The God Box Read Online Free

so cute!"
    Dakota grinned. For a Christian, she could look surprisingly devilish. "Why don't you want him to sit with us?""You know why." Elizabeth glowered at her. "Because he's living in sin."I sat down and quietly dug into my lasagna, anxious to see where the conversation would go.Angie stared across the table at Elizabeth and quoted Romans: '"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.'""Yes, I do know that, thank you. But he's unrepentant.""So, do you want to tell him not to sit here?" Dakota asked.Elizabeth wiped her hands with a napkin. "I'm not the one who invited him in the first place."From across the lunchroom, I noticed Manuel approaching our table and murmured to our group, "Here he comes."20"Hey." Manuel smiled. "Is it okay if I sit with you guys again?"Elizabeth darted a look of disapproval at us. A batter crumb was sticking to her pale pink lipstick.Angie turned away from her and told Manuel, "Of course.""Have a seat."

    Dakota pulled a chair out for him.Elizabeth opened her mouth, about to say something, just as her boyfriend, Cliff, strode over, on his way to his usual table with his football teammates."Hey," he said to our group. "How's it going?"Cliff was a large straw-haired boy with a hard jaw and muscle-packed body. A linebacker on the varsity team, his massive shoulders gave him the appearance of being about to burst from his clothes at any moment, like the Incredible Hulk.Elizabeth gave him a frosty glance, apparently still angry at him for talking to his ex. But Cliff seemed indifferent."We'll be meeting for Bible Club in room 132." His gruff, husky tenor added to the impression of contempt. "Let everyone know." His steely blue eyes shifted to Manuel, focusing on his eyebrow ring."Cliff?" Dakota said. "Meet Manuel."'"Sup?" Manuel nodded to him and Cliff replied, "You coming to Bible study this afternoon?"Elizabeth's jaw clenched at the suggestion. Mine did too."Yeah, come!" Angie cut in. "I was going to invite you.""Thanks." Manuel smiled at the offer. "I'd like to, but I've got a dentist appointment after school."Elizabeth's face relaxed, mirroring my own relief."But hey," Manuel said, "can I take a rain check?""Of course." Cliff's eyes flashed restlessly around the room. "Anytime."Elizabeth stood abruptly and said to Cliff, "Can I talk with you?"21"Yeah, sure." Cliff looked a little taken aback by her sudden change toward him. "See y'all later."Elizabeth whisked her tray off the table, leading Cliff away. After a few steps she said something to him, and he paused a moment, glancing over his shoulder at us with a hard gaze. Had Elizabeth told him about Manuel?While Angie, Dakota, and I silently watched them continue across the cafeteria, Manuel sliced into his roast beef."The food's pretty decent here," he commented, oblivious to the lunch table melodrama that had just played out.22

Chapter 5
    BIBLE CLUB MET ON A FAIRLY LOOSE SCHEDULE, SINCE ALL OF US WERE
    HEAVILY INVOLVED IN AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. OUR CLUB ADVISOR, VICE
    PRINCIPAL RUSSELL, LEFT US PRETTY MUCH ALONE, PROBABLY FIGURING WE
    WERE GOOD CHRISTIAN KIDS UNLIKELY TO GET INTO ANY TROUBLE.I was walking down the hall toward room 132 when Elizabeth and Cliff came from the opposite direction, murmuring in low voices."Hey!" Cliffs eyes latched onto me. "Why didn't you warn me that guy was gay?""Warn you?" "Yeah!" Cliff leaned into me. "Why were you sitting with him at lunch?"Even though Cliff was only slightly taller than me, his muscles made him seem twice as large. Nevertheless, his hostile tone annoyed me. "I didn't sit with him. He sat with us.""Same thing," Cliff sneered. "Watch out you don't get a reputation."His comment irritated me, mostly because I knew it was true. But what was I supposed to do about it?Inside the classroom, Angie and Dakota had already begun moving chairs into a circle, assisted by a half dozen other students.
    It was23a warm afternoon, and the AC had already been shut off, so I opened the windows, hoping