These Are the Moments Read Online Free PDF Page A

mind.”
    Claudia slammed the door as she trotted into the house, leaving Wendy behind.

Chapter 8
    Then
    The first thing she noticed was the crowd, modest at best, mostly youth group people, mostly older than she was. More importantly? Mostly girls.
    Owen lived a few blocks from St. Francis’, in a neighborhood with miniature backyards and a short walk to the park. Wendy and Reese showed up ten minutes late, because Reese told her, “No one shows up on time.”
    She was right. Simon, the guest of honor, wasn’t even there yet.
    “Okay,” Owen said, tossing pillows around to everyone. “He’s almost here. Everybody hide, yell surprise and chuck these at his head. Got it?”
    He flipped off the light.
    Wendy got that butterfly feeling in her stomach, the one that was half nervous, half excited. Girls around her giggled in the dark. Others shushed them. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
    Wendy watched Owen’s shadowy body yank the door open. “Happy birthday, man.”
    “Thanks,” Simon said, stepping into the living room. “Why’s it so dark?”
    Then it wasn’t.
    “ SURPRISE!” Everyone shouted and stood. A horde of pillows rained down.
    Simon laughed, turning just the slightest bit of pink. “Thanks, guys.”
    Owen turned on the music, and the party officially began. Even though this was Wendy’s first high school party, she felt surprisingly at ease. She talked to her retreat friends and inserted herself into conversations like she belonged there. It was a test that she was passing.
    “So,” Reese said, taking a seat on the couch. “You still on that retreat high?”
    “Retreat high?”
    “Yeah, you know. How you’re all pumped up about God, and everything is la la la , hooray life, I’m living on a cloud? ”
    Wendy sipped at her punch. “Oh, well when you put it that way, it just makes so much more sense.”
    “Uh huh,” Reese said, absently, distracted by Simon. “Gross. Doesn’t that make you want to throw up?”
    Simon was talking to girls again, of course.
    “What?”
    “Simon,” Reese said, nodding in his direction. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. He’s a great guy. He’s just a complete idiot. I can’t figure out if he intentionally leads on any girl who breathes in his direction or if it’s just instinct.”
    “Probably a combination,” Wendy said, sighing. She’d wondered the same thing.
    Reese chewed at the end of her bright orange ponytail. “Okay, I’m getting more punch. Need anything?”
    “No, I’m good.”
    Wendy leaned back on the couch, solo. Aside from the incriminating baby photos, Owen’s house didn’t seem like his taste. The living room was gold and navy, a tad too girly, the obvious work of his mother’s hand.
    Wendy wondered if Owen ever thought about his birth parents. Wendy wondered if Reese ever wondered about her dad. There were so many things she wanted to know about her new friends, and so many things she wanted them to know about her.
    “You came,” Simon said, settling himself down beside her.
    “Of course. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to throw a pillow at your head.”
    “Remind me to pay you back for that later.”
    She smiled, and looked down at her lap. She was nervous with him. Not blushy nervous, but more of an exposed nervous.
    “Are you having a good time?” he asked.
    “Adequate. Not nearly as much fun as your adoring crowd.”
    He brushed a hand through his hair, and she watched it fall back into place. “They’re just friends.”
    “Sure they are.”
    “Can I ask you something?”
    “It’s your party,” she said .
    “ What do you think of me?”
    She fidgeted, twisting her ring around and around on her finger. “I don’t.”
    “Oh come on,” he said. “You’ve got the strongest opinion of anyone here.”
    She wasn’t so sure if this was a good thing. It certainly didn’t sound like a bad thing. She had an opinion. He wanted to know it. To get inside of her head? Probably. Out of genuine