Love You Like The Movies (#3 in Light For You Series)

Chapter Fourteen (Help You Stand)

Susanna's POV

I do believe this will be my best year ever. I'm in love!!! Wow, that stills feels amazing.

I'm enjoying the cool and crisp air this early January morning. I randomly decided to walk to my interview and enjoy God's creation this beautiful morning.

Oh right. My interview. I got a call this morning from one of the places I had left an application. I'm possibly going to be working at Talent Academy!!!!! How exciting and amazing is that?!? Thank you, God. It's a dream come true, a job at a Christian talent school.

Something catches my eye across the street, I make my way over carefully. Inside the store is a guy that looks a lot like my Joey. It is! I look up at the store sign. A jewellery store? What's he doing there? It's already past his Mom's birthday. Odd... What really makes me stop is the woman that keeps trying to fawn all over him. My heart tumbles a bit. No! Why? But then, Joey steps away from the woman whose most striking features are her blonde hair and red high heels.

I duck behind a car, embarrassed when Joey comes out of the store and gets in his car, but not before saying, "Please, leave me alone, ma'am. I'm taken." And with that he gets in his car and pulls away.

"Hmph." I hear the blonde say. "She must have not taken me very seriously."

I gasp, and stumble backwards falling back into a car. I quickly stand and find the woman looking at me through heavily mascara clad eye lashes. "It's... You! Isn't it?" The words flow forth.

"Yes. I'm Tess Baker. The one Joey should really be with." She crosses her arms across her chest. "Apparently, you didn't take my threats very seriously."

"You tried to kill me!" I struggle to hold down my voice. "And I chose to stay because of the One True King that stands with me. God is with me."

She shrank back. "Your not afraid?"

"No. I'm staying in Nashville too. I'm not running. I'm gonna stand. And I won't give up on Joey either." I stand tall, speaking with confidence. Tess runs down the street into her bake shop and things start falling in place. Making sense. The cupcake. Of course.

I high tail my way down the street to the academy, making it just in time for my interview. Long story short, I'm going to be a teacher there now, taking the place of my pregnant friend, English teacher, Mrs. Kelly.

I dial Joey on the way walking back home to share the awesome news. "Joey. I'm going to be teaching at Talent Academy." I squeal into the phone with excitement.

"That's awesome. What are you gonna be teaching?" Joey replies.

I laugh at the irony, since he had used such bad grammar. "English teacher."

He groans, joking playfully, "Oh no. First Caleb, now you." He laughs, "He's going to wanna be a guest teacher, you know that, right?"

I laugh, "Yeah." Before I can say anything else a bad car accident up ahead in an otherwise empty field catches my eye. My stomach feels like it's in my shoes. "I'll call you back later, Joey." I hang up and push back the memories of my own accident. Smoke is coming out from under the hood. No one has come on the accident yet. I call 911 and explain the location and what's going on.

I look in the car and my eyes grow wide. It's Tess Baker. The baker who had it out for me. She's nearly unconscious. "Tess? Wake up. Don't go to sleep." The smell of alcohol and gas fumes fills the air.

She groans and moves her head, and sobs wrack her body. "Susanna. Leave me alone. I deserve this. Let me just die."

"No. Every life is worth something. Listen, I'm going to sing. How about that? Sing with me, stay awake." I start singing Help You Stand once through, and the second time Tess is crying again and singing just a bit.

I sniff the air. The smells are stronger. "Does anything feel broken, Tess?"

"I... I don't know. I don't think so." She murmurs her eyes heavy. The passenger door is crunched in and I make my way over to the driver side of the overturned car.

I open the door and talk soothing. "Listen I have to get you out, work with me, okay?"

Tess nods slowly. "Kay."

Somehow between God and adrenaline, I have the strength to get Tess unbuckled and out of the car. I manage to get her a good fifty feet away before a large boom sounds behind us. I put Tess on the ground carefully as the ambulance, fire truck, and squad car arrives. The ambulance rushes Tess to the hospital, and th police officer stands beside me. Both of us watching the remains of the car that just exploded. "You did the right thing, young lady."

"Thank you, sir. Is there anyway I could get a ride to the hospital?" I ask.

Without question the officer takes me there and explains the situation that had unfolded. When they have her stable they let me into the hospital room. Tess is hooked up to all sorts of machines and she opens her eyes as I enter the room.

"Why would you help me, Susanna?" Her voice is raspy.

"Because that fierce can do attitude of yours would be awesome if put to good for God." I say lightly.

Tess returns a weak smile. Then frowns. "Shouldn't you hate me?"

"It's not easy, Tess. But no, I don't. But God helped me countless times. His Son, Jesus Christ died for me. He forgave my sins, so the least I can do is forgive and love those that persecute me."

Tess thinks about my words. "So did.... Jesus die for me, too?"

"Absolutely yes!" I say, clapping my hands together."He wants you to come to Him, and to shun the devil's lies and an eternity in eternal flames."

"Even though... I done bad things?" She shakes.

"Totally. Often times those people have the best testimonies to bring others to Him." I nod.

"I want that." She says. She bows her head and prays from her heart. "God... I know I have turned you away many times before. Forgive me, please. Help me to turn from my wicked ways. Throw my sins away. Make a new life in me, Jesus make Your home in my sinful heart."

I cried as the words flowed from the girl that had tried to wrong me. Her prayer was heartfelt and she was crying as well. She kept apologizing for everything she had done. Happy that no one had been severely hurt. We talked and I pulled a Bible out of my satchel and gave it to her. "Read His Word daily and pray. And if you ever need a friend, call me."

As I make my way out of the hospital, and back towards home I find myself laughing. To think the girl that was out to get me, was brought to Christ by God using me!

God sure works in mysterious ways doesn't He?

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Author's Note:

Okay this was amazing and left me smiling. I had my phone playing on random while I started writing this chapter. It was like God picked the next song. Because with like halfway through the second song, "Help You Stand" by Anthem Lights started playing. WOW!! Tears here! God is so amazing!!! :D I can't stop smiling!
Why do you think Joey was in the jewelry store? ;)
Oh and did anyone catch the little joke I made reffering to the person who plays Tess? Kellie Pickler? No? Anyways, nothing against her, just thought she would be good to play Tess.
One more chapter to go before Love You Like The Movies is finished!!!!! Yay! And fun fact.... I actually had the final chapter of this book written a long while before I even started writing the first chapter.
:)