Free Southern Attraction by Tracy Kauffman Page A

confused.  He couldn’t read her, and he didn’t know what her feelings were for him.  She said that she cared about him, but how much?  Did she like him as a friend or more?  He didn’t know, but he knew that he needed to take it slower with her and give her time to decide how she truly felt about him.
                  Heather was elated that Shawn had came to her room and expressed his love for her, but it confused her.  She didn’t know how she really felt about him.  She was torn between him and Jake.  She knew that she had to see Jake and sort through her feelings.  She knew he would probably still be in the coma, but felt like if she saw him, she would know more about how she felt for him.  She decided that she would make a trip back to the hospital the next day, alone.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Twelve
     
                  The  next day didn’t go quite as Heather had expected.  Mick and Principal Thomas were making calls to some emergency relief programs trying to get assistance, for families who had lost their homes and possessions during the storm.  Shawn decided to make a visit to the other football teammates, and asked Heather to go along.  He wanted to make sure that no one lost faith in their team or their school. 
                  Heather agreed to spend the day with Shawn since he was doing a good deed, but she felt that someone else could do a better job.  She questioned why she had to be the one to help Shawn.  “Can’t someone else go with him?” she thought.  She did find some gratification in helping him though.  She liked the idea of others needing her support and encouragement.  Some of the team lost everything, including some of their family.  Heather was saddened by some of the stories she heard.
                  Chris White told her how his baby brother was killed when the walls to the house collapsed.  Even though he lost a lot including his brother, he was an encouragement to her, and she wasn’t expecting that from him.  He told her that he was thankful that God had protected him and his mother and father.  He knew that he could have lost them too in the tornado, and that he was thankful for the things that he still had.
                  Toby Millwood had lost his girlfriend when the tornado picked her up and threw her several feet.  She landed hard on the ground and was killed instantly.  His faith was harder to see than Chris White’s, but he didn’t want to give up hope on things returning to normal.
                  Heather knew that nothing would ever be the same again.  So many people lost their lives, homes, worldly possessions and their faith.  She wasn’t born in this town, but it was now her home.  She wanted to do whatever it took to help her fellow neighbors and friends.  She was determined on rebuilding the school to make it the best it could be and to help with the restoring of the football team.
                  The citizens of Huckleburg didn’t care as much about football as the people of Manhattan did, but they needed something to lift their spirits.  She knew how much a team, a team of anything, would help them feel a sense of relief, a sense of togetherness, and help them to overcome their feelings of doom and defeat.
                  Heather knew she had a purpose now on this earth.  It wasn’t to stand back and watch others rebuild a town, but it was her purpose.  She was going to do whatever she could to help these townspeople reestablish their town and their lives.  Her dad had always told her that nothing was impossible if you only believe.  She believed that she could help, and therefore, she made it her mission to help.
                  She didn’t sit back and watch Mick and Principal Thomas call everyone for assistance, but she got on the other line and made some calls of her own.  She contacted