Best-Friends with Issues

Chapter 16- Confessions of a Runaway Prisoner

I gazed lovingly at the back of Conner's head, which was still turned away from me. But by the shaking of his hands, I knew he was listening. "But I never once wished things had happened differently. Regret won't do anything but cause us more heartache. And if that hadn't happened, despite the anguishing circumstances, Conner and I might never have confessed our feelings to each other."

Conner finally faced me again, his eyes swimming with conflicting emotions of sorrow and enamour. I leaned over to give him a soft kiss on the cheek, and was rewarded with a million watt smile, with an adorable dimple on the side.

I faced forward again. "So if there really is a God out there somewhere, I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. And thank you."

The young priest smiled softly at us, nodding his head. "Amen."

We walked out of the booth, hand in hand.

I breathed out a sigh of relief when we finally sat down in the stands alongside our friends. It felt as if the weight that had been looming over my shoulders since the incident, had finally been lifted, and breathing suddenly wasn't difficult.

"Feel enlightened?" Jerry asked dryly, seeing our expressions.

"Yes, actually." Conner gave me another warm smile that made my heart race. "This sort of thing isn't so bad.... once in a while."

"Oh please." Alex rolled her eyes. "We heard you two when you were bickering- were you guys actually having an argument in a confession booth?"

I shrugged guiltily. "Call it self discovery?" I offered.

Lilly snorted. "Self discovery usually involves one person, not a pair of idiots." Tom only rolled his eyes in silent agreement with his ex-girlfriend.

Jerry stood up and made a show of dusting himself off. "Well," He clapped his hands together. "I guess I'm up last!" He jogged over the the box with a mischievous smirk on his face, and I silently prayed for the young priest.

Jerry almost took as long as Alex did, which was surprising in that he seemed to take pride in his wrongdoings.

When he finally emerged from the box, we all groaned at the self-satisfied look of triumph on his face.

"What the hel-heck" Alex corrected herself. "-did you do to him?"

The young priest in question shakily emerged from the box, face beet red and eyes downcasted and watering like a terrified rabbit. He trembled and stiffly walked away from us without another word, and it was then that I noticed the obvious bulge in his clothes.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head as I gaped at Jerry in pure disbelief. Tom groaned and covered his eyes with his hands. "Please tell me you didn't. Please, for the love of God tell me you didn't."

Jerry merely shrugged, glancing back at where the priest was hurriedly leaving with a sly grin. "What? Cute is cute."

"Sexually harassing a male priest, in a church? Really, Jerry?" Conner asked incredulously.

"Priest in training." Jerry corrected. He smirked. "His name is Levi."

Alex slapped a hand to her forehead and started marching out of the church, exclaiming, "I guess we're all going to hell!"

The rest of us quickly followed her out, leaving Jerry standing there with his arms outstretched in a question. "Why? Was that bad?"

However, just as we were rushing to the car in our escape from the church, we ran into a small group of hookers. And not like, snuck into a club to rescue some friends dressed up like hookers, either. Like, real hookers.