"You're going to church?" Indy eyed his son, unconvinced. Shorty blushed slightly but remained stubborn as ever. "Just for the morning service."
Dr. Jones said nothing for a moment, then nodded. "All right, just don't stay too long. Those guys are a bad lot."
The Chinese teen looked up at the ceiling momentarily and then turned from his father's study door. "Will do."
It was only three blocks to the church, so Shorty walked. He refused to dress up like the other boys who went to church. Most of them wore suits and ties. Shorty wore a clean white collared shirt and black trousers. Basically the same sort of thing he wore to classes every day.
Shorty didn't know exactly why he wanted to go to church this morning. Probably just wanted to get his mind off recent matters. He wasn't exactly the 'church type', as Indy put it, but he liked to go now and then. Sometimes there were useful things to learn, and other times it was just a bunch of 'lame stuff about going to Hell'.
"Oh, hi Shorty!" a smooth feminine voice called from across the parking lot as he made his way to the church's double doors. Sabrina Snow quickly caught up to her friend, walking beside him. "It's been a while since I saw you here." She smiled that smile that sent shivers up Shorty's spine.
"Been a while since I needed any preaching at." He replied, smiling wryly. The two entered the building together and Sabrina turned to face him momentarily. "My dad won't want me to sit with you." She said, regret shining in her green eyes. From the second pew down, Shorty could just make out Sabrina's parents eyeing them like hawks.
He nodded curtly. "See you in class then." Sabrina hurried off to join her parents, her slim form disappearing in the throng of people searching for seats. Shorty didn't have this problem, as he always knew exactly where he wanted to sit. The very back pew, on the side farthest from the entry doors. The seat was taken this time, however.
"Mind if I sit here?" Shorty motioned to the seat next to the young man in his spot.
The man looked up for a moment then exited into the isle. "Certainly." He allowed Shorty to file in then regained his spot. "Say, haven't I seen you before?" he asked politely.
"Maybe." Shorty eyed the man, trying to think where he'd have met him. "Oh yeah... you're the man who gave me a ride Friday night."
Adam smiled. "And you're that crazy Jones boy who needed a nightcap."
Shorty winced momentarily, but forced himself not to let on that it hadn't been a very good night. "Guess you could put it that way."
Before they could continue the conversation, the preacher stood from his chair behind the pulpit and turned on the microphone.
"Good morning." He began in the cliche way. The congregation echoed his greeting as usual. "First of all I'd like to welcome our many visitors." Murmurs of approval. Shorty felt suddenly exposed and he slouched slightly in his seat. "Let us open this wonderful morning's service with a word of prayer." Shorty watched as almost everyone in the auditorium closed their eyes and bowed their heads. It never made sense to him why they thought they had to close their eyes. He chanced a look over at his companion. Mr. Birch had his head bowed, hands folded and eyes... open. Shorty raised an eyebrow.
"In Jesus precious name, amen." The preacher looked out at his congregation once again.
"Can't stand keeping my eyes closed for that long." Adam confided in a whisper. Shorty allowed one corner of his mouth to curl into a very small smile.
The service continued in such fashion. Shorty found it difficult to pay attention. The service was a jumble of verses in Proverbs. Apparently the church had been working it's way through the book for some time now. There was too much for the teen to take in in one sitting, so he simply waited for the service to end. He eyed the clock hanging on the back wall. Five minutes over time. He rolled his eyes towards the church's cathedral ceiling. Next to him, Adam twiddled his thumbs impatiently.
"For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." The preacher read solemnly. Shorty looked up from the fly he'd been watching. "Let us remember, dear brethren," he continued, "Just as a father must reprove his son, so God reproves us when we stumble."
Shorty realized just a moment too late that Adam seemed to be watching him, no doubt curious as to what had triggered this sudden interest. "Let us pray."
Do we have to? We already did, dang it! Shorty knew it was a disrespectful thought, but really. Ten minute long prayers, two in one service!? That's twenty minutes down the drain. Life's not that long.
"Amen." The preacher finished at last. Shorty darted out the church doors and started home at a jog. "Shorty, wait!" Sabrina called after him and he willed himself to stop. "Yeah?" He asked as the brunette came to meet him. "When can we meet at school?" She asked, apparently surprised that the words had actually been spoken aloud.
"How about after Psychology?" Shorty wanted to get home as quickly as possible. He needed to talk to Indy. Again.
"Sounds good." She gave him a winning smile and then hurried away before her parents could spot them together. Again.