Tommy Nelson's Brave Girls Confidential

by Travis Thrasher

Don’t you guys meet on Sunday nights? Glory wondered.

  “Umm—I have to clean the bunnies’ cage,” Julia said.

  Now Glory knew they weren’t telling her the truth. Julia hated having to clean the cages and always complained about it.

  Glory had a terrible thought. One that was so unlike her to have.

  What if the girls are all getting together this afternoon? Without me?

  WORST. BIRTHDAY. EVER.

  • • •

  Glory wrote down the final answer on her social studies quiz, then handed it in to Mrs. Anderson.

  I totally failed.

  She’d forgotten to read the chapters last night, so she had no idea what the answers were. Glory wasn’t the best student in the world, but she usually did pretty well in her subjects. Today, however, she bombed.

  Could the day get any worse?

  That afternoon she went with her class to the auditorium for chapel.

  The principal led the chapel as he always did. Today he spoke about how everyone felt discouraged sometimes, but in God we have hope. He read a Bible verse from Isaiah 41:10.

  “So do not fear,” the principal read, “for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

  For the first time all day, Glory felt hopeful. God was with her and would strengthen and help her. She just needed to remember that and to make sure to ask for His help.

  As soon as Glory climbed in her dad’s Jeep after school, he knew something was wrong.

  “Hey, birthday girl. What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I haven’t had the best day,” Glory said.

  “I’m sorry,” Dad said as he drove away from school. “Want to tell me about it?”

  Glory told her dad about everything, from the hair dryer to the quiz to the softball game to the girls leaving her out.

  “And now I have to go to Grandma’s!” Glory said.

  “You love Grandma,” Dad said.

  “I do. It’s just—all those cats. You’re always saying to Mom how terrible they are.”

  “Yeah—getting myself in trouble,” Dad said. “Listen, you’ll have fun.”

  “Can’t we all do something special tonight? Like go to Precious Pasta?”

  “We’re doing that this weekend,” Dad said. “Besides, you’re having dinner with your mother tonight. Not with me.”

  Glory wanted to tell him how much she missed him and how much she hated her parents being apart, but she didn’t want to get upset and cry. She didn’t want to upset Dad either. It wouldn’t change anything.

  “You know, Glory, even if we can’t do dinner tonight, we could do a little shopping. Maybe you could pick out a new outfit,” Dad said. “A birthday present.”

  She shrugged.

  “Come on, you love to shop,” Dad said. “We’ll find something great. Together.”

  • • •

  After shopping, Dad drove her home. He hopped out of the Jeep and rushed ahead of Glory, carrying the shopping bags. He told Glory he wanted to go inside and say hi to her mother. Glory was in no hurry, so she tagged along behind. When Glory opened the front door, all of a sudden she heard a chorus of “Happy birthday!”

  For the second year in a row, she was surprised by a secret birthday party. This one was an even bigger surprise.

  Instead of having a large crowd at the house, there were only a handful of people standing in the foyer. But they were the most important people in her life.

  Grandma stood smiling next to Mom. Her sisters stood together on the stairs. The Brave Girls and her girlfriends from school were by the door, throwing confetti in the air and blowing noisemakers. They rushed over to greet and hug her.

  “I can’t believe this!” Glory said, looking back at her dad. “Did you know about this?”

  “Who, me?” Dad asked, smiling.

  Of course he did. They all knew. That’s why everyone had been acting strange all day. And why Dad took her shopping to stall for time.

  After greeting everybody, Glory finally hugged her mom.

  “You fooled me!” Glory said. “I didn’t think you’d do another surprise party!”

  “We know how smart you are,” Mom said. “So we had to be extra sneaky.”

  As Glory hugged her mom, she thought of the Bible verse again: “I will support you with my right hand that saves you.”

  Glory felt totally upheld and supported. She felt loved. But most of all, at this moment, Glory felt very, very thankful.

  Thank You for being there, God, even on those really terrible days we have. Help us to always remember that You love us and have great plans for us. Amen.

  Talk About It

  1.Why was Glory’s day so terrible?

  2.When was the last time you had a really bad day?

  3.What did Glory learn when she went to chapel?

  4.What was the one thing Glory wanted on her birthday?

  5.What should you do when you’re having a bad day?

  BELIEVING IN THE FRIENDS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU

  Honor’s Reward

  “Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. So don’t be afraid. The Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.”

  —Joshua 1:9

  Mom and Dad sat on the couch in the family room, waiting for Honor. For a second she started to worry.

  Am I in trouble?

  Or has something bad happened?

  The last time they sat there waiting for Honor to come into the room, they told her their Shetland Sheepdog, Maggie, was sick. But when they broke that news, her parents had been frowning. Today they were both smiling.

  “We have some news to share,” Mom said. “Why don’t you sit down?”

  Maybe we’re getting another dog! Honor thought.

  Snowball jumped up on the couch and bounced into Dad’s lap. Dad petted the kitten and moved closer to Honor.

  • • •

  “Your mother and I are very proud of how well you’re doing this year at school. We knew it would be a big adjustment skipping a grade, but you’re doing great. Not just with your grades but also with making new friends.”

  Honor smiled and adjusted her glasses, a little embarrassed by the compliments.

  Mom handed her a closed box. “So as a reward, we thought we’d give you an early birthday present.”

  “My birthday’s not for another month,” Honor said.

  “Yes, but spring break is coming,” Mom said.

  Honor smiled and quickly opened the box. When she saw what was inside, her jaw dropped.

  Inside was a colorful wreath of flowers she knew was called a lei. Attached to it was a note that read, “Aloha!”

  “No way,” Honor said. “We’re going to Hawaii?”

  “Yes, but there’s a catch,” Mom said, looking at Dad to finish the surprise.

  “We thought you’d like to invite one of your friends to come with us,” Dad said.

  Honor leaped off the couch and gave her parents hugs as she squealed. She couldn’t believe it.

  The next afternoon Honor was at Hope’s farmhouse helping her with reading.

  She soooooo wanted to tell Hope about the trip, but there was one slight problem with it.

  Well, actually, it was a pretty big problem.

  Honor could only invite one friend. Obviously it would be one of the Brave Girls. But who would it be? They were all her best friends.

  “Do you have any spring break plans?” Honor asked Hope when they’d finished reading the chapter.

  Hope shifted in the beanbag on her floor. “With all the traveling I’ve done for Little League, my parents want to stay home. We might go looking for horses!”

  How awesome would it be to have Hope along for the Hawaiian trip? Every minute would be an adventure with Hope. Her energy never stopped. She’d probably want to ride bikes on mountain trails and head out into the water to go snorkeling. Plus, Honor could continue to read with he
r and encourage her with that.

  “What about you?” Hope asked.

  Honor started to tell her but then stopped. She wasn’t sure. She didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.

  “I’m not exactly sure yet,” Honor said.

  As she said it, Honor knew it was true. Even if she knew where they were headed, she wasn’t at all sure which friend she’d invite.

  How could she possibly choose?

  • • •

  Gracie and Honor were walking on a trail through the woods. Honor’s mom had suggested they take Gracie along for their Saturday morning hike since Gracie hadn’t been to the wildlife preserve yet. Seeing it through Gracie’s eyes made exploring even more interesting for Honor.

  “Gracie, have you ever been on a plane before?” Mom asked from up ahead on the trail.

  Honor held her breath, hoping her mom wouldn’t mention their upcoming trip.

  “No,” Gracie said. “We planned to fly to Orlando last year but had to cancel when my dad lost his job. There’s no way we’re going anywhere this year. It’s way too expensive. Maybe next year.”

  She’d be perfect to join us! Honor thought. Especially since it’d be her first plane ride.

  Mom pulled a water bottle from her backpack, and they stopped at a park bench to rest. Gracie asked Honor the inevitable question.

  “So hey, what will you guys do over spring break?” Gracie asked, wiping sweat off her forehead.

  Gracie was such a real and honest friend. She always listened when Honor told stories, and she was always interested. Honor could imagine the two of them taking hula lessons and lounging by the pool. They’d probably stay up late every night talking.

  “Well, Honor?” Mom asked with a playful grin.

  For a second, she was going to say it. She was going to ask Gracie. But then she pictured her four friends all sitting on the carpet of the church floor laughing and reading and talking.

  I can’t decide. Not yet.

  Honor stood and started walking on the trail. “We’re still making plans,” she said. “Come on! I can’t wait to show you this next trail.”

  • • •

  Glory opened the door of the dressing room and popped out, wearing the silliest outfit. Honor burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard she actually teared up.

  “Take it off!”

  Honor said. “You look ridiculous!”

  “Why?” Glory said, flipping her hair then jumping up and down.

  “Look at me! I’m bouncing sunshine!”

  The yellow dress was too big for Glory and was made out of a strange, shiny material.

  “Oh wait, I’m a banana!” Glory said. “Pretend like you’re a monkey!”

  “Shh! You’re going to get us in trouble.”

  When Glory’s mom finished browsing, she found the girls, and they left the store without the banana-looking dress. As they headed to the next shop, Glory brought up spring break.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Glory said.

  You’re going on an amazing trip, and I don’t have to worry about disappointing you if I pick someone else to go with me?

  “We’re not going anywhere for spring break,” Glory said, swinging her shopping bags back and forth. “We always go somewhere. And I know it’s because of everything with Mom and Dad, but still—it stinks.”

  “Yeah,” Honor said.

  It sure does stink.

  “Are you sticking around?” Glory asked. “I hope so because we can get together a lot! Maybe have a sleepover.”

  Honor knew Glory would be a blast to take on her vacation. She loved Glory’s sense of humor. Honor wished she could laugh at herself like Glory did. They would be laughing all week long if Glory came, whether it was while sitting underneath a cabana on the beach or acting goofy on kayaks.

  “Well, we’re thinking about . . .” Honor said, unable to finish.

  “Thinking about what?” Glory asked, then stopped and interrupted herself as she looked in a store window. “Ooh, look at that T-shirt! Let’s go in there.”

  Crisis averted, Honor thought. At least for now.

  • • •

  Faith came up to Honor in the foyer of their church holding the copy of a book she’d borrowed.

  “Here you go,” Faith said as she handed her A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. “Thanks for loaning it to me.”

  “What’d you think?” Honor asked.

  “I loved it,” Faith said. “And I sketched out my ideas of what the characters look like. What do you think?”

  Faith showed her the sheet of paper with Calvin, Meg, and Charles all drawn perfectly in color.

  “You are so talented!” Honor said.

  “I want to read the next one,” Faith replied.

  “There are four more in the series,” Honor said, telling her about all of them.

  Faith ended up sitting next to Honor during church. While they were singing, Honor thought of the big question she’d had for a week now.

  Whom would she invite?

  Faith was such a sweet and gentle soul. Out of all the Brave Girls, Honor could talk the most with Faith about things that interested her, things like books and poetry and exotic animals and world records. Faith was really smart, too, studying way above her grade level since she was homeschooled.

  Honor imagined how they’d both bring books on the trip, talking about them on the plane and late at night. She could also see them both taking lei-making classes that the resort offered. Faith would probably create the most beautiful lei ever made.

  Mom had told Honor she would have to decide soon since spring break was coming up in a couple of weeks. All the girls were sticking around, and they’d even been talking about getting together and having sleepovers.

  Honor knew she shouldn’t worry, but she was just so afraid of letting some of her best friends down.

  During the last song after the sermon, Honor closed her eyes and prayed in silence.

  God, I know I can ask You anything, so please help me with this decision. Help me not hurt anybody’s feelings. Help me make the right choice.

  • • •

  Honor turned on her other side and adjusted the blanket, yet she still couldn’t get comfortable. She still couldn’t fall asleep. It was almost 1:00 a.m.!

  The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint anybody. She finally had some really close friends. What if she lost them over this decision?

  Maybe I won’t go, she thought.

  But of course she had to. Her parents had already bought the tickets and booked the hotel. And it was her dream trip, a gift her parents worked hard to provide.

  Honor could hear Glory’s laugh and see Gracie’s smile and picture Hope high-fiving and imagine Faith applauding.

  A Bible verse that was shared recently in their small group came to mind—Joshua 1:9. Their teacher had said they should remember this verse, whatever happened during the day and wherever they went.

  “Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. So don’t be afraid. The Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.”

  Honor wanted to be strong and brave during the bad times, like when a serious storm was coming or when someone she loved was really sick. But she knew God wanted her to be strong and brave with everything else too—including this decision.

  How can I call myself a Brave Girl if I don’t even act like one?

  Honor suddenly knew which friend she would ask to come on the trip. She would be brave, trusting her friends would understand.

  • • •

  “Hey, guys, before we start, I want to let you know something,” Honor said to the group.

  Faith, Hope, Glory, and Gracie all sat in the circle around her at the table. They had been talking about having a spring break sleepover, so it was a good time to bring this up.

  “My family and I are going to Hawaii for spring break,” Honor said.

  “Oh, fun!” Glory shouted.

  “Did you kno
w they have helicopter tours you can take?” Hope asked.

  “The scenery will be amazing,” Faith said.

  Gracie smiled, not saying a word. Honor rubbed her hands together, remembering the words she wanted to say.

  “My parents said I could invite a friend. And I haven’t known who to invite because I wanted to take all of you.”

  She paused, looked down at the floor for a second, then faced them again.

  “I asked Gracie to come with us,” Honor said. “I asked her since she just moved and because things with her family have been kinda tough lately.”

  Honor looked at Gracie and could see tears of thanks.

  “I hope that doesn’t hurt any of your feelings.”

  “It’s awesome,” Glory said, smiling a big smile at Gracie. “You guys are going to have so much fun.”

  “We’ll miss you at the sleepover!” Hope said.

  “Send us a postcard!” Faith said.

  Honor couldn’t believe their responses as they all talked about how cool the Hawaiian trip would be. Glory had actually been to Hawaii before. And it just so happened that Hope was going to a sports camp, and Faith’s grandparents were coming to visit. So it made perfect sense for Gracie to come after all!

  She was glad she’d been brave. Honor was also glad to have friends like Faith, Hope, Glory, and Gracie. She knew wherever they went, God would be with them, reminding them to always be strong in Him.

  Dear God, thank You for always being there for us and for helping us to be strong and brave during every single thing in our lives. Amen.

  Talk About It

  1.Why didn’t Honor tell her friends right away where she was going on spring break?

  2.Why did Honor choose Gracie to come with her?

  3.Have you ever had to make a difficult decision that might hurt someone’s feelings?

  4.Whenever you’re afraid about something, what are you supposed to remember?

  5.Name a friend or several friends you’re thankful to have .