Here Comes the Light (Cambrooke #1) (33 page)

Chapter 33

D
eclan reaches over in the dark auditorium and squeezes my hand. I wonder if he knows how nervous I am. His support does give me comfort. Jess is already on stage doing her talent. She is wearing a little less than what most people wear for underwear and doing some crazy provocative dance. My jaw is slack. It’s nothing more than a striptease the guys in the student body are hooting her on. I look at Declan with wide eyes. He isn’t even looking at her. He is just staring at me with a light smile.

“I love you.” He whispers and his thumb grazes the back of my hand.

“Love you too, D.” I whisper back.

When
Jaylynn gets up she sings. Her voice is beautiful but the lyrics are horrid about sex and drinking.  When her song is finished is when my stomach turns and I feel like I am going to throw up. It is my turn. I know God has a plan. My name is announced and there is cheering. With every step toward the stage my feet feel heavier. The cheering continues until I am all the way on the stage. I know I’m literally shaking at this point. I wish Declan could be up here with me, but I know I need to rely on God right now and not Declan.

I hav
e the microphone in my hand and I thank Shelby. I look out at the student body the auditorium is dark thankfully, so I can’t see anybody. I clear my throat and put the microphone up to my mouth. I hope the shaking isn’t obvious to my audience. As soon as I open my mouth the whole place goes silent.

“I know I am supposed to have a tale
nt, to make you all vote for me,” as soon as I begin to speak I feel peace. “But I don’t care if I get homecoming queen. I am not up here to promote myself. Most of you I have known since Kindergarten. You know I was young when I lost my mom.”  I can’t believe how steady my voice is right now considering there are tears forming in my eyes. “After my mom died, my dad tried. He was hurting as well. He threw himself into his work so he could number one, give me everything I could ever want and number two forget about his own pain. The truth is no amount of material things ever could replace my mom and dad. I was left to myself at just nine years old.”

I have to pause and take a deep breath.  “All I ever wanted was to belong. I just wanted all of you to like me. Accept me so I wouldn’t be completely alone; but popularity didn’t fill the void in my heart either.”
I touch my heart. “When I was 13 I started cutting, so I could numb the emotional pain. I never felt like anything I ever did was good enough. I felt like if I made one little mistake I would be thrown from my popularity title and forgotten about. Whenever something happened to me, or I was just having a bad day that is when I would fall on my cutting for comfort. I would tear my skin so I wouldn’t feel the tear in my heart.” My voice finally cracks. I know Declan can’t be up here with me, but if I could just see him that would make this easier. The room remains silent during my pause to regain composer.

“I would use needles, broken glass, razors anything that would pierce my skin. Even though the cuts temporarily dulled the pain in my life, it didn’t fill the void in my heart. I began to starve myself because I wasn’t as skinny as the girls on television or the ones I see in magazines or even some of my friends. If only I was the skinniest than I would be worthy. Still, being skinny didn’t fill the void either.  A few months ago I met someone and found out I needed true love to fill that void.  True love was everything I needed. He accepts me for who I am. I don’t have to try to be anyone else.”

I take a long deep breath before I finish. “He loves me so much He died for me and He did the same for every single one of you. The one met is Jesus.”

“Alright, Miley, that is enough.” Mr. Turner swipes the microphone out of my hand. “Please return to your classes immediately and cast your votes.” He says into th
e microphone. I begin my way off stage. “Not so fast Miss Davis. I need to see you in my office now.” He speaks with authority.

My heart sinks what did I do? I have never been in trouble here before. I follow him as he storms to his office. Trying to keep up and avoid my peers trying to tell me how wonderful I did.  He slams the door to his office as soon as we are inside. I notice a large vein at the top of his bald head is throbbing. “I am very disappointed in you.” He snaps as he grabs a stress relief ball of
f his desk and begins to squeeze.

“What exactly did I do?” I speak softly as to not make him any angrier.

He shakes his head and looks at me like I am stupid for asking this. “You cannot push your religion on the students here.”

I let out a laugh, probably not the smartest thing to do. “Are you se
rious, Jess did a striptease is she going to get in trouble?”

“She was dressed.” He snaps.

“Barely.” I huff and cross my arms.

He glares at me as his throbbing vein speeds up. “I have to suspend you for this.” He sighs as he sits at his desk and covers his vein which I am thankful for because I can’t stop looking at it. It is grossing me out a little. “I
also have to disqualify you from the homecoming queen race.”

“I didn’t want it anyway.” I shrug with a smirk.

“Miley.” He shouts slamming his hand on his desk, “You cannot talk about Jesus here especially to the whole student body. This is a public school.”

My face gets warm and my heart speeds up. “So what if I talked about Budd
ha or Mohammad, would that be okay? I mean considering they are not even God.”

“Your suspension starts now.” He growls. “Three days.” He holds up three fingers. “One more
word and I will make it a week.”

I don’t say another word but I do let out a frustrated sigh as I take the suspension slip from him. I have my hand on the door knob when he speaks again. “Miley, you have no right to tell
a person who is and who isn’t God, not in my school.” He says in a low daring tone before I make my way out of the office.

“Miley, what is going on?” Declan takes my hand and looks over my shoulder.

“I have to leave.” I slap my suspension notice in his hand.  “Three days for saying Jesus on stage.” I march toward my locker.

“This is bull crap, Miley.” He waves the slip in the air. “He can’t do this.”

“But he did.”

“If you leave I am leaving.”

I stop and turn towards him. “No, D. You don’t need to get in trouble with me.”

“I am taking a stand for my faith.” He nods.

“I’m leaving too.” I turn to see Jaylynn she smiles at me. “I’m so sorry what I put you two through. Miley that speech made me see how far away from Christ I have gotten. I remember feeling Jesus’ love when I was little and what you said today made me miss that.”

“I’m going as well.” Garrett says standing beside Shay.

“Me too.” Shay nods and I begin to hear more saying they are leaving I look up to about a dozen students.

“What is going on here?” Mr. Turner barks at us.

“Looks like students are taking a stand.” Miss Andrews says smugly. I didn’t know she was a Christian.

“You are all suspended if you don’t get back to class.” His speaks in a quick
growl. Nobody is fazed by the threat. “I am not going to have a rebellion break out here.” We all turn and walk out the front door.

Declan calls Nate and we head to the church to meet him the other students follow. I am amazed at what God is doing right now. Teens are praying for other teens, some are at
the alter on their knees crying. Declan slides his arm around my shoulders and kisses my forehead.  “I’m proud of you, Mi.” he smiles lovingly at me.

“God did have a plan after all, huh?” I can’t help but smile at all the souls that are being healed in front of me.
I am surprised to see Ethan Chambers approach us his hands are in the pockets of his faded jeans and his head is down.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbles.
“That was awesome, what you did today.” He looks at me. “I hope you can forgive me.”

“I forgive you.” I say.

He clears his throat. “You made a difference it was like you were speaking directly to me. You know. I mean I wasn’t trying to be the skinniest, but I was trying to be the strongest and fastest. Always comparing myself to the others on the football team; even when I was declared the best, it still wasn’t good enough for me. You were the one girl at that school who didn’t look at me like I was a god. I needed you to want me so I could prove to myself I was the best.” He looks down at the ground.  “Now I know that what God thinks about me is the only thing that matters.”

“I’ve been praying for you.”

He looks back up at me in surprise. “Really? After everything I did?”

“It isn’t about me.”
I nod.

Ethan looks at Declan. “That night I tried to… and you saved Miley. I saw an angel behind you. It didn’t look like the chubby baby angels though. He was huge and looked like a strong warrior.
I wasn’t sure what to think of it at the time, all I knew is I wasn’t going near you with that thing guarding you.”

“Wow.” Declan says almost in a daze. “That is cool to know.”

“I understand if you guys don’t want to be my friend, but I would like to have you as friends if you are willing.” Ethan holds out his hand to shake, but Declan pulls him into a hug. I can see this shocks Ethan a little.

“Of course I want to be your friend.”  Declan and Ethan
begin their own conversation as I walk off. Nate approaches me.

“You have overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of your testimony.” He tells me. I smile at him and nod when I feel a hand on my elbow I turn to see Garrett.

“Mi, there is someone here I want you to meet.” He tells me.

“Okay.” I speak slowly as I follow him into the foyer.  I gasp when I see Carly’s best friend Bree standing there. She looks tired in jeans and a sweatshirt her hair brown hair is in a pony tail that looks like it is about to fall out. “Bree.” I pull her into my arms like she is my long lost friend.

“You two know each other?” Garrett asks surprised.

I nod and pull away. “How have you been?”

Bree bites her lip and her eyes get all watery she glances up at Garrett. “I’ll tell her.” he whispers as he wraps an arm around her. I tilt my head are they together? Garrett isn’t supposed to be dating. “We have been seeing each other since before school started. I was with her when I got caught sneaking back into the house that night.” Garrett clears his throat. “You remember me telling you I am in a whole lot of trouble?” I nod as I look toward Bree who is scraping nail polish off her nails. “Bree is pregnant.” He says quickly.

“Bree.”
I say my heart going out to her. I fling my arms around her again. I feel her sob.

“I think that is where that rumor about you came from. Maybe somebody heard my girlfriend was pregnant and thought they said Declan Light instead of Garrett Light.” Garrett explains.

“How are you holding up?” I ask her.

“Not good.” She mumbles into my shoulder. “I was going to have an abortion, but Garrett has been begging me not to.”

I look up at Garrett. “I wish you would have told me.”

He shrugs. “I don’t know what my parents are going to do.”

“What you said today gives me the courage to face this.” Bree says as she swipes tears from her face with the back of her hand. Garrett’s arm slides around her and pulls her close to him as he kisses the top of her head. I wonder if that is something their dad does a lot because Declan is always kissing the top of my head.

“God has a plan for you.” I tell Bree. She nods and sniffs. I look back to Garrett. “Can we tell D? He has been worried about you.”

“I’ll go get him.” Garrett says before leaving Bree and I.

“I don’t know what I am going to do with a baby.” She confesses. “I am only fifteen.”

“There is always adoption.”

Bree shakes her head. “I don’t think I can do that.”

“I know if you keep it Garrett will be there for you.” The front door of the church makes a loud crack when it is slammed I look up to see my dad, red faced pacing towards me.

“Miley Anne, what do you think you are doing?” His loud voice echoes through the hall. “I got a call from the school you were suspended and took half the student body with you?”

“Hardly half, Dad.” I laugh.

“I don’t find it funny, young lady.” He takes a hold of my elbow. “You are coming home now.” I know it is
best to go with my dad before I get into any more trouble I look over my shoulder towards Bree.

“Can you tell
Declan where I am?” I ask. She nods looking a little shell shocked. My dad does look intimidating right now.