Dare to Be Different (11 page)

Without looking around at the students milling in the halls, she slowly gathered the things she would need from her locker for her first class. She wasn’t in any hurry to get to class, so she stood there for much longer than
she actually needed to.

“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” a male voice said from right behind her left ear.

Lindsay jumped with a startled squeal and turned to face Tyler Turner, who stood at her locker with a sad look on his face. He wore his typical outfit: baggy jeans and a baseball T-shirt with a ball cap on his head. But today, somehow he just looked dark. His black jeans and dark gray T-shirt along with the black baseball cap seemed to match the expression on his face: dark and sad.

“Yeah, sure, what’s up?” Lindsay was pretty sure she already knew what he wanted to talk to her about.

“Um, well, Macy and I were supposed to have a movie date yesterday, but she didn’t answer her phone, didn’t answer her doorbell, and never called to tell me what happened. It’s almost as if she just completely blew me off. Did I do something to upset her?” Tyler looked perplexed and genuinely concerned.

“You mean you haven’t heard what happened?” Lindsay asked with disbelief.

“No, I haven’t heard anything.” Tyler seemed to realize all of a sudden that something could
actually have gone wrong. “Is Macy hurt? Is she okay?” he asked frantically.

“Yes, Macy is fine. She’s in quite a bit of trouble and was probably not allowed to use the phone. I’m going to be late to class, and I don’t really want to talk about it. Just know that she’ll be okay, and she’ll fill you in on the details when she’s ready. And, um, her part in the trouble isn’t as bad as it could have been, if that helps at all.” She turned immediately to leave, hoping to escape without any more questions.

“Wait, I just need to know one more thing,” Tyler begged, needing reassurance. “Before this thing happened, was she excited about our date?”

“Yes, Tyler, she was very excited. I promise you that.” At that moment, the bell rang and the two parted ways without saying another word.

The first class of the day wasn’t too bad, but by second period, word had started to get around and kids were looking at Lindsay with funny expressions. She could feel their stares as she walked down the hall. She was sure that some of them would make fun of her for leaving the girls’ party. But at that point, she didn’t care.

The worst moment came when she had to
enter home ec. Knowing that it was the final week to work on their project in class, Lindsay was dreading what was sure to be a very awkward and uncomfortable hour. But they had to complete their project so it could be presented to the class the next week.

Standing outside the classroom, waiting until the last second before the bell rang to slip in, hoping to avoid the awkward silence before class started, Lindsay said a quick prayer. Just as the bell was about to ring, she walked in with her head held high. She noticed that none of her friends were in their seats. She hadn’t seen them all day, but she had thought that they must be avoiding her, not that they were absent. She became very worried and approached her teacher. “Mrs. Portney, I don’t think any of my group members are here. Are they sick or something?”

“Well, Lindsay, I don’t think it’s that they’re sick. I am sure you’re aware of some of the circumstances from the weekend.” When Lindsay nodded silently, Mrs. Portney continued. “They are on a school suspension for a short time until the administration decides what needs to be done.”

“Oh, I see.” Lindsay slumped back to her seat and sat at their big table all by herself. She quietly spread the craft items in front of her after deciding to go ahead and finish the project on her own. She got lost in her work until the bell rang, and without a word to anyone else, she packed up and left for lunch, where she also sat alone. It was becoming too much to bear. The loneliness. The worry. The fear. The embarrassment. She felt her eyes welling up with tears, so she escaped to the hallway where she could use the phone to call her mom.

“Mom, it’s horrible!” Lindsay cried into the phone. “The kids are all staring at me, and Sam, Macy, and Kelly aren’t even in school today. They’re suspended. What’s happening to them?”

“Slow down, sweetie. I know you only have a few minutes, so just listen to me. The girls are fine. I’ve spoken to Mrs. Lowell and Mrs. Monroe. Yes, they are suspended for three days, but they’ll be back in school on Thursday. And yes, they are in trouble at home, of course, and will have a punishment to deal with for quite a while, I would imagine. We aren’t sure yet what
the legal situation will be, but these are young girls who have never been in trouble before. Whatever happens, they can and will get through it. The important thing for you to remember, Linds,” Mom stressed, “is that you did the right thing. Let things play out now, and they will work out. Everything has a way of working out. Use this to build your reputation. Don’t slink away because of it. Use it as part of your witness for Jesus, or it will be all for nothing. Just hold your head up high, and show your confidence.”

“Okay, Mom. That really helps. I’m going to do it. At least now I don’t have to worry so much about what’s happening to the girls. I have to go now—the bell’s about to ring.”

“Bye, Lindsay. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mom.”

The week crept by while Lindsay waited for her friends to come back to school. On one hand, she couldn’t wait to see them, to see if they were really okay; but on the other hand, she dreaded facing the fact that they really wanted nothing to do with her. One thing she knew for sure: She was really looking forward to being out
of the limelight and past the whispering stage. The other kids were so curious about what had happened that they either came right out and asked Lindsay every chance they got, or worse, they whispered behind her back and speculated about what might have happened.

The most difficult part of the week was continuing with the pillow the group had been making for home ec class. It was supposed to be a group project, but Lindsay had to finish it by herself. She asked Mrs. Portney if there was anything else she could do, but her teacher urged her to continue and use the class time wisely. So the pillow was almost complete. Lindsay was hoping that on Thursday the other girls would be able to put some personal finishing touches on it—if they would even speak to her.

On Wednesday afternoon, Lindsay went home right after school, as had been the pattern all week long. She sat in the family’s formal dining room to complete her homework. Distracted by the birds being chased by a squirrel in the backyard, Lindsay stared out the large, plate-glass bay window.

As her thoughts wandered, she didn’t hear the
sound of a car pulling into their long driveway, nor did she hear the doorbell ring. Moments later, Mrs. Martin escorted a very timid Macy into the dining room. “Sweetie, someone is here to see you. I’ll leave you two to talk, and Mrs. Monroe and I will be in the kitchen having a cup of coffee.”

Lindsay was silent as she looked at her friend. She willed herself not to cry but was quickly losing the battle. The tears started to form, and knowing there was nothing she could do about it, she let them fall.

Macy ran to her side and hugged her. “Lindsay, I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?” Macy begged.

“Of course I can, and I do. I missed you. I miss all of you.”

“I know, Linds. I just can’t believe that things turned out like they did. Kelly and Sam got into so much trouble. I am just in trouble at home, not with the police—but it’s bad enough. My mom is here because she knew I needed to talk to you, but she’s only giving me a few minutes. She is disappointed in me for the way I treated you. I’m just so sorry, Lindsay.”

“Look, Mace, remember that talk the school counselor gave last year about peer pressure and how it’s easy to get caught in the moment? It’s that way with Sam and Kelly. They have a way of persuading us to do stuff, knowing we’ll go along with them just because we want to make everyone happy. I’m not saying that makes it okay, just that’s the way it is. Since this happened, my mom and I have talked a lot about how the decisions we make now—and how we learn from them—will help shape who we will become as we grow up. Give yourself a break. We all make mistakes, but we need to learn something and try not to make them again. It doesn’t mean the world is coming to an end. It also doesn’t mean I don’t want to be your friend.”

“But—but,” Macy stuttered as she fought through her own tears, “I let them make fun of you—I let them kick you out of the group. How can you forgive me so easily?”

“Oh, Macy, no one’s perfect. It’s like my youth pastor is always saying: We’re all imperfect, all sinners, but God freely offers forgiveness to us through the sacrifice of His own Son. If Jesus gave Himself to die so I could be forgiven for
my sins, how can I not forgive you? The Bible says that once God forgives us, He forgets about our sins. So what do you say we just forget about

this?”

“Oh, Lindsay, I’m so glad to hear you say that, and you’re so right. But I can’t forget about this. It’s going to be going on for a long time, just eating at me.”

“Well, I wasn’t meaning that we should forget about the consequences,” Lindsay explained. “They have to be faced. But our friendship can be healed. We can put that part of it behind us right now.”

“I’d really love that, Lindsay.”

“Done.” The girls laughed together and both breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Just remember what I told you about God’s forgiveness. It’s a free offer. You know that.”

“I know, and I think I’m starting to understand how that works.”

Macy’s mom came into the room and told her that it was time to go. Macy and Lindsay would see each other at school the next morning. Macy asked Lindsay if she would be waiting by the tree.

“Um, no,” Lindsay answered. “There are other things that have to be taken care of before that can happen. I’ll just be in the school getting ready for class. I’ll see you in home ec, though.”

As Macy and her mom were getting ready to leave, Mrs. Monroe paused with her hand on the brass doorknob. “Lindsay, I just wanted to tell you that I am very proud of you, and I am grateful for your influence in Macy’s life. I heard a lot of what you said in the dining room, and, well, I’m just very proud of you.”

They left without waiting for a reply, and Lindsay quietly shut the door behind them. She turned to find her mom standing there, watching her, softly smiling. Lindsay took a step toward her and was immediately engulfed in motherly, comforting arms. Healing had begun.

Thursday morning came too quickly for Lindsay. She dreaded the walk into the school and the effort it would take to avoid Kelly and Sam. It would also be difficult to see Macy with Sam and Kelly, but she had to let Macy find her own way through the confusion.

She dressed carefully—not wanting to appear
too eager but also not wanting to look like she didn’t care. She chose to wear the same outfit that she wore to school on the first day, hoping that since they helped her pick it out, it might make the other girls feel nostalgic for a time when things were much less complicated.

With her backpack slung casually over one shoulder and her head held high, Lindsay walked into the school a full ten minutes before the time that she usually met the girls under the tree in the school yard. She got what she needed from her locker and then slipped into her first-period classroom, choosing a desk near the window where she could look out onto the yard unnoticed.

The school bus pulled up to the curb, and students began to file off with their piles of books and backpacks. The last three to exit the bus were Macy, Sam, and Kelly who, for some reason, all rode the bus that day. They were laughing and looking as though they hadn’t a care in the world. They sauntered over to their tree and casually leaned against it while they talked and laughed. Lindsay looked on from her desk at the window, amazed that they seemed so carefree. Then she noticed that Sam and Kelly were both wearing
dark sunglasses and Kelly had a hat on her head. They were hiding in their own way, while trying to look at ease.

At that moment, Kelly turned and noticed Lindsay watching from the window. She nudged Sam and pointed at the school, whispering something to her. They both stared at Lindsay for a moment and held her gaze before they looked away in disgust. Lindsay was heartbroken but could not tear her eyes away from the scene. The three girls started to walk into the school, Macy last. She looked at Lindsay with pity and longing, wishing that things could be very different—but they weren’t. They had created this situation; now they had to face it.