The Sinclair Brothers ✔️

(63) The Greatest Star

Two weeks later

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On a Friday afternoon before school was about to be let out, the principal called Makennah to the office. Having stayed on the straight and narrow, she wasn't expecting to get yelled at but she still felt like she was in trouble.

In the office, Hanna Foster, the writer for the Braxton High Journal, stood in the principal's office smiling from ear to ear. The principal also sported a smiling face and overall happy demeanor.

Together, they informed Makennah that the article that Hanna wrote about Makennah in the school newspaper and submitted to a competition won first place and would thus be published in the city's newspaper, The Braxton Tribune. They loved the article so much that they planned to print it on the front page. Hanna showed Makennah a pre-print of the newspaper that no one else had; and there was a big fat picture of Makennah on the front page with her head titled back, eyes closed in laughter, mouth split wide open in a huge smile, and wisps of hair framing her face that fell out of her braid during a soccer game that Hanna attended and took pictures for. Luckily, the image didn't show the grime, sweat, or grass stains that surely accompanied the entire look. She looked happy and...kind of pretty, in a natural sort of way.

The principal also told Makennah that she proved to be an exemplary student, and so the local coupon magazine that offered discounts to students and families in the district planned to use the image and the story for the front page. The principal said that Makennah's picture would be on one of the banners on the light poles lining the drive to the front of the school where they showed off wonderful examples of hardworking student athletes. Her picture would be first in the line up and consequently the biggest.

As icing on the cake, the athletic award banquet that night would feature a special segment for Makennah, to present her with an award as a player on the soccer team ( but she wasn't sure which one yet because they wanted to keep that a surprise), announce Hanna as the winner of the local competition and give her a trophy and monetary check from the local newspaper, and award Makennah with the Exemplary Student of the Semester Award, which she learned was a very prestigious award within the Braxton community.

When Makennah later relayed this information to Carolynn, she was more thankful for the way it heightened Carolynn's spirits rather than actually receiving the award. Her eyes widened and her face lit up like a match - instantaneous fire and warmth. She hugged Makennah fiercely before she dragged Makennah off for some last minute shopping for a new dress for the banquet.

As a table of eight for the banquet and being that only seven members of the Sinclair family planned to attend, Carolynn extended an invitation to her mother, Elizabeth, to get her out of the house and provide an occasion to wear her pearls and put on makeup since her husband's death. Thankfully, Makennah thought she might be able to redeem herself in her new Grammy's eyes since the literal fall out (of a broom closet) at her late husband's calling hours. Considering the two shared a sort of hidden truth - still unknown to all but Matt - she thought they shared a special bond sown by secrets.

From her seat in the middle of the room with her family at their circular table of eight, adorned with candles, a small bouquet of white roses, and brilliant cutlery shined to mirror reflection quality, she suddenly felt how monumental this moment was for a person like Makennah. If someone asked her ten years ago if she ever thought she would be unofficially adopted by a wealthy family in the suburbs where she became a super star soccer player and overall exemplary student, she would have laughed in their face. On top of that, a fantastic guy saw all of the hidden wounds she harbored deep in her heart and he still asked her to be his girlfriend. And he loved her despite the fact that she didn't love him yet.