Anything but Normal - Melody Carlson [50]
“Sophie?”
Sophie looked up from where she’d been daydreaming to see Mrs. Vincent peering into the bedroom. Why hadn’t Carrie Anne shut the door?
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Sophie forced a smile. “Just cramps, you know?”
“Oh, don’t I. Did you take some Advil?”
Sophie nodded. “Yeah. I should be fine in a few minutes.” “Good.” Mrs. Vincent frowned slightly. “I read your article in the school paper, Sophie.”
Sophie braced herself.
“Mrs. North asked me to read it.” She made a faint smile.
“It was well written . . .”
“But?”
“But . . . I think Mrs. North could be right about the message it sends.” She waved her hand. “Oh, not your article so much, Sophie. You’re simply reporting what’s going on. In fact, we should be thankful that you’ve brought this issue to the surface. Because it does seem that the school is encouraging promiscuity.”
“Encouraging promiscuity?”
“Well, that might be an exaggeration on my part. But for the school to give pregnant girls special attention, special classes, child care . . . well, it does raise some questions.”
“I suppose it does.”
“And sometimes it’s up to us as a church to stand up and be a moral compass to the community. Don’t you think?”
Sophie nodded.
“Oh, I could go on and on, but it’s about time to check the turkey. I hope you feel well enough to sit down to eat with us, Sophie.”
“Me too . . . but I’m not sure.”
“Well, you just rest. I’ll let your mom know you’re under the weather.”
“Thanks.”
This time Sophie closed the door. Then she curled up on the bed, covering herself with Carrie Anne’s thick pink chenille throw. If anyone else came in, she would pretend to be sleeping. She would pretend to sleep the entire day away.
“Hey, wake up, sleepyhead,” Carrie Anne said.
“Huh?” Sophie sat up. Apparently she’d fallen asleep for real.
“Mom wants to know if you’re coming down for dinner or not.”
“Not.”
“Man, what is with you people?”
“What?”
“First you’re not feeling well. Then Dylan gets sick and leaves—”
“Dylan’s gone?” Sophie tried not to look too happy.
“Yeah. Your brother’s game had just started, and your dad is pointing Bart out and asking why you aren’t there to watch, so I’m making excuses for you, saying that you don’t feel so great. And the next thing I know, Dylan has this severe headache and takes off. What a bunch of party poopers.”
Sophie patted Carrie Anne’s shoulder. “Sorry about that. But the nap actually helped. I feel okay now.” Sophie had no doubt that Dylan had left after realizing she was here. Still, that surprised her a little. Was he suddenly having an attack of conscience? Or did he just hate her as much as she hated him?
15
Although no one had actually invited Sophie to attend the church’s “town meeting,” she went anyway. She decided that, as a journalist, she needed to be there. She sat in the back, with her coat and her mini recorder on, and listened. What she heard didn’t surprise her in the least. It was similar to the rhetoric that she’d heard at school from Kelsey, Hannah, and Carrie Anne, only now it was mostly the grown-ups talking. And they made a bigger effort to “Christianize” the words.
“We’re not judging those poor pregnant girls,” said Mrs. North, Kelsey’s mom, in response to Pastor Vincent’s challenge to be more like Jesus. “If anything, we feel sorry for them. And we regret that they are being raised in a society where morals, values, and standards keep getting lower and lower.”
“That’s right,” said Mrs. Johnston, Hannah’s mom. “As adults and as Christians, we have to take some responsibility for the warped messages our children are getting. Think of what our children watch on TV or movies, or what they see on the Internet. It’s no wonder that girls are getting pregnant all over the place. And for the school to provide special treatment, well, it’s just like giving teen pregnancy the Good Housekeeping stamp of approval.”
Of course, everyone laughed at that.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Mrs. Vincent said. “As Christians, we need to take a stand