Page 17 of The Confidant
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Addisonand I had been standing up with the rest of my friends in the student section for a few minutes when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.
I figured it was probably just my mom sending me another article from one of The Fold’s magazines, since she’d been sending those every few days in her determination to save my soul. But when I caught a glimpse of Mack from the corner of my eye and noticed him holding his phone and eyeing it like he’d just sent me something he didn’t want to say in front of Addison, I realized that the text message must have come from him.
Hoping Addison wouldn’t find out that the two guys on either side of her were texting back and forth, I fished my phone out to read what had come through.
Mack:Not sure that you saw it since you were so busy with your homework…but Scarlett keeps looking up here and seems pissed that you’re sitting with Addison.
Sure enough, in the basketball court below, Scarlett was sitting on the bench and glaring in our direction.
When Scarlett noticed me looking her way, she directed her gaze to where Ava was at the free-throw line, shooting a foul shot. But just from that one look, I had a feeling that Mack was right.
I turned to Mack with wide eyes and texted him back:What am I supposed to do now?
He waited a bit to check his phone, but then as one of Sherman High’s players rebounded the ball, a text came through that said,No clue bro. But you better be careful.
I was about to text him back again when Addison leaned close. Pointing down at Scarlett, she asked, “Do you know why Scarlett always wears a T-shirt under her jersey? I’ve been to a few games and noticed that she does that every time.”
“Oh, it’s just part of what she believes,” I said, slightly surprised by the question. “Her church has specific guidelines about how they dress. They call it dressing modestly.” I used air quotes around the wordmodestlysince I knew it was a charged word that had different meanings, depending on someone’s background and experiences with it.
“Dressing modestly?” Addison frowned, like she’d never heard of that phrase before. Which told me that Addison most likely hadn’t grown up in a super religious home.
“They’re taught that their bodies are sacred and that they need to dress respectfully and in ways that show God and others that they know how precious their bodies are.”
“So they do that by covering them?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “That’s essentially it. But obviously, they don’t take it to the extreme that some other religions teach. Like, they don’t have to wear prairie dresses or anything like that. But they do encourage the members to wear shirts or dresses with sleeves long enough to cover their shoulders. And shorts and skirts should come as close to the knee as possible.”
Which was why the pleated skirts that Scarlett wore as part of her school uniform were always longer.
Sadly for me, since that girl had amazing legs.
“That sounds like it would be really hot in the summer,” Addison said.
“It can be,” I said, watching Scarlett who was dribbling the ball toward the basketball hoop. “But you get used to it.”
“Why don’tyouwear a t-shirt under your basketball jersey? You’re both in the same church, right?” She looked up at me. “Do guys and girls not have the same rules?”
“Well…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Some of us are more extreme than others. For example, in my family, I was taught that it’s okay to wear tank tops if I’m exercising. Scarlett’s family is a lot more strict.”
Um“…is it going to be a problem that I’m wearing a sleeveless dress to the dance?” She asked, her blue eyes widening. “Are you not allowed to dance with someone like that? Or since dancing can be considered exercise, maybe it will be fine?”
“No, it’s fine.” I chuckled. “I actually don’t have a problem with that at all. I think it’s fine for people to wear what makes them feel their best and comfortable in their own skin.”
“So, you’re a little more relaxed then?” She lifted an eyebrow.
“I am now…”
She looked at me like she wanted me to go on, so in a lowered voice, I said, “I’m actually not really involved with my old church anymore.”
“Really?” she asked, seeming surprised. “Why not?”
I shrugged, hoping to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal even though it was actually one of the hardest choices of my life. “I guess it’s because I came across some disturbing information when I was trying to help my brother come back to church.”
“Disturbing information?” She frowned.
“Yeah…”
