Caught Inside

Chapter Forty

"Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." – Matthew 28:20

With the end of November came the end of college applications, warm summer weather, and the struggles of the beginning of the school year. Thanksgiving break was welcomed with open arms by every member of the gang, for it meant a well-deserved break from homework, tests, drama, and the other headaches that came with high school. Instead, the gang relished their midmorning surf sessions in the cool, glassy water, spontaneous bike rides to Scottie's for lunch, and an uninterrupted time of bonding and friendship that had been lacking for the first three months of school.

Alana woke up on Thanksgiving morning with her heart already prepped for the excitement of the day. She made a cup of coffee, wrapped herself in three layers of blankets, and curled up on her bed to spend a few quiet minutes reading God's Word. Instead of bowing her head as she prayed, she lifted her eyes to the blue cloud-filled expanse of the sky outside her bedroom window. Her heart overflowed with thanksgiving. She was still coming to terms with the shame she felt from rejecting Cole, but now was the first time she finally believed she was forgiven. Her slate had been wiped clean. Cole had made his mistakes and she had made hers, but this was a new chapter for them. They had passed through a tumultuous struggle and emerged victorious. Now that was something to be thankful for.

Fifteen minutes later, Alana was interrupted by the sounds of Dylan and Tammy getting ready for the day. They were joining the Andersons for a Thanksgiving lunch at noon, and after that, Alana would join the gang for what Jake had famously dubbed The Quad Date. It was basically a quadruple date made up of Maya and Jake, Alana and Cole, Koa and Nikki, and Blaine, who—much to his chagrin—had been set up with a blind date.

While she thought ahead to all the day's events, Alana smiled imperceptibly, knowing that the Quad Date was going to make for an extremely fun evening.

As with all holidays, however, the anticipation far outlasted the actual duration of the holiday. Thanksgiving was no exception. Lunch came and went quicker than Alana would have liked. It was both relaxing and entertaining to eat Thanksgiving turkey, ham, and stuffing with Tammy on one side of her, Dylan on the other, and the Anderson twins sitting across from them.

But then it was time for the quadruple date. Even though she normally didn't obsess over what to wear, Alana found herself staring at her closet for ten whole minutes, pondering what was acceptable for a dressy-casual date. She finally sighed and dialed Maya's number, hoping her friend would be able to get her out of the predicament.

Maya was more than happy to help Alana choose an outfit to wear. After Alana described several of her tops (and a few dresses that she had shoved in the back of her closet, hoping she would never have to wear them), Maya finally picked two outfits and told Alana to send a picture of each of them once she had tried them on. Alana obediently followed her friends' instructions, and in the end Maya had her wear a light silver dress with a black cardigan and ankle boots.

With just ten minutes before Cole was supposed to pick her up for the Quad Date, Alana hurriedly brushed her teeth, fashioned her hair to hang down in its typical beach waves, and pulled on her shoes.

The doorbell rang moments later. Though Alana heard it loud and clear, causing her heart to perform an uncharacteristic flutter, Dylan nonetheless hollered "Cole's here!"

Alana raced downstairs and met her brother in the foyer. She saw Tammy peek her head above the back of the couch and smile.

"Have fun!" Tammy said.