by Anne Dayton
“Come on, Zo.” Riley says, watching me in the rearview mirror.
And, okay, it’s cheesy, but somehow it feels right. After all the crazy things that have happened this year, all I really want to do right now is forget about the world and have fun with my friends. I put my hands up in the air and bounce around, and even Christine gets in on the action in the backseat. We sing along to the CD all the way to school. We’re dancing to “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” when we pull into the parking lot, and somehow it seems kind of fitting. Life has taken some swings at us this year, but we’re still standing.
Riley parks in our normal spot, and we pile out of the minivan and start walking toward the gym. It’s the same old boring parking lot we see every day, and the same stupid gym, but somehow, tonight, with our classmates pouring in dressed to the nines, it seems different. For tonight, anyway, we’re here because we want to be. For this one evening, we’re part of something special.
“Hold up, guys.” Riley stops before the entrance to the gym and glances around.
“Oh no, do you have a secret date too?” Ana pretends to be exasperated, but she’s loving every moment of this.
Riley laughs. “Here she comes.”
I know who Riley’s pointing at before I turn my head. Of course. Ashley.
Ashley is arriving with a group of cheerleaders and jocks, but she smiles when she sees us and lets the rest of her group go ahead without her. She’s a part of this mixed-up group of misfits as much as any of us.
Ashley leans in and gives me a hug, her blue satin dress rustling. She looks at Dean and winks at me. Dean squeezes my hand.
“Can you guys believe we’re really here? It’s prom!” Ashley laughs and skips a bit.
Part of me can’t believe it. A year ago, I never would have envisioned being here. That shy, overweight band geek never would have wanted any of this, which is what makes me so sure God must have had it in mind all along. If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that God is in the business of taking our expectations and shaking them up, turning them around, and rearranging the pieces in a way we never could have thought possible.
I look around at the faces of my best friends, lit up with excitement. This year hasn’t turned out anything like we thought it would, but we’re here, the four of us, and we’re stronger for it. We’ve fought together, and we’ve cried together, and we’ve grown. And, I realize with a start, it’s not really just the four of us anymore.
Maybe it never really was.
All along I’ve thought of the Miracle Girls as this closed circle, this special group called for some big task. But maybe the miracle isn’t that the four of us found each other that lonely day in detention. Maybe it’s always been much bigger than that. What I haven’t noticed, what I didn’t see all this time, is that God has brought others into our circle too, adding to our number, layering on experiences and memories and possibilities, in ways we never could have dreamed.
He has added, and he has taken away. I catch Ana’s eye. We’ve grown, but we’ve also said some painful good-byes to people we never thought we would have to live without. I still hold out hope that some of these relationships will be restored—that Dreamy and Ed will be able to work things out, that Ms. Moore will be back next year—but either way, we’re going to make it.
“Are you guys ready to go in?” Ashley says, bouncing from one foot to the other.
I look at Ana, Christine, and Riley, and I nod. Dean squeezes my hand, but I pull away and step forward and reach for Ana’s arm. I slide my arm over her shoulder, and she grabs for Riley, who grabs Christine. Slowly, Christine reaches out and wraps her arm around Ashley.
Staring at the faces around me, I begin to understand miracles don’t always look like you expect them to. Sometimes, they’re even better.
Riley lets out a whoop, and we all laugh. It seems like we might make it through high school after all. I know next year, senior year, will be full of changes, but for tonight, we have each other, and that’s all I need. We start moving forward, toward the door, and the music from inside the gym spills out into the warm night. I pull the Miracle Girls closer, and arm in arm, the five of us walk inside together.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Anne Dayton is the pen name of Beth Adams. Beth graduated from Princeton and has her MA in Literature from New York University. She lives in New York City.
May Vanderbilt is the pen name of Alison Presley. Alison graduated from Baylor University and has an MA in Fiction from Johns Hopkins. She lives in San Francisco. You can find out more about Alison at her website: www.alisonpresley.com.
Together, they are the authors of Emily Ever After, Consider Lily, The Book of Jane, How Dolly Parton Saved My Life, and the four-book Miracle Girls series.
The Miracle Girls series includes: The Miracle Girls, Breaking up Is Hard to Do, A Little Help from My Friends, and Love Will Keep us Together.
