Tommy Nelson's Brave Girls Confidential Page 5

  Alyssa wobbled and tipped forward. She managed to avoid falling headfirst on the ground by grabbing ahold of the older girls. It seemed like Alyssa slid down the seventh-grade girl in slow motion. The crowd laughed. But Honor didn’t laugh. She ran over to see if Alyssa was okay.

  Honor helped her up. “I’m okay, really,” Alyssa said.

  When they saw that Alyssa wasn’t hurt, the squad got back to their routine. Before Honor took her seat, Alyssa smiled.

  “Thanks,” Alyssa said.

  • • •

  The next morning Mom let Honor take Snowball out of the cage for snuggles before school. As Honor held the kitten, she realized why she loved this kitten the most.

  Snowball didn’t look like the rest of the litter. He was different.

  This is what made Snowball so special.

  “It’s okay to be different, Snowball,” Honor said. “Actually, it’s great. I’m glad we’re different.”

  The kitten licked her face. He seemed to agree.

  That day she arrived at school wearing her favorite outfit: loose cargo pants, her long-sleeved T-shirt with a clouded leopard on the front, and her favorite Converse. She also wore a headband.

  Honor didn’t know if any of these things were “in” or “out,” but she didn’t care. She had tried and failed to dress cool. The stinky boots, the uncomfortable heels, and the scarf she was allergic to . . .

  Honor had learned her lesson.

  She didn’t have to fit in. God didn’t want her to try to be more like Alyssa, Jordyn, and Taylor. God just wanted her to be more like Him.

  In class that morning, Alyssa greeted Honor before sitting down. That was a first. Then, something else happened that surprised Honor. Alyssa turned around and gave her a friendly smile.

  “I like your headband,” Alyssa said.

  Honor felt her cheeks warm as she blushed. “Thanks.”

  Being herself felt a lot better than trying to be someone else.

  Dear God, You love me just the way I am. You created me to be special. Help me to want to be more like You than like anybody else. Amen.

  Talk About It

  1.Why does Honor try wearing things that don’t fit her or that she’s never worn before?

  2.Have you ever tried to fit in with the crowd?

  3.Why is Alyssa finally nice to Honor?

  4.What are some things that are special and unique about you?

  BACK TO THE SLEEPOVER

  Bedtime Talks

  Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.

  —1 Corinthians 14:26 NLT

  The Brave Girls lay in the dark next to one another, some inside their sleeping bags while others stretched out on top. The long windows lining the living room wall offered an incredible view of the moon high above the crashing waves.

  Honor had just finished telling the girls about her first few days of school and about how she had tried to fit in.

  “I can’t believe the Alyssa who was so mean to you turned out to be one of your best friends!” Gracie said.

  “I know!” Honor said. “It’s pretty neat. Alyssa figured out it’s no fun being with people who judge you all the time. It’s more fun to just be friends.”

  “So what about the other two girls, Jordyn and Taylor? Are you friends with them?” Glory asked.

  “We don’t really hang around them anymore. But we’re nice to them, even if they’re not always so nice,” Honor said.

  The sound of crunching interrupted Honor’s story. Glory waved the beam of her flashlight around the room.

  “Caught you, Hope!”

  “What can I say?” Hope said with her mouth full. “This caramel popcorn is delicious!”

  The rest of the girls laughed so hard that Glory had to shush them. She turned off the flashlight, allowing them to see the glowing moon hovering above the ocean.

  “Okay, here’s another question,” Glory said a bit louder than a whisper so the girls could hear her above Hope’s crunching. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

  Glory had opened up a couple of the windows to let the lulling sound of the ocean waves spill into the room. The moon had moved enough for them to see the glitter of stars in the dark sky. A gentle breeze circled around them. The girls stared out the windows at the glimmering twinkles.

  “Oh, can I go first?” Hope asked, her mouth still full of popcorn. She swallowed quickly. “I want to play on the Olympic soccer team. And I want to win a gold medal.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Gracie said. “You’re an amazing athlete.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What about you?” Glory asked Gracie.

  Gracie thought for a moment.

  “Well, I don’t know. I think it would be fun to be a singer.”

  “Absolutely,” Hope said.

  “You have a beautiful voice,” Faith said.

  “I didn’t even know I liked to sing a year ago,” Gracie said. “I owe that to all of you.”

  “What about you, Faith?” Honor asked.

  “That one’s obvious,” Hope said.

  “Let her talk,” Glory said, trying to make sure everybody got her turn fair and square, even though they all knew what Faith would say. It would surely be something about art.

  “I might become a doctor,” Faith said.

  All of them suddenly reacted the same way.

  “What?”

  “Huh?”

  “A doctor?”

  “Are you kidding?”

  Faith giggled. “You all thought I’d say I’d be an artist. But you can’t make a living from painting.”

  “Sure you can,” Glory said.

  “Name one painter,” Faith challenged.

  “Uh . . . Picasso? Van Gogh?” Glory guessed, knowing they were artists but not sure if they painted.

  “Can you name a painter who’s still living?” Faith asked again with a chuckle.

  “I guess not.”

  “You should do something you love,” Hope insisted.

  “I’d like to. But I don’t know how to do that and make money. My dad says it’s pretty impossible.”

  “I say Faith is going to be as famous as Picasso and Van Gogh and Rememberbrand!” Glory proclaimed.

  “You mean Rembrandt?” Faith asked.

  “Yeah—him too!” Glory said.

  They all laughed.

  The waves kept slowly crashing against the beach. The sound was hypnotic and helped the girls grow a little quieter and more tired. At least some of them.

  “I want to work with animals,” Honor said. “Maybe run an animal hospital or a place for rescued pets. Or maybe it could be the same thing.”

  “You guys sorta already run an animal hospital at your house,” Hope said.

  Honor laughed. “Yeah, I guess we do!”

  “I’d love to work with animals,” Faith said. “As long as they don’t stick their little paws in my paintings.”

  The girls giggled.

  “Hey, Honor,” said Faith, “I have an idea. What if I paint at night and work at your hospital during the day?”

  Honor nodded. “That’d be fun! But I’ve also thought about being a tour guide in an exotic place. Like Africa. I’d drive a Jeep around and show people the giraffes and lions and all the other wild animals.”

  “What about working at a zoo?” Gracie asked.

  “Yeah, that would be great,” Honor said. “Or maybe I could open up a special zoo in a foreign land. To protect the animals from being hunted.”

  “We could all visit you,” Glory said.

  “You’d need to call it the Brave Girls Zoo!” Honor said.

  “This is fun,” Faith whispered.

  “Glory, what about you?” Honor asked. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”<
br />
  Glory brushed back her hair, thinking.

  “I would love to open up a hair salon, or maybe have a little store that sells really cool boots, or maybe have my own line of clothes, or maybe just . . .” Glory said, not finishing her sentence.

  “Maybe just what?” Honor asked.

  All the girls looked at her. Glory didn’t want to say what she was really thinking.

  “Is it something to do with jewelry?” Faith asked.

  “Or maybe accessories?” Hope guessed.

  An emotion bubbled up inside of her, growing bigger and bigger until she could feel tears. Like the ocean outside was starting to flood in and fill her up.

  “Glory, what’s wrong?” Honor asked.

  They all looked surprised. Glory wanted their sleepover to be a happy time, but she knew her friends could tell she was feeling sad.

  “Maybe I just . . .” Glory said. “I just hope to always keep you guys as friends. To keep things normal. I don’t want anything to change. It’s scary to think of things changing.”

  “Are you thinking about your parents?” Gracie asked.

  Glory didn’t want to admit it, but she couldn’t hide it anymore. She nodded and then wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “I’m glad we started our Brave Girls group,” Glory said. “With all the changes lately, I’m really glad I have all of you as friends.”

  For a few moments, nobody said a word.

  “I’m sorry,” Glory said. “I didn’t mean to get all serious.”

  “That’s okay!” Hope said. “I’m glad you told us. And I’m glad we’re friends too.”

  “Me too,” Faith said. Honor and Gracie agreed.

  Honor shifted and then sat up on her sleeping bag. “Okay—I have a question for all of you. What do you think heaven will be like?”

  Their collective oohs and ahhs filled the room as they thought about their answers.

  “There won’t ever be sore losers like my brothers,” Hope said, half-joking and half-not. “They’ll be there, but they just won’t be annoying anymore.”

  “There will definitely be animals,” Honor said.

  “I hope Rufus will be there,” Gracie said. “He was our dog in Pennsylvania. When he died, we buried him in the backyard. I hated to leave him behind when we moved. Do you think pets will be in heaven?” Gracie asked.

  “Why not?” Honor replied. “God made animals, and He knows we love them. Why wouldn’t He have them waiting for us in heaven?”

  “Maybe they’ll be able to talk to us,” Glory said. The others giggled. “Hello, Gracie! I’ve missed you! It’s been ruff,” she said in a silly voice.

  “What about us?” Hope asked. “Think we’ll know each other in heaven? Think we’ll hang out?”

  “Yes, definitely,” Glory said. “Don’t you think, Honor?”

  “The Bible says we will be thanking God all day long in lots of different ways. I think we’ll each do that by being exactly who He created us to be.”

  “Like painting?” Faith asked.

  “Yes! Or singing or taking care of animals or playing sports or making people laugh,” Honor said. “That’s what my parents say anyway.”

  “That’s cool to think about,” Gracie said.

  With the moon drifting farther away from them, Glory yawned. She lay back on her pillow, closing her eyes for a minute.

  “I was nervous when you guys invited me to the group,” Hope whispered.

  “Not as nervous as I was at the top of that waterslide,” Faith said.

  They laughed.

  “I didn’t think it’d be like this,” Hope said. “I thought it’d be like church, where you listen to someone talking and you don’t say much. But instead, I found such awesome friends.”

  “I’m glad you decided to come, and you too, Gracie!”

  “It’s weird how you can think things will be one way and then they turn out completely different,” Hope said.

  Glory sat up. “I know exactly what you mean, Hope!”

  They started talking again, taking turns telling stories while the moon slipped out of view.

  ACCEPTING MISTAKES AND THINGS THAT AREN’T PERFECT

  Faith’s Masterpiece

  Worry makes a person feel as if he is carrying a heavy load. But a kind word cheers up a person.

  —Proverbs 12:25

  Let’s go on the zip line!” Anna said.

  Faith’s little sister ran past her up the hill. They’d just arrived at Appleberry Farm. The place was crowded with families picking out pumpkins, meeting animals in the petting zoo, and jumping in big, bouncy houses. Faith and Anna looked forward to going with Mom and Dad every year.

  “Come on!” Anna shouted, waving to them from behind a handful of other kids waiting to go on the zip line. Faith watched as the next rider climbed up the wooden platform at the top of the short hill, then hopped on the seat underneath the pulley. He seemed to fly down the hill holding on to the cable.

  “I’ll watch you from here, Anna,” Faith called out.

  She sat down at the base of the hill and pulled out her sketchbook to draw ideas for her October painting. She’d set a goal to finish one big painting every month of the school year. Mom considered art to be an important part of their homeschooling, but Faith knew she would be painting regardless.

  When it was Anna’s turn, she screamed happily all the way down the zip line. As Faith lost herself in sketching the sights at the farm, Anna came running up and tugged her shirt.

  “You’ve gotta take a turn, Faith! It’s so much fun!”

  Faith laughed. She wasn’t crazy about heights. But her little sister could be persistent, so she would have to distract her. “How about we pick out the perfect pumpkin first and then we can get caramel apples?”

  The mention of a sugary treat was all it took. Anna shouted, “Yay!” and then she was off and running.

  • • •

  The pounding shook the entire house. It sounded like horses were upstairs running around in circles. Faith sighed and closed her textbook, looking at the ceiling. She’d been trying to finish her English homework that was due at the end of the week, but with the noise, it was impossible.

  “Are you sure Anna just has three friends over, Mom? It sounds like way more!”

  Mom looked over from the stove and smiled knowingly.

  “Anna!” Mom called up the stairs. “Why don’t you and your friends go outside to play?”

  Anna and her friends rushed down the stairs, tore into the kitchen, and then ran around the table where Faith was sitting.

  “Want to play zip line?” Anna asked.

  Anna and her friends made swooshing sounds. They had their hands up in the air, pretending to fly through the house on an invisible zip line.

  “I’m trying to work here,” Faith said.

  Mom finally herded the kids outside. Faith opened her book again, but then she looked out the window and saw the younger kids hollering and having fun. Mom came over and put her hands on Faith’s shoulders.

  “You know, that’s not due until Friday,” she said.

  “I know. I just want to get it done so I can focus on my painting.”

  Faith thought her mom was going to say the thing she always said—not to worry so much—but she didn’t.

  Faith knew she shouldn’t worry. But sometimes she just couldn’t help it.

  After finishing her schoolwork, Faith got her paints together. The canvas on the easel was blank. She couldn’t decide what to paint.

  I’ve gotta start soon, before this month is almost over!

  Faith stood in front of the easel and canvas with her paints and brushes and everything ready to go. Her sketchbook nearby was full of scribbles and thoughts and illustrations, but so far she hadn’t put one dot of paint onto the white canvas. She had too many possibilities in mind.

  She wanted to paint like her favorite impressionist artist, a man with a Russian name she couldn’t pronounce. All of his pieces had the same look a
bout them. They were colorful scenes—usually at night with lots of lights.

  Faith considered painting the trail in the woods behind their house. Or the rolling hills of the Smoky Mountains. Maybe the way their house looked when lit up at night. Perhaps the morning sun slipping through her window.

  An idea suddenly sparked. She began to paint light blue for a clear sky on a summer day.

  This will be the best painting I’ve ever done, she thought.

  Later that day, Hope came over to hang out. As they walked into the house, sweaty and thirsty from practicing badminton, Hope asked Faith, “Can I see what you’re working on?”

  Faith had given up on ever playing football, but she actually enjoyed playing badminton (ever since Hope had shown her how), or at least she enjoyed trying to hit the birdie back and forth. While they were playing, she’d told Hope about how much time she’d spent working on her October painting. She just hadn’t said exactly what she was painting.

  “It’s not done yet,” Faith said, suddenly feeling shy. She poured Hope a glass of water.

  “It doesn’t matter—I bet it looks great!”

  Faith loved how Hope was always so excited and positive. It took a little persuasion, but Faith finally led her friend into the sunroom to see her work in progress.

  The picture showed a road leading into a tunnel with the sun shining through from the other side. Trees surrounded the top and sides of the tunnel.

  “Wow!” Hope said, walking up to the canvas. “That’s so amazing.”

  “I still have to finish the road at the bottom here,” Faith said. “And figure out the rest of the forest over on this side.”