-1Deadly IntenSHUNS
Summary: Some random story Crystal told Cara one Wednesday.

. . . . . . . .

IT HAPPENED ON A WEDNESDAY when everyone least expected it. A young girl with long mousey-brown hair and brown eyes was chatting animatedly with a short chubby girl with blonde hair and brown eyes and with a tall dark-haired girl with reddish brown eyes.

"And that's why I want to be a doctor," the young girl informed them.

"How fascinating," the dark-haired girl said dryly.

"Where's your brother?" the young girl asked.

"Around here somewhere, I suppose," the dark-haired girl replied, yawning, "let me go find him."

"Cara," the blonde hissed, "don't leave me here alone." Cara glanced down at the shorter girl and sighed.

"I'll only be gone a minute, Crystal, seriously." Cara walked off. She wasn't really going to go search for her brother, Benjamin. She knew exactly where he was. He was in the boy's room with Zach and James hiding from Lori, and her older sister Sarah.

The two of them had been attending church with them for a few months now and the younger sibling had developed a crush on Cara's younger brother, who, might I add is way too old for her anyway, Benjamin and the younger sibling had developed a crush on Cara's current favorite drummer, James.

Cara pursed her lips, kicking at the carpet and walking out of the sanctuary.

"Cara!" A familiar voice called from behind her. Cara's shoulders tensed as she narrowed her eyes.

"Sarah!" Cara replied happily, turning around and smiling wide as Sarah hugged her.

"Have you seen my stupid little sister? Mom said I had to watch her since she told Chanet that whole thing about--" Cara stared at Sarah's mouth as she talked. Thinking about the mole that was on her chin.

Ewww, she thought, Is that a hair? GROSS!

"Hm," Cara said interrupting Sarah's long speech about something that didn't particularly matter to anyone, "Last I saw of her, she was in the sanctuary talking with Crystal and wondering where my little brother was."

"That girl," Sarah said, "She's so obsessed with your brother it's scary."

"Yeah," Cara said, "I know." Sarah laughed nervously.

"I'm really sorry about the whole...y'know."

"Yeah," Cara said, face darkening in remembrance.

"Oh, have to seen Ja--" Sarah began, but Cara cut her off.

"Nope," she said quickly, "Sorry. Gotta go!" And with that Cara rushed off to the girl's bathroom before remembering that, of course, Sarah could follow her in. She grumbled and turned to leave, but another voice stopped her.

"Cara!" Someone said cheerily. Cara's fists clenched as she mustered up her best smile and turned around to see Sarah's mother.

"Miss...uh," Cara said, slightly embarrassed that she had forgotten the woman's name, but then again it didn't surprise her. The woman didn't seem to notice because just seconds later she had Cara in a tight bear hug.

"Ohh, you're so good to my daughters," the woman said, still holding Cara in her arms. Cara glared at the far wall as she hugged the woman back, hoping that she would be let go soon since this was extremely uncomfortable. Cara laughed nervously as the woman pulled back and began to talk to her.

"Heh," Cara said, "Well, I better go find my brother..." With that said she turned around and opened the door quickly, slamming it into none-other-than, Lori.

Ajfasdhkgjhdsl;, Cara thought, WILL THIS EVER END?!

"I found Ben," Lori informed her.

"Oh?" Cara asked, "Where is he?"

"Boy's room," she said, "Can you believe it?"

"Actually I can," Cara mumbled.

"What?"

"Ohhh nothing," she said sweetly, "No, I can't believe it."

"James is in there too," Lori said with a mischievous smirk, "y'know, Sarah likes him."

"Lori!" Her mother admonished.

"No worries," Cara said, "Sarah already informed me of her crush, now if you'll excuse me...I've got to go get Ben and James...it just wont be service without them."

"Good luck!" The two called after her as she ran swiftly to the other side of the church and whipped out her cell phone and began texting frantically.

You and James hurry and get out here!
Service is starting and this whole
thing with Sarah and Lori following
me around is starting to get creepy!
--SAVE ME.

She stood in front of the door to the bathroom and impatiently tapped her foot. Her cell phone vibrated moments later.

Is it safe?
--BEN

Cara groaned and glanced around. There was no sign of the two girls she sighed with relief and txted Ben back.

It is right now, but you better hurry!
--CARA

She moved a few feet back from the door as the boys peeked out. She glared at them, tapping her foot. She heard one of them yelp, probably Zach.

"Hush," Ben said, "Its just my sister." And with that the three boys came out of the bathroom slowly.

"You guys okay?" Cara asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Fine," James said dryly. Cara raised an eyebrow.

"Does wittle Jamesey need me to hold his hand while he walks down the hallway to his drwums?" Cara mocked. James glared at her and stalked off down the hallway with the remaining two boys watching in horror.

"He is so brave," Ben said, putting one hand over his heart and wiping away a fake tear with the other.

"Yeah, yeah," Cara said darkly, grabbing Ben and Zach's wrists and pulling them into the sanctuary and leading them to their seats before attempting to go sit next to Crystal. Ben grabbed Cara's wrist and whimpered.

"Don't leave us!" Ben wailed. Cara glared down at him.

"Be a man," she said harshly, yanking her wrist away and going back to take her seat next to Crystal. When she got to the seat, however, Crystal was no longer there. She sighed and sat down on the far side of the row so she could get a clear view of the drums and her favorite drummer, James.

"That's weird," Cara muttered as the preacher began to take prayer requests, "What happened to James?" She glanced around the sanctuary and caught a glimpse of Lori waving at her. She smiled and waved back, still sweeping her gaze over the pews that were filled with people; some standing and some sitting. She mumbled something under her breath and stood up, walking out the side entrance to the sanctuary and began to search for James.

"James?" She asked as she entered the hallway, "You back here?" She listened closely for a reply, but it never came. She swallowed hard and looked around the hallway, calling James' name a few more times. Still, there was no answer.

When she reached the end of the hallway, she pushed open the door to the youth room and entered it slowly.

"James?" She asked, looking around the dimly lit room, "Are you back here?" Cara listened for a moment and this time she heard a soft whimper coming from the other side of the room. She headed towards the sound.

"James?" She asked again, "Is that you?" The whimper came again, this time closer. She sped up her pace, reaching the other end of the youth room and looking around for the drummer frantically. She heard the music begin to play in the sanctuary and the choir had begun to sing.

"Looks like it's already starting," Cara said, turning towards the door to the storage shed and pulling it open. James looked up at her from amongst the various items that were thrown around the closet.

"You okay, buddy?" Cara asked, offering him her hand.

"She came out of nowhere," James whimpered. Cara raised an eyebrow.

"So you hid in a supply closet?" She asked, putting the hand that James wasn't holding on her hip and raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah..." James said, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"And you call yourself intelligent," Cara chided.

"I didn't call myself anything," James remarked, getting up to his feet and crossing his arms.

"You were thinking it," Cara said, "Now, lets get back, shall we?"

"I think I missed my opportunity to play tonight," James said as the bass drums sounded loudly though the back room.

"I suppose so," Cara said, grabbing his wrist and leading him back into the hallway, "but you can sit with Ben, Zach and I..." Cara had given up any hope of sitting with Crystal right now, she had boys to protect.

"I could y'know...sit with my little brother..." James said, attempting to protest to sitting with Cara and the two younger boys.

"Do you want me to protect you or not?" Cara asked, stopping outside of the side door.

"Well...yes...but..."

"James, I am aware that you don't exactly y'know, like me, but seriously this is ridiculous." James pulled his wrist from her hand.

"I don't hate you," he said.

"I didn't say you did," she retorted.

"I know, but...still, I don't. You're not like all the other girls, you actually have a brain." Cara chuckled.

"Don't lie to me, James," she said, "I was going to protect your sorry butt whether or not you complimented me." She reached out and gripped his wrist again, leading him through the side door and to the place where Ben and Zach were seated.

"There you are," Ben said, "Why aren't you playing the drums?" James opened his mouth to speak, but Cara cut him off.

"Found this poor schmuck hiding in the supply closet," she said, looking up at the choir and glancing at the song lyrics briefly before waiting for the next line to begin so she could join in the song.

. . . . . . . .

FOUR SONGS AND the praise and worship was over, the offering was taken up, and the kids and youth were dismissed to their classes. James, Ben and Zach stayed close to Cara as they exited through the same side door she and James had entered though moments before.

"Guys," Cara said with an exasperated sigh, "You don't have to hang all over me, okay? They don't bite."

"You don't know that!" Zach squeaked. Cara stopped in the middle of the hallway then, turning around and staring at Zach, with her eyebrows raised.

"Why are you staying close to me?" She asked. Zach laughed nervously and backed up a little.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time?"

"Get in the youth room, you silly kid," Cara said, pushing Zach into the youth room just as everyone was getting settled.