Wrestling Against Myself by Katie Leone Read Free Book Online Page A

having one of their lengthy discussions about the Christian role playing game they were trying to perfect to rival Dungeons and Dragons.
     
    “Tiny, help us out here,” Ted said. “Do you think Goliath was an ogre or a giant?”
     
    “He's a...” the final word didn't escape Dave's mouth as he was elbowed in the ribs.
     
    “Let Tiny say himself, without your influence.”
     
    “Is this for your game?”
     
    “Yeah,” Dave answered before Ted could and then gave his friend a smug smile.
     
    Tiny shook his head. He tried to play one of the games the two had concocted and spent an entire night with them and two other friends rolling dice and speaking in the kings English. He politely made it through the night, since he had agreed to, but with their collection of shields and blunt swords, he really wanted to go out in the back yard and really do battle instead of roll around funny shaped dice. “Bible said he was a giant, I don't think it mentions ogres in their anywhere.”
     
    “Told you,” Ted said with the air of triumph.
     
    “We still need ogres.”
     
    “We do not.”
     
    “If it was good enough for C.S. Lewis.”
     
    “You're thinking of Tolkien,” Ted countered.
     
    “Whoever, we still need them.”
     
    “Guys!” Tiny said firmly. “Let's have this discussion when we aren't getting ready to pray.”
     
    The two nodded in agreement. It was the same argument they'd been having since last February, only the type of monster changed from one argument to another.
     
    Tracy walked in next and took one look at the two boys standing near the front of the room with slumped shoulders. “Let me guess, Dungeons and Dragons?” she said with a wry smile.
     
    “Christians and Romans,” Ted Corrected.
     
    “Battlefield of God,” Dave said almost in unison.
     
    “Guys,” Antonio said before a new argument over what name their creation should be called started.
     
    “I'll just stand over here,” Tracy said as she made her way next to Tony.
     
    “You find out anything about that girl I pointed out yesterday,” Tony asked the girl as the other two seemed to have a silent argument with each other.
     
    Tracy frowned.  “Something’s up with her, but I don't know exactly what. From what I hear, whatever it is, the freshmen aren’t too happy about her.”
     
    “A little thing like that, what could she have done?”
     
    “I don't know yet. Jury is still out.”
     
    “Think she needs our help?”

“Tiny, you think everyone needs your help. Find out what it is first, something tells me you may not want to get involved.”
     
    Antonio tensed his face as others walked in. “I don't like seeing someone go around so timid. She's afraid of something.”
     
    “Maybe it's retaliation.”
     
    “Maybe. See what else you can find out.”
     
    Tony watched the door, waiting for Courtney to walk through so he could try to get some answers, but she never did. After waiting as long as he could, he began the prayer meeting with fifteen other students in the room.
     
    The prayer meeting followed a certain protocol that it had for years. The students joined hands in a circle, and Tony began to pray, when he was done the person to his right said their prayer and then the next person after that until the loop finally came back around to Tony and he was able to close the prayer out.
     
    “Lord, we just ask that you guide us. Let us be examples of love and mercy, not so that we get the credit, but that people can find their way to you. Amen.”
     
    Other students were already in the hall when Tony opened the door to let the others out. He removed the note he had placed outside the room and put it in his binder for safe keeping. He would make a game out of how long he could hold onto the one note before losing it or forgetting it at home.
     
    After the other prayer participants left, Antonio merged in with the traffic and made his way to his locker. He knew that he would soon abandon his locker