Faithful Horizons

Chapter 4: An Invitation

Ethan's shift at the hardware store dragged as usual. By the time his manager told him he could clock out, his phone had buzzed twice in his pocket. Sliding it out, he saw the text from Grace. He forgot they even exchanged numbers.

Grace: Hey! We're having a youth group hangout tonight at church. You should come!

Ethan frowned.

Ethan: Not really my thing.

She replied almost immediately.

Grace: Fair enough. But maybe it's worth checking out? No pressure. It's at 7.

Ethan stared at the screen for a long moment before shoving the phone back into his pocket. The invite sounded harmless enough, but the idea of walking into a room full of happy "perfect" kids made him queasy. Still, her persistence tugged at him in a way that was hard to ignore.

By 6:45, Ethan stood outside the church's main entrance, lit with soft, glowing lanterns. Laughter and the faint sound of music spilled into the cold evening air. He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets, debating whether he wanted to turn around and leave.

Before he could decide, the door swung open, and Grace stepped out, carrying a box of drinks. Her face lit up when she saw him.

"Ethan!" she said, her face lighting up when she saw him. "I didn't think you'd come, considering we only just met!"

"Yeah, well..." he rubbed the back of his neck, his voice rough. "Figured I'd check it out."

She balanced the box on one hip and gestured toward the door with her free hand. "Come on in. You're just in time!"

Reluctantly, he followed her inside, where the warmth and light hit him all at once. The room was packed with teens his age, lounging on couches, playing foosball, or gathering near a snack table. String lights crisscrossed the ceiling, casting the space in a soft golden glow.

"Okay," he muttered under his breath. "This is already weird."

Grace laughed, setting the drinks down on a table. "Weird can be good. Besides, nobody bites here. Well, except for Sam. He might try to recruit you for his band."

"Very funny."

She led him toward a group of kids who were setting up a game of giant Jenga. "Ethan, meet Sam," she said gesturing to a lank boy with messy hair and a mischievous grin. "And this is Mia."

"Nice to meet you," Mia said, smiling warmly. "Any friend of Grace's is a friend of ours."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "We're not exactly friends."

Grace shrugged, unbothered. "Yet."

For the first twenty minutes, Ethan stayed on the edges, observing. The group wasn't as bad as he imagined - nobody shoved a Bible in his face or acted overly preachy. Most of them just seemed... normal.

Sam eventually roped him into a game of foosball, and to Ethan's surprise, he didn't hate it. By the time he'd scored his third goal, he was laughing - actually laughing - as Sam dramatically threw himself across the table in defeat.

When the games wound down, Grace appeared at his side with a soda in hand.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, handing him the can.

"It's... not terrible," he admitted, cracking it open.

"Whoa there, don't overwhelm me with the compliments," she teased, nudging his arm.

Ethan chuckled despite himself. "Okay fine. It was better than I expected."

"High praise," Grace said, grinning. "But seriously, I'm glad you came. You fit in better than you think."

Later, as he walked home, he replayed the evening in his head. For the first time in a long while, he didn't feel like an outsider. 

A/N:

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