The Game Of Life

Ch.1

I never thought my life would end this way but everything happens for a reason, right? This is the story of how I died.

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Every Sunday my family and I would go to church together to praise the Lord. Today is one of those Sundays. As I sit down in one of the pews I get my Bible out and flipped to John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I mumbled to myself. Then as the pastor emerged from the door on stage he walked over to the podium and began his praising. “God created the heavens and the earth…  Now everyone, don’t you all agree with me?!?” The pastor spoke loudly into his microphone, chuckling at his own rhetorical question. “Amen!” The crowd roared.

            After a good twenty minutes of him speaking, we all rose to sing to our glorious God.  “Hallelujah, Hallelujah he reigns he reigns.” We all sung in unison.  After about three songs we all sat in silence and reflected upon our day in prayer. After another hour of singing, talking, and greeting… we all went to the main lobby of our massive church. “Mom, what time will we be leaving?” I asked politely. She looked up from her plate of food and thought for a moment. “No, you are going to enjoy the nice food they have provided for us today, and rejoice with some of your father and I’s close friends.” Her mother turned her head and started to talk to the Pastor’s wife about the Food Pantry Fundraiser on the eighteenth.

            My family is very close to our church, doing everything and anything possibly to make a positive change in our community. Me being fifth teen and that close to God Is a miracle in my mother’s eyes. No matter how much I want to stay home from church that day (Even though I do Praise and love the Lord) I would never dare to ask.  I turned to one of my closest friends, Abby and whispered, “This is time I wish I had a car.” Then I rolled my eyes in my mother’s direction. Abby giggled her high pitched laugh and nodded her head in agreement. Abby always knew how to make me happy, even if I wasn’t.

            She had strawberry blonde hair that cut off evenly at her shoulders and bangs that cut a crossed her forehead perfectly. What made us closer was that she was the Pastors daughter, which could make things better and worse. 

            Abby replied, “I know how you feel.” She smiled at me and I returned it. I knew what she meant; she had it a lot worse than I did even though it didn’t feel like it sometimes. Her family would stay a couple more hours after church cleaning up and making sure the church would be ready for next Sunday. That isn’t counting the various times during the week they go and praise his name and just sit and read the Bible for a couple of hours. Sometimes my family and I would tag along with them. Sometimes I wanted to go but others not so much, it really depended on my mood; which is a selfish thing to say.   

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                At home I sit on my bed staring at the ceiling with boredom filled in every space in my body.  What I really wish I could do is go to Collin… He used to be my best friend until he died. He had Leukemia and we had a huge fundraiser going for his called Callins for Dallins. What you would do was you would call in and state the amount of money you wanted to donate.  Callins was for his name, Collin, and of course his last name was Dallin. I thought it was a pretty cool name, but now since he had died they support all of the other Leukemia patients.

            I wipe my face because I just now realized that I was crying and that my brother Mike was standing and watching me in my doorway. Mike was a tall seventeen year old. It was creepy because I had been murmuring to myself and crying this whole time. Had he been watching me? “It’s okay Ciara, I miss him too.” He sighed and sat next to me on my bed. He and Collin had been best friends ever since I introduced him to my brother. Despite the age difference they had a lot in common. Ever since Collin died my brother and I have been a wreck. Of course that was two years ago but it still haunts me.

            I hugged myself feeling a little bit more reassurance that someone in my household was still holding on to the couple of memories we had with him before he was admitted to the hospital. “I know.” I sighed and buried my head into my pillow. I could hear Mike’s footsteps slowly leave my room so I sat up. I got down at the edge of my bed and began crying. “If you’re listening Collin, I just wanted to say that I still miss you and that you’ll always be in my heart.” It felt good to get it out but it just made me cry harder. “I always loved you.” That was it I just sat there in silence while time flew past me.

            At dinner time my mother asked about the little red rings around my eyes and I just looked at Mike and he spoke next. “She tripped and fell and started crying for a little bit but I got her some ice, she’s okay now.” Mike winked at me and I smiled. “Oh okay.” She went back to eating like it was nothing. My dad cleared his throat. “Well that was a great Lesson today right?” He was trying to do the rhetorical question thing our Pastor does. We all sighed and spoke in unison. “Amen.” It was kind of funny seeing dads face light up every time we did that. 

            As I was washing the dishes and thinking of Collin I asked my parents if I could go on a walk.”Well Hun, you have to do the dishes and by the time you’re done with that it’ll be too late to go on a walk.” This was yet another perfect excuse for me not to go. Mike gave a creepy smirk and spoke up. “Mom I’ll do the dishes, Ciara you can go on your walk.”  I mouth I owe you one and he mouthed back, I know.  It was kind of funny how my brother and I acted in front of each other. We both got on one another’s nerves sometimes but mostly we’ve both been in the same position before.

            My mom hesitated and when she was about to speak my dad cut her off. “Come on Shelly give the girl a break, Ciara go on your walk but be back before it’s too late.” I smiled at him and raced out of the door.