Alive
Chapter Eleven“Hi Faith,” JC said.
Faith looked up from the book she was reading and saw JC standing right next to her. “Wow, I’m amazed,
you’re in a library. I wouldn’t have thought that you knew what one was.”“I was just trying to be nice-” JC began.
Faith winced. “I’m sorry, that was rude and uncalled for. Hi, JC. How have you been?”
“Not bad. You?” JC slid into the chair across from her.
Faith closed the biology book and picked up some of the papers she had scattered on the table. “Fine, I
guess. Been better, been worse.”An uncomfortable silence fell over them, as Faith continued to stare blankly at the papers she held and JC
worked up the courage to apologize.“I heard that you had a falling out with your parents,” JC said finally, to break the stifling silence.
“They disowned me.”
“For what?”
“For the way I dress, the way I act, my religion. I whole bunch of stupid shit like that.”
“Did you actually expect your dad to accept you?”
“I knew he wouldn’t, but I didn’t expect him to disown me. Now they have nothing to do with me.”
“Is that why you did all of that?” JC asked, referring to her tattoos, piercings, streaked hair, and clothes.
“The first tattoo I got, the first piercing, the first time I streaked my hair, it was a form of rebellion. But
then I did it because I wanted it, not for some stupid childish rebellion against my parents.”“And your religion- was that a rebellion against them too?” John Edwards was a fundamental Catholic.
His family went to mass three times a week, and he held hour long prayer sessions nightly. He had drummed the
belief of the Holy Trinity down Faith’s throat, sensing that Faith was the wildest of his children. It had to have
been the other middle name she had. Her mother, a former hippie, had give it to her. And after Faith’s suicide
attempt, she had been going to church practically every day, had to memorize passages from the Bible and recite
them perfectly. And if she didn’t, she was starved.“No.” Faith blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to hold the tears the memories of her father caused. “I was
looking for something that would offer peace. I found Wicca.”“How long have you been a witch?”
“Three years. My family didn’t find out until this past summer.”
“How did they find out?”
“I refused to go to church. Dad would have made me, but then I told him that he wouldn’t want me to
desecrate the church. He turned red and started screaming. When he calmed down enough to talk, he asked me
what I meant, and I told him that a man like him wouldn’t want a witch to go to church with him.”“Were you serious about desecrating it?”
“No. We can go in churches and nothing’ll happen to us. I was just so sick of being forced to accept
something I didn’t want to. I was sick of living a lie.”“What did your mother say to his disowning you? Your brothers?”
“JC, you know what their reactions would be. Whatever Dad says is law in our household.”
“I’m really sorry about that, Faith.” JC reached across the table and grabbed her hands. “And- I’m sorry
for what happened all those years ago. I... I just wanted to fit in. I was sick of not having any friends but you, sick
of always being the outsider. I didn’t realize until you left that I would have rather been an outsider, friends with
you, than be part of the ‘in’ crowd and not have any real friends. They say you don’t miss what you had until you
lose it, and that is so true. I wanted to tell you I’m sorry for all of the pain I put you through, and I hope you can
forgive me.”“I forgave you long ago, JC.” Faith smiled at him. “I was pissed off that you were trying to be nice and
everything lately, but truthfully, I forgave you for that long ago. I was never really mad at you, just hurt, and I got
over that when I became a witch. It helped me get over all of the pain and anger I had. And if it hadn’t been for
you, I wouldn’t have ever become a witch, and I’d probably still be miserable.”“Then why did you seem to hate me whenever you saw me talking to Cat?”
“Because I didn’t trust you.”
“I don’t blame you for that.” JC leaned closer to her. “I don’t think she trusts me, either.”
“I did tell her what you did to me, and she doesn’t have any trust or respect for popular jocks. She hates
them, all of them.”“Why?”
“I can’t tell you that, Cat made me swear not to tell anyone. But maybe you should ask her.”
JC nodded his head. “Yeah, I’ll have to do that.” He looked back at Faith. “Since your family has
disowned you, have you considered changing your name.”“I’ve thought about it, but I wouldn’t have any idea of what to change it to, and I can live with it. At least
my first name isn’t one of my middle names. Then I’d really be changing it.”*~*~*
Faith walked into the apartment with a smile on her face. She’d spent the night talking to JC, and
although a few times she’d had to check herself from saying something, it had gone good. She was glad they were
finally able to talk again.*~*~*
JC spent the rest of the night fighting with himself. He’d finally made up with Faith, they were friends
again. Although not best friends like they once had been, they were still friends, and he was happy about that. He
had meant what he said about wishing he could have remained friends with Faith and not become one of the
popular people, but it was too late to change the past now.He was facing a difficult situation now. He was friends with Faith, but one wrong move, and he’d lose her
friendship forever. If she knew what Wade was having him do, she’d hate him. He didn’t want to go through with
Wade’s plan; he wasn’t looking forward to hurting them like that. But how could he stop it? If he didn’t go
through with it, he’d go back to being unpopular. He’d be hated by the popular people, Wade especially, who hated to see any of his plans mess with. What should he do?