Katy's Homecoming (20 page)

Dad grinned. “We decided the trip could wait for another day. We wanted to see you.” His gaze traveled up and down her length. His expression warmed. “You look beautiful, Katy-girl.”

Katy lowered her head in pleasure. Such wonderful
words coming from Dad, who rarely praised. She looked up again. “Thank you. I’ve never felt more beautiful.”

A nervous-sounding
ahem
came from behind Katy. Dad looked past Katy’s shoulder, and his brows came down briefly. Then his expression cleared. He tipped toward Katy and whispered,“I think someone would like to speak with you.”

Katy turned and found Bryce standing right behind her. Heat filled her ears. She clutched her wedding bouquet to her stomach. “H-hi.”

“Hi.”

Katy gestured him forward. “Dad, Rosemary, Gramma, Grampa, this is Bryce Porter … a … friend.”

Each of Katy’s family members greeted Bryce by turn, and Bryce shook everyone’s hand. Then he turned to her. “I didn’t want to interrupt, but could I talk to you for a minute?”

Katy looked back at Dad. Dad seemed to be examining Bryce. Katy wondered what Dad thought of Bryce’s navy pleated trousers, tucked-in shirt, and striped tie. Although Bryce wasn’t dressed like a Mennonite, his clothes were neat and he looked respectable, unlike a lot of other boys in the school. Even though Bryce had hurt her feelings, Katy didn’t want Dad to think badly of him.

Dad put his hand on Rosemary’s elbow and gestured toward the gymnasium doors. “We’ll step out and get something to drink. Katy, you can find us in the lobby, all right?”

Katy nodded and watched her family leave. Then she turned to Bryce. “What did you want?”

He glanced around, reminding Katy that they stood
in a busy gymnasium crowded with people. He made a face. “Can we at least go out there?” He pointed to the doors where Dad and the others had disappeared. “It’ll be quieter.”

Katy nodded. But it wasn’t quieter, because people were crammed into lines at the concession stand or waiting outside the bathroom.

Bryce sighed. “I know it’s kind of chilly, but …?”

“It’s okay. We won’t be outside for long.”

They headed through the crowd down the hallway. Bryce opened the door for her, and Katy stepped outside. A brisk breeze tossed her ribbons across her cheeks, and she pushed them back. Hugging herself, she looked up at Bryce. Shadows fell over his face, making him look sad and serious. “What did you want?”

“I wanted to finish what I tried to tell you Wednesday after Bible study.”

Stupid!
The word slammed into Katy’s brain. She hugged herself tighter. “Bryce, it’s okay. I understand.”

“No, you don’t.” He ran his hand through his hair. “When I said I was stupid, it was because I let some of the guys get to me. Word got around fast that I’d asked you to homecoming, and it didn’t take long for the hassling to start. Some of it was pretty ugly. I was embarrassed and mad, and to keep people from bugging me, I just backed off from you.” He slipped his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. “But that was stupid. I acted like you’d done something wrong, and you didn’t. It was just me. I’m really sorry.”

Katy appreciated his apology, but she didn’t like that he’d allowed someone else to get in the way of their friend
ship. If they’d really been friends, no amount of teasing would have changed it.

After a moment, Bryce sighed. “I know you probably won’t want to, but I’d still like to sit with you during the game and then go to the dance together. So … do you …?” He stood, his head angled to the side, waiting.

Katy drew in a big breath. “I’d like to sit with you during the game. But, Bryce, in my fellowship, dancing is something our leaders discourage. If I go, I’ll be disappointing some people who are important to me. And I don’t think I’d be pleasing God by ignoring the leaders of my church. So I don’t think I should go to the dance.”

When she’d rejected Caleb’s invitation, he’d gotten mad. So she waited for Bryce to explode with angry words.

“That’s okay, Katy.” He didn’t sound angry at all. Katy nearly wilted with relief. A grin replaced the serious look on his face. “If not the dance, then maybe I could, you know, drive you to Shelby’s house after the game?”

He was so cute, especially when he got all pink-faced and bashful. And he did want to be friends after all. Katy decided she could give him another chance. “I’d like that. Very much.” Surely Dad wouldn’t mind. It was just a car ride after all.

“Great.” He grinned. “And maybe we could sit together on the bus tomorrow for the drive to Hill City? We could … talk?”

Happy flutters made her feel light and airy. She hugged herself. “That sounds good. But can we go inside now? It’s cold out here!”

Bryce laughed. “Sure.” He opened the door for her, and she skittered inside. They chatted easily on the way back
to the gym. Katy spotted her family. “I need to tell my dad and everybody good-bye. I’ll meet you in the gym in a minute, okay?”

“Sure, Katy.” He trotted off in the direction of the gymnasium.

She watched him until he stepped through the wide doorway, then she dashed to her dad. He held out his arm, and she stepped into his embrace. Katy sighed in contentment. The past weeks hadn’t been easy, but she’d learned to be content just being Katy. Snug against Dad’s side, she smiled at Rosemary, who smiled back.
Homecoming—I think it might be one of my favorite words.

1. Were you surprised that Katy was chosen for homecoming attendant? If you were her, would you have wondered why the senior class picked you? Explain.

2. Throughout the book, Katy has to decide for herself whether she should dress and act like everyone at her school, or stay true to her Mennonite upbringing and faith. Have you ever needed to make a decision that really challenged who you are? If so, what did you do?

3. While Katy has accepted Mrs. Graber, she still struggles with all the changes that will come once Mrs. Graber becomes her stepmother. What advice would you give Katy in this situation?

4. Katy, Shelby, and Bryce are all Christians, but they act out their faith in different ways — for instance, Shelby is comfortable wearing a homecoming dress, but Katy agonizes over whether such a dress is appropriate. Do you and your friends (or even family members) have different ways of showing your faith? If so, how do you handle it?

5. Caleb and Annika decide to go to some of the Schellberg youth events together. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not? Do you believe Annika when she says she’s just having fun with Caleb?

6.
While Katy makes the right decision for herself by wearing the dress Mrs. Graber made, would you have done what Katy did? How do you think Michael, her escort, felt? And what do you think would have happened if Katy had worn Cora’s green dress to homecoming instead?

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Pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore or online!

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Katy has always enjoyed life in her small Mennonite community, but she longs to learn more than her school can offer. After getting approval from her elders, Katy starts her sophomore year at the public high school in town, where she meets new friends and encounters perspectives very different from her own. But as Katy begins to find her way in the outside world, her relationships at home become strained. Can she find a balance between her two worlds?

Pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore or online!

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Just as Katy is feeling settled in her new school, everything falls apart at home. Her father, believing she needs a mother, starts courting a woman Katy refuses to accept. Tensions rise as Katy schemes to send the woman packing. Meanwhile, the pressure builds at school as Katy joins the debate team, encounters a teammate’s scorn, and faces her growing feelings for a boy her father will never accept. Can Katy prove she doesn’t need a mother’s guidance even as she discovers more of what the world offers?

Pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore or online!