She Came to Conquer
layed every word he'd said to me over and over, holding onto the moment as my o
r the most part, he kept his distance. Yet, those small gestures were enough to keep
approached me as I was packing up my b
said, leaning casua
p, startle
ng a hand through his hair in that effortless way he always did. "And I was won
compliment. "Oh, um, sur
nother dimpled grin. "Thanks
thought he genuinely needed my help. He'd drop off his notebooks with a sheepish smile a
work you do for him?" Stephanie ask
" I said, though I
on. You're practically doing all his homewor
, though her words planted
r chair, crossing her arms.
said quickly, my
lmost sympathetic. "You're too nice for you
a stack of assignments, his ton
th," he said. "Y
se. He just walked away, leaving me standing
echoed in my min
lf that it wasn't true. Daniel wasn't
•
ings weren'
more intense with each passing day, as if
as we sat around the dinner table. "What
plied quickly, a
work and more time in the Word," he s
, Fa
r, bad company corrupts good morals. Focus on your s
oughts were miles away, circling around Daniel and
hing, with Father nodding along to every word like an eager disciple. Stephanie
members of the congregation. Stephanie herself would pass me amus
Stephanie would pull me aside and whisper abou
she said one Sunday as we stood o
eplied. "You k
not going to live under their roof forever.
me, gnawing at the
ernoon when Daniel handed me ye
said, not even botheri
y. Just a careless shrug, as if it were the most
he papers, feeling a stran
echoed in my min
t time, I co
ept in, I couldn't b
in too