Why I Can't Rule The World

No. 12

"And when Jesus heard it,
he said to them,
'Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick.
I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners.'"
--Mark 2:17

<<<<<<<<<

I walked into school the next day, Monday, absolutely dreading it.

It wasn't just because that's the stereotypical Monday feeling either. If it had been a Tuesday it would've been just as bad. I secured my backpack on my shoulders and walked into the school. Not only would I have to interact with Shelly, I'd also be questioned about where I snuck off to. I played with the flash-drive I had in my pocket, which I had downloaded all the pictures onto last night. It was late, and I was tired from the weekend, so who knows if they even all got on there.

Asher wouldn't leave me. I had to play with him and watch him. It was oddly silent for the rest of the day until Pearl arrived home. Even then, there were no sounds of a family living there. Finally, that night when he fell asleep, I could put him to bed, do some homework, and download the pictures.

The crowd in the school lobby was tightly packed. I weaved my way through the pockets of cliques with my head down, especially avoiding the people I know went to the party. Thankfully no one seemed to notice me and I made it to my locker with no one interfering.

As I was pulling books out of the compartment, I waited for someone to come and just slam my hand in the door. Shelly was surely not going to be happy with me for leaving, and would probably get back at me for it later. What confused me was Ace. Of all people, he didn't want to be there. I guess he couldn't have liked her that much if he wasn't pursuing her. I don't blame him, she's way to possessive.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and immediately whipped around.

"What do you want?!" I exclaimed, assuming it was Jimmy or Marcus.

Only it wasn't. It was Sawyer.

"Oh, hey," I said, feeling a little embarrassed. "Sorry."

"It's fine. We told Alivia," he said, getting right to the point.

"Told her what-- Oh." I remembered what he had told me about his dad and the tumor. I never asked if it was cancerous, and I really hoped it wasn't. Why do the worst things happen to the best of people?

"Yeah," he said quietly. "She didn't take it well."

His eyes flickered to the ground and he shifted his feet. The sad look on his face seemed to become a part of him, and I hated it. I wish he could go back to the usual Sawyer, the one I had met at first.

"She didn't come to school today. I don't know what else to do. I tried talking to her about it after my parents told her. She just shut herself up in her room, not wanting to talk to anyone," he explained.

Me heart grew heavy as he went on. First Sawyer and now Alivia. What next, Asher? I shivered at the thought of her being so upset she didn't even have the heart to talk to her brother. I wondered what she was doing, if she wasn't at school or anything.

"Is there anything I can do? At all?" I asked.

"Just pray. Oh, and come over tonight," he said, a little amused with his own change in the conversation. "We can read the Bible for a little bit."

"Should I come over when your family is... You know, going through this?"

Not only was I a little uncomfortable with the idea of studying the Bible in the first place, there was also the matter of intruding during a very bad time.