Read Online Prince Tennyson by Jenni James - Free Book Online Page A

treasure box. And I waited until everyone was all ready for bed and the lights were off and I could hear Hannah asleep on her bed across the room.
    That’s when I let it hit me.
    Full force. Right between the eyes.
    Just like Dad used to say.
    It wasn’t the most wonderful thing I’d ever heard. It wasn’t.
    It was horrible. And weird. And dumb. Because that’s not how it happened at all. Not one bit.
    Mom was just so excited to find those pictures that she forgot she didn’t believe in God when I saved them. She wasn’t praying for God to find them. She couldn’t have, because she didn’t even think He existed.
    Plus, she also forgot that when I found them, I wasn’t doing it because the Lord told me to—I was doing it for myself, and for Hannah and Cameron to know their dad. Not for my mom to have her prayers come true. So if that was the truth, if it was because I was answering her prayer—the prayer she didn’t give yet—that meant I was doing something for the future. And that didn’t make any sense at all.
    I let those thoughts roam all around my mind for a long time that night. I couldn’t sleep very well at all. It’s hard to sleep when your mom was happy that God answered prayers when He really didn’t. Instead, I woke up a lot and thought about it. And when I wasn’t waking up and thinking, I was having weird dreams that just made me wake up more. And think more.
    By the morning, I was downright exhausted. I know, because when Hannah woke up, she said, “Wow, Chelsea! You look awful. You should see yourself in the mirror because you look way more awful than I’ve ever seen you before.”
    Great. “Thanks,” I mumbled as I rolled out of bed and padded my way to the mirror.
    She was right. I looked awful. Worse than awful; I looked dreadful.
    Hannah popped up next to me. “Are you sick?”
    â€œNo.” I tried to smile. I winced instead.
    My head hurt.
    â€œYou look sick. Maybe you’re sick?”
    â€œI’m fine,” I grumbled as I ran my hand through my hair. It was sticking up everywhere. I looked like a crazy person.
    â€œAre you sure?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œHow do you feel? I bet you have a fever.”
    â€œI don’t have a fever, okay?” I spun away from the mirror, grabbed my brush, and began attacking the tangled mass that was all over my head. I knew it was going be a while, so I sat down on the bed.
    Hannah was still pestering me as she changed her clothes for school, but this time I ignored her. I looked so bad, I probably could’ve told my mom I hadn’t had any sleep and that I didn’t feel good, and she’d let me stay home. But I didn’t want her to know that. I needed to go school. I needed to talk to someone who could help me, someone who had answers.
    I needed to talk to Tyler.
    I figured he was the only one who would be able to look at this whole thing with my mom and the pictures and God rationally. We hadn’t talked since Friday on the field by the playground, but I wasn’t worried. I knew he would talk to me about it. It was just one of those things. I knew he wouldn’t be able to tell me “no” if I told him I needed to talk.
    I was right.
    Tyler was on the playground waiting for me when I finally made it out of the cafeteria with Sarah and Jasmine. They took forever to eat. I didn’t want them to know I told Tyler to meet me there. I had whispered it really quick before school started and we went into our different classes. As I got closer to him, I became worried because I didn’t know how I was going to get away from Jasmine and Sarah.
    But he already had a plan. I just didn’t know it.
    â€œChelsea!” he called, really mean-like. “You better run, because I’m not letting you get away with what you said on Friday. Boys’ clubs are not dumb!” Then he started to run right toward