Until We Meet Again

Chapter Twelve: History

"Allison?" a voice asked.

Allison spun around to see her parents sitting in the center of the foyer.

"Hi, Mom..." She waved sheepishly.

"Where were you?" her mother inquired. Her voice didn't sound too upset, but it was filled with suspicion.

"I was just hanging out with a friend of mine."

Her father stood up, clearing his throat. "It was the West family's son, wasn't it?"

"Yes..." Allison responded, unsure of where this was going.

"You're not allowed to be seen with him."

"What? Are you serious? Why?"

"Bad blood, Allison," he declared sternly.

Allison searched her mother's face for help, but Mrs. Hayze looked distant, lost in thought.

"Wait, so just because you two have a problem with them, I'm the one being punished?" Allison's voice rose with frustration.

"Your mother and I just don't want you having any relationship with that boy. Whether it's a friendship or something else."

Allison shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Where's Eliza?" she asked, looking around.

"We sent her home," her father replied coldly.

"You both are unbelievable." Allison started to turn away, but her father's sharp voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Allison, where did you two go?"

Choosing her words carefully, she fought the anger building inside. "We just went and hung out."

"Where?" His voice grew icier, more demanding.

"What does it matter? You would've hated it!" Allison's voice trembled with emotion. She could feel the tension in the room rising. Mrs. Hayze was about to speak, but her eyes widened when she saw the book tucked under Allison's arm. She moved closer, her face twisted in shock.

"You went to church, didn't you?" her mother asked, her voice full of disbelief.

Allison froze, realizing too late what had given her away. "Yes, but—"

"Allison! I told you to never go there!" Her mother's eyes weren't filled with the anger Allison expected. Instead, they held sadness, worry.

"We had a great time tonight!" Allison retorted. "Everyone was so kind. What do you have against the church? What do you have against the Bible? Why do you hate God?" she screamed, her voice breaking with emotion.

"We don't have to explain ourselves, Allison!" her father barked.

"All I want is to know what happened!" Allison shouted, her voice pleading for answers.

Her mother's face contorted with pain. "Allison, just stop!"

Unable to take the tension any longer, Allison turned on her heel and left the room, feeling more confused than ever.

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Back at the West residence, Charles and Melanie sat Kyle down as well.

"So, our families aren't the best of friends?" Kyle asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"No, Kyle, we're not," Melanie replied with a heavy sigh.

"But I still want to hang out with Als," Kyle stated firmly.

"You still can," his father replied, "It's the perfect way to witness. But how did you get her parents to agree to let you take her to church?"

Kyle looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wait, she wasn't allowed to go? She just said they didn't know, not that she wasn't allowed." He leaned forward, running his hands through his hair, a habit he had when stressed. His mother placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Kyle. You didn't know," Melanie said gently. "But yes, she probably wasn't allowed to go."

"That explains a lot," Kyle murmured. "The pastor asked her if she had been to church, and she said something about her parents not knowing. And when he heard her last name, he seemed surprised."

His father nodded. "Her parents have a deep resentment toward the church. It's been that way for a long time."

Kyle looked back at his mother, who had more to add. "Do you remember, Kyle, when we went through our own struggles with churches? When you swore you'd never step foot in one again?"

Kyle nodded silently. He remembered it all too well.

Those had been some of the darkest times for his family. They'd been hurt and rejected by so many churches that Kyle had nearly lost faith in the institution itself. But when they moved and found Passion Church, something had felt different. The people were sincere, and the pastor preached from the Bible with conviction. It had taken years for the wounds to heal, but they were still there, buried deep.

Melanie continued, "Leanne and I were best friends when we were younger—like sisters. But something happened at her seventh church in nine years. It was the last straw for her. She drifted away, and our friendship faded. When you and Allison were little, we met again. You two loved playing together."

Kyle's head shot up. "Wait! You mean Allison and I knew each other before?"

His mother smiled softly. "Yes. When you were both about three, you were inseparable. But Leanne grew more distant, and one day, she told me she didn't want to see me anymore—or for you to be around Allison. Soon after, they moved away."

Kyle sat back, absorbing the truth. "That's why you both were staring at each other so much at dinner."

His parents nodded.

Kyle sat there, stunned. Everything started to make sense. He had felt a connection to Allison from the moment they met, but now he knew why.

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