Page 2 of Rekindled

“Ah, you’re one of those,” he said with a knowing smile.

“One of what?” Molly asked with confusion.

“A Jesus freak.”

“You know that’s offensive. I believe in Jesus, but that doesn’t make me a freak. You should really think before you speak,” Molly suggested to him.

His face pinched up for a moment as if he was thinking, then a moment later, he gave her a big grin, making sure to flash his smoldering blue eyes at her. “So, how are we going to do this?”

“Do what?”

“The coach said this was all lined up by the school,” Spencer said, gesturing between them. “You’re supposed to take care of this English thing for me.”

“Correction, the school counselor assigned me as your tutor. Mr. Marks wants me to help you pull up your grade since you’re in danger of failing.” Irritated that everyone jumped through hoops for him, she added sarcastically, “Otherwise, no more sports for you, and the town can’t have that. I mean, heaven forbid, the star quarterback for the Bayfield Lions can’t play anymore. It would be a sign the end of the world is coming.”

“Exactly, the team has a real chance of making it to State this year, but only if I can play. The season is over if I can’t.”

Ugh, he is so full of himself, Molly thought to herself. He literally thinks the world revolves around him.

Trying not to let his ego get to her, she focused on making it clear he wasn’t the only one being inconvenienced by the forced arrangement. “So to keep you eligible to play, I have to give up three hours of my life every week.”

He narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. “Hey, there’s no reason to be so snotty. You think I like this? I can think of like five other things I would rather be doing.”

“Only five? And I’m sure all of them center on the cheerleading squad,” Molly mocked with a roll of her eyes. “I can think of a dozen myself, and all of them are much more practical than yours.”

“Why do I feel like you’re judging me, and you don’t even know me,” Spencer stated defensively. “Didn’t you just say you’re a Christian or something?”

Molly stiffened under his rebuke. He was right, she wasn’t acting the way her parents or God would want her to.

She pressed her lips together as she averted her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I think we’ve gotten off to a wrong start, so let’s just focus on working at raising your English grade. What’s your latest assignment?”

Spencer bent over and opened his backpack. He pulled out a bent, blue folder and slid it across to her. “Everything’s in there.”

Molly opened the folder and glanced through it. “You have three essays you’ve never turned in; plus, a test you could have corrected to get some extra points.”

“What can I say, I’m busy with football,” he said as he rolled his shoulders, “but that’s why I have you now. How about I meet up with you in a couple of days and you can give me the essays so I can turn them in.”

She shook her head. “No way; I’ll help you write them, but I’m not doing your work for you.”

“Seriously? You can’t just do it?” Spencer asked with incredulousness as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Nope, this is going to be a partnership. We’re both going to put in 50/50.”

He seemed to contemplate what she was demanding from him. After several moments, he unfolded his arms and said, “Fine, we’ll do it your way.”

As Molly looked across the table at Spencer, she wondered if she had made the right decision. Could she sit across from him three times a week and not be taken in by his good looks and charm? She didn’t want to fall for the football star like all the other girls in her school, especially since she knew it would remain one-sided.

Pushing the troubling thoughts out of her mind, Molly picked up Spencer’s first essay assignment and started to explain what he needed to do.

“We’re here,” Rick said, drawing her attention back to the present.

Molly’s jitters were strong as they pulled into the driveway of her parents’ two-story brick home. Though her parents had come to Seattle to visit at least two times a year, she hadn’t set foot in her childhood home in a decade. Would everything be the same? Did they change her room, or was it exactly how she left it?

Being the baby of the family, her parents had doted on her. By the time she entered high school, her two older brothers had already started their own lives. One had joined the military and was stationed overseas—he still was—and the other had moved to California for a job.

Her parents had spent their mid-fifties attending her debate competitions, academic decathlons, and church choir performances. By the time her senior year rolled around, she had become the center of their lives. She was certain it was the reason it had broken their hearts to send her away.

Even though they claimed to have done it for her own protection, she often wondered if they were embarrassed by the unflattering rumors that had circulated around town when everything went bad for Molly. She wondered if sending her to live with her aunt and uncle in Seattle, was more to do damage control for the family’s reputation, rather than to shield her from getting hurt further.

---