book four in
Changing Scenes

Morgan Roberts had left everything behind. His home. His friends. His future in the game. Now, his hopes for starting a new life in Westlake have totally disappeared. After beginning his second year at the high school, he still hasn't proved himself as the team player or student he believes himself to be. And all because Wil Davis was standing in the way. Revenge is the only feeling keeping him under control.

But control is a tricky thing for Morgan, especially when he sees his chances for a new life dying in front of his eyes. Pushing everyone away but those who can further his own need for acceptance, he feels trapped and hides it by ignoring the problem, hoping it will go far away.

But two girls feel the hurt and try to save him.

by mintbaby

Author's Note: Still in progress, which may also include rewrites, additions and changes due to revisions in previous books.

Andy Modine gave Cora Davis a sidelong glance and couldn't resist the smile that tugged at her lips. Cora paced by the front door, trying to hide the eagerness she felt at the coming visit by her twin brother, Wil. He had temporarily moved out of his own home to make a place for Andy as she healed and rediscovered her relationship with God. Wil had moved in with his lifelong friend, Bruce Lambert, so that Andy could breathe easier. If only I had wised up sooner, she thought with a sigh. But the fact that her real father had died before she was born and her mom had kept it from her....

It had driven her away from everybody she loved.

"Cora, why don't you sit down? You're making me nervous."

Cora's pretty face flushed pink, making the jagged scar painfully obvious as she sat in the nearest seat. Andy closed her new Bible and set it on the coffee table as she leaned back in the couch. How can Cora forget about that scar? Andy wondered. She'd asked herself about that a lot in the past few days. How could Cora forgive and forget something like that when it looked her in the face every morning? That was only one thing of many about Cora Davis that she didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, An," Cora apologized -- in the soft voice only she could do -- and gave Andy a smile. "It's just that Wil and I haven't ever been separated before. I miss him."

"Don't tell him that. He's liable to get a swelled head."

Cora's smile widened and her slightly pale scar seemed to disappear. "Are you kidding? His head couldn't get any more swelled than it is already. Vicki and Hannah don't need any help from me in that department."

Andy chuckled and let her head rest on the back of the solid cream couch. Every day she was here she could feel the old Andy coming back stronger, pushing away the hard-nosed rebel who'd tried to take on the world. And every day she fell in love with the Lord more and more as she surrendered her heart to His healing. One day she knew she'd be able to forget the part of her that was lost. One day she'd be able to put it behind her, as well as the many fond memories of Ryan Godler.

One day.

A slight shiver raced up and down Andy's spine and she turned her blue eyed gaze to Cora's troubled face. "What's the matter, Cora?"

"I was just wondering why Morgan Roberts hasn't called you like you said he was going to."

The smile on Andy's face faltered and she looked away. "Just because Morgan and I talked at that meeting Dave Windser persuaded me to go to doesn't mean we're going to make it a regular habit. I'm probably not his type."

Besides, she told herself, he's not a Christian and I already made that mistake once. I don't plan on doing it again. It hurt too much.

"Andy, you're one of those sickening people whom everybody loves."

"And you aren't?"

Cora smiled and shook her head. "I don't know about that. All I know is that I try and see other people through Jesus' eyes. It's very hard, and very painful."

"Is that why you've been going out with Bruce Lambert?"

Her eyes darkened and the smile changed to a sad twisting of the lips. "Going out with him, yes, but not in the way anyone suspects. I'm trying to be there for him. That's it. We're just good friends."

"Does he know that?"

"Probably not."

"So when are you going to tell him?"

Cora shook her head and rested her chin on a hand as her elbow rested on the arm of the easy chair. "I won't have to. Bruce is one of those people who likes constant new experiences. When something gets too familiar, he freaks and makes any excuse to find something new to take his attention away from it. It'll happen sooner or later."

"So why are you staying involved?"

"Because he needs this right now. Just like I do. Companionship. Someone who doesn't expect him to put on a mask. I like who he is and he needs that, don't ask me how I know. It's just a feeling. When he gets scared, I'll be ready to let him move on without taking away my friendship."

"You have a heart of gold, Cora."

"Not really, but that's a thing only God can see. Let's just say I try my best. I still fall short of what God wants me to be." Cora gave Andy an odd look and then smirked. "Now that you've succeeded to get the subject off of yourself, you can tell me why you think you aren't Morgan Roberts' type."

Andy sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't want to be his type, Cora. It just brings back too many memories. Why do you think Wil moved in with Bruce?"

"I meant to ask you about that. One day Wil's here, the next he's packing and giving me a reassuring smile as he hoofs it over to Bruce's. Did you guys have a fight?"

"No," Andy said simply. "No, Wil has never been anything but a sweetheart to me, no matter what I did to him. My screwed up emotions were the reasons he left, Cora. My relationship with Ryan has made it really difficult for me to accept 'friendship' from a guy and not instantly label it something else."

"Things went that far?" Cora asked quietly.

"Yes, things went that far. Too far. Too fast. I couldn't stop it. It was like a diesel train running at top speed with me on the front grill. Even if I had wanted to stop it I don't think I would have known how."

"And that's why Morgan scares you."

"It's not that he scares me. Not exactly. I'm scared of myself. You don't understand, Cora. I've always had a really tight reign on my emotions because I felt them so easily. Like Vicki. But I never learned how to vent them properly. I hid them inside and was only able to let them out when I prayed. That's why I go on long walks. I try to find the most secluded place I can find and then let out every emotion. Screaming, crying, laughing, that was when it would come out."

"I'm sorry, An. I didn't know."

"Don't apologize, Cora. You're helping me deal with my emotions."

"I am?"

"By making me talk about them. I was never able to do that at home because of Vicki. I was always having to be emotionally stable for her. A shoulder for her to cry on 24 hours a day, but never able to let my own deep feelings be shown to her. She wouldn't have been able to handle it. Not the way I needed it handled anyway."

Cora nodded and leaped up when there was a sound outside. "He didn't drive! I bet you he's trying to sneak up on us," she whispered harshly. She gave Andy a mischievous smile and motioned for her to hide on the other side of the door. "We'll get him first," she mouthed.

Andy nodded, caught up in the emotions of pure joy that filled the room. It was one step closer to where she needed to be before she moved back home. I can hardly wait, Lord, she prayed as the doorknob slowly rotated. The front door was slowly pushed open and Andy sucked in a breath with a smile. Cora and her were going to scare Wil out of his mind.

Morgan Roberts' mind darkened as he watched Wil Davis step into the house and disappear behind the closed door.

When he’d gone jogging that morning he hadn’t meant for it to lead him to Wil Davis’ home. The last thing Morgan had wanted was to be reminded that Wil had everything he had ever dreamed of having. Actually, Wil Davis had everything that Morgan had enjoyed back in New York City, and he didn’t like that. Popularity and constant attention had been what Morgan had grown up with in New York. The best Quarterback on his high school football team, he’d been drooled over by the biggest and best colleges since his freshman year.

Now he had nothing.

Not even a person a person to talk to about it.

He pulled a piece of paper out of his sweatpant’s pocket and gave a little smile. When everyone had been leaving Dave Windser's meeting he'd told Andromeda he was going to call her, but then he'd chickened out the next day, telling himself that she'd just been playing with his mind. He crumpled the small paper and chucked it across the road. I don't have time for her either, he thought as his black mood deepened. I don't have any time for anybody. His hands went stiff at his sides and he turned sharply, striding away as the chilly January air cut through his thick NYC sweatpants and plain grey sweatshirt. The cold air wouldn't last. As soon as he began his five mile jog back to his house he knew he wouldn't feel it, but it did nothing for his mood at the moment.

Morgan's hands clenched tighter and he stepped into an easy jog, his jaw set as he narrowed his eyes against the penetrating winter wind that sucked them dry. If only mom hadn't gotten sick-- he pushed the thought away and picked up the pace. This stupid little town, he sneered. Now he had suffered through two football seasons as their running back, trying to show their coach that he was the star player and not Wil. Even though he'd learned another position to out do Wil Davis, it hadn't worked.

I have to make the winning plays, but it only makes the quarterback look better.

Morgan's lips twisted and he tossed his sandy brown hair out of his face. Basketball season was starting now and Morgan had to get in shape. Better shape than Wil Davis, the star forward. A growl pushed out of Morgan's lips and he turned onto the street that led closer to his home. Again he was cheated out of what was rightfully his. And again he was determined to take it.

A pair of light blue eyes flashed into his mind again and his sneer melted into a small smile. It was too bad she and Wil Davis weren't involved. He would have liked to take her from him. But, as far as he knew, they didn't even know each other. She wasn't Wil's type. Maybe he'd see Andromeda Lyn around school the next semester. Morgan let the thought warm his mood as he settled into a more comfortable pace. He hadn't even cared that he'd let some things about his personal life slip to her. Something about the way her eyes had looked into his had made him feel he could trust her. That and the fact that she had really tried to look like a rebel, he told himself with an amused smile. She'd done a good job, but her eyes had given her away.

"Strictly small town," he murmured.

And that had interested him even more. Why had she been trying to be something she wasn't? And why had she trusted him with her painful past, sketchy as it may have been. I'm going to have to pull her aside and ask her, he told himself firmly. If I see her. But tearing Wil Davis off his pedestal was something he wanted really bad. And once he set his mind on something nobody took it away.

But something like that didn't come easy.

Morgan slowed to a walk and concentrated on his breathing as his house came into view. He stepped up onto the covered porch and began his stretching exercises, a flash of a smile spreading across his lips. He'd just find out Wil's weakpoint. Everyone had one.

Vicki Modine and Hannah Bishop looked over at her younger brother as he viciously played his video game and shook their heads after sharing a look. He hadn't been talking much. Not since the letter had arrived from Andy a couple days before. Vicki had tried to talk to him about it, but he'd always had an excuse that had taken him away from the family. I don't understand why he's pushing away Andy's apology, God. There's something bothering him and I don't know how to find out what it is.

She caught sight of Hannah's small smile that seemed to say 'don't worry about him', and smiled back. I can't help it, she told herself. I want our family to get back to normal, but he's making it so hard.

"Vicki, I'm going to go home before my parents think I've disowned them."

"Okay," she said with a wave as Hannah stood. "I'll see you later."

"I'll probably go to the singles this Wednesday. Dave's got a video by Josh McDowell that he's really excited about. Do you think you'll come?"

"Are you kidding? Josh McDowell is great! I'll try to bring some of my other friends from school too."

"Great," Hannah said with a small smile. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow at church. Bye."

"Bye."

Vicki heard the door close behind her and then the sound of Hannah's little four door Datsun as it pulled out of the driveway. Suddenly, there was a loud click as Max violently turned off the TV and stood, throwing the controller onto the ground.

"Stupid game," he snapped. He flung himself into the couch beside Vicki and crossed his arms. "I don't know why I'm having so much trouble. That game is so easy it's pathetic!"

Vicki tossed him a butterscotch candy from the bowl on the coffee table and he popped it into his mouth without a word after he'd unwrapped the noisy plastic. That was the only sound he made.

"Your mind has been on other things lately. Maybe that's it," she asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah, like school starting day after tomorrow." Max's voice was harsh.

Vicki examined her thirteen year old brother as he ran a hand through his reddish brown hair, his dark blue eyes focused on the blank screen of the TV. He was mad about something, and school wasn't it. Only a little over two years younger than her, they shared a closeness that had amazed their friends in Ooray. They had thought it strange that a brother and sister could have so much in common and not be at each other's throats all hours of the day.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Vicki said finally.

Max leaned forward to grab a handful of the noisy butterscotch pieces and then threw himself back into the couch with a grumble as he unwrapped one. Vicki pulled her feet up onto the couch and leaned her back against the arm as she watched him. She had to be careful. He was in one of those moods where anything would set him off. That wasn't the way to get him talking about his problem.

"Max, I don't mind if you don't want to talk about it. I was just wondering because you've been acting kind of weird lately."

"I don't exactly like to see the end of Christmas vacation, Vicki, no matter how miserable it was. It was better than school."

Vicki pulled her legs up tighter and wrapped her arms around them. "Are you having problems fitting in, Max?"

"No, I was just talking."

"So why are you acting so mad?" Vicki's voice was gentle, but she could tell it was time to end the conversation because of the way his face hardened when he looked at her. "Never mind, Max. I guess I'm just imagining things. I'm going to go up to my room and read a book. If you want to do something, just come up and give my door a knock. Okay?"

"Sure. Whatever."

Vicki slid off the couch and fiddled with the end of her long french braid as she silently stepped through the hall to turn for the stairs. She felt like he was walking away from her. Max had always talked to her about things that bothered him. Now that he wasn't, it worried her.

"Vicki, wait."

Max's voice came from the bottom of the stairs and she halted. When she turned to face him his hands were stuffed so deep into the pockets of his black shorts that she thought they might swallow his arms. He stared down at his black hightops and kicked at the bottom step. Maybe he needed to talk after all.

"Yeah, Max?"

"Do you think we could go for a walk?"

"Sure."