The Link To Light, (Published).

part 12.

Anne-Marie's dorm room, UPenn.

Anne-Marie slowly paced up and down her dorm room. It was a good thing Megan and her roommate weren't around. If not, they would have tagged her crazy. 

Who could ever believe that she would step her foot into a church in her life? Oh, how much she hated religion and their ridiculous ways of life! But today, she wasn't sure of what she felt again. She had fallen in love with a Christian. 

Feeling uncomfortable, Anne-Marie sat on her bed. Still uncomfortable with that, she took a seat close to her reading table.  Not feeling any better, she stood and went close to the window, staring out into space. She yanked out her phone from her side pocket, unlocked it, navigated to her phone's gallery, and opened his picture which she had taken secretly. 

"I hate it! I hate that you are a Christian. I don't know why you are a Christian. You are too handsome to be a Christian," she said, staring at the picture that filled the face of her phone's screen. 

Anne-Marie whirled around and walked to the front of the standing mirror in her dorm room to take a proper look at herself. She was fair. She was beautiful. She had all the nice shapes and curves, but had never attracted her dream man, had never found true love. The guys she fell in love with were either dating another or weren't interested. 

Even Skylar, who was tagged the ugliest of her squad, had numerous dates, while she was struggling to get just one for herself. Skylar, with her red hair, flat nose And most of all, shapeless teeth! Anne-Marie gritted her teeth in frustration.

Anne-Marie walked back to the window and grabbed the protector tightly as she looked up to the sky through the window. "Oh, God of Ian! I'm talking to you for the first time in my life." 

She paused for a while thinking if she was now praying to the God she never believed existed. 

"If you truly exist, then hear me now!" Inhaling and exhaling sharply, she continued, "Don't take Ian away from me. I want you to make him love me as much as I love him or even more. Did you hear? Did you hear me at all?" 

Anne-Marie found herself praying in Jesus' name for the first time in her life and broke down crying. "I need someone to love me! I need to be loved as well, if Ian doesn't work out, I'll die!" 

-----

The next semester. 

Ifes sat on one of the couches in her dorm room awaiting Mandy's arrival. She had gotten a call early that morning from Mandy informing her that she and her friends were returning to UPenn. 

"Why didn't you tell me before now?" Ifes had asked Mandy over their phone conversation that morning. 

"I wanted it to be a surprise." 

Ifes laughed. "I  don't get, what could be surprising about this whole thing? 

"You act like you weren't perplexed enough!" Mandy taunted. Ifes could imagine her pouting on the other end.

"Haha! You are funny, Mandy. I wonder what is surprising to know that my friend and roommate is arriving at college today."

"Oh yeah? But the fact that I didn't notify you earlier did the job for me. Can you imagine the way you sounded when I informed you of my arrival," Mandy replied, mimicking her. 

Ifes laughed again. "Mandy, a little advice for you. Please, don't take up the acting profession. You ain't good at it." 

The duo laughed simultaneously. 

"Yeah! I know, right? I was just trying out my luck on you." 

From Mandy's tone of voice, Ifes knew she was telling her the truth, but what she didn't know was why and who Mandy was planning a surprise for.