Omniscient Leaps by Kimberly Slivinski Read Free Book Online Page A

sat back quietly and observed. I wasn’t much for making a fool out of myself, but I definitely enjoyed watching the rest of my peers try to reenact some goofy Mad Lib inspired scripts. My stomach ached from all the incessant laughter.
    Jess presented several biblical readings and explained the underlying messages behind each passage in easy to understand terms. I prayed after enough sessions I’d be able to read the book on my own and understand it. Jess said the only way to know what God expects from me is by reading His Word. Once I’m familiar enough with it, I should hear Him speaking to me like a conscience.
    “So what did you think?” Jenna asked, once the rest of the group had cleared the room and headed to the refreshment table.
    “It was a lot of fun,” I admitted. “Very entertaining and not at all condemnatory.” Her expression shifted to one more alarming. “Not that I expected it to be, but I had a bad experience with another group.”
    “Oh good,” she said relieved. “You should know that all these people here are just as friendly at school. They’ll have your back if you need them to.”
    “I’d love to come regularly. Do you guys have a schedule or something or do you meet here regularly?”
    Jenna scanned the room, spotted what she needed and immediately began to rifle through a pile of papers. “Sorry, we are not always so disorganized. Here is the schedule. You can feel free to host one at your house if you want.”
    “Umm.” I struggled with what to say. I couldn’t imagine this rowdy bunch in our small house. And the grocery bill to feed them would only add more stress to my mom’s life. It wasn’t something I wanted to burden her with.
    “Oh, you don’t have to if you don’t want,” Jenna replied after seeing my reaction.
    “It’s not that I don’t want to,” I began. “But our home is really small and we don’t have a lot of money. I know it probably sounds completely selfish, but I don’t want to trouble my mom with extra groceries.”
    “And this is going to sound so judgmental,” she began, “I always thought you had everything. I mean, you hang out with a lot of the rich kids and I just assumed since you lived near Reyna that your parents had a lot of money too.”
    Jer suddenly stepped forward to join in our conversation. He’d been making jokes the entire evening and I wondered what crack he was going to let loose now. “That was awful, Jenna. I can’t believe that came out of your mouth.”
    “I—” Jenna’s eyes widened. The influx of Jer’s seriousness had surprised her. She instantly flashed several shades of red. “I am so sorry, Kara. I hope I didn’t insult you. That wasn’t my intention, honestly.”
    I rubbed her arm. “My father died when I was three and my mom is a single parent. She works two jobs to support us, so I really don’t like to ask for too much. Appearances are deceiving. I really just passed the time with that group of individuals you’ve seen me with. I’m very different than they are, financial situations aside.”
    “They’re not all bad,” Scott added. “Some of your friends have actually attended a few of these meetings. They’re not regulars, but they come once in a while. Besides, what you do in your free time is your business.”
    I liked Scott’s spunk. He didn’t feel the need to sugar coat anything. I’d noticed that about him over the course of the last hour. “Thanks for the approval,” I teased. “I better get going. I don’t want my mom to think I’ve been sucked into a cult or something.”
    Jenna gasped. She apparently didn’t pick up on my sarcasm and I was beginning to think she took everything that was said with a more serious approach. As the boys worked to reassure her of my renowned endorsement, I made my way towards the door. I thanked Jess for inviting me and I made sure to let Jenna’s parents know what a wonderful time the experience at their house had been.
    Mom had left the