Andrea and the 5-Day Challenge by Cindy K. Green

after Bible study. We still haven’t discussed that novel.”
    “Maybe.”
    “Bye.”
    I sighed aloud and put my phone away. Now to face my mother.
     
     
     
     

9
     
    After shutting the front door, I glanced around for my mom. Where had she gone off to? Funny, I thought she would be questioning me with her probing expression about what I’d been doing and “who was that who brought you home?” Curiously, she was totally absent. Maybe she hadn’t seen me with Luke, which was probably for the best. I wasn’t quite ready to explain that one. Well, it hadn’t even turned three o’clock yet, so Mom wasn’t working on dinner. Hmm . Where was she?
    I mounted the stairs to my room after forcing my backpack over my shoulder. Music streamed from the spare room aka: Mom’s sewing room/study. Out from the crack of the doorway flowed the sounds of the sewing machine mixed with my mother’s voice singing along to the 1980’s tunes emanating from her radio. She sounded in good spirits and not like she was about to read me the riot act. Curiouserand curiouser .
    In my room, I tossed my bag onto the bed and joined it there on top of the fluffiness of my comforter. I folded my arms under my head and closed my eyes. Even with the heap of homework waiting to be finished, all I could focus on was Luke.
    I’d made the right decision with him, hadn’t I? And I’d been thinking of him, too. I mean, I hadn’t totally blown him off or anything. Everything had been left very friendly.
    I covered my face with my hands and forced out a breath. Who was I kidding? He probably thought I was a completely rude and ungrateful person and after he’d been so nice to me. But I had to look at this situation clearly. Grabbing a pad and paper from my desk, I decided to attack this problem the way Amy would with one of her lists. I began to write:
    Why get wrapped up in a guy who may:
    A.) Lose interest in me next week which is so very possible, (I mean look at me.)
    Or
    B.) Move away, if not now, then soon.
    And then
    It will make my parents happy if I steer clear of this entanglement.
    Of course, all of this could be a moot point anyway, as I very well might be attending the High School of the Performing Arts of Chapel Hill in less than two weeks. If I could actually get in. It was only responsible of me to nip this thing in the bud before I got too attached because it would be so easy to get attached to Luke.
    Whoa! Hold on! Time to rein in this line of thinking. I am not looking for a man. Like Angie, I do not necessitate a male in my life to feel complete. I have Jesus for that. Having said that, though, it sure would be great to go along in this wide, inhospitable world with a friendly face at my side. No! Turning him down was the best course.
    Besides, my parents would blow a gasket if they knew how infatuated I’d become over him. I could just hear my dad. “Focus, Andrea. The recital is in only three days.”
    Oh, my gosh! Only three more days!
    I sat up and tossed my pencil and paper on the desk. Making a list had not been helpful. Then I scrunched my body close to the pillows on the bed. I only had three more days until that darn recital. It was bad enough when I knew some vague representatives “could” show up at the recital. But to know that they’re from the performing arts school and my future may very well hang in the balance…well, it would just be a relief when it was finally over and my the decision settled.
    After unzipping my bag, I pulled out my Geometry homework and started in on the bane of my existence. Though I couldn’t totally hate it. It had, in a sense, been the mechanism which had ultimately brought Luke and me together. Oh, yeah, we aren’t actually together. Maybe I could hate that dreaded subject with all the shapes, after all.
    An hour later, my phone rang. It was Amy. What did she want now? To force me to sign over my soul? She’d really stressed me out this week. What was with her? I could usually