he had no idea what a teenage girl liked to have in the house . nothing about tess had been easy . she refused to talk to him and had insisted on crashing on the floor in the carpeted family room , unwilling to take his bed . he walked into the room in silence in case she was still asleep . the blanket he 'd given her lay in a heap on the floor , but no tess

jennifer warren , a varsity cheerleader , stood behind me as i studied the dress , glaring at me as if i was n't worthy of eyeing such a beautiful gown . '' hey , mom , '' i called , catching up to her at the accessory counter . '' i think i 've found a dress that fits both our tastes . '' i led my mother back through the maze of satiny garments . we reached the mannequin , only to find a salesgirl unzipping the black dress and handing it to jennifer

several heartbeats went by before she said quietly , '' i ca n't pray with you anymore . '' '' why ? '' '' i 've told you . i do n't buy it . any of it . '' i leaned over onto my knees . i did n't understand what she was saying . all i knew was that i needed my friend and i needed to pray

miserably , she allowed herself to be fastened into her harness and led over to the tree containing the first platform . evan , already halfway up , waved down to her . '' come on up ! '' '' i 'll wait , '' she said . his laughter rang out above her . '' what 's wrong , bumpkin-afraid of
heights