"I heard that you're going out with my little sister." A sophomore boy found me at lunch.

"I swear," I said, for about the hundredth time, "I'm not going out with Caroline. I only met her twice."

"She says she's in love with you."

"I don't care." I nearly shouted. I was still suffering from lack of sleep. Caroline had called roughly every ten minutes. Neil, too, was working on about three hours of sleep. He winced when I raised my voice.

"Volume." He begged softly. "My head."

"Right, sorry." I said. "But my relationship with Caroline is nonexistent."

"If you make her cry, you'll go to hell." Caroline's brother threatened before turning and leaving the lunchroom.

"Stop." I called after him.

"E-than." Neil groaned. "Will you just be quiet?"

"Sorry." I said, jumping up and getting my foot caught on the table. After jumping to disentangle myself, I scrambled after him, trying to explain myself. Well, sort of trying, since I couldn't exactly tell him everything.

"But I don't like her." I said. "I hardly even know her. And she just declared the other day that we were going out, and--"

"Shhhh." The boy shushed me as we entered another building. I noticed a cross and pews. It was a church. "We're in God's house now. Let's not argue."

I stopped trying to talk to explain, but didn't stop following him. Maybe I'd get a chance on his way out. How long did a stop by the local school chapel take anyway?

The answer: a long time.

first, I met Father Dominic. He's, well, the father dude. He greeted the boy by name (and his name was Gabriel, as in the angel.), shook my hand warmly, and formally welcomed me into the church. Even before I started at Lakewood, I hadn't been very religious, and kneeling next to Gabriel for half an hour in front of a half naked, bleeding man on a cross was not exactly my cup of tea. After my knees went numb, I spoke to Gabriel. "So, do you come here everyday?"

He nodded. "I try to pray as much as possible."

"But do you have to do it here?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I do."

"But I'm sure God listens when you're standing up." I told him, slowly getting to my feet (my legs hurt too.)

"Ethan, if you're going to date my sister--"

"I'm not dating your sister!" I shouted, and my voice rang out lounder than I had expected, echoing in the stone sanctuary. "I don't like your sister that way. I don't like anybody that way. Just leave me alone!"

I stomped out of the church, fed up with this Caroline business. If I ever saw her again...

Neil was sleeping in our room, so I walked down the hall and pounded on Taki and Edmund's door.

Edmund answered, his lower body wrapped in a towel and his hair still wet from a shower. "Can I help you?"

I turned red. "I'll come back later."

"Embarrassed, are we?" Edmund asked. "You're really shy."

"Ethan?" Taki said from in the room. "Is that you?"

"No." I called to him. "Just another, random stranger, knocking on your door. I'll be going now." I walked down the hall, Edmund's laughter chasing after me.