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The search for God’s presence, he understood now, was as much of a mystery as God himself, and what was God, if not mystery?
Fu
He spent the day with Jonah, just as they’d pla
He honestly felt as though he were going to die.
Chuck E. Cheese’s, a pizza parlor with dozens of video games, kept Jonah occupied for another couple of hours. They played three games of air hockey, accumulated a few hundred game tickets, and, after cashing in the tickets, walked out with two squirt guns, three bouncy balls, a packet of colored pencils, and two erasers. He didn’t even want to think about how much it had cost him.
It was a good day, a day of laughter, but wearying. After spending some time with Ro
26 Ro
After her dad and Jonah had taken off for the day, Ro
It didn’t take long to find her. Blaze was sitting on the dune near the pier, watching the surfers. She said nothing as Ro
Ro
“Hi, Blaze,” she said.
Blaze said nothing, and Ro
“I know you probably don’t want to talk to me…”
“You look like an Easter egg.”
Ro
“I tried to get them to change the uniform to black, but they wouldn’t let me.”
“Too bad. Black’s your color.” Blaze flashed a quick smile. “What do you want?”
Ro
Blaze paused, then said, “I know.”
It wasn’t the answer Ro
Blaze squinted up at her. “I was mad at you. Because it was obvious he liked you.”
Ro
“He said the two of you used to be friends.”
“Yeah, we were,” she said. “A long time ago. He’s nice. You’re lucky.” She wiped her hands on her pants. “My mom’s going to marry her boyfriend. After she told me, we got in this really big fight and she kicked me out of the house. She changed the locks and everything.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ro
“I’ll survive.”
Her comment made Ro
“What you did to me was wrong,” Ro
Blaze shook her head slowly. “Marcus won’t let me. He said he wouldn’t talk to me again.”
Listening to her robotic tone made Ro
“I don’t have anywhere else to go. My mom called all the relatives and told them not to take me in. She told them that it’s hard for her, but what I need is ‘tough love’ right now. But I don’t have any money to eat, and unless I want to sleep on the beach every night for the rest of my life, I have to do what Marcus tells me. When he’s mad at me, he won’t even let me shower at his place. And he won’t give me any money from the shows we do, so I can’t eat, either. He treats me like a dog sometimes, and I hate it. But who else do I have?”
“Have you tried talking to your mom?”
“What’s the point? She thinks I’m a lost cause, and she hates me.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you.”
“You don’t know her like I do.”
Ro
“I know what you want me to do,” Blaze said. “But I can’t. And it’s not because I don’t like you. I do. I think you’re nice, and I shouldn’t have done what I did. But I’m as trapped as you are. And I don’t think Marcus is done with you, either.”
Ro
Blaze stood. “He’s been talking about you again. And not in a good way. I’d stay away from me if I were you.”
Before Ro
“Hey, Blaze,” she called out.
Blaze slowly turned around.
“If you ever need something to eat or a place to stay, you know where I live.”
For an instant, Ro
“And one more thing,” Ro
Blaze gave her a sad smile. “Do you really think it’s crazier than anything else in my life right now?”
The following afternoon, Ro
But this was a formal, black-tie wedding: Tuxedos and gowns were required for guests, not just the wedding party. She’d never imagined attending something like this when she was packing for the summer back in New York. She hadn’t even brought along the pair of black pumps her mom had purchased for her last Christmas, the ones that were still in the box.
She really didn’t understand why Will wanted her to come. Even if she found a way to look presentable, it wasn’t as though she’d have anyone to talk to. Will was in the wedding party, which meant tons of pictures while she went to the reception, and he had to sit at the head table, so they wouldn’t even be together for the meal. She’d probably end up sitting at a table with the governor or a senator or some family that had flown in on a private jet… talk about awkward. Add in the fact that Susan hated her, and the whole thing was a bad idea. A really bad idea. Horrible in every conceivable way.