Lady Of The Church

One Sunday Morning

"Higher....lower....nevermind....I don't want to do this!"

"Jill, how long?" asked Claire. She still had Jill's fake journal in hand, ready to throw into Austin Townsend's bedroom window as part of a plan that neither of them really even thought through. "I mean, how long have you..?"

"Have had a useless crush on him? Oh, I don't know, since I was seven? Oh, I'm a mess!"

Jill's crush on Austin caused many problems throughout her life since elementary school. This includes the failure of all of her past relationships, her losing many friends, and even her fatal phobia of superbones. True story.

Claire Muniz was a newer friend of Jill's, but yet already she knew about this secret crush of Jill's. And since she moved in next door to him, she always invites Jill over on the mere chance she might see Austin. But even if she sees Austin....

"You're never going to tell him that you like him or do anything about it," Claire figured.

"See...if I didn't like him, I'd be able to tell him I like him and lead him on, but since I actually do like him, I-" Jill began.

"I get it."

Just then, church bells rang in the distance.

"Ever been to our church here?" asked Jill.

Claire shook her head no. "I used to go all the time back in Lynnwood, but ever since we moved here no."

"You don't want to go to church here," said someone behind them.

It was Austin, who had lumbered silently behind them as they stood on the sidewalk. Jill instantly hit her fake journal out of Claire's hand and into her garden.

"Hey Austin, where are you going?" Jill tried to ask all sexylike but completely failed.

With a laugh and a flip of his dark, brown hair, Austin replied,"Church."

"We're going, too! Meet you there!" Jill said and laughed until Austin walked away from them and down the next street. Oh how he walked so slow but so hot at the same time. Jill then looked to Claire and said, "Now we have to go. Service starts in a half hour."

"Okay," Claire said. "Why did your future husband say I wouldn't want to go to church here?"

"Because it's, well, different. Well, our minister is...you'll see." Jill knew that Claire had to see for herself the awkwardness of Sunday morning church here in Graymoor.

Graymoor was a lonely, economically depressed small town where everyone knew everyone, and it was quite gray - no surprise there. The main street was haunted by abandoned shops and torn down theatres. The town had definitely seen better days.

The walk to the church from Claire's house wasn't that bad since it was in the better part of town. "That church better have air conditioning," said Claire.

"Maybe it does...I don't know. This is the first time I'm going all summer long. I usually only show up around Lady Of The Church pageant season," Jill told her.

"It's the end of August. Finally show up all 'cause Austin Townsend. Woo! He's not even that attractive."

"Shut yo mouth."

Finally the girls arrived at the entrance to the old Holy Grace Hope Destiny New Faith Godly Heaven Fate Life Ministry Glory Peace and Fellowship Church. It was the only church in Graymoor. They entered inside the holy sanctuary and found a place in the middle row of pews.