C H L O E ' S P O V

FINISHING MY HAIR, I HEAD OUT OF THE BATHROOM where an impatient Miriam was waiting outside, hands on her hip as a loc of curly blonde hair falls onto her face.

"You took so long in there! Have you not learned how to be a considerate roomate or not?" she complained.

"Girl I was in there for 30 minutes so you cannot be complaining," I tell her, before heading toward my bed and grabbing my purse and Bible. Walking out of the dorm and using the elevator to go downstairs to the building, I pull my phone out to call Talita, her picking up on the first ring.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK CHLOE! I called you last night at least 20 times and texted with no answer from you at all," her voice screams into the phone as I pull it away from my ear. "Do you know how worried I was for you? Even Kareem was wondering where you were."

"I just-"

"You just what Chloe? You left because he got benched? There is something you're hiding from me and you're still not telling me."

"Look, I just called to tell you I'm ready for church and I'm outside your dorm building. Unless you want to continue this conversation while I'm back in my dorm?"

She lets out a long sigh and murmurs something under her breath before answering. "I'll be down there in a few minutes let me just grab my Bible."

Hearing a click, I open my messages to see one from Kareem and after debating whether or not I should open it, I did.

Kareem

I'm sorry C.

sent 10:57

That's what he always says, my mind whispered. And yet you still end up getting scars all over you.

But what if he's really sorry?

Do you think he can change? He's shown you he can't so why don't you break up with him already? My mind hissed.

"C'mon Micheal and Kareem are picking us up at the bus stop," Talita announces as I realize she'd finally come downstairs. "Hey, you good or what?"

"I-I'm fine. Let's just go," I tell her. Talita talks the whole walk there as my mind zones out, my breathing becoming more shallow as we reach the bus stop and I see Kareem's black Honda. Why did he have to be going to church with us too?

"Y'all get inside before we get late," Micheal says, getting out of the front seat to sit with Talita in the back while Kareem opened my door. I paste a smile on my face, although my emotions scream otherwise. Finally, once we had all buckled up, the drive starts with Talita and Micheal already immersed in conversation while I and Kareem sat awkwardly in the front.

"Are you mad at me?" Kareem asks me as we reach a red light, his voice a whisper so Talita and Micheal wouldn't hear.

"I ain't mad."

"Then why do you keep ignoring me C? I said I'd stop."

"Can we not talk about this right now?" I say, getting my teeth. Visible annoyance and anger begin to appear on his face.

"Then when Chloe? You never even seem to talk these days with me."

"You're actually wondering why I do that? Maybe I-"

The car pulls up into the church parking lot after what felt like hours in the car. After the car had finally been parked, I open the door for myself, not even bothering to wait for Kareem, and walk ahead of the group.

You saw how angry he was, my mind tells me. If it wasn't for Talita and Micheal, he would've hit you. We all know it.

Hearing heavy footsteps behind me, Kareem walks side by side with me as we enter the church building, the instant heat reaching my skin. It's still the same. There wasn't anything new with the church only that more people were present than last time.

"Chloe, can you at least tell me why you are mad? I feel like I did something and you ain't even talking to me," Kareem asks me, holding up the door for me as we walk into the main congregation room.

I give him no response and instead take my seat, him taking the one next to me as his eyes express hurt and sadness. Knowing I'd break down by seeing his sad face, I look away and instead keep my focus on the now-starting worship that was going on, standing on my feet to sing along, although my mind was far away from the words I was speaking.

XXX

 K A R E E M ' S P O V

Chloe ignores me the whole worship session, her face turned away from me. I didn't do anything though. Why was she still mad at me?

"And now Saints let us give you a standing ovation for our Man of God, Pastor Daniel," the man on the stage announces. Copying everyone around me, I get up and clap as the same man who talked to me on Friday steps onto the stage.

"Hallelujah Saints," Pastor Daniel says as I turn to look at Chloe who was still ignoring me and instead looking at Pastor. "Today I want us to talk about the grace of God."

A couple of people clap at that while I allow myself to slink in my seat. Why did I even come here in the first place? "Now to understand grace we have to understand why we even have grace in the first place. I would like for you all to turn to Psalms 51:5."

The people around me open their Bibles as I slink in my seat more until Pastor Daniel catches my eye. "And it says, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. We are all born in sin. Every single one of us was born in the nature of sin because of what Adam did. And we can even see in Romans that we are unrighteous."

He pauses, taking his time to look at everyone in the audience before continuing.

"But then came grace. Now grace according to Webster's dictionary is a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance. But according to me, grace is something that God gave to us even when we didn't deserve it. The olive branch he handed to us as I put it. And we can see that in Ephesians 2:8 which says, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." We don't need to be perfect to receive grace or meet some requirement or expectation to receive grace. Grace is a gift. It's our gift for us to keep."

Pastor Daniel continues with his message, turning to me what seemed to be all the time as if to make sure I was paying attention. This grace thing doesn't sound too bad after all.

"You may be wondering, 'Well Pastor Daniel how do I receive grace?' The Bible says in John 1:17 that For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. The only way you can receive this grace from God is through one person, Christ. In him is grace. So when you trust and believe in Christ, my friend you got grace. Amen?"

"Amen," the congregation shouts back. After the final prayer, the service ends and I turn to Chloe who was talking to a few other people at the church, a smile on her face as she laughed. What I'd do to see her smile at me like that.

"Hey, Kareem, I'm glad to see you here," Pastor Daniel says as he walks toward me. "How you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good. Hey, your Mom called and said your father is being released next month and wants to know if you guys want to do family therapy after he's done."

My fists tighten at the mention of Dad's release. I had ignored the thought of him being released, trying to shove it far away from my mind. "No."

Noticing my hands, he shuts up but only before saying. "Look son, you have to give him a chance. You can't keep pushing him away like this."

"I don't want to talk about him right now," I say, raising my voice a little which causes stares to come from the people around me as I storm out of the building and into the parking lot. Why was it that every time I talk to someone he seems to enter the conversation? Pounding my fist on the car handle, I find myself slinking onto the floor, hugging my now bleeding knuckles. 

AND THAT'S A WRAP!

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