However, Shane's arrest on the following Monday threw even Dylan's best intentions and efforts out the window. Now was not the time to spring something else on his parents, he knew, especially not his father. The week after the arrest, Adam went about doing what he had to do, looking like he had lost his best friend – which, in a sense, he had.
Dylan didn't know what he could do to help him, so he settled for not adding some other big thing to what his dad had to think about.
He decided that he would wait until the dust settled concerning Shane before he told his parents about the mission.
Just over a week after Shane's arrest, on a Tuesday night, Dylan presented the third pledge to his congregation.
Jade had come up with the idea of christening this one "The Goliath Pledge." Her reasoning was that drugs and sex were two of the main giants that high school kids had to fight. Dylan thought that it might have more to do with her father's partner's own battle with it, but he knew better than to say so to her.
Later that evening, after the service had ended and everyone else had gone home, Dylan stepped over to where he had tacked the three pledges to a bulletin board on the wall and he surveyed the names listed on each piece of paper.
His name had been first on Emily's pledge. Somehow, Leon had managed to get to The Hollis pledge before Dylan, a fact that Dylan secretly loved, seeing as Leon and Hannah's father was a drunk. And that very evening, Jade and Hannah had signed first, side by side on Goliath.
He tilted his head, staring at the signatures of those two girls. For Hannah to sign that pledge at all spoke volumes concerning how far she had come in the past weeks. That the girls had signed side by side instead of one under the other seemed like a promise to each other to help keep the other on the straight and narrow.
He shrugged; maybe he was reading too far into something that wasn't even there. After all, Hannah and Jade were so different in so many ways.
Jade was sharp and temperamental. Hannah was much mellower, more mature even. Especially after everything that had gone on with Casey, along with her salvation. He considered it almost strange that they were as close as they were; he hadn't expected them to become such good friends.
But then… he hadn't expected to become as close to Hannah as he was, either. He grinned as the thought crossed his mind. The term "girlfriend" seemed odd to apply to any girl, but Dylan figured that if he was asked outright about his relationship with Hannah, he would probably use it. He had to admit though; it was a relationship that had snuck up on them while neither one of them had been looking for it.
She had been a big moral support after the almost-argument that they had all had the day that he had presented the first two pledges. She had asked him Monday at their tutoring session if there was something that he wanted to talk about. Apparently she had sensed that something was wrong. She had proved to be a good listening ear, and at the end of their talk, as she was getting ready to leave, Dylan had quietly asked her if she wanted to go out and "grab some burgers or something" before the church service on Tuesday.
"Like on a date?" she had asked, eyes widening a little.
He had stammered out an "I guess so," and she had agreed with a grin. He had showed her to the door, and, once he was sure that she was out of hearing range, he had startled his parents once again with a loud "YES!"
They had peeked around the corner, and when he had surveyed the scene, Adam had mustered up something of a smile and commented with raised eyebrows, "That girl makes you do strange things, son. Have you noticed that?"
Dylan had just grinned. Adam had shaken his head and Victoria had laughed outright.
A week later, he still couldn't help but grin like a fool when he thought of that date.
The next Sunday was Father's Day, and Dylan knew that his father was nervous over the speech that he was supposed to give that day. Although he couldn't quite bring himself to say so to his parents, Dylan knew how he felt.
Dylan listened with interest as Adam spoke to the father's of the large Sherwood congregation, but he wasn't prepared for it when he heard his father say, suddenly as if he was speaking straight to Dylan, "Who will pray for and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do? I am their father, I will!"
And Dylan knew, now beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Adam would do just that. He snuck a look at his mother, sitting at his side, and he knew that she, too, would support and help him in every way that she could. But first he had to tell them about everything – being called to preach, and starting up and running The Newton-Crosby Mission.
Or maybe… maybe he would just show them.
Tuesday evening, before he left the house for his habitual "run," – which in this case meant a church service at Newton-Crosby – Dylan stood around the kitchen counter with his unsuspecting parents and after taking a deep breath, requested, "Would you guys mind coming with me somewhere?"
"Both of us?" Victoria asked, looking up from her magazine with mild surprise.
Dylan nodded nervously. "Yeah. If you can both come, that would be really great."
"Don't you usually go for a run in about an hour or so?" Adam asked.
Dylan swallowed. "About that… I haven't actually been running."
"Well," Adam asked. "What have you been doing?"
"That's what I wanted to show you. It's nothing bad, I promise. But it's… it's become really important to a lot of people. Including me. And I really want to share it with you. Please come?"
Seeing his earnest expression, Victoria shut her magazine and hopped off the barstool as Adam nodded and said, "Of course, buddy."
Dylan grinned and took another deep breath. "Alright then. Here we go."
I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to take this road with Dylan and Hannah, but the way that I have parts of the later chapters in my head required it and those chapters are refusing to be redone so that they don't require it. So, sorry if I sprung that on you without warning. This story should only have two or three more chapters to it if things work out how I want them to, by the way.
Sorry if the writing seems not up to my usual standards somehow. It kinda feels like it to me for some reason. And I know that it's an unusual plot (and now an unusually named mission), but please, if you review, no flames. I hope that you enjoy this story! Thanks, guys (and girls)!:)