October to October

{Chapter Thirteen}

  "So you don't think I'm broken?" 

  "I'm sure you aren't," Joan said and rolled her eyes. "No one is broken. We're all just different, and that's what makes life interesting. The thing that changed things for me was that I met the right person."

  "You did? Did you fall in love?"

  "Yes."

  Joan never said with who though, and Lauren didn't ask. Instead Lauren went home to shower, and now she was at her house and ready to go to Youth Fest with Jake.

  Lauren hoped Joan would come to the festival. Joan promised she would since Lauren helped out with the library cleaning even though Lauren would have helped anyway. She enjoyed working on Joan's house. She got to spend time with her friend, and she got to help fix up the coolest house she'd ever seen. 

  Joan said they were going to turn it into something special. They already had plans to fix the yard up in the summer. They were going to plant flowers, and a few new trees to replace the old ones that had to be cut down. There were still a few large ones that changed colors beautifully in the fall, but they decided the yard needed more. Joan said she wanted a canopy to read under during the summer. It sounded lovely to Lauren.

   She thought about what Joan said about meeting the right person. Could Jake be the wrong person? Lauren didn't want to think about it, but it kept popping into her head as they drove to the Youth Fest. 

  Everyone was already there and setting up by the time they arrived. Wren and Henry putting together their booth near the bleachers. Henry made a large sign with his and Wren's faces painted on it and the words "Free Face Painting" in rainbow letters with glitter. Jake gave Lauren a look.

  "So that's Wren's boyfriend?"

  "That's Henry," Lauren said as she waved.

  "Lauren!" Henry yelled as he ran to hug her, and he picked her up in the air and spun her around. "You look beautiful today. I didn't know you'd be here."

  "Oh, I just told you several times she would be," Wren said; smirking. "Hey Jake, I don't think you've met my boyfriend Henry."

  "Hey..." Jake didn't look happy. Lauren guessed he didn't like Henry hugging her. "I'm Lauren's boyfriend."

  "I didn't know you had a boyfriend," Henry said to Lauren. "I feel like our love has been a lie. I don't think we can see each other in secret anymore. It's okay for me to have a girlfriend, but I'm not putting up with any boyfriend nonsense. I know it's a double standard, but that's how the world works, sweetheart."

  "He's kidding," Lauren said to Jake as Wren elbowed Henry hard in the side even though they were both laughing. "And I talk about him all the time, right?"

  "All the time," Henry repeated.

  "That's good to hear. Well, it's nice to meet you," Jake said with a smile, but Lauren could tell it was forced.

  "And you, kind sir," Henry said and bowed.

  "Henry is criminally insane," Wren said with a sigh. "So what are you doing today Jake?"

  "I'm helping set up the bands," Jake said; shoving his hands in his pockets as he continued to look uncomfortable. "Alex and his friends are going to be playing."

  "Your brother has a band?" Henry asked with interest. "Would I know them?"

  "Probably not. They just play at church events," Jake said. "I think a lot of people would like them to, but Alex is pretty serious about it just being for God."