Free You Found Me by Joel Cobbs

th e r e w as so m eth i n g s o m eth i n g
    I c ou ld do t o ma k e a l l we g o t h r o u g h so
    m u ch be t te r. B u t I kno w
    I kno w a ll t h at w as i s a n d is w a s .”
    T h e c hu r ch w as q u i e t . No t a s oun d . I k n e w it w a s n 't th at go o d. I did n 't kno w w h at t o do tho u gh . I f o ld e d t h e p i e ce o f p a pe r b ack tog e th e r , pu t i n my po c ke t, a n d w a l ke d b ack t o my s e a t . D ad pu t h is a r m a r oun d me a n d my i n sid e s s c r e am e d.
    T h e s e r v ice c ont i nue d on , w i t h D ad g i v i n g a eu l o g y , a “ d e ar f r i en d” o f Mo m ' s p ra i s i n g h e r . A n d I s at th e r e , wa t c h i n g i t a ll h a ppe n . E v e r yth i n g p a ss e d b y m e . I w as o u t o f s yn c w i t h ev e r y t h i ng . Nex t th i n g I k n e w, we a ll h ad o u r he a d s bo w e d. D ad pu l l e d o n my s h irt a n d we s to o d at th e fr ont . W he n th e p r a y e r w a s ov e r , peop le beg an t o f o r m a l i n e t o g i v e u s t h e ir c on d o l en c e s.
    Th at n i ght , a f t e r a ll I w en t th r o ugh , I w as c r y i ng . I c r i e d a n d c r i e d . I w as c r y i n g m o r e f r o m t h e p ai n . I w as c r y i n g m o r e fr o m h e r d e a th . I w as c r y i n g . E v e r yth i n g h u r t . E v e r y th i n g h u r t .

C h a pt er S i x
    R o b a n d h i s m othe r w e r e r e adi n g at B o o k s- a - M i l li o n la t e o n e n i g h t . Th e y wa t c he d as diff e r en t g i rl s w al ke d by . S o me l o o ke d at h im.
    “O oo , R ob! ” s h e w h is pe r e d. “ G o g e t he r nu m be r . ”
    “ H a h a, I d on ' t th i n k s o, ” h e s a id. “ I ' m on ly 16. S h e c ou ld b e 2 0 o r 2 1 . I d on 't wa n n a e m b a rr a s s m y s e lf. B e sid e s ... ” H i s vo ice t r a i l e d o f f . H is m othe r l ooke d a t h i m wi t h a ra is e d e y eb r o w a n d kno wi n g s m i l e .
    “Y es ?” s h e s a id in a sh e ep i sh a n d f i en dish m a nn e r . R o b tu r n e d r e d a n d t r i e d l ook i n g a w a y . H e c ou ld k e e p a s t ra i g h t face w i t h ev e r yo n e b u t h is m othe r. W he n m o m ent s l i k e th i s c a m e , h e d id ev e r y t h i n g h e c ou ld t o a vo id l ook i n g at h e r .
    “W e l l, the r e 's th i s g i r l at s c hoo l . ”
    “ O h , r e a l l y ?” S h e pu t h e r b o o k d o w n . R o b h ad h e r f u l l a ttent i o n no w. O n e o f h e r fa v o r i t e hobb i e s w as he r s on . T h e y w ou ld g o p e op le w a t c h i n g , e a ch c he c k i n g ou t g i rl s o r guy s f o r th e oth e r . O n c e , s h e e v e n w en t so far as t o ask a gu y i f h e w a s g ay a n d s i ng l e . R o b ne a r ly f a i n t e d. Th i s t i m e , ho w e v e r , it w a s a g i r l.
    “Y e a h , r e a l l y . W e ' v e on ly t a l k e d on c e . J u st d e ci d i n g a bo u t w h e r e we w ou ld m ee t a n d w he n we w e r e a v a i la b le a n d w h at we w ou ld d o . N o th i n g m u c h. ”
    “W h at do yo u g u y s h a v e p la nne d ? ”
    “I d u nno. We tho u ght a b o ut the movies, but ev e r yo n e does that. We tho u ghts a bo u t meeting and eating s o mewh e r e, b u t ev e r y one does that too.”
    “S o... ” Th e s u s pen se w as k i l l i n g h e r .
    “W e ' r e gonn a g o bo w l i n g , ” h e s a i d w i t h a s ly s m i l e . S h e s t a r e d at h im in d i s be li e f.
    “B o w li ng ?” sh e a ske d . R o b no dd e d . “ As in “a b ig b a ll a n d p i n s' k i n d o f bo w l i ng ?”
    “ No , M o m ma, a s i n ' s i tt i n g in a bo wl a n d ho ldi n g ont o th e b ack o f s pee di n g c a r ' k i n d o f bo w li ng. ” S h e r o l l e d h e r e ye s at h i m.
    “We l l th e r e isn't re a lly anything g o od p l aying r ight now. We tho u ght a b o ut j ust g oing a nd r enting a movie, a nd de c ided not to.”
    “W h a t 's w r o n g wi t h th a t ? ”
    “ Noth i n g r e a ll y . We j u st th i n k it w ou ld b e a goo