Of course, the logistics of being a single dad to young children hadn’t been easy. God had been good to provide a constant help in Joanna’s mother. She had sold her house and moved in with them—taking the role of Joanna in raising the kids and tending to their daily needs.
Wendell had thrown himself into an even stronger faith—making sure he had his daily morning talks with the Lord, and doing everything in his power to live out his faith in the hallways of Hamilton High.
It was there that he first met Alicia Harris.
In the early years after Joanna’s accident, Alicia became his friend. She would stop by his office and talk to him about the happenings of the high school. They would walk to the baseball field and sit in the bleachers, and eventually the conversations grew deeper. Especially after Joanna’s mother died of cancer, leaving Wendell once again on his own with the children.
In their conversations, Wendell told Alicia about Joanna, how the two of them had fallen in love and about Joanna’s strong belief in God. Alicia would listen, and once in a while she would admit something Wendell only suspected. “I wish I believed the way Joanna did.”
Alicia was eight years younger than Wendell. She had spent her early teaching career helping her sick parents, and along the way she had missed out on the dating years. She had once dreamed of having children, but not anymore.
As Alicia and Wendell grew closer, Alicia admitted something to Wendell during one of their talks. Something she had never said before.
“You know what makes me most afraid?” It was a winter day, snow piled a foot high across the baseball field.
“What’s that?” Wendell angled his body so he could see her eyes. He could feel himself being drawn to her, pulled in by her kind heart and deep beauty. Her skin was a light brown, her complexion smooth as silk. The smell of her perfume filled his senses.
Alicia hesitated, as if by saying the words the reality might somehow be worse. “I’m afraid of being alone.” Her expression grew sad, sadder than Wendell had ever seen before. “My parents are gone. I have no family.” She shrugged. “Sometimes I ask God . . . is this all there is for me?”
And in that moment Wendell felt his feelings for Alicia deepen. Before he could stop himself, he had reached for her hand. “You won’t be alone.” He looked intently into her eyes. “You have me. You always will.”
But in the end that hadn’t been true. His decision to lead the Raise the Bar club had driven her away.
He looked at the clock on his desk and stood. It was time to head to school, time to face another day without Alicia. Maybe that was all this was, the bad feeling stirring in his soul. Maybe he was just feeling afraid, the way Alicia had felt back then. Not because someone might fire him or throw him in jail for talking about Jesus on a public school campus.
But because—once his children were grown—he might spend the rest of his days alone.
10
Cami was terrified to go to school, but she had no choice. Her sisters had gone to stay with an aunt across town. Until the trial was over, their father had said. So the twins wouldn’t be a part of the media circus that was bound to come. Already Cami had seen more people than usual driving by their house. A few of them definitely had cameras.
So her sisters were safe. But Cami still had to go to Hamilton High. She couldn’t stay away forever. She thought for a minute. Maybe no one at school knew yet. Could it be she’d only imagined her father’s phone call? Maybe he hadn’t called the press. He could’ve been talking to one of his friends from the airport.
But as Cami stepped off the bus and headed through the front doors of Hamilton High that morning, she was sure she was only kidding herself. Of course her father had made the call. He had contacted the newspaper, and sometime today everything about her life was going to fall apart.
And not just her life, the life of Principal Quinn.
Before she got halfway down the hall to her locker, Cami saw Jordy round the corner with a group of football players. She stopped and waited until he saw her. At the same time, the guys gave Jordy a slight shove, the group of them laughing.
“Don’t talk too long,” one of them said. “Can’t miss history class. Coach’ll bench you for sure.”
“I’ll be there.” Jordy grinned and gave the guys an elbow in return. These were his teammates and friends. Close friends. Some of the players who had been attending the Raise the Bar meetings for most of the past year.
Normally Cami would’ve stepped into the conversation and asked them how practice was going. She would’ve said something about the Friday night football game. But this morning she was too afraid to do anything but stand there. Silent. Waiting.
Jordy walked up to her and searched her expression. “Cami?” His smile faded. “What’s wrong?”
She wanted to tell him, wanted to share every horrible thing about her father and last night. But class was about to start and besides . . . what if nothing came of it? Maybe this morning the reporter would forget he or she had ever talked to Cami’s father. “Nothing.” She tried to smile, but it felt flat.
“That’s not true.” He squinted at her, angling his head like he was trying to see past her words. “You look scared to death.”
“No.” A single laugh escaped her lips. But it sounded forced. “We have that history test.” She nodded to the classroom down the hall. “Remember?”
“You’ve aced every history test you’ve ever taken.” He lowered his brow, still clearly confused. “Something’s wrong, Cami.”
“No. Everything’s fine.” For now, she told herself. It was fine for now. Her blond hair was pulled back in a single long braid, the way she liked it these days. She smoothed out the ends and suddenly she did something she hadn’t planned on doing. She reached for his hand. Everything was going to change after this. Jordy would hate her for what was about to happen. For her father’s decision. She took a step away from him. “Come on. We can’t be late.”
The feeling between them was electric. This was the first time their hands had touched this way.
Their fingers locked together as they hurried down the hall toward history class. And Cami had a very distinct, very sickening thought. If the reporter acted on what her father had said, if Principal Quinn was arrested later today, then this might be the last time she and Jordy would ever be so close.
In fact it might be the last time they ever spoke. Because after today Jordy wouldn’t merely be finished being her friend.
He would hate her.
? ? ?
THE BAD FEELING stayed with Wendell as he arrived at his office and long after the first bell rang. He couldn’t figure out just what was causing it, but the uneasiness was there.
Wendell spent the first hour walking the halls of Hamilton High, checking into each classroom. All seemed well. As was the trend recently, most desks were filled with students. The teachers seemed happy, and in each room a productive lesson was under way.
So what was the problem?
He returned to his office, sat at his desk and tried to grab a full breath. But his chest muscles felt too tight. God, give me peace today. Something isn’t right. Go before me, please.
It occurred to him then, that he hadn’t had time to read his Bible this morning. He had spent the time remembering Joanna. And thinking about Alicia. Yes, he’d talked to God. That was a constant every day for Wendell. But he hadn’t opened the Bible. That had to be it. The bad feeling was simply him missing the Word of God today.
Wendell kept a Bible on his desk and he opened it up to 2 Chronicles. It was a chapter he’d read and loved before. Much of it was highlighted and underlined.
He felt himself drawn into the text. Chapter twenty was about a battle the Israelites were in, but it was the last part that captured Wendell’s attention. He read verse 17 twice over. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you. . . . Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.