First Half, First Game

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• Whispers of the Heart   Stuck in Trepidation

  I talked with Greta until the bell rang. She talked about techniques to help me stay grounded during these times when uncertainty was the only constant in my life. I told her about the nightmare I had that first night after Alexis was found murdered. I watched as she made notes about that and she suggested that I might possibly have periods of survivor’s guilt and that was normal given the circumstances. Overall, it seemed to be a productive session and I felt at least a little better than I did before coming to see her.As always, the person that made me feel the best, the safest was waiting right outside the office for me. Who needs therapy when one look into those sexy, smouldering dark eyes filled with promises makes me forget all my problems?We walked through the halls and out the doors to the Yukon with plans to go grab something to eat together before we came back and parted ways. Friday was our first away game and it was against a tough opponent, Broken Falls. According to Ow

• Whispers of the Heart   Worried Chatter

  The missing woman, Penelope Hudson, is all anyone can talk about the rest of the day. Teachers and students alike try to concentrate on the subject matter in each class but everyone is distracted. The police are not releasing any details as it is an ongoing investigation but a quick search of her social media pages reveals more than we need to know, courtesy of our own investigative journalist, Vanessa Boyle.We have the name and that’s all she needs to start digging.We are at last break and have all huddled upstairs in the bleachers over the gym, our favorite hideaway spot for peace and quiet and space to breathe. Vanessa, Bethany and Courtney had just joined us as I had spent the last period working in Coach Lawrence’s office while Owen, Danny and Gary goofed on around me.As soon as she pulls her up on her phone, she pales a little as her hand comes up over her mouth.“What is it, doll?” Danny asks her as he pulls her closer and leans over her shoulder to take a peak. One glance up

• Whispers of the Heart   Grief and Guilt

  “Miss Butler,” I heard my name being called and turned around to see Principal Sterling approaching. “I’m glad to see you here. I was worried you were absent today.”“No, sir. Just had an appointment this morning that I couldn’t miss.”“Good, good. We have grief counselors on hand today. Now, you may not think you need to talk to someone. I have heard that two dozen times today but I am encouraging everyone that was at the game to at least sit down with them for a few minutes. In your case, I think it is very important since you were so close to the situation Friday night.”His words really irritated me and I couldn’t figure out why. I just know it felt so impersonal, so wrong to just call it ‘the situation’. A girl lost her life. Alexis Parker was dead. Her parents were going to have to bury their child. Her family, friends and classmates were never going to have another moment with her. I gritted my teeth and bit my tongue to keep from lashing out at him due to the vast insensitivity

• Whispers of the Heart   Confusing Confessions

  The visit took a little over an hour. The urine sample was for a standard pregnancy test, which was negative. The nurse I was assigned looked to be in her early thirties. She was really nice and easy to talk to, which I was thankful for. I declined the STD panel , explaining what I knew about Owen’s past relationships and that I was confident he was clean.She checked my iron levels with a single finger prick. My iron was a little low so she insisted I take a daily multi-vitamin. The exam itself was a little uncomfortable but nothing too terribly bad and with a nice nurse that took her time and made sure I was relaxed and comfortable, it went much smoother than I ever imagined it could.She discussed options with me afterwards and I decided, after hearing the pros and cons, to try the birth control patch. She showed me how and where to apply it, applying the first one for me and then sent me out with a three month supply along with lots of reading material and a bag with some other fre

• Whispers of the Heart   Health Department Visit

  Owen insisted on coming with me multiple times but I assured him that I would be fine going by myself. There wouldn’t be anything for him to do but hang out in the lobby. He didn’t see a problem with that until I explained that everyone in this town knew who the quarterback was.The wildly popular, star quarterback sitting in the lobby of the health department meant only one of two things. He either had an STD he was needing treated or he knocked someone up. At least, those would be the only two viable options that anyone would come up with. Considering how much money his parents had, people would quickly deduce that any disease testing or treatment would be done privately leaving an unplanned pregnancy as the only reasonable conclusion.The rate that gossip spreads in Wood Haven, by noon every single person in town would firmly believe that Owen and I were expecting a baby. It would create nothing but problems and give his mother yet another reason to not like me and insist that I was

• Whispers of the Heart   Adulting Sucks

  The crowd dispersed little by little. By nine, it was just Barb, John, Owen and myself again. I helped Barb clean up the kitchen while Owen helped John put up the tables and chairs. More than likely, my body would scream discomfort from every muscle tomorrow morning but right now, I was so happy and had enjoyed myself thoroughly.“Thank you again, Barb.” I said to her as I washed and she dried on the dishes. “Today was just perfect. The perfect birthday gathering.”“You deserve it, sweet girl. You have worked so hard all of your life and had to be an adult for so long, you deserve a day here and there to just kick back, relax and have fun. We all do. I hope we can keep doing it. People get excited about something on the start and then it seems like it just dwindles off. Then, we are stuck here one Sunday fixing sixty burgers for six people.”“Hopefully, we can keep that from happening. If everyone sees how much fun it is, they will look forward to coming. Thank you so much for allowing