preachers daughter + jack Gilinsky

t h i r t y s i x

It had finally reached Sunday.

Not only did I have service but it was my last day in Oakland.

As long as I lived in this town and grew up here leaving didn't seem too bad. In fact, leaving seemed like the clean slate I had definetly needed. Oakland had only been causing me problems lately, making an interference between almost all the important people in my life. I couldn't be the perfect daughter with Jack in my life and I could be careless without him in it.

The several romance movies I had watched didn't teach me how to handle any of what was being thrown at me.

I stared at myself in my cars rearview mirror trying to find the strenght to actually walk up to the church doors where people had still been flooding in. I could tell people were questioning my parents why I wasn't up there greeting people and I'm sure my dad let them know I was being a sinner currently.

We hadn't talked since last night. I wasn't going to say the first word and my dad had too much pride, ironically, to say anything either, so we both would just ignore each other till one of us grew up. And as the teen, It didn't have to be me.

Another reason I had been anxious to walk up to the church and attend service was because Sammy was giving her sermon today. We hadn't talked since our offical breakup which had given him enough time to practice and prepare for what he was going to say today. Every sermon had been about a life experience and Sammy hadn't been through anything then what I had recently put him through. So I was basically forced to sit through an entire hate speech about me.

I groaned in frustration before finally getting out of my car and walking up towards the church. Jordan had been posted at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me at the railing.

I smiled already feeling relieved that I had at least one ally. I approached her as she opened her arms wide and I endured the long overdue hug.

"Jack told me what happened last night." She whispered just between us as I pulled away and she fixed the parts of my hair and dress that messed up. "Thanks for invite to the concert by the way."

"I totally would've if I had known where we were going." I say quickly. "How much did he tell you?"

She sighed as we reached the top of the stairs. "Enough to know that walking through those doors is social suicide."

I looked over to her worried as she just laughed a bit at me reaction.

"Buts it also very mature over you Charlie." She smiled linking arms with me. "I think everyone in their right minds know that you did nothing wrong, there was no harm done."

I rolled my eyes. "Except to Sammy."

She agreed on that part. I known what type of hurt I had put Sammy through simply because I could see it in his eyes when it happened and when he drove me to my car. It had been something none of thought we'd ever have to experience and of course I had to be the one to actually do something like this to him.

"Well-" she had tried to rush past the awkward silence by walking quickly towards the entrance of the building.

We slipped behind a big family who had been greeting my mom and dad at the door before walking inside now leaving Jordan and I face to face with my parents.

"Good morning sweetheart!" My mom smiled brightly grabbing my shoulders and pulling me in tightly for a hug. I endured it just as she did before pulling away and she greeted Jordan.

My dad and I had made swift contact before he cracked a small smile at Jordan and I. "Have a great service."

My moms smile had begun to fade but she had kept it intact while look at my dad. Jordan and I had decided to walk away by this point finally entering the church doors. The morning rush consisted off small breakfast snacks and coffee in the beginning of service just to get the people awake and ready for service.

I had skipped out on the entrees despite not eating breakfast this morning either and finding a seat in the back of the pews. I had usually taken a seat up in the front with my mom to one side of me and Sammy with his family on the other side, but this weeks service didn't feel like it would be emotionally well for me to have a seat in the very front.

Jordan had quickly found her way to me with a couple donuts in one hand, a few creamer packets hanging out of her mouth, and a cup of steaming coffee in the other.

"Eat." She mumbled out of her full mouth before setting down her coffee and taking out the creamer packets. She stretch the donut towards me.

I shook my head looking back up to the front. "I'm not hungry."

"Eat!" She exclaimed. I looked over to her as if she had been crazy, who yells in a this type of setting.

"Okay!" I yell back taking the sprinkled donut from her hand. I sat back against the cold wood taking a bite of the donut making sure none of sprinkle dropped onto my dress.

"Hey..."

I stopped mid bite into my donut and looking over to my left while Jordan had leaned up a bit and stared over to the duo with me.

"What the he-"

"Jordan! We're in church!" James muttered cutting her off.

I chewed the bite of the donut quickly so I could get something out.

"What are you doing here?" I asked quickly looking over at Jack shocked. If he had walked through the doors then he had most definitely walked past my parents. And Jack and James would be the last set of people my parents would want to see.

"You said it yourself, we both need Jesus in our lives." James said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes looking towards the doors as my mom and dad stood in front of them exchanging a few words where it had looked heated. My mom walked in with a very tense look before smiling at the next person who approached her while my dad closed the church doors and beginning to walk to the front.

I turned around quickly not wanting to make eye contact or let them know where I was in the pews. But I was sure they were going to look for me when they noticed I wasn't up front.

I took another bite of my donut basically stress eating by the point. The lights had begun to dim as everyone begun taking their seats. Thankfully nobody sat next to our group but their heads filled everything in front of us. I liked it that way so it made it seem like I was hidden.

Because when Sammy took the stage I seriously wanted to hid.

***

This was not edited btw so sorry for any typos or bad grammar.

This chapter was waaay longer before realizing that nobody is reading that much. So another sort of cliff hanger.

Anyways, opinions?