Chapter 1

“In the mighty name of Jesus. In the MIGHTY name of Jesus,” rejoices the pastor as he dabs off sweat from his forehead. “Everyone, I have an announcement to make, so please listen up.”

Oh yay! Another stupid announcement made by the African disgrace.

“As everyone knows each year we hold the Mountain of Fire Ministries Winter retreat for the children of this church, but unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of money for chaperones to come,” says the Pastor.

Cheap-*ss church. Why not move us out of this trailer park first. I think as a rat scurries past some girls and they scream.

“So this year we will have three adult chaperones and two teen counselors. Anyone want to volunteer to be a chaperone or counselor?!,” exclaims Michael (aka Pastor) nervously.

No one raises their hand. At all. Oh did I mention ‘Pastor’ Michael has a bit of a sweating “problem” when he’s nervous. And of course in this 20 degree weather he is sweating up a storm, and I’m trying to keep my laughter in, so I hold my hands to my mouth. I’m even forced to put my head down, but still, picturing the wet stains obviously under his, (I’m guessing) brand new shirt, and him stuttering trying so hard to say something to convince a parent to be a chaperone. I truly am about to burst out laughing and then all of a sudden…

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Sh*t that’s freakin’ funny, Can’t you even get a few volunteers for a trip, Michael? HAHAHA. You’re so lame. How the HELL did you eve get to be pastor if no one will follow you? Pathetic!”

The pastor’s face burned a ferocious fiery red on his tan-colored skin, his jaw clenched so hard that I thought he just might break his teeth, his eyes bulged angrily from out of his head. There is only guy that can make Pastor that mad. It’s the gorgeously infamous Nathaniel Williams, who has been my crush ever since I was about 10 years old. (I’m 15 now.) For five years I’ve been watching him get into trouble with all the parents for his many “suggestive” notes that he left in the commentary box to him playing basketball on the “skins” team. (Now that was a holy and blissful day for me. Amen.)

Angrily Pastor nearly shouts, “So, Nathaniel Jacob Williams” (Nathaniel hates being called by his full name) “do you want to be one of the teen counselors?!”

Nathaniel points to himself sarcastically shocked and looks around wide-eyed, “ME?!!! OMG! Me be a counselor?! What do I say? Well…F NO!” he roars suddenly obviously still upset at the pastor calling him by his full name, “Why the HELL would anybody want that job position?!”

Everyone’s eyes were switching from the pastor to Nathaniel, anticipating what will happen next: another exchange of cruel words, a fight maybe? I see Pastor Michael from the corner of my eyes twisting his lips into a smile as if he had won this little argument.

“So everyone the male teen counselor is now Nathaniel Williams, and no one and I mean no one can change that,” said the Pastor as he starts clapping and some of the church members join in on the clapping.

Nathaniel, instead of getting pissed as I (and everyone else) thought, just gives a cocky, bad boyish smile and says, “I’ll gladly take the job Pastor Michael” and bows. Then he walks to an empty seat next to me. I, being a bit embarrassed because of my crush on him, just keep looking around trying to avoid looking at him. I feel a pair of eyes burning on my face coming from Nathaniel’s direction. So, I glace up just to see if he is staring at me and when I do I’m immediately smothered by his beautiful dark brown eyes. I can’t look away. He gives me his cockiest, bad boy smile even more gorgeous than the one he showed the Pastor. He leans in close and I get a whiff of his cologne, which is very intoxicating. Now I know how Bella and most humans in Twilight felt when they catch a whiff of a vampire like Edward Cullen. His face was so close to mine, so close to my lips, close to kissing. I pucker my lips waiting for his lips to finally meet mine…

“Fates! Wake up already!”

I obviously know that voice and knew that if I didn’t get up… Well let’s just say I will get up.

“Fates! Get the hell up, you lazy bum,” she says as she pokes my face and stomach.

“Yes, yes. I’m getting up, Namai, please stop poking me.”

Namai Anderson, my BFF, is a coffee milk skin toned girl with a brown sugar pixie cut and beautiful dark green eyes. Oh right I never told you about myself. My name is Fates Thomason (Yes, named after the Greek “goddesses” the Fates) my parents must’ve been high or something when they named me. Really who would name their child that? Well anyways I have a carmel colored skin tone or like some of the idiot boys like to call it, with their lame jokes, peanut butter. Yeah, ha-ha real funny. My eyes are a bit weird. It’s a golden greenish color (both my parents have brown eyes btw) and my hair is a shoulder length wavy golden brown field. I think of it as my own little personal nasty, dried, dead wheat field.

“Come on. Let’s go already. I’m tired of this place,” Namai says.

“Fine, fine. I’m coming,” I say I wonder in a daze if that near kiss was really a dream.