Breathe

Chapter Two - Why Not?

As Opal and James arrived at church, they were greeted by several people. Though James shook the hands of some people, hugged others, and even sometimes struck up a conversation, Opal just simply flashed a fake smile and kept walking. She found it easier to remain alone and shut others out. The only person she really ever talked to was James, or her boyfriend. Other than them, she didn't socialize much.

Opal quickly walked into the church and found her seat. She pulled her phone from her pocket and just went from app to app, preparing for the boredom that awaited her. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked to the source to see a skinny, blonde girl with glasses, wearing a pink sundress.

"Hi, Ashtyn." Opal said with a fake smile. She was really hoping that this girl wasn't going to try to converse with her like she did every week. She was not in the mood.

"Hey, Opal! It's so good to see you. How has your week been?" Ashtyn said with a wide smile.

"And the chattering begins..." Opal thought to herself. "Same as usual." She said as she turned away, trying to make sure Ashtyn got the impression that she didn't want to talk.

"That's good. So, you thought about what I said last week?" Ashtyn said as she sat next to Opal.

Opal fought back the grimace she wanted to make. She tried to be nice and pleasant around these church people as much as she could, but she really wished they would just leave her be most times. "And the week before that, and the week before that." Opal said with a weak chuckle. "I have, and I'm still thinking." She lied.

Ashtyn has been trying to convince Opal to join the youth group at the church for a while now. Opal had absolutely no intentions nor desires to do any such thing. However, to spare Ashtyn's feelings, she would always tell her she was considering it to get her out of her face. "Well, I told you when we all meet together. And since your cousin is the youth pastor, getting here shouldn't be an issue. I mean, even if it was, I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind giving you a ride." Ashtyn suggested.

"Blah, blah, blah..." Opal thought to her self while mentally rolling her eyes. "Like I said, I'll think about it, Ashtyn." She tried her best not to sound harsh.

"Okay...I've been reminding you more often because the youth is doing something really exciting in a few weeks and I thought you'd like to join us." Ashtyn said in a softer tone.

"What do I have to do to get this girl to leave me alone?" Opal smiled at Ashtyn. "Look, I'll talk with my cousin and we'll see. Okay?" She hoped this would suffice the blonde girl.

"Sounds awesome. See you soon, Opal." Ashtyn said as she got up and went to her own seat.

Opal sighed in relief and went back on her phone. It was still a while before church would begin. James always came to church early and he was Opal's only ride, so she had no choice but to come early with him. Opal looked up from her phone for a second to see James sitting on the pew in front of her, looking at her, which made her jump a little. "Can you not be such a ninja?" She said, sucking her teeth and rolling her eyes.

"My bad." James laughed softly. "I saw you talking to Ashtyn. Is someone finally making friends?" He said with a wide smile, obviously hopeful.

"You wish." Opal said as she looked back at her phone. "She was just pestering me about joining youth again."

James' smile quickly faded into a frown. "Opal, don't be cross." He said as he moved his hand to move Opal's phone down so she would look at him. "And you should at least come with me, just one Tuesday. It wouldn't kill you."

"And it doesn't harm you that I don't go." Opal shot back, the anger in her eyes growing. "You and that girl with this darn youth group." Opal folded her arms and looked away.

"Come on, just once?" James said softly. Opal looked at him and sighed as she looked down. "Just come to one meeting, little cousin. I just know it'll be a breath of fresh air for you."

Opal sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "If I come this Tuesday, will you stop bothering me?" She said, looking up at James with her right eyebrow raised slightly.

"Pinky promise." James said as he held up his left pinky finger. Opal latched her pinky finger with his. She couldn't believe what she just agreed to.

"Pinky promise." She said. A smile began to creep on her face, but she quickly hid it.

"Awesome. I'm sure you'll love it." James said as he hugged her and kissed her forehead. "Okay, church is about to start. See you after church." He said as he got up and went to his seat near the front of the church.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After church, Opal stood outside the church near the entrance. With James stopping to talk to nearly everyone and their mother, she knew it would be a little while before they would leave. She was scrolling through her phone when she looked up to see Ashtyn talking to two other girls. Ashtyn saw her and waved her over. Opal was about to decline, but then she wondered how Ashtyn would react when she told her that she would be coming to the youth group meeting on Tuesday. She decided against her first thought and went over to the group of girls.

"Hey, Opal!" Ashtyn said with a bright smile.

"Hi, Ashtyn." Opal said softly. She looked at the girls who watched her approach them.

"Oh! Opal, this is Christine." Ashtyn said, gesturing to a curvier girl with black hair who had on an orange dress. Opal waved and Christine waved back with a shy smile. "And this is-"

"I'm Angelica, it's so nice to finally meet you." The other girl said excitedly. The girl was rather short with dirty-blonde hair. She wore a purple blouse with purple dress pants.

"Finally meet me?" Opal asked with her head tilted.

"Yeah! Pastor James talks about you a lot during youth meetings." Angelica said.

"Well...that's cool." Opal tried her hardest to be social. "Um...so, I just came over to tell you that I made a promise to my cousin that I would be at the youth meeting this Tuesday, so you'll see me Tuesday." She said, looking at Ashtyn.

Ashtyn gasped and then squealed before hugging Opal. Opal was stunned by the sudden action and didn't hug back. "That's so cool! I can't wait to see you there!" She said happily.

"Opal! Time to go!" James said as he walked towards his car.

"Well, see you guys on Tuesday, I guess." Opal said awkwardly as she waved to the girls and walked towards James.

As Opal walked away, Angelica leaned in close to Ashtyn. "Why are you so excited about her coming?" She asked curiously.

"Because...don't you guys ever notice how lonely she seems. She always seems so down and out. I mean, I'm just believing that God will help her out when she comes on Tuesday." Ashtyn said as she watched James' car pull off with Opal in the passenger seat.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I know what you're thinking. "Opal sure is mean!" Well, this story has only begun. I'm excited about where this may go and I hope you all are as well.
We shall see what the next chapter holds.
Bye for now! 💕
PrincessNightWolf