When Hearts Collide

by Lorana Hoopes

  After closing the cover, she set the journal beside her on the purple bedspread. Then she picked up the Bible and flipped it open to John where she had last been reading.

  As her fingers touched the page, she smiled. No matter how many times she opened it, the Bible always transmitted a feeling of peace and happiness. It had ever since she was a small child. Her mind drifted back to the day her father had led her in accepting Jesus as her savior.

  “If you are ready for God to come in your heart, you just repeat after me,” he said.

  Amanda nodded at him. She wanted nothing more than to know this heavenly father he spoke so highly of.

  “Father, I know I have sinned,” he said.

  “Father, I know I have sinned,” she repeated.

  “But I also know that you died to save me from my sin, and I want you to rule my life.”

  She repeated the statement and immediately felt a warmth wash over her. With wide eyes, she looked up at her father who smiled.

  “You felt it, didn’t you?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “Good, now the next step is to know all there is about God. You can never learn enough. In fact, how about we start reading the Bible together and when you get old enough, you can read it on your own and we can discuss it?”

  She nodded, eager to read with him. He pulled her onto his lap and opened the important black book to the beginning.

  “Genesis Chapter 1,” he said. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

  And that’s what they had done. Amanda had been a precocious child and an avid reader at the tender age of five, but the Bible's vocabulary had been a little challenging until she was older. Even when she could read the words herself, she still didn't always understand the concepts, so he had set up a chart of the books with a point system, and she had earned points for every book she read and could discuss with him.

  In this way, he helped her understand the parts she missed as they discussed it. Then she could trade the points in for treats. She had never told her father, but she would have read the books for free, partly because she loved learning about God and partly because she always looked forward to those discussions with her dad. He was often busy with work, but he always made time for her in the evenings when she wanted to discuss God.

  At ten, he had baptized her, even though he wasn’t the pastor. He had been a deacon of the church at the time though, and they had agreed he could. Amanda had only grown from there, telling everyone she met about Jesus and his love for them. It hadn’t always been easy, especially in a public school where Christianity was frowned upon, but God had helped her stay strong, lead several friends to Christ, and helped her form a Fellowship of Christian Athletes at her high school last year that she hoped was going to continue just as strong this year.

  Propping the pillow up, Amanda leaned back against the wall and drew her knees up to serve as a stand for the Bible. As she scanned the page for where she had stopped, the door flew open again and “the roommate” entered, stopping short at the sight of Amanda’s open book.

  “Oh gaud, you’re one of those?” Disdain dripped from her voice.

  “I’m sorry, one of what?” Amanda placed her finger on the spot she had just found and looked up at her.

  “One of those Bible beaters.” The girl’s nose wrinkled in distaste as an ugly sneer crested her face.

  Amanda chuckled and smiled. “I am a Christ follower, if that’s what you mean.”

  The girl rolled her eyes, mumbled something under her breath, and pulled out a pair of headphones. She plugged them into her phone and then turned up her music.

  Flinching at the loud beat that escaped the headphones and filled the room, Amanda turned back to her Bible, trying to block out the noise. The words jumped on the page as she tried to focus, and after reading the same sentence four times, she decided to finish her devotional later. As she closed the book, her stomach rumbled. Food sounded like a much-needed distraction.

  Though Amanda hoped the girl would decline, she figured it would be rude not to at least invite the roommate, since they were going to be spending a lot of time together. She waved her hand to get the girl’s attention. The girl rolled her eyes, but pulled one headphone back. “I’m going for some food. Would you like to come?” ‘The roommate’ flicked her hand in dismissal, and relief flooded Amanda’s body. Grabbing her key and ID card, she hurried out of the room before the girl changed her mind.

  A dingy brown carpet ran the length of the hallway. Though Amanda had known the dorm hall was old, she had hoped maybe the university would have spruced it up some. Identical brown doors lined the hall and a set of stairs sat at either end. Amanda headed to the right and down the flight of stairs, which opened to another hall on the first floor. Though nearly identical to the second floor, an information desk filled some real estate directly across from the front entrance.

  A mousy girl in glasses sat behind the desk, her nose buried in a book. Rows of mailboxes sat open behind her.

  “Hi, can you point me in the direction of the cafeteria?” Amanda asked as she approached the counter.

  The girl’s eyes flicked up briefly. “We don’t have one here. You’ll have to go to Bledsoe-Gordon Hall.” Her eyes dropped back to the book.

  Amanda took a deep breath and clenched her teeth against the snippy reply trying to escape her mouth. Was everyone at college going to be this rude? “Okay, it’s my first day, though, and I seem to have misplaced my map. Do you have another one?”

  The girl turned and grabbed a piece of paper off a counter behind her. She held it out, never looking up from her book. It must have been riveting.

  “Thank you.” Amanda took the paper and sat down in one of the chairs near the counter to peruse it. Her eyes scanned the rectangles for the words ‘you are here.’ When she found them, she placed her finger there and read the names of the closest buildings to find Bledsoe-Gordon Hall. Sneed Hall, Doak, West, ah there it was Bledsoe-Gordon Hall. It certainly wasn’t one of the closest buildings, but it didn’t seem that far away.

  Folding the map, Amanda placed it in her pocket, exited the doors, and turned left. Though Lubbock was, for the most part, flat and brown, the campus stayed relatively green, probably due to the sprinklers that ran incessantly. A few trees even popped up on the landscape though they were barren of leaves currently in the heat of late summer. Wishing she had remembered her sunglasses, she squinted and held up her hand as a shield until her sensitive eyes adjusted to the light.

  Beads of sweat trickled down her back as she trekked across the grass. A few other people were out, most carrying boxes into other dorms, but some lounged at picnic tables reading or chatting with friends. Oh how she wished Kate had come to Texas Tech with her, but she couldn’t begrudge Kate’s choice to go to the same college her brother was attending. After nearly losing him to a drug addiction, Kate had wanted to be closer to him. Still, it would have been nice to have her best friend here with her.

  Bledsoe-Gordon came into view, and Amanda turned up the cement steps. As her hand reached the silver handle, the heavy door flew open, knocking her down the steps and onto the jarringly hard ground. Her head flew back and her teeth snapped together, sending a pain across her jaws and down her neck.

  “Oh, sorry are you okay?” a male voice asked.

  Amanda shook her head to clear the stars and struggled to stand. Gritting her teeth, she blinked back the tears threatening to spill out from the throbbing of her rear end and head. Gingerly, she rose to her feet, dusted off her backside, and focused on the man on the steps.

  Close cropped blond hair framed a ruggedly handsome face. His eyes were the color of the ocean, and his nose had a chiseled-from-stone appearance. A grey t-shirt covered his broad shoulders, showing off his muscular arms and chest. His waist narrowed, and under his shirt, he wore tan cargo shorts. Brown flip flops finished off the look, giving him a casual air.

  “Sorry,” he repeated. “I didn’t see
you there.”

  “Yeah, I got that,” Amanda said. Though the stinging was subsiding, she knew she would be sore for a few days.

  “Um, well hey, can I buy you lunch?”

  “No, I’m fine, really.” As she stepped past him, he grabbed her arm. Shaking off his hand, Amanda whirled, turning angry eyes on him. He stepped back, holding his hands up in defense. “Sorry,” Amanda said, “but I don’t even know you.”

  “I’m Caleb,” he said sticking out his hand, “and I’m really not a jerk. Please let me buy your dinner.”

  Amanda cocked her head and regarded him. He appeared sincere, and surely there would be more people inside. “Okay,” she agreed, smiling hesitantly and shaking his proffered hand. “Lead the way. I’m Amanda, by the way.”

  He flashed a charming smile and held the door open.

  “Haven’t you already eaten?” Amanda asked as they stepped in the hall.

  “No, I live here. I was getting something out of my car for my friend.”

  “Won’t he be wondering where you are?” The hallway in this dorm looked exactly like hers. Had none of these dorms been renovated recently?

  “Nah, he’ll be okay.” Caleb led the way down the hall which opened into a large cafeteria at the end. Round tables full of students filled most of the room. The other side housed an assembly line where students could pick up food and then check out at the end.

  After grabbing a sandwich, salad, and some fruit, Caleb and Amanda sat down at an empty table.

  “So where are you from?” Caleb asked.

  Amanda finished chewing the grape she had just popped in her mouth before answering. “I’m from Mesquite; how about you?”

  “Houston. I can’t say there’s much to do here, but at least it isn’t as muggy.”

  She nodded, remembering her trip to Houston in High school. Kate’s aunt had lived there and one summer Kate had asked Amanda to go with her. The heat had hit as soon as she de-boarded the plane, flattening her red hair to her forehead in a sticky mess. To cool off, Kate’s aunt had driven them to the neighborhood pool, but even the pool water had been so warm that they had been forced to sit in the hot tub first before jumping in the pool to at least make it feel colder.

  “So, what are you studying?” Caleb asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.

  Amanda narrowed her eyes at him, unsure how much information she should give out to a perfect stranger, even if he was a ruggedly handsome perfect stranger. “Counseling.” She decided to keep it vague until she knew more about him. “What about you?”

  “Business right now, but I’m not sure that’s where my passion lies.”

  “What do you think you’d rather do?” she asked. Her counseling instinct had kicked in, sensing that there was a story behind the slight sadness of his statement.

  “I think I’d rather be an architect.” His blue eyes sparkled as he spoke, and her heart flipped and began beating faster. “I always loved building things, even as a kid.”

  “So why aren’t you going into architecture?”

  His face fell, and his shoulders sank. “My dad,” he sighed, “He really wants me to go into business with him, but he owns a furniture store, and I just can’t see myself really happy running it.”

  She nodded, knowing that feeling all too well. Though her own family had always been very supportive of what she’d wanted to do, she had known a girl in high school who had wanted to pursue acting, but her parents' desire was for her to become a lawyer. The girl grew so stressed every time “the future” was brought up in class that she had given herself ulcers. “It’s not my place, but your career is the rest of your life. I think it would be hard to do something you’re not passionate about.”

  “You don’t know my dad,” he said, shaking his head.

  She shrugged. “I know, that’s why I said it probably wasn’t my place, but I do think sometimes as much as you want to please your parents, you have to do what’s right for you. If it helps, I’ll pray for you.” Amanda stuck a grape in her mouth and watched for his reaction, hoping he wouldn’t be offended by the offer to pray for him. He was intriguing, and she wanted to know more about him, but only if he were open to God.

  “Thanks, I’d like that,” he said.

  Amanda smiled, and they finished the rest of dinner in a companionable silence. “Well, it was very nice meeting you,” she said, standing and placing her trash on the tray. Caleb stood as well.

  “Can we meet up again?” he asked.

  Amanda bit her lip even as her heart fluttered. Should she give him her number? Though she didn’t know him, he appeared genuine, and she could always use new friends in this unknown territory. Plus, it was just a number. It wasn’t like she was going to jump into a relationship with him. Even if he was handsome, that wasn’t her style. Curiosity tamped the small amount of trepidation, and she agreed. They exchanged cell numbers before saying goodbye, and then Amanda headed back to her dorm.

  The dark cloud wasn’t in the room when Amanda returned, but her essence remained. This was going to be a long semester.

  Chapter 3

  Jared Masterson unlocked the Students for Life office door and checked the answering machine. No calls yet, but it was only the first day of the new school year. When the parties started and people began hooking up, there would be many messages on the machine. While he loved being able to help people make a choice once they were in a bad situation, he wished there was something more proactive they could be doing to keep students from getting in those situations to begin with.

  After he finished getting the brochures in order in case anyone visited, he pulled out a chair and sat down at the small conference table. From his backpack, he withdrew his Bible and placed it on the table. He tried to start each day praying that God would send them the people they needed to reach.

  “Lord, use me today to do your work. Help me to see the people that need help and to have the words to say to them. And Lord, please send us new members to help spread your word this year. Amen.”

  As he ended the prayer and opened his eyes, he flipped to the back of his Bible and removed the photo he kept there. Though a little faded, the girl’s green eyes and bright smile still touched his heart. His finger traced her face, and he wondered again if she were okay.

  Nikki had been his girlfriend last year for half of the year until she met Caleb. Then, all of a sudden, she had decided she and Jared were no longer compatible and had broken up with him. Jared was crushed but had accepted her decision. Near the end of the school year, she had disappeared. Dropped all her classes and left without a word to anyone. Jared wished she had come to see him before she left or contacted him after. He just wanted to know she was alright.

  “Still haven’t heard from her?”

  Jared glanced up to see Emily Peters throwing her gym bag in a chair across from him. Her blond hair was tied back in its usual ponytail.

  “No,” Jared said with a shake of his head. “Has she contacted you?”

  “Sorry,” Emily said as she sat down, “but we weren’t that close, so I’m not surprised.”

  “Do you think he’s still here?” Jared asked.

  “Caleb?” Emily snorted. “Probably. He’s a big man on campus here. Why would he go elsewhere and risk not being number one?”

  “I hope we can stop them this year,” Jared said, frustration boiling up inside him.

  “We don’t even know they did anything, Jared,” Emily said, placing her hand on his arm. “Nikki could have left for a lot of reasons.”

  “You didn’t know her like I did,” Jared said. “Something happened to her, and I guarantee you Caleb West or one of his friends was involved.”

  The blaring alarm elicited a sigh as it went off. Rubbing her eyes, Amanda glanced at the clock on her cell phone. Ugh, 6:30 was way too early. What had she been thinking taking the eight am classes? She loved learning, but it sure had been nice getting to sleep in all summer. With a final yawn and stretch, Amanda pushed herse
lf to a sitting position.

  Sunlight was barely filtering in the window, and across the room, “the roommate” was still asleep. Amanda still didn’t know her name. As quietly as she could, Amanda pushed back the covers, crawled out of bed, and crossed to her closet, which sat on the right side of the door. After pulling on a pair of jeans and a light blue top, she brushed her teeth in the small sink and ran a brush through her hair, laced up her sneakers, and stuffed her backpack with the books she would need for the day. Grunting, she hoisted the heavy bag on her shoulder and quietly closed the door behind her.

  The hallway was still dark as the lights in the hallway didn’t give much light and there were only the windows at each end to let outside light in. Amanda took the stairs down, careful to hold the railing as the stairwell was even darker.

  The bottom floor was lighter as it housed the front door and the administrative desk. Sitting down in a chair near a light, she pulled out her map. Her first class was in the math building all the way across campus. Second was History in Holden Hall and then Psychology back down by the dorm. At least all the classes were close together; even if they were on the other side of campus from her dorm.

  Refolding the map, she pocketed it and pushed open the front doors. The cool morning air dispelled the last edge of sleep and invigorated Amanda’s spirit. Though it would get hot later–one hundred was forecasted today–right now the temperature was seventy-one and perfect. The sun wasn’t out just yet, but she patted the pocket of her backpack to make sure she had her sunglasses. She would need them later. The familiar bulge eased her worries as she began the trek to Bledsoe hall.

  Very few people were out yet, and the quiet was almost unnerving. The birds chirping was the only sound. Even the sprinklers were silent this early in the morning.

  Amanda couldn’t help wondering if she would see Caleb at breakfast. They had exchanged numbers, but it was too early for him to call, and she wasn’t going to call him first. Still, he was a face she knew, and it would be nice if he were there.