by JoAnn Durgin
“Whoa. That’s harsh.” Trevon whistled under his breath.
“Maybe it was harsh, but it was my reality. I learned to live with it.” Heather lifted her gaze to Trevon’s. “We all have our own reality to deal with, but the way I see it, it’s how we respond to our circumstances that makes all the difference.”
“Like what?” Rachelle’s voice was subdued.
“For one thing, I find the joy in life by surrounding myself with people who encourage me.” Heather focused on Rachelle. “I try to make wise decisions that are going to help better my life and not hold me back.”
“What about your father?” Rachelle said.
Heather hesitated a moment as she thought how best to answer the girl’s question. “My father is one of the smartest men I’ve ever known. But he abuses his power and intelligence in ways that ultimately hurts others. I love him, but I’m still struggling with forgiving him.”
“Whaddya mean about hurtin’ others? He like a hit man or somethin’?” Trevon said. At least she had his full attention.
“No.” Heather shook her head. “I’ve found there’s more than one way to steal a man’s soul, Trevon. My father preys on the weakness in a man’s character. More than that, he broke my mother’s heart. The only good thing to come out of that was that my mom and I share a pretty close relationship now.” Ellyn Montague had attended most of her performances since she’d become one of the principals of the Indianapolis City Ballet while her father had only attended a handful. Her mother called her regularly but Jeremy Montague only called when he wanted something.
Across the room, Chase shook his head. “I’m sorry, Heather.”
“Me, too.” Rachelle lifted her knees beneath the sheet and wrapped her arms around them.
“Yeah, and preacher here”—Trevon jerked his head toward Chase—“ain’t had no cakewalk growin’ up in Chi Town, either, from what my boy Jamal told me.”
“I survived,” Chase said. “Right now I’m trying to help you see that bringing Rachelle here doesn’t solve anything. Coming to a motel room to have sex might give you a moment of pleasure, but it isn’t going to do anything but make you feel worse about yourself in the long run.”
Chase was giving Trevon his version of the same thing she’d told Rachelle.
Trevon gestured to Chase. “Bring it on, man. I can hear that big sermon on your tongue. Lay it on us and then let us get on with our lives.”
“We’re not leaving you and Rachelle here,” Chase said. “Heather and I came to find you and take you home.”
The kid stalked over to the door and jerked it open. “I got my car and we’ll leave when we’re done. Ain’t no one tellin’ me what to do. I’m an adult.”
“Think again.” Within seconds, Chase crossed the room. Reaching above Trevon’s head, he shoved the door closed. He planted one hand on the door and leaned in close. “Just because your body has matured doesn’t make you a man. According to the law, you’re both minors and we need to get you out of here. Now. Get your stuff together. We’re going to take you home.”
Trevon stared at him. “Is that right? What about my car?”
The muscles in Chase’s jaws flexed. He leaned so close to the boy they were practically nose-to-nose. “You’re going to give me the keys, and I’ll hand them over to Jamal when you get home. He’ll figure out what to do. You’re 15, Trevon. The last time I checked, even if you have a driver education permit, it’s a violation of the law at your age to operate a motor vehicle alone in the State of Indiana. Having another minor with you only makes it worse. If you understand nothing else, understand this, brother: as much as it’s in my power, I’m not going to stand by and watch you do something stupid to mess up your life. Or Rachelle’s life.”
“Yeah? Who says you got any right, man? You ain’t my dad. You ain’t my brother, neither, so don’t go callin’ me that. And you sure as”—he bit down on a curse—“ain’t my friend.”
“Tell me something.” Chase didn’t relinquish his hold on the door and, surprisingly, Trevon didn’t budge. “Why do you think I’m here now?”
“I’m thinkin’ Jamal snitched on me.” Trevon poked a finger into Chase’s chest. “That’s what I’m thinkin’. Family will betray me every time but friends don’t do that. Friends respect my space and know I have my life under control.”
“Maybe one day you’ll understand that Jamal cares about you.” Chase’s voice remained calm and controlled. “So do I. So do a lot of people if you’ll let them. If trying to help you not mess up is your definition of betrayal, then you need a new dictionary.”
Trevon waved his hand as if dismissing him and turned aside. “Yeah, right. I don’t need you preachin’ at me, man.”
“I don’t call it preaching.”
“Then what do you call it?”
“Truth. Sure, a lot of people call it preaching if I mention the words God, Lord, Bible, religion, cross, faith, salvation, or any number of words they associate with the church. Pick one or all of the above. In my opinion, we need more people telling the truth, especially to kids like you. Yes, I said kids because that’s what you are. Most adults are afraid to speak up about God. They’re scared of risking their reputation. Heaven forbid they’ll be ridiculed or made fun of, teased and belittled. So, they don’t pray in public and hide behind their insecurities. They play along with the majority instead of standing up for what they know is right. And far too many of them blame God whenever anything in their life goes wrong. It’s not their fault, it’s God’s. But that’s not the way it works.”
Trevon crossed his arms and shook his head. “You sure ain’t afraid of nothin’.”
“That’s right, I’m not. You want to know why? Because no matter what, at the end of the day, I can go to sleep knowing I tried my best. If I die in my sleep tonight, I can face God and tell Him I ran the race the best way I knew how.”
“Yeah? What race?”
“The race of my life. The race toward the finish line knowing I’ve tried to tell others—and show others—how great God’s love can be.” Chase stepped closer. “He cares about you. He wants to be there for you. He’s the best friend you’ll ever have.”
“Tell me how bein’ here with my girl is gonna mess up my life. How’s that matter to God? He’s got better things to do with His time.” Trevon glanced over at Rachelle. “Get your clothes on, baby. Looks like we’ll need to ditch this guy and take our business elsewhere.”
“No.”
Heather swallowed her surprise at the conviction in the girl’s voice.
Trevon stared at Rachelle. “What are you talkin’ about? I said get dressed.”
Rachelle glared at him. “I’ll get dressed, but not because you told me to. I just want to go home.”
Heather drew in a quick breath. She’d love to hug Rachelle but now wasn’t the best time. She appreciated how Chase averted his gaze as Rachelle slipped out of the bed.
Grabbing her clothes off the floor in a huff, the teenager marched into the bathroom and slammed the door so hard the walls shook.
Trevon wagged his head as if in disbelief and then lifted his chin to look up at Chase. “You happy now, man? You got what you wanted, so take your holier than thou, Bible thumpin’ ways, and get out of my room.”
“You don’t listen very well, do you?” Chase said. “I’m going to make sure you and Rachelle get home.”
“You already done ruined our night, Preacher Man. Don’t that make you happy enough? You’ve done your good deed for the week or whatever. You can go on your way now.”
“No, it doesn’t make me happy.” Chase planted his other hand on the opposite side of Trevon, pinning the teenager against the door. “I’m not in the business of making people like me. I’m trying to show them God working through me as best I can. You think I don’t know what it’s like? I’ve walked where you’ve been, Trevon. I’ve tried it all, tried to find myself in the dumbest ways possible to prove to anyone who cared that I was a grown-up.”
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The tension in Chase’s shoulders visibly relaxed and he lowered his voice. “I’m going to pray you think hard about your actions and how they impact other people. If you think your decisions today don’t affect the rest of your life, you’re sorely mistaken. And if you’re irresponsible enough to bring your girlfriend—whom you claim to love—to a scummy place like this, how can I trust you’re even using protection? If nothing else, understand there are always consequences for what you’re doing, good or bad. I’m not just talking about your body. I’m talking about your conscience, your heart, and ultimately your soul.”
Trevon shook his head. “My heart’s just fine, man. If you hadn’t been so rude and interrupted us, I was tryin’ to take care of my woman. It ain’t nobody’s business what we do or don’t do. How do you know Rachelle and I ain’t gonna go somewhere else? My mom sure don’t care what I do, and it don’t take a motel room to do what we want. Know what I’m sayin’? But some privacy might be nice.”
“Trevon!” Rachelle stood just outside the bathroom door. She slapped a hand over her mouth and ran to Heather. With a muffled cry, she threw herself into Heather’s arms.
“Shh.” Heather held Rachelle and smoothed her hand over the girl’s hair. As the girl cried quietly, she tightened her hold on Rachelle’s slender shoulders.
“I thought I meant something to him,” the girl whimpered.
“Baby, come on now. That ain’t what I meant. You know I love you.” When Trevon tried to escape, Chase blocked him with one arm.
“You wanna move your arm, man?” He muttered a curse.
“In a minute,” Chase said. “I don’t know what you’ll do tomorrow, next week, or next month, but God does. Like it or not, God sees everything you do, and it grieves Him when you do things that hurt yourself and others.”
“Right,” Trevon balked. He ducked under Chase’s arm and moved to the center of the room. “Like God cares what I do.”
“Why do you think He doesn’t?”
“Answer this, man—what’s your almighty God ever done for me?”
Chase crossed his arms over his chest. “If I’ve learned one lesson, it’s that it’s not all about me in this life.” Chase held up one hand to stem Trevon’s protest. “Hear me out. I used to think the same way you do, but I’ve found that serving others is a whole lot more gratifying. You’re here, you’re healthy from what I can tell, and you look like you’re doing okay for yourself.” He nodded to Rachelle. “You may or may not have a pretty girlfriend after tonight. Those are called blessings, and they don’t just fall from the sky. They come from God.”
“Yeah, well, my dad’s in prison. If God cared, maybe my old man wouldn’t be there.”
Chase’s lips thinned. “My dad’s been in and out of jail since I was a kid. I’ve seen the inside of a few youth shelters, soup kitchens, and even a foster home for a brief time. When I turned eighteen, I was on my own. It’s not God’s fault we have absent dads, but there’s a reason they’re in jail. They’ve done somebody or something wrong, and they need to repay their debt. That’s how the justice system is supposed to work. In other words, they didn’t listen to God even though they probably know right from wrong.”
The rigidness in Trevon’s shoulders relaxed and the tension in his features eased. “What’d your old man do?”
“He has a gambling addiction. At times, being in jail probably kept him from getting killed. He always seems to owe people money.” Chase blew out a sigh. “Sometimes I think he just wanted a place to spend some time. A safe place.”
Heather snapped her gaze to Chase. Her heart pounded. Chase’s father had a gambling addiction? Oh, no. She hadn’t thought Chase would possibly be interested in her once he found out about her father. That was before she knew about his father. Now, she wanted to cry.
Focus on Rachelle. The hurting young girl needed her, and being there for Rachelle was what she needed to do instead of dwelling on a relationship that could never happen with Chase. Sadness filled her heart, but at least Rachelle’s crying had slowed to the point of only a soft sniffle every few seconds.
“That don’t even make any sense, man.”
Chase cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, life doesn’t always make sense. I rebelled against everything my mom taught me early on. I made a lot of mistakes. Then I woke up one day and realized the answer had been right in front of me all along.”
“What’s that?” A challenge flashed in Trevon’s dark eyes.
“God was there, right beside me, even when I did stupid things. I met some good people who helped me see that I needed to stop demanding that God give me things. Who was I to feel entitled? I’m pretty sure God directed those people in my direction because He knew I needed help. I’ll tell you one thing. Life can stink sometimes, but it’d be a whole lot worse if I didn’t have Christ in my heart.”
“What about your mom?” Trevon said. “She there for you, man?”
“Mom was always there for me until she couldn’t be. But this isn’t about her.” Chase’s voice sounded craggy. “How about your mom?”
Trevon shrugged. “She’s okay, I guess.”
“You just said she doesn’t care what you do. Do you want to change your story?”
“She cares about him, but he doesn’t listen to her.” Rachelle wiped beneath her eyes with the back of one hand. “You know it’s true.” She glared at Trevon with challenge in her dark eyes and an expression that looked entirely too haunted for a girl her age. “Jamal cares, too, if you’d let him.”
“Here’s one for you, Trevon,” Chase said. “You asked what God has ever done for you. Like I said a couple of minutes ago, He died for you. I’d say that’s significant, wouldn’t you?”
“How do you figure that?” Trevon waved his hand. “Ain’t nobody died for me, man.”
“Do you believe that what the Bible says is true?”
“I don’t know if I do or not.” Heather could tell he spoke the truth. At least he sounded intrigued and not quite as belligerent. He was listening. Chase was wearing him down.
Chase planted his feet apart and faced Trevon directly. “When you look at me, what do you see?”
“What do you mean?”
“Feel free to tell me what you think about me.” He gestured with his hands. “Have at it.”
Trevon shook his head. “This a trick question?”
“No.” When Chase laughed, it lessened the tension in the room. Heather slowly released the breath she’d been holding.
“I think you’re brave,” Rachelle said.
Trevon shot a questioning glance at Rachelle before leveling his gaze on Chase again. “I think you’re okay. You speak your mind, man, and I guess you’re doin’ what I should expect. Not that I’m sayin’ I like it.”
“I’d like you to see something.” Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, Chase pulled out a small Bible and thumbed through the pages.
Watching him, Heather swallowed her admiration. Chase did carry a Bible, at least a New Testament, in his back pocket. She’d never known anyone who carried a Bible on their person any day except Sunday. Working with teenagers and not knowing where the Lord might place him at any given moment, Chase must have learned early on to carry a Bible as much as possible.
After only a moment’s hesitation, Trevon took it from Chase. “I take it you want me to read somethin’ in this Bible?”
“Yes. John 14:6.”
Trevon grunted. “Feel like I’m in school, man.” Shifting the small book in his hands, he began. “‘Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”
“Go back a few chapters to John 3:16. Please.” Chase nodded to the Bible when Trevon hesitated.
Trevon laughed a little. “Listen up, people. ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’” He frowned. “Okay, I know Jesus died and all, but how do you figure the
dude died for me?”
“Because I believe what the Bible says through the scriptures. Jesus died for me. And Heather. We’ve confessed our sins, accepted what He did on the cross to cover those sins, and then asked Jesus to live in our hearts. That’s all it takes, Trevon. You have something called free will, and it’s your choice to accept what Christ offers. Nobody else can make that decision for you. This life as we know it today won’t go on forever. We need to be prepared for what comes next and that’s called eternity. Our days are numbered on this earth and only God knows when our time is up.”
“Me, too.” Rachelle stared at Trevon. “I’m a Christian, too. Not a very good one, but I am.”
Trevon shifted his attention to Rachelle. “Say what? You mean to tell me you believe in all this stuff, too?” He glanced at Heather and then back at Chase. “I thought all you Jesus freaks were perfect. No sex before marriage and all that.” He raised a brow at Rachelle. “Then why’d you come here with me tonight?”
Rachelle shrugged. “I like you. I wanted to make you happy.”
“The only One who’s perfect is Jesus,” Chase said. “We try to follow His example but humans have been sinning since Adam and Eve. That’s not an excuse. It’s fact.”
Rachelle slumped down onto the bed. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“I didn’t realize you ain’t never done this, baby.”
When he moved closer to the bed, Rachelle slapped Trevon’s arm. Hard. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”
Trevon pulled his arm away but kept his cool. “I don’t think nothin’ like that, but Hakim—”
The girl’s face flushed and she huffed. “Hakim’s an idiot and lies about every girl in school. I’ve never been alone with him. Ever. He’s disgusting.” She crossed her arms. “You’re an even bigger idiot if you believe him. And if you think I’d be with you now in that way, you’re wrong.”
Heather held her breath to see how Trevon would react.
After tossing the Bible at Chase, Trevon dropped onto the bed beside Rachelle. When she scooted a few inches away, he brought his arm around her shoulders. “Baby, you should have told me. I thought you wanted this, same as me. You don’t need to do stuff because you think it’ll make me happy.”
