had spent two hundred fifty dollars to earn the coupons. There’s no way you guys spent that much. The manager would remember if you had. So, when you use them, just use one or two at a time and buy something else to go with it. Okay?”
What have I done?
“Okay. That makes sense,” Kim said, and the other girls nodded.
Kim motioned with her head for the other three to leave with her. She patted Molly on the shoulder. “Hey, thanks, Molly. You’re a cool kid.”
Chapter 6
HANGING IN THE BALANCE
“This is only your third week of work, and you’re already asking if you can skip church tonight?” Dad didn’t like it at all. “This is where the rubber meets the road, Molly. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is.”
Molly rolled her eyes at her dad’s incessant use of clichés. Usually she found it charming—cute, even. But when she was being lectured, she couldn’t stand it.
“Hey, I don’t appreciate you rolling your eyes at me. You’re the one who promised to hold up your end of the bargain. But now you’re testing the waters to see what you can get away with. Sorry, Moll. I’m going to hold you to your word. You’re going to have to find out if it’s even possible for you to handle so many irons in the fire.”
She couldn’t take even one more trite saying. “Okay, Dad. You’re right. I’ll be fine. I just thought it might be easier to have a catch-up night than to have to stay up late.”
“I’ll tell you when you can catch up—after school tomorrow instead of going shopping with the girls.” Molly’s mom teased her, knowing that the last thing she’d want to give up would be a trip to the mall with her friends. “No? Okay, well then I guess it’s not all bad. Now, go get your things. It’s time to leave for church.”
After the short drive, Molly entered the gymnasium at church and immediately heard someone call her name. She looked across the crowded dodgeball game to locate the source of the voice.
Sara!
She had come without any prodding from Molly.
Weird
. Just as she pondered Sara’s reasons for coming,
SMACK!
The ball slapped across the side of Molly’s face. Her head snapped back, and her cheek flamed where the ball had struck.
For a second she was stunned and felt nothing. Then the sting set in, and it felt like a mild burn. Like a bee sting it continued to get worse until it felt like it was on fire.
Don’t
cry!
Trying not to look angry or start crying from the shock and the embarrassment—not to mention the pain—she hurried across the gym, past the openmouthed onlookers, to the kitchen. Sara followed her.
Sue, one of the youth leaders, jogged into the kitchen behind them. “You okay, hon?”
Molly nodded. Afraid she was going to lose her grip on her composure, she didn’t trust herself to speak just yet.
In silence, Sue put together a makeshift ice pack. Molly hopped up onto the kitchen counter and held the ice on her cheek and sipped a soda that Sara had poured for her.
After a few minutes, Molly gained more control of her emotions. Sue looked right into her eyes and asked, “So, you okay?”
“Oh yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that things are so physical all the time. I want to be a girl, and these boys are always splashing, throwing, shoving, pushing … It just gets tiring. I want to be treated like a girl, you know? And then when something like this happens, I have a hard time not getting really angry, and I wind up looking like a blubbering idiot. It’s just not fair.”
“No, it’s not fair, Molly. Sorry to say, it’s part of life, though. Boys are more physical, and theyplay that way—sometimes their whole lives.” Sue laughed and shook her head. “Girls who are becoming women want different things. And, sometimes, that transition from being a girl to being a woman doesn’t have a clear line dividing it, and the boys get mixed signals.” She cocked her head and gave Molly a pointed look. “Like when you guys cannonballed the
What have I done?
“Okay. That makes sense,” Kim said, and the other girls nodded.
Kim motioned with her head for the other three to leave with her. She patted Molly on the shoulder. “Hey, thanks, Molly. You’re a cool kid.”
Chapter 6
HANGING IN THE BALANCE
“This is only your third week of work, and you’re already asking if you can skip church tonight?” Dad didn’t like it at all. “This is where the rubber meets the road, Molly. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is.”
Molly rolled her eyes at her dad’s incessant use of clichés. Usually she found it charming—cute, even. But when she was being lectured, she couldn’t stand it.
“Hey, I don’t appreciate you rolling your eyes at me. You’re the one who promised to hold up your end of the bargain. But now you’re testing the waters to see what you can get away with. Sorry, Moll. I’m going to hold you to your word. You’re going to have to find out if it’s even possible for you to handle so many irons in the fire.”
She couldn’t take even one more trite saying. “Okay, Dad. You’re right. I’ll be fine. I just thought it might be easier to have a catch-up night than to have to stay up late.”
“I’ll tell you when you can catch up—after school tomorrow instead of going shopping with the girls.” Molly’s mom teased her, knowing that the last thing she’d want to give up would be a trip to the mall with her friends. “No? Okay, well then I guess it’s not all bad. Now, go get your things. It’s time to leave for church.”
After the short drive, Molly entered the gymnasium at church and immediately heard someone call her name. She looked across the crowded dodgeball game to locate the source of the voice.
Sara!
She had come without any prodding from Molly.
Weird
. Just as she pondered Sara’s reasons for coming,
SMACK!
The ball slapped across the side of Molly’s face. Her head snapped back, and her cheek flamed where the ball had struck.
For a second she was stunned and felt nothing. Then the sting set in, and it felt like a mild burn. Like a bee sting it continued to get worse until it felt like it was on fire.
Don’t
cry!
Trying not to look angry or start crying from the shock and the embarrassment—not to mention the pain—she hurried across the gym, past the openmouthed onlookers, to the kitchen. Sara followed her.
Sue, one of the youth leaders, jogged into the kitchen behind them. “You okay, hon?”
Molly nodded. Afraid she was going to lose her grip on her composure, she didn’t trust herself to speak just yet.
In silence, Sue put together a makeshift ice pack. Molly hopped up onto the kitchen counter and held the ice on her cheek and sipped a soda that Sara had poured for her.
After a few minutes, Molly gained more control of her emotions. Sue looked right into her eyes and asked, “So, you okay?”
“Oh yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that things are so physical all the time. I want to be a girl, and these boys are always splashing, throwing, shoving, pushing … It just gets tiring. I want to be treated like a girl, you know? And then when something like this happens, I have a hard time not getting really angry, and I wind up looking like a blubbering idiot. It’s just not fair.”
“No, it’s not fair, Molly. Sorry to say, it’s part of life, though. Boys are more physical, and theyplay that way—sometimes their whole lives.” Sue laughed and shook her head. “Girls who are becoming women want different things. And, sometimes, that transition from being a girl to being a woman doesn’t have a clear line dividing it, and the boys get mixed signals.” She cocked her head and gave Molly a pointed look. “Like when you guys cannonballed the
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