- The Scars of Us(Scars Series)
- Dreams of Lilacs
- House of Ivy & Sorrow
- A Question of Honor
- The Owner of His Heart
- The Heir of the Castle
- Tower of Glass
- The Last Prince of Dahaar
- Terms of Engagement
- Secrets of a Bollywood Marriage
- David Lord of Honor
- Return of the Prodigal Gilvry
- Killing Me Softly(A Broken Souls Series)
- Starting Over(Hart of Seattle)
- The Resurrection of Aubrey Mill
- OFF SIDES
- Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom
- Stolen: Warriors of Hir, Book 3
- The CEO Buys in (Wager of Hearts #1)
- The Law of Moses
- A Pound of Flesh (A Pound of Flesh #1)
- Arouse: A Spiral of Bliss Novel (Book One)
- Awaken: A Spiral of Bliss Novel (Book Three)
- The Art of French Kissing
- Leo (A Sign of Love Novel)
- Echoes of Scotland Street
- Stinger (A Sign of Love Novel)
- Ten Days of Perfect (November Blue #1)
- The Song of David
- The House of the Stone
- Ashes of Honor: An October Daye Novel
- The Weight of Feathers
- Blood Brothers
- Face the Fire
- Holding the Dream
- The Hollow
- The way Home
- A Father's Name
- All the Right Moves
- After the Fall
- And Then She Fell
- A Mother's Homecoming
- All They Need
- Behind the Courtesan
- Breathe for Me
- Breaking the Rules
- Bluffing the Devil
- Chasing the Sunset
- Feel the Heat (Hot In the Kitchen)
- For the Girls' Sake
- Guarding the Princess
- Happy Mother's Day!
- Meant-To-Be Mother
- In the Market for Love
- In the Rancher's Arms
- Leather and Lace
- Northern Rebel Daring in the Dark
- Seduced The Unexpected Virgin
- Southern Beauty
- St Matthew's Passion
- Straddling the Line
- Taming the Lone Wolff
- Taming the Tycoon
- Tempting the Best Man