Proving Webster Wrong

Chapter Sixteen -- Drew

Chapter Sixteen

Drew

Chloe licked her lips and started twisting her fingers. "I'm sorry, Andrew, that it makes you feel that way. Believe me, I know what that feels like. But...but," she looked down at her twisting fingers and pulled her hands apart. She rolled her shoulders back and sat up as straight as she could. "It's just fear and fear is meant to be overcome."

"I thought this summer was about overcoming the definitions."

Her eyes lit up and I swear it was like a light bulb went on over her head. "In the end it's just fear that defines us, right?"

"I'm still not getting on stage in front of all those people." I could barely even get up and do class presentations, and those were only to a small group. What we were talking about now involved being in front of a bunch of kids and their parents. Everyone know how ruthless little kids can be. At least in a classroom environment everyone has to go through the same torture.

"You can't spend your whole life afraid of what people think of you. Come on, it'll be fun." Chloe actually poked out her bottom lip in an attempt at a begging puppy dog face.

We were pulling into her driveway now. "Chloe, I don't think it's a great idea to have our challenges involve other people. Can't you pick something that's just between the two of us?"

"That would defeat the purpose. So, tell your dad that we need the church everyday so that we can get some practice in. We'll have it so perfect that it will be impossible for you to be scared." With that she got out of the truck and rushed off to her front door.

Somehow I didn't think having it perfect had anything to do whether I was scared or not, not matter how much she tried to say it was. I had gone to Vacation Bible School my entire life and had never once been able to do those moves. Trying to teach something I couldn't do to save my life only made it worse.

When I walked in the front door at home Mom and Dad were both waiting for me. Or, at least it felt like they were waiting on me because they were sitting in the living room with the TV off, each reading a book. When they waiting on me to get back after being out with Crystal it involved just sitting there watching the door. Either they were tying to be more subtle or I was just paranoid.

"Drew, did I tell you how proud I was of you today? It was nice seeing to take on such a big role helping with the decorations. I can't even begin to tell you how much everyone appreciated you. I just wish the rest of the youth would do the same."

I gave her a half smile. "Dad, Chloe wanted me to ask you about having the church open for us tomorrow and Saturday, and maybe even a little later on Sunday. She wants to get in some practice time for the music."

"That's fine. She saved the week by taking on the spot, you know." I shrugged my shoulders and made my way to my room.

Pal was curled up in a little twitching brown ball of fluff on the middle of my bed asleep. For a little dog his snoring was loud and powerful. When I sat down on the edge of the bed and took my shoes off he lifted hit head and blinked his eyes.

"Don't mind me, just trying to use my own bed," I said to him.

He grunted, stood up, stretched, and then moved up to laying beside my head on the pillow.

"Yeah, just take my pillow, since you don't seem to have your own laying in the living room floor.

He licked his nose and then went back to snoring away.

"Sometimes I think you act more like a cat than a dog," I said reaching out a hand to pat his head.

"It's unnatural how you talk to that dog," Lauren said as she slung open my door.