by Nancy N. Rue
“Just once, Dr. Peter,” Darbie said, “couldn’t you just tell us the answer?”
“No, but I’ll help you figure it out.”
They all groaned.
“What did the master do to the servant in the end?”
“Threw him in the slammer,” Gill said.
“Right, to pay off his debts. So, he wasn’t forgiven his debt anymore. What does that say about God’s forgiveness?”
Sophie raised her hand. “That we don’t get it unless we forgive other people the way he does.”
Dr. Peter looked at the rest of the group. “Is she good, or is she good?”
“She’s the best,” Kitty said.
“Now let me ask you this.” Dr. Peter scooted forward some more. “Do you think the servant could ever have paid his master back if the master hadn’t forgiven him?”
“Twenty million dollars? On a servant’s salary?” Fiona snorted. “No way.”
Sophie was sure Fiona was the only one in the room who would know about servants’ salaries. The Buntings had a nanny and a cook and a gardener at their house.
“So if we’re talking about sins and God, you have to figure only God can dig us out of some of the sin-holes we get ourselves into,” Dr. Peter said. “So what two things do we have to do that we’ve learned from the servant?”
There was a thinking silence.
“He went to the master and begged him,” Darbie said.
“Okay—so Number One, we go to God and ask him to forgive us for our sins. And then, Number Two—”
“We gotta forgive other people.” Maggie was writing it down in a notebook.
Fiona raised her hand. “What I don’t get is why the servant was so evil to the guy that owed him. You’d have thought he would be so happy he’d be in a generous mood.” She grinned. “I always ask my dad for stuff when he’s just landed a big client or something.”
“He was evil,” Dr. Peter said, “because he didn’t learn anything from being forgiven. The master gave him forgiveness, but he didn’t really receive it. Really understanding that you’ve been forgiven changes something in you.”
“Oh,” Gill said.
Dr. Peter smacked the sides of his beanbag. “Okay, that’s a lot to think about. Let me give you your assignment and then we’ll eat.”
“Ready,” Maggie said, pen poised over the notebook.
“Every day between now and next Wednesday, I want you to confess your sins to God in your quiet time. Think of the things you did or didn’t do that probably disappointed God. Be really specific. Lay them all out for him, and ask him to cancel those things out in his mind as if they never happened, because you can never make up for all that stuff. See if it doesn’t make you feel like you’re starting over with a clean record after you do it.”
“I get it!” Willoughby said with a mini-yelp. “Like the beginning of every report-card period—you don’t have any tardies or anything.”
“Only you can do this as many times a day as you want.” Dr. Peter twinkled a smile.
“Did you say there was food?” Gill said.
“How ’bout hot chocolate and Christmas cookies?” he said. “I want to get you in the right mood.”
The door opened and Kitty’s mom, Mrs. Munford, backed in and pivoted around with a tray of steaming mugs with snowmen on them. Darbie’s aunt Emily followed with two plates heaped with red-and-green-sprinkled cookies. Sophie felt a pang of missing Mama. She would have so been here with her double-fudge brownies if she could.
“So what are we getting in the right mood for?” Fiona said when they were all circled around the cookie piles, mugs in hand.
“For a project I hope you’ll do,” Dr. Peter said. “It’s mostly for you filmmakers, but Gill and Harley, you can be involved if you want.”
The Wheaties exchanged glances and shook their heads. “We’re not actors,” Gill said.
“You want us to make a movie?” Sophie rose to her knees. “That would be—”
“Fabulous!” Fiona said.
“You haven’t even heard what it is yet,” Dr. Peter said. “I’m thinking we need a movie for the little kids at church on the true meaning of Christmas. Something they can really get. I know it’s short notice, with Christmas just three weeks away.”
“Leave it to us, Dr. P,” Darbie said. “Sophie will dream up characters, and we’ll work out a script—”
“I already have the script.” Dr. Peter reached behind his beanbag and pulled up a folder.
“We don’t do it that way,” Maggie said.
“But we could.” Sophie gave Dr. Peter an extra-big smile in case his feelings were hurt. “What’s it about?”
“You know ‘’Twas the Night Before Christmas’?” he said. “It’s like that, but it’s about Jesus instead of Santa. It could probably use some doctoring up.”
“Sounds … fascinating,” Sophie said. Fiona was already midway through a not-so-tactful eye roll.
“The only problem is that it requires some male types.”
“We have boys,” Sophie said. “I mean, not boyfriends—you know, just boys we do movies with.”
“You know Jimmy will help.” Darbie nudged Sophie with her elbow. Willoughby collapsed against Maggie. Dr. Peter looked bewildered.
“Okay, then, so I take it you’re up for it?” he said.
“We’ll make it amazing,” Fiona said. “With or without boys.”
Darbie nodded. “We’re in.”
Sophie was too jazzed to even speak. Yes! A chance for Cynthia to make a film after all. Surely there would be a spot for her—
Dr. Peter passed out enough scripts for each of them and the Lucky Charms, in case they agreed to help. But when they climbed into the Expedition with Boppa and read the script, Sophie wasn’t so sure they would.
Six
In the first place, there was obviously no room in the script for Cynthia Cyber. But that wasn’t the only problem.
“Is it just me,” Fiona said, “or is this the corniest thing you’ve ever read?”
“It’s absolutely cheesy,” Darbie said.
Maggie looked up soberly. “You and Fiona write way better than this, Sophie.”
“No doubt,” Fiona said.
“We can’t hurt Dr. Peter’s feelings, though,” Sophie said.
“Let’s just change some of the lines so they don’t sound like Miss Odetta would say them.” Fiona leaned forward and rubbed the back of Boppa’s bald head. “No offense, Boppa.”
Miss Odetta used to be Fiona and her brother and sister’s nanny. Now she was married to Boppa, and she was so old-fashioned, she gave Fiona demerits when she didn’t act like a lady.
“I take it you don’t want it to sound completely proper,” Boppa said.
Boppa’s caterpillar eyebrows filled the rearview mirror, but Sophie knew his eyes were smiling.
“There’s sounding proper and then there’s sounding like a grammar book,” Fiona said. “Those little kids will be climbing up the walls after the first five minutes.”
Darbie suddenly let out a giggle, which didn’t happen often. “One thing works,” she said. “There’s a married couple in it. Sophie and Jimmy can play them.”
“What?” Sophie grabbed the script from Darbie.
“Should I write that down?” Maggie said.
Sophie’s voice squeaked up into the only-dogs-can-hear range. “We don’t even know if the Lucky Charms will do this with us yet.”
“Do we really need them?” Fiona said. “We used to play the boy roles all the time before.”
“No offense, Fiona,” Darbie said. “But I think we’re too old for that now. Besides”—her eyes sparkled—“Sophie and Jimmy would be—”
“Okay, okay.” Fiona swatted her hands like she was beating down a bee swarm. “We’ll ask them.”
“We should have a meeting,” Maggie said. She still had her pen ready.
“My house?” Darbie said.
“No,” Fiona said. “We’ll meet
on the Internet tonight at seven. Go to our website. You’ll see a private chat room I just set up for us. Well, my dad did. Anyway, I’ll call Vincent, and he can call Nathan. Darb, you let Kitty and Willoughby know.”
Darbie smiled slyly at Sophie. “You call Jimmy, Soph,” she said.
“No!”
“I can’t meet in a chat room,” Maggie said. Her voice was as matter-of-fact as always, but Sophie could see a left-out look in her eyes.
“Aw, Mags, we forgot again,” Darbie said.
“Come home with me now, Mags,” Fiona said. “Boppa can call your mom. Besides, I want us to talk to my dad about something.”
“You actually have a chat room for us?” Darbie said.
Fiona nodded. “I can be very useful when it comes to websites.” She slit her eyes at Sophie. They had completely lost their magic. “I know I’m better at it than Jimmy Wythe,” she added.
Sophie felt stung. Fiona was suddenly looking a lot like a Corn Pop, and it made her shiver.
I didn’t get to talk to Dr. Peter about it, either, she thought.
But it looked like she’d better. And soon.
The Flakes and the Charms all gathered in the chat room that night. It was Sophie’s first time chatting, but once she figured out it was just like IMing, only with a bunch of people, she caught on right away.
It was a good thing it didn’t matter who said what because it was hard to keep the screen names straight. Besides Darbie’s IRISH and Fiona’s WORDGRL and Kitty’s MEOW and Jimmy’s Go4Gold, there was Willoughby as CHEER and Nathan as SWASH. That was short for Swashbuckler, since he was all into swordplay. Vincent was COMPTRGEEK. He was the only person Sophie knew who was proud to be a geek. That’s taking the power to be yourself to a whole new level, she thought.
By eight o’clock, plans for Dr. Peter’s Christmas movie were a done deal. The parts were doled out, with Jimmy and Sophie as the husband and wife by popular vote. Except for Fiona, who pointed out that Vincent should be the husband since he actually looked older than Jimmy. Vincent almost freaked out right on the screen. He liked to stay behind the camera. After that, Sophie could feel Fiona pouting out there in cyberspace.
It wasn’t MY idea, Fiona, Sophie wanted to type in.
But at least it wasn’t some creepy Fruit Loop. She thought it might not be too evil with Jimmy. Fiona shooting eye darts at her was a worse image.
The rehearsal schedule fell into place, and Maggie was ready to research pictures of costumes for her mom, Senora LaQuita, to make. That led to some discussion.
COMPTRGEEK: How’s Mag going to do that when she doesn’t have a computer?
WORDGRL: She does now.
CHEER: You bought her one?
MEOW: I knew you were rich Fiona but WOW!!!!!!!!!!!
WORDGRL: My dad gave her one of our old ones. Boppa’s setting it up at her house tomorrow.
IRISH: Boppa?
WORDGRL: I found out he knows all about computers. Who knew?
DREAMGRL: He got hip.
SWASH: Huh?
MEOW: POS Gotta go!!!!!!!!!!
CHEER: BYE everybuddy.
Sophie smiled at her screen. The Internet was like having everyone there with her any time she wanted. And now even Maggie got to do it.
Fiona’s being pretty rude to me right now, Sophie thought, but she really is good inside.
Sophie just wished she would be “good” about the Round Table website. And Jimmy.
I’m gonna write her an email, Sophie thought.
She had just clicked out of the chat room when the happy little bell told her she had an IM.
ANGELEYES: Hi Sofee
Who’s that? Sophie thought. She knew from the conference not to respond to people she didn’t know.
ANGELEYES: It’s me Anne-Stuart.
Sophie stared. Anne-Stuart was IMing her? And her screen name was Angel Eyes? Oh, brother.
She must be up to something, Sophie thought. Carefully Sophie typed and then clicked Send.
DREAMGRL: Hi
ANGELEYES: I’m sorry Julia said you couldn’t get a boyfriend. That was kinda mean. Don’t tell her I said that, k?
Before Sophie could even think how to answer, the bell dinged again.
ANGELEYES: Well, bye
DREAMGRL: Bye. Thanks
Something pinged, like the IM bell going off in her mind.
She did apologize. I’m supposed to forgive her.
Which reminded her—
Sophie crawled through the chiffon curtains and onto her bed, where she closed her eyes. Dr. Peter had said to confess every day.
It wasn’t hard for Sophie to talk to Jesus. Dr. Peter had taught her to imagine him and tell him everything. She never imagined him answering because that would be like writing his lines for him. But she could always “see” his kind eyes, and there was always an answer sometime, somewhere, if she watched for it.
Jesus, she thought to him, it’s a good thing you have time for everybody because I’m going to confess all my sins to you, and that could take a while.
She started off with the first sin she could remember, which was when she was four and she didn’t come when Mama called her for lunch because she was busy pretending she was Sleeping Beauty, and she was right in the middle of the sleeping part.
By the time she got through with the sins of year four, Sophie decided she’d better stick with just the ones from that day.
So, Jesus, she prayed, I’m really sorry I didn’t help Lacie clean up the kitchen this morning because I went to school early.
And I think it hurt Fiona’s feelings when I was working with Jimmy on the website and didn’t invite her. Only I didn’t do that on purpose. I didn’t know she would care—only I should have known because she always gets funky if she thinks I might get a different best friend. Like I would be best friends with a boy! But I’m sorry I forgot that about her.
Sophie scrunched her eyes shut tighter. So far, none of her sins seemed so bad. She was going to have to look harder.
I think I’m sorry that we played that trick on the Pops. I just wanted them to feel lame the way they’re always making us feel. Only that’s against our Code, and since you, like, wrote the Code for us, I guess I’m in trouble with you. Will you please forgive me?
But Jesus, don’t you have to admit we really got them good?
Sophie sank back against the pillows with a sigh. This was harder than she’d expected it to be.
Wow, she thought. It must take some people the whole night to confess.
Some people, like Eddie Wornom.
Sophie scrunched her eyes again. She was pretty sure she better get forgiveness for that thought.
When Sophie got on the bus the next morning and sat behind the Wheaties, they both turned around and stared at her.
“What?” Sophie wiped at her nose. “Do I have a booger hanging out or something?”
“No,” Gill said. “We just don’t get why you’d want a boyfriend. Boys are lame.”
“I don’t want one,” Sophie said.
“That’s not what I heard. I heard you and Jimmy Gymnast were going out.”
“Heard from who?” Sophie said.
Gill twisted her mouth. “See, that’s the thing. I don’t exactly know.”
“How could you not know who told you?” Sophie put up her hand. “Forget it. Just so you know, Jimmy Wythe and I are not going out.”
“We didn’t think you’d do something stupid like that,” Gill said. “That’s why we asked you.”
But no one else Sophie saw that day bothered to ask. All she heard from the time she stepped off the bus were things like—
“So you and that gymnastics dude are going out.”
“Congratulations, Sophie. He’s cute.”
Half those people Sophie didn’t even know. By the time she got to third period, she’d received five notes from girls who had never noticed she was alive before, not to mention a slew of comments from faceless voices in the hall saying every
thing from “Poor Jimmy” to “Y’all make the cutest couple!”
Almost the only person who didn’t say anything to her was Jimmy himself. He spent all of first-and-second-period block behind his literature book with about six red blotches on each cheek.
So when someone behind her in the gym locker hall said, “Why am I the last person to know Little Bit loves Jimbo?” she would have decked him if he hadn’t been Coach Virile.
He grinned down at her, and Sophie gave him her most dramatic sigh.
“Is there anybody in this whole school who isn’t talking about it?” Sophie said.
“Nope. It’s the main topic of conversation.”
Sophie put her hands on her hips. “Can I make an announcement on the intercom that Jimmy and I are not going out? Can’t a girl and a boy just be friends?”
“Around here? Evidently not,” Coach Virile said. “So it’s only a rumor, huh?”
“Yes!”
He bent over and put his hands on his knees so he was closer to Sophie’s level. “I’m actually glad to hear that because I think middle school is way too early for”—he made quotation marks with his fingers—“ ‘relationships.’ There will be plenty of time for boyfriends when you’re older, Little Bit.”
“That’s what I keep saying, but nobody believes me!”
“It’ll die down, just as soon as they find something else to gossip about.” Coach Virile gave her another grin. “Doesn’t anybody talk about football anymore?”
I HOPE it dies down, Sophie thought as she pushed her way through the girls’ locker room. And the sooner the better.
But that didn’t look promising when she arrived at her locker. Two girls were standing in front of it, and they practically pounced on her.
“So you’re Sophie,” one of them said.
The other one smacked the girl on the arm. “I told you it was her.”
“Wow,” said Girl #1 to Sophie. “I thought you’d be cuter.”
“No offense,” said Girl #2.
“I need to open my locker,” Sophie said.
“Oh, sorry,” said Girl #1. She grabbed Girl #2’s hand and they went off whispering.
Sophie turned to the Flakes, who were already half dressed.
