Sarah was standing at her locker during lunch period, fiddling with her stubborn lock. Why…won't this… darn lock… turn! She thought to herself, trying to force the knob. As usual, it was stuck, and no matter what she did, it would not turn.
"Arrgh!" She let out a frustrated sigh and tried once more. The lock clicked open.
"Finally!" Bending down, Sarah reached into her locker to get out the books she needed for her next class. Suddenly, a deep, lazy voice startled her.
"Hey, Beautiful." Sarah turned in surprise.
Jake Millar leaned against the locker right in front of hers, smiling at her suavely.
Oh no, Sarah thought to herself. But putting on a brave smile, she quickly said, "Hi, Jake. See ya later," then whirled around to leave again.
"Just a minute!" Jake's arm snaked out and grabbed Sarah's elbow. "Aren't you going to even say a proper hello to me?"
"Please keep your hands to yourself." Sarah said through gritted teeth.
"Aw, c'mon, Sarah," Jake wheedled, but reluctantly allowed his hand to drop. "So…whatcha doin' over winter break?"
Sarah was tempted to say "none of your business," then leave, but she forced herself to remain calm.
"I'm just going to do some traveling in northern Indy," she said. "Nothing big."
"Oh really? That's too bad. I was hoping we might be able to, you know, spend some time together. I'd like to get to know you better. Much better…"
Sarah winced. "I don't think—"
Jake cut her off. "It would be really fun. Just you and me. I could take you to some awesome concerts, and stuff." Jake leaned close. Too close.
Sarah started edging for the door. "Thanks, but I have some stuff to do up there anyway." The bell rang for fourth period.
"Oh, there's the bell. Gotta run!" Relieved, Sarah grabbed her books and hightailed it for the door.
"Catch ya later!" Jake called to her retreating back.
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Once outside the building, Sarah was accosted by her best friend Jenna, who had watched the whole scene through the glass doors of the locker building.
"Wow, Jake really likes you!" Jenna gushed.
"Please, let's not talk about it," Sarah groaned.
"Why? What's wrong with him?"
"Shush. Talk to you later." The two girls slipped into their seats in literature class as the bell rang.
"Good afternoon, class," Mrs. White, the senior history teacher, stood at the head of the classroom, watching her class sternly. "Today we are going to deviate from the usual lesson plan. Instead of studying British literature, we are going to learn about something a little closer to home. Now, who can tell me something about Nappanee, Indiana?"
Jenna's hand shot up immediately. "Yes, Miss Merkle?" Mrs. White called on Jenna.
"Nappanee is the center of one of the largest Amish communities in all of America!" Jenna stated proudly.
"Very good, Jenna," Mrs. White rewarded her with a smile. "Nappanee is indeed famous for the number of Amish people living there. Now, who can tell me something about the Amish?"
Various hands shot up, and Mrs. White called on each of the students in turn.
Brent Caldron: "They're old fashioned."
Amy Lane: "They ride in buggies."
George Custer: "They have the best food ever!"
Remi Sutton: "They're really religious."
Mycroft Banks: "They don't use modern technology."
"That is all correct," Mrs. White nodded after each answer. "Is there anything else someone might like to add?" She noticed Sarah sitting in the corner, silent, her chin in her hands. Even though she stayed silent, Sarah Logan was following the discussion with the greatest interest. Mrs. White noticed, and singled her out:
"What about you, Sarah? What do you know about the Amish?"
Slowly, Sarah spoke up. "They have a great sense of family and community."
Mrs. White nodded, as she had for the others. Then she turned to the class. "Okay, people. Please turn to page 253 in your textbooks. There you will find a short section on the Amish and their written works…"
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After school, Jenna caught up to Sarah as she was adjusting the strap on her backpack.
"Hey, Sarah!" she called cheerfully.
"Hi, Jen," Sarah smiled, then turned her attention back to the strap.
"So…want to tell me what that whole thing with Jake was all about?" Jenna teased.
Sarah sighed. "Jenna. Stop reading all those romance novels. There's nothing between us."
"I bet he wishes there were." Jenna smirked.
"Who knows?" Sarah shrugged, then slipped on her backpack and started walking toward the front of the school.
"Hey!" Jenna ran to catch up. "Really, Sarah, he likes you. A lot. I'll bet he'll try to ask you out sometime, if he hasn't already." Jenna threw a sideways glance at her friend.
Sarah tried not to blush. "Then he's wasting his time. I'm not interested in 'going out' with him or with anybody."
Jenna frowned. "Is this about your dad again? Because if it is, I know he'd want you to move on. Jake has nothing to do with your memory of your dad, anyway."
Sarah looked pained. "Can we talk about something else?"
"Always being elusive." Jenna shook her head sadly, then decided to humor her friend. "So what did you think about today's lit. lesson?"
"It was pretty interesting. I kinda admire the Amish." A smile returned to Sarah's lips, brightening up her whole face. Jenna was pleased with the success of her comment.
"Me too. Did you know my grandmother lives in Nappanee? She's not Amish, or anything, but she has a few Amish friends."
"Really? That's so cool! I wish I knew someone Amish," Sarah exclaimed.
"Hey, you're going to travel to northern Indy over winter break, right?" Jenna asked. "And I'm going to visit my grandmother, who happens to live in northern Indy. Nappanee, to be exact. Why don't you come with me? Granny won't mind."
Sarah's smiled. "Thanks, Jenna, but my mom already made reservations at the hotel."
"So? Cancel them and come over. I'm sure your mom won't mind. Wasn't she trying to get you up there so you could hang with more people your age, anyway? Well, I'm your age, so there!"
Sarah laughed at Jenna's enthusiasm. "How 'bout this: I'll ask my mom, then call you later this afternoon. It's only a small change in my plans, after all."
"Yee-ha!" Jenna whooped like a cowboy. "I'm sure your mom'll say yes!" She beamed at Sarah, who laughed and hooked her arm through her friend's.
"You are such an insistent person, Jenna," she grinned.
"I know I am," Jenna answered smugly. "I always get whatever I want."
"You wish!" Sarah swatted her friend's arm playfully.
"Well, I got you to agree, didn't I?" Jenna pointed out.
"True. But you still have to wait for me to talk to my mom."
"Well, be persuasive, okay? 'Cause if she says no, then I'll know you weren't convincing enough, and I'll march over to your house and talk to your mom myself!"
Sarah giggled. "Thanks, Jen."
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Leah was washing the dishes when Sarah arrived home.
"Hello, sweetie," she said, giving Sarah a quick kiss on the cheek. "How was school?"
"Pretty good. Hey, mom, can I ask you something?" Sarah placed her backpack on the kitchen table.
"Sure," Leah answered, a bit absent-mindedly.
"Well, you know about my trip up north? Well, I kinda want to change my plans a little."
"How so?" Leah dried her hands on a towel and looked at the shopping list taped to the refrigerator door. "Carrots…onions…parsley…" she muttered to herself, trying to figure out what she was forgetting.
"I was talking to Jenna, and she has a grandmother who lives up there. She wants me to stay with her over winter break."
"Jenna? Is it okay with her grandmother?" Leah scribbled something on the shopping list, then opened the refrigerator to check its contents.
"Jenna says it's fine. She just wanted to know if it's okay with you."
"Sure, honey, it'd be good for you to hang out with someone your own age over break." Leah closed the door and turned back to the dishes. "So you're going to Jenna's instead of the hotel?"
"Yeah, I guess that's the plan."
"Sounds good…oh, there's the phone," a ringing sound issued throughout the house, and Leah hurried around the counter to pick up the beige-colored communication device. "Hello? Oh, hi, Jenna. You want to talk to Sarah? Sure… hold on…"
Leah handed the phone to Sarah and returned to the sink.
"Well?" Jenna demanded as soon as Sarah had the phone up to her ear.
"Good heavens, Jen, you're really fast. I just got home, you know."
Jenna ignored her. "Did you talk to her?"
"Well…as a matter of fact, I did."
Jenna squealed. "So what did she say?"
"She said it's alright, as long as your grandmother won't mind."
"Oh, Granny loves company. This is too cool! I'm going to go call her right now. 'Bye, Sarah!" There was a click, and then a loud dial tone. Sarah hung up with a baffled laugh. Then, shaking her head in amusement, she got out the phone book.
"I guess I'd better cancel that reservation, then."
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