Page 27 of Love and Other Chances

“I’m just saying, the way his eyes sparkled at you looked more than friendly,” Sofia concludes. She mercifully turns her attention to the other girls.

This is not helping my heart keep its distance! Ugh, why do freshman girls have to be so boy crazy!

I pull up to the pumpkin patch on the outskirts of Brooklyn at 5:30 p.m., parking right next to Natalie as she’s getting out of her car.

“This is going to be so fun!” she says. “I haven’t been to the pumpkin patch in ages.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever been here,” I reply. We begin walking to the big barn entrance to pay the fee. “I always go to the fall festival in Center Square, but I’ve never made it out here before.”

“I’ve definitely never done the spooky corn maze—I’m a bit of a scaredy cat,” Natalie says sheepishly. “I looked it up online, though, and it looks like it’s not a full-fledged haunted corn maze. Nothing jumps out at you. At least, I hope that’s true!”

I laugh. “It will be fun. Safety in numbers!”

As we join the rest of our small group members, I try to avoid eye contact with Brooks outside of our initial greeting.

Everyone disperses to food trucks to get some dinner before we play the festival games, and we plan to walk through the corn maze in smaller groups once darkness falls.

Catherine wins the pumpkin ring toss game, but Brooks annihilates us all at basketball. I rally everyone to race on the adult tricycles, garnering hysterical laughter as we take over the small track and basically turn it into a bumper cars experience. We take turns riding tubes down the mega slide, cackling at our shenanigans (and possibly earning some glares from the employees).

My heart is filled to the brim.This is exactly what I needed in my life. Peers who encourage me in my faith but are also friends I enjoy spending time with.

As if sensing my thoughts, Joy walks beside me on our way to the corn maze. We slow to an ambling pace. “I’m really glad you joined the group, Teegan. You bring such a special dose of energy. I always enjoyed talking to you after church, but I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you better.”

“It’s been a lifesaver for me this semester,” I respond. “This group is exactly what I needed. Thank you for including me. I know I’m not the only one who’s grateful that you and Caleb formed this group.”

By the time Joy and I catch up, Natalie has already started through the corn maze along with Candace and Brian. Sarah, Catherine, Jason, and Will are making their way through the entrance right as we arrive.

Leaving Brooks and me to join Caleb andJoy.Of course.

Brooks’ smile is all mischief as he turns to us. “Ready to be spooked out of your mind?”

Joy laughs. “I don’t think it’s quite that scary. More moody than anything.”

“The experience is what you make it,” Brooks replies.

We walk through the arched entrance to the pitch-black maze. After allowing our eyes to adjust, there’s enough light from interspersed lanterns to make out the corn walls but not much else. There’s fog being pumped in by machines and spooky music playing quietly over speakers buried in the stalks of corn.

I stick close to Joy in order to avoid proximity to Brooks as we make our way through the maze, frequently turning around at dead ends. Caleb and Brooks occasionally try to scare us by pointing out spooky shadows or making eerie noises. However, Joy and I laugh at their attempts, enjoying the experience.

We must be nearing the end of the maze, given how long we’ve been exploring, when one of the LED lanterns flickers off. I don’t know if that’s an accident or a planned part of the experience, but it’s creepy either way. We’re in near total darkness, and I can’t help but inch slightly closer to Brooks’ presence next to me as we cautiously make our way forward.

“BOO!” Caleb jumps out of the darkness in front of Joy and me. Both of us scream, and I reflexively reach out to grab on to Brooks. His arm quickly wraps around me, pulling me against his chest.

And now my heart has two reasons to beat wildly.

The perfection of Brooks’ accidental embrace is too much. I jump back from him as Joy vigorously scolds Caleb for scaring us. Caleb apologizes and takes Joy’s hand to continue through the maze, although she continues giving him an earful.

“You okay?” Brooks whispers in the dark.

“Mmhmm,” I reply, abruptly turning away from him. He’s quiet the rest of the way through the maze, his light-hearted banter missing from the otherwise serious ambiance. Thankfully, we make it to the exit in a few minutes.

Now, I just need to escape from Brooks’ presence altogether, because my attempts at emotional distance are coming up short.

Chapter twelve

I’m grateful for a break from seeing Brooks the Wednesday following our pumpkin patch excursion, due to his parent-teacher conferences. My heart initially misses his presence at small group, until I scold it for disobeying instructions.

I throw my focus into work on campus, spending more time than usual in the sorority houses, hoping to distract my attention from Brooks’ troubling existence. Luckily for me, it’s peak homecoming season, so the sororities are eager to have extra hands painting yard displays and pomping floats. It’s the perfect opportunity to have meaningful conversations with the girls while working alongside them in their world.

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