Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,89

no need for him to add more than a few greats and a couple of yeahs. She was so happy, and he knew he should be happy for her. When they got to the dorm, her chatter stopped for a breath.

“So, chapel tomorrow night?” she asked.

How could one question hurt so much? “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

Chapter 13

Life was so great, Taylor couldn’t even be annoyed with Hannah, which was good because she was pulling out all the stops to be annoying. It didn’t matter. She was looking forward to chapel and seeing Clara. Of course, the guys and Paige and Lauren would be there too, but if they just stayed out of each other’s way, it shouldn’t be too bad.

Greg didn’t text her on Sunday, but that was cool. They’d made plans the night before, so why would he?

At 4:40, she took one last look in the mirror and nodded. It was time to do this right.

Standing at the keyboard, trying desperately not to let anyone see how much he was hurting, Greg played along on the little practice run they were doing. Thank goodness his fingers didn’t need much guidance because he was hardly present enough to think straight. He hadn’t thought it could get any worse than it already was, but then, Taylor came in the back door, and his heart shredded at the sight.

Why did she have to look so incredible? Why?

That wasn’t fair. He closed his eyes and let himself fall into the music. He hoped he looked swept up by it. The truth was, he was just terrified that anyone might see him watching her and know. When he opened his eyes, she was seated two rows back from the front by Clara. Paige and Lauren were on the other side of Clara, and Greg really hoped World War III wouldn’t start any time soon.

Taylor smiled at him, and he fought to smile back, not sure how well that worked. This was impossible.

The service started, and Taylor followed along, singing with the guys from the little song sheet Clara had. They were really good although Nelson and Ryan did most of the singing. That was odd. Usually Greg did most of the vocals. But then again, that was dance music, not like this. At the thought of dancing, Taylor ducked and focused harder on the song in front of her. The dance was over, and it was better to let it stay that way.

When the sermon came around, Taylor sat and she had to smile when she realized Greg was right in front of her, just two benches up. She was so very grateful for him. Her heart swelled with it like it never had before.

“Do you know your worth?” Pastor Dave asked. “Do you understand where your worth comes from? Like the pearl of great value in the field, you are priceless. In all the world, there will never be another person just like you. We search for our worth in things outside of ourselves—in money or cars, in appearance or even education. But if your worth is in any of those things, it is only temporary, and you will lose it sooner or later. It is only when we put our worth not on ourselves but on the One Who made us that we begin to realize our unconditional worth. You see, the value of our lives is based on the unconditional love that God has for each one of us. It’s not about our career, our job, our grade-point average, our status, or how good we look on the highlight reel on our social media accounts. The value of our lives radiates from the love God has, the love God is, the love God made us to be.

“So this week, I want to challenge you to live your lives with integrity and wholeness that comes from really living out of the love God has for each one of us. I challenge you to look at each other, and see the people around you, not with human eyes, but with Godly eyes. Eyes that see the good. Eyes that see the hope of what lies beyond a person’s near-term actions. Eyes that love… no matter what.”

As the pastor finished up the sermon, Taylor glanced at Clara, and she knew then why the young woman had such a spark, a light. She loved like that, and you could see it in her eyes. Clara caught Taylor’s gaze, and she smiled. Somehow, Taylor knew then,