Previously in Coffee for Two
Maya remembering the conversation that she walked in on decides to casually bring it up. "So, is everything okay? I heard your conversation."
Jenna tensing up; quickly snaps back. "I'm fine. Everything is alright."
Everything was not all right, not for Jenna and definitely not for Maya.
"So you wait." Aria says, "and continue dating Samara until Maya comes around."
She plops down beside Emily on her bed and they both lean back up against the headboard. Emily straightens out her heather grey sweat shirt and sighs, as she sits her laptop back on her legs. "Crave you" by flight facilities plays in the background as she surfs the web. Aria pulls out her cell phone and replies to a text from Ezra. She puts her ringer on vibrate and drops her phone down on the bed. Emily furrows her brows down and runs her hands through her dark chocolate hair. She turns right towards Aria and opens up her mouth to reply.
"I don't know, Aria." That was all she could say, "I honestly do not know what to make of what she said to me. I've tried to rationalize it, understand it and make sense of it. A month later and I still cannot believe she just let go of my hand, opened up the car door, took one last look at me. Then she left like that was it. I'm really at a loss for words right now."
"Well you gotta do something," she replied. "This isn't like when your mom shipped her off to boot camp. This was a decision she made-"
Emily cuts her off, "yeah a decision she made based on other people's opinions and actions." She places her laptop back on the comforter; she swings her legs to the left before she gets up off the bed and walks around her bed towards her window. She looks out across the street and sees Maya standing outside talking to Jenna. Emily's eyes widen as she looks down at her ex bonding with her enemy. She looks over at Aria and waves her hands towards her to say come over. Aria scoots out of the bed and walks towards Emily. She looks down and out of the window, right before her mouth drops open. Emily had told her about the run in with Jenna and Maya but nothing would compare to seeing it with her own eyes. The love of Emily's life, Maya, was now friends with her sworn enemy. Emily's eyes narrow in on Maya as she folds her arms across her chest. Aria slowly shuts the gaping hole in her mouth and turns towards Emily.
"Talk about irony…" Aria sarcastically whispers.
"I really appreciate this, Jenna." Maya says, as she helps her into her Patriotic Blue Nissan. Maya shuts the door for Jenna and goes around to the other side of the car. Something gnaws at her to look up into Emily's window; almost instinctively, without hesitation, she does and notices Emily looking down at her. She pulls on the door handle of her car and takes one last glance up at Emily. With that she sits down in her car and puts the key in the ignition.
"I don't mind coming out with you, Maya. My boyfriend thinks I need to hang out more with other people."
With one eyebrow raised and new found information, Maya's interest has now been peeked about Jenna's love life. She figured from the coffee shop that she had a boyfriend but this was the first time that Jenna had made reference to him. She assumes that he is the missing component to the secret conversation she stumbled on last week.
"You have a boyfriend? Oh, what's he like?" She inquires as she fishes for details. She turns the key in the ignition and they speed off.
Jenna happily opens up about her relationship with Garrett. She even relaxes up a bit and divulges more details then even Maya expected. Jenna's cheeks flush as she describes his physical appearance. As they make their way to the stop sign at the end of the street, Jenna confesses that he is older. She even shares that he is a cop on the Rosewood Police Force. Maya chuckles softly. Jenna waits, quietly for a response. Secretly hoping she has finally found someone she can trust. She reaches her hand over feeling around for Maya's arm, she finds her leg instead. She turns her body towards Maya and with her hand still resting on Maya's thigh; she quickly adds one last thing.
"I hope this secret stays between us." She slowly pulls her hand back.
Pulling off from the stop sign, she replies, "Oh, this is one secret, I will never tell."
With a little smirk on her face, Jenna nods in approval.
Jenna grips Maya's forearm tightly as she listens to the sounds in her new surroundings: a mixture of music, loud kids and video games ring in her ears. Maya stops at the entrance of the door; looking around for a familiar face. Jenna tenses up but Maya tells her to "relax".
"Maya!" a voice calls out to her. Maya turns away from Jenna and looks forward to see Maggie walking up to her. Maya snickers at her appearance: full head of red curly hair, her usual baggy cargo shorts and a tee-shirt. The sight was comforting and reassuring, especially since her surroundings were extremely unfamiliar to her. Maya removes Jenna's hand from her wrist to give Maggie a hug. Maggie for her part engulfs Maya in a two arm bear- type hug. She catches a weft of her conditioner; it smells of jasmine and vanilla. She pulls herself back away from Maggie and takes a hold of Jenna's hand.
"You have to take a leap of faith to land where you want be in life. I'm so glad you decided to pursue it." Maggie said beaming proudly.
With a faint smile on her face she looks down and replies, "Well, insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. So to get something different I have to try something drastically different."
Maggie lays her left olive skin hand on her chest as she laughs heartily. "That's it, that's the idea… you must allow God into your situation.
"Yeah and that is definitely different." She says, still looking downward.
Jenna moves her hand to nudge Maya with her elbow. She lets out a soft yelp noise and realizes she neglected to introduce them to each other.
She looks up and turns to Jenna to speak, "Sorry Jenna."
Jenna reaches out her right hand towards Maggie but it's slightly off to the left. Her countenance perks up and the sides of her mouth lift up into a grin. She says hi and introduces herself but Maggie feels uneasiness; she conceals her feelings and reaches out to Jenna and takes her hand in both of her hands. She expresses excitement about meeting her. Maggie makes a mental note to talk to Maya about her friendship with Jenna. Maggie lets go of Jenna's hand as Maya looks on unaware of Maggie's discomfort around Jenna. Maya laughs nervously and for the first time she really looks around at her surroundings. There were kids everywhere around the same age as her; enjoying food, fun and fellowship.
"So, as I was saying before Maya, when you truly grasp just how real and just how good God is all you can say is wow." Maggie chimes in.
Maya slowly leans her head forward and blinks her light brown eyes as she responds sarcastically, "Wow? That's all you can say?"
She chuckles lightly and turns around to walk towards some empty chairs beside the pool table and across from the HDTVs hooked up to gaming systems. Maya leads Jenna to the chairs as she walks behind Maggie. Jenna and Maya sit down as Maggie continues to stand. Elation comes over Maggie, she begins to sway with the music and suddenly she is caught up into the song singing the lyrics.
From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom
Something strange seems to happen all the children stop doing what they are doing and begin to chime in singing the lyrics. Maya marvels at the sight she sees before her eyes. As she looks around she sees her peers swaying back and forth to the music, some hands stretch up and others with hands clasped together on their chest. She brings her attention back to Maggie; who has tears flowing down her cheeks. She is really feeling the song; her cheeks turn cherry red, her eyes shut and her voice proudly proclaims that "You see the depths of my heart and you love me the same… You are amazing God". She begins to repeat the last verse of the song as she opens her eyes and focuses directly on Maya. Jenna is completely annoyed and restless but she sits patiently using her other senses to gauge her surroundings. Maya feels a gust of wind pass back and forth in front of her. She looks up and around for air vents but she doesn't see any close-by on the ceiling. The song ends and Maggie sits down in front of Maya and Jenna. Most of the teens go back to their activities but a few get excited as the next song comes on. Jenna notices a few "aahs" and "this is my jam" as the song plays and suddenly she hears gunshots. She jumps but she quickly realizes it's from the song. Maya pats her arm trying to comfort her. Maggie looks over at Jenna and grins.
"This is a song favorite to a lot of the youth here. His name is Prozpherad and the song is calling Venting 3"
Jenna opens her mouth to reply with her usual sarcasm but she opts against it. Instead she turns her head to the left as she listens to the actual lyrics of the song.
Maggie is moving with the music, trying to say the lyrics but she still jumbles some of them up. She laughs at her hopelessness and Maya laughs with her. Until a certain verse that catches Maya's attention; she raises an eyebrow and slightly turns her head to the left.
"Maggie did he just say 'Homosexuality is a lifestyle. I just spread the word and move you like livestock'?"
Maggie snorts as she begins to laugh, out of all the things he said that's what stuck out to Maya. "Yeah Maya but he also said after that, 'But I'm not here to judge, I'm just here to say, God's grace is sufficient and it's your life you need to change.' Maybe you should focus on that instead."
Jenna turns her nose up and finally, she decides to interject herself into the conversation. She turns her head to the right towards Maya. "So what… is this why we are here for? Are you trying to be straight, Maya? I mean because it's okay that you're gay."
With a soft tone in her voice she replies, "I just want to be informed, okay?"
Unnoticeable, Jenna blinks a few times and rolls her eyes but she doesn't respond. A young girl walks up behind Maggie and rests her arm on Maggie's shoulder. She stands up right with below shoulder length, dirty blonde, loose wavy hair, bushy eyebrows, small frame glasses and a camo cap on, that says Jesus camp. Just like Maggie, she's wearing a baggie white tee-shirt and khaki cargo shorts. Maggie looks up at the younger girl and smiles and turns back around and looks at Maya.
"This is Anna, my little sister." Maggie wraps her left arm tightly around her younger sister's waist as she introduces her. Maya excitedly stands up and says hi, before she hugs Anna. She pulls away, comments on how piercing her light blue eyes are. Anna moves her bangs from out of her face as she replies 'thank you'. Maya sits back down in the blue and silver metal chair before she introduces Jenna to her. Maya finishes the introductions; Anna tells Maggie that it is time to start the service. Maggie gets up, excuses herself and walks over to the podium. Now that Jenna and Maya have a moment alone, Jenna decides to say her peace.
She leans over towards Maya and whispers "listen, I think it's great and all that you are moving on from Emily. I mean, really, I think that is a great idea. However, you can't change who you are, so why are you trying to deny it?"
Emotions bubble up within her as she takes a deep breath. She starts playing with the beads on her bracelet; she looks up towards Maggie. Maggie turns her head away from her conversation with Anna and happens to notice her; she smiles warmly back at her. That was all she needed to find the courage to respond to Jenna.
"I'm not trying to deny anything. I owe it to myself to see what else is out there. Maggie says that people change their sexual orientation all the time. It isn't that big of a deal… if I don't want to be bisexual or homosexual or even heterosexual… it's my choice. It doesn't meaning I'm denying who I am, it just means I've had a change of heart and that this particular lifestyle isn't working for me. You're supposed to be my friend, Jenna. Do you not support my decision to do what's right for me?"
Jenna is struggling to make sense of what she's gotten herself into, going to a church youth function at a Hollis was one thing but having to listen to someone say that homosexuals could change, that was offensive even for her. In Jenna's mind, Maggie's words are piercing her heart. Jenna is bisexual just like Maya and if they could change then perhaps that meant that what they are doing is wrong. Jenna went back in forth in her mind about that for a few minutes. Maya was still waiting patiently for an answer.
Jenna softly whispers her response, "I guess… I don't know."
That was all Maya needed to hear. Maggie called the room to her attention; as everyone quickly finished up their games and moved to a seat. Her smile radiates like the sun, as Maya notices that everyone else's smiles illuminates light, too. She considers maybe this is just what she needed after all.
"A lot of people in the world have a screwed up image of who God is. Which is understandable, he is unseen, unheard and yet he exists in everything. But he only exists to you, if you choose to believe. There is nothing we could do to be deserving of his forgiveness or love. But just because we needed a savior he came down in the form of a man, he took on all of our sins (the thoughts and acts we commit that separate us from him) and he died on a cross. Why did he do that? Just so we could be reunited as family to him. God is awesome! He didn't stop there; he was revived back to life on the third day! I'm so excited to share my love affair with God with all of you." Maggie says as she looks around the room.
Jenna is feeling some kind of way about the things Maggie is saying right now. It was like something was piercing her heart and chipping away at all the un-forgiveness and anger on the inside. Jenna tries to fight the feeling but it is so overwhelming. Her nose starts to burn as tears well up in her eyes. Words have never captivated this type of feeling on the inside of Jenna before. While Maya is fully impressed all over again with Maggie's speaking abilities. Maggie finishes speaking and ends the service. Maya helps Jenna, as everyone else talks amongst themselves. Jenna and Maya make their way out to Maya's Nissan. As she gets Jenna in the car and she begins to walk around to the other side of the car, Maggie runs out to talk to her. Maggie grabs Maya's arm and pulls her away from her car.
Maggie takes in a full mouth of air, trying to catch her breath; she slowly begins to speak to Maya. "I wanted to make sure I caught up with you before you left. Listen, you need to be careful about the people you associate with, right now. Believe it or not, very few people are going to be supportive of your decision."
She nods her head in the direction of Jenna who was sitting impatiently in the car. Maya reaches out and grabs Maggie's hand; she thanks her sincerely for everything she has done for her. She quickly hugs her and walks back to her car. Once she is standing in front of the door she looks back at Maggie one last time with a little crooked smile on her face. She puts her hand on the door handle, opens the door and sits down. Maggie turns around and walks confidently with her head held up back into the building. Maya sits quietly in the car with her hands on the keys In the ignition, she stares blankly up into the night sky and notices the full moon. It looks almost like a face is looking down at her. The idea popped into her head that God was looking down watching over her.
Jenna interrupts her moment of epiphany to ask if they are leaving anytime soon. Scowling back at Jenna she replies yes and turns the key in the ignition. They leave the Hollis Campus Life building and spend most of the trip to Jenna's house silent. Maya flips through the radio stations until one song catches her attention. "Just take care of me and give me what I need and after that maybe we can get to you, God… if you were a color you would be a blue God… I'm so sorry that we misuse you, God." She looks over at the LCD screen showing the name and artist of the song. Blue God by Jessica Reedy showed on the screen. Maya finds herself frustrated it seems like everywhere she turns there is something bringing her attention back to God. This was something completely new to her, after all her parents are hippies. She wasn't even sure she believed in God, but something was definitely out there, trying to make a case for God. Her attention goes back to the song as the last verse plays, "but your love is so true God."
Jenna's phone rings and she fumbles to get it out of her pocket. She barely answers before the last ring.
"Hello?" she says into the phone. Maya turns the radio down so Jenna can hear the caller. "Wait, I can't talk now but I'm on my way back to my house now. Meet me there, yeah?"
She waits for a response then she says good-bye and Jenna hangs up the phone. Maya makes another mental note about Jenna's suspiciousness. She considers that Maggie may have had a point about Jenna after all. Aria pops into Maya's mind and she considers reaching out to her. By this time they're sitting in front of Jenna's house; Maya goes around to the other side to help her out. She walks her to the front door. Emily quickly runs out side but slows down as she gets nearer to the street. She pretends to take out the trash and she waits around the trash can for Maya to walk back out to her car. Maya and Jenna stand outside of Jenna's front door; she gives her a hug good-bye and walks back down the steps to her car. She looks up noticing the full moon. She feels creepy; like she is acknowledging that the man in the moon is not only watching her but following her. She shakes off the feeling and jogs to her car door. Once she turns around and reaches for the handle. She notices her, Emily is still standing idly by the trash can waiting. Maya looks at Emily and Emily looks over at Maya but neither one of them moves from their place.
"