Sunday Morning came quick. To say I was scared, was an understatement. I was practically shitting myself at the thought of going to church. It has been 3 years since I'd last visited, things were different now. For one, I was out and proud, which meant 9 times out of 10, they know I'm a lesbian. And arriving with Kathryn... what if they say something about us?

I let out a breath as I struggle to tie my tie. At least I get to dress up the way I wanted to. I think my mom would love that we dressed up instead of going with the casual option. I remembered vividly how much she made us wear our Sunday best to church. She always had to show off to the community.

I let out another breath as I start over with my tie. Why was it so hard to understand? Kathryn enters the restroom behind me and my eyes leave the black tie and land on my gorgeous girlfriend. She was dressed in a red and black dress that matched my outfit. I turn to the side, loving how the dress accentuated her curves. God, she was undoubtedly beautiful. And I get to show her off.

Kathryn grabs the curling iron and finishes her work. My eyes remain on her, though I should've been fixing my tie and doing my own hair. But I was too enthralled with her appearance to move. Brown eyes land on me and red painted lips curl upwards into a smile. "What are you doing?" she questions glancing over my figure.

I smirk, "Wondering if we should do something about the throbbing between my legs."

The woman's smile grows, exposing her perfect smile. Gosh, she is beautiful. I swallow the lump in my throat as she takes a step closer to me. Her hands move to my tie. "If we're late, your mother would probably have our head on a platter."

I was as per usual, too busy admiring her features that I hadn't noticed my tied tie. "Just 5 minutes" I mutter, placing my hand on the small of her back. She gives me a side glance before smiling, "Finish getting ready baby. You can have me all to yourself tonight."

I groan but obey her demands. I glance at my wild hair in the mirror. We didn't have enough time for me to straighten my hair. I groan and eye Kathryn once more. With her hair curled, she looked magnificent. I turn back to the mirror. "Do you need help with this mop on top of your head?" Kathryn jokes, running her fingers into my curls. I roll my eyes at her insult and nod my head, "Yes please."

The woman laughs. She walks to the toilet and sits on the lid. She pats the spot in between her legs. I groan and do as told, taking a seat in between her legs. "I love your hair" she practically squeals. I cringe, hoping her idea of help wasn't going to have me looking like some dog chewed on my hair.

Kathryn grabs a comb and gel from my racket on the counter. She begins by first parting my hair. I close my eyes and hope to the Gods that she knows what she's doing.

20 minutes later, Kathryn pats my shoulder, telling me she was finished. I inhale and stand up. I look at her first and she smiles, "You look beautiful" she compliments, pushing me to the mirror. I quickly shut my eyes, slightly scared of the outcome. The woman laughs as she slaps my arm, "Open your eyes. You look beautiful."

I do as she says, still holding in my breath. My eyes widen as I take in my appearance. Cornrow into an afro puff. I exhale slowly, "Where'd you learn how to braid?" I question as I touch my hair, extremely surprised with the outcome.

Kathryn smiles, "In college, I had a friend with a lot of hair and she hated doing it by herself so she taught me. And you had such little faith in me, baby."

I nod my head in agreement with her last statement. "Thank you. Seriously I look good." The woman smiles knowingly. She grabs her phone and glances at the time, "Shit we need to go."

Kathryn rushes back into my room and sits on the bed as she pulls on her red heels. I bite my lip at the sight, women in heels kill me. This one in particular drives me insane. A good kind of insane. I raise a brow as she stands, flexing her calves.

Her legs look ravishing. Chestnut eyes land on me in both amusement and annoyance. She grabs something from the bed and throws it at me. I blink from my stupor. "Put your shoes on, we've got to go."

I nod my head, completely whipped. I slip into my black oxfords before grabbing my phone and keys. We make sure we have everything before heading out of my apartment and towards my car.

"You look beautiful," I say as I glance to the passenger seat, admiring my girlfriend. She blushes and smiles, "Thank you, baby. You look amazing as well. Now get moving, we're already late. You know how awkward it is to walk into a church when you're late."

I laugh and nod my head. It was bad enough that we were gay but being late would add on a reason for others to stare us down. I pull out of the parking garage and head towards a very familiar place.

Kathryn and I smile as we get there, seeing several others still in the parking lot. "I guess we're not late" I chuckle grabbing her hand and pulling her inside.

We meet Cassandra and Edwin at the doors. "Oh man, am I glad you two are here!" I hug my sister and best friend. Edwin nods his head.

"My parents are going to be so stoked we're here" he smiles. I nod my head in agreement. His parents and my parents were going to be so proud of us. Edwin stopped going to church with me. So this was also his first time in years.

The doors finally open and we move inside. "Good morning," a few people greet us as we move to an empty row. We take our seats. I immediately spot my mother and father on a row way too close to the stage. Typical parents. Gospel music begins and a few people stand to praise and worship.

I cringe a bit at the song. You'd think that because we were in 2021, they'd play more modern-day gospel music. I pull out my phone to check my messages, not really interested in the music playing. I notice a few from Desire and open them.

Hey, wanna grab pizza with me?

When should we go shopping for prom attire?

Is your girlfriend still mad about us going together?

I roll my eyes and reply to two of the 3 messages I received. I glance to my right, spotting Kathryn's eyes on my phone. I shake my head at the woman and she shrugs, "I'm bored and the conversation is entertaining."

I laugh silently at her.

I exit Desire's messages, spotting a few more unread ones. I reply to the important ones before stuffing my phone back into my pocket. My eyes glance around the interior of the church, spotting a few familiar faces.

I notice one woman in particular. I lean over to Edwin and point, causing his eyes to follow my finger's direction. "Hey isn't that Mrs. Paxton?"

The boy squints before smiling and nodding his head. "Yeah, it is! She looks just as hot as she did 3 years ago."

I chuckle and nod my head in agreement, "Too bad we're both taken. We used to have the biggest crush on her. I swear she flirted with me a few times too many."

The boy rolls his eyes, "If she was flirting then she was a predator, you do realize that right?"

Now it's time for me to roll my eyes. "Shut up. Do you think she'll remember us? I mean I look the same, but you... you've gotten a whole lot uglier" I laugh.

Edwin slaps my leg causing me to wince. "Shut up. Do you think her son is still attending?"

We glance at each other and laugh nodding our heads. "Most definitely. The boy swears on his soul that he's Jesus reincarnated" I laugh. And just as I do the song changes.

A few people glance at me in annoyance and I cover my mouth, silently apologizing for being loud. "You think we can find him in the crowd?" my best friend questions already searching around. I do the same, keeping my eyes out for a particular brunette who could possibly represent Jesus.

Or in other words, the Jesus everyone pictures. Not the real one.

Edwin and I continue searching until Cassandra gets our attention. She juts her chin towards the stage, "Hey isn't that Mrs. Paxton's son Jeremy?"

The both of us glance at the stage. My mouth hangs as I eye the boy singing. His hair was a lot longer than it was when we were 15. Honestly, he looked the same, the only difference being his hair. But my goodness he sounded really good. "Hey, didn't he used to have a crush on Cass?" I question glancing at Edwin. He shrugs his shoulders.

Our conversation eventually dies out with the music and the preacher comes onto the stage. "Good morning all. It's so good to be alive, today is such a beautiful day."

I roll my eyes as I lean into Kathryn. The woman glances at me before giving her attention back to the Pastor. I do the same, watching as his eyes glance all around, scanning over everyone. "I'm seeing a few familiar faces we haven't seen in a while. It's good to have you all back."

This was the part of church I honestly couldn't deal with. The friendly, act like they care thing. It was annoying. Or maybe I'm grumpy because I'm hungry. My eyes widen as I realize I hadn't had breakfast. I move my lips toward Kathryn's. "We didn't have breakfast."

The woman glances at me, "Are you hungry? I'll go get you something."

I nod my head but stop her from getting up. "I'll go. You stay. Text me what you want" I say as I stand and sneak out the building. I make it outside when I bump into a familiar face. My eyes widen when I realize who it is. The girl smiles down at me. "Here's a face I haven't seen in years."

I roll my eyes and move past the girl. I didn't want to deal with her, she was someone I could say I disliked with all my gut. The girl stops me, "Hey, hey, hey. Aren't you going to speak to me? We haven't seen each other in years."

"I'm on a mission if you don't mind. We can chat up after church if you'd like."

The girl nods her head. She heads into the building as I head towards my car. I make it to McDonald's and back. When I enter the building I try to be discreet as to not grab any eyes from anyone. I make my way to our row, spotting the girl on side of my girlfriend. A bit too close if you ask me. I park my butt in between Kathryn and the brunette. She rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"You're so rude, Casey. Can't you see I was talking to the pretty lady?"

I turn my head to the girl and smile, "This pretty lady just so happens to be MY GIRLFRIEND. So in other words, off-limits." I hand Kathryn the bag of food when I hear the brunette beside me speaking again. "Surely you don't mind sharing. We're good friends, Casey won't you let me get a piece of that?"

I pinch the girls' side. "Zoe, if you want your pretty little face to remain intact I think you should stop talking to me."

She pulls my hand away from her and rubs her side with a teasing smile. "Fine, fine."

The sermon continues. My ears twitch when I realize what the sermon was for today. Forgiveness. I smile and glance at my mother, this had to be a coincidence. I feel Kathryn's head on my shoulder and I turn my head towards her. I kiss the top of her head, moving my hand to rest on her bare thigh. "You bored?" I whisper.

She shakes her head, "No, just thinking."

I arch my brow, my hand moving to her inner thigh and resting there. "What about?" I question.

"Forgiveness."

I stare at her head for a few seconds before moving my eyes to my hand resting on her thigh. I watch her move her own hands to mine, playing with my fingers before intertwining our digits. I turn my attention back to the pastor, letting his words sink into me.

A whopping 45 minutes later and church is over. Kathryn and I stand from our seats, our eyes meeting several others in the congregation. I smile timidly at a few familiar faces that now had wrinkles. I finally spot my mother at the stage, speaking with the pastor. I groan but make my way over, pulling my girlfriend along.

Once we get closer, my father immediately spots us, blowing our cover. "Casey, Kathryn! We're so glad you two could make it" he smiled pulling us both into a bear hug. Kathryn laughs beside me as he lets us go. "Casey" my mother's fragile voice grabbed my attention. She waved me over. I let go of Kathryn's hand, allowing her to converse with my dad as I went to speak with my mom and the pastor.

The man smiles. "It's so good to see you again Casey, we've missed you" Pastor Kennedy pulled me into a hug. I smile shyly and nod my head, not sure of what to say. He glanced at my mother, "Your mother told me about the situation between you two a few nights ago. It's partially why I decided to preach about forgiveness today. How are you two holding up?"

I eye my mother, a bit displeased that she was sharing our business.

"I would like to say we're much better with our relationship. I'm not sure if Casey feels the same way. We don't really talk about it."

I glance down at my hands, not sure what exactly to say. I could remember vividly the night my mother apologized to me but I never really thought about it all. I never told her I forgave her for mistreating me, for making me hate myself a little. I was so glad to have my mother back, accepting me loving me that I didn't think about it anymore.

I wipe my eyes and sniff. "Hey, I just want you to know, I support you. I know how most Christians are when it comes to the sensitive subject of Homosexuality. In the bible, it states that it's a sin but in the bible, it also says love your neighbor as you love yourself. God forgives us all for our sins, you being gay doesn't change how he sees you..." he trails. My eyes water more.

God is the ultimate judge, my job on earth isn't to shun those who have sinned but to bring them closer to the father. I am only here to spread the gospel, to share love. And your mother hurts deeply for how she treated you, she knows it wasn't right. She has prayed and asked for forgiveness, she even got baptized again last Sunday. All she wants to know now is if you've forgiven her for her past mistakes."

By the time he finishes his speech, I'm sobbing like a baby. I glance at my mom nodding my head. She smiles and pulls me into her arms, shushing me and telling me how sorry she is.

"And you must be Kathryn. It's so good to meet you. I'm Pastor Kennedy, I welcome you into our congregation any time."

I pull away from my mom and wipe my nose. My vision was blurry from the crying but I could still see Kathryn's beautiful smile as she walked towards me. I wipe my eyes and sniff again, trying to stop my nose from running and ruining my image. Kathryn chuckles and pats my head, "Are you done being a baby?"

I shake my head causing her to laugh again and pull me into a hug. She kisses my cheek and forehead a few times. "It's okay baby. Stop crying" she mutters pulling me back into a hug.

Once I calm down, I notice Edwin's parents speaking with mine. It's a few others in here but most have already headed home. "And who is this doll?" Mrs. Lewis grins towards Kathryn.

I open my mouth to introduce her as my girlfriend but Edwin beats me to it. "Mom, Dad. This is Kathryn Howard, Casey's true love, Ms. Howard these are my parents."

I smile at the true love part but immediately frown once I realize he's called her Ms. Howard. "Miss Howard?" Mr. Lewis questions.

I roll my eyes and slap the back of his head. Just when you think your life is going great, your best friend fucks it up with a simple word. "Miss Howard? As in Edwin's History teacher, Miss Howard?"

My eyes widen a fracture as I glare at Edwin. He cringes, and mouths a sorry to us.

"History Teacher?" my parents question. Fucking great. Thanks a lot, Edwin. Fucking idiot.

"Can we at least take this conversation to the house? I promise we'll explain everything. Just let's not discuss this in the church. You know people hear stuff and like to talk" I hiss.

Everyone nods their head in agreement.

- - - - -

I groan and loosen my tie. "So Kathryn is a teacher at your school? When were you going to tell us that bit of information?" My mom hisses. I glare at Edwin once again. He shrinks further into his chair. His parents sit beside him, enjoying this newfound drama between my parents and I.

"I wasn't. That's not really important" I sigh. I glance at Kathryn who's sitting on the sofa with Cassandra. "Not important? Casey, she's a teacher! Of course, it's important. Are you aware that it's illegal for a teacher to be romantically involved with her student?"

"Well, she's not my teacher. I've never taken her class" I shrug my shoulders. My mom rolls her eyes in disbelief at my attitude. "The police won't care if she is or isn't your teacher! What were you two thinking!?"

I sigh, "We haven't even been caught. We're fine, there's nothing to worry about."

"I wouldn't exactly say we haven't been caught. We're walking on a thin line, but we are trying to be more careful in our relationship" Kathryn butts in. I stare at her and she sighs. "Casey, I cannot lie to your parents. I'm sure there is a lot that they don't know between us and I think they should."

I let out a puff of air, letting her say her piece.

"Last year on thanksgiving the reason I came over so distraught is because a teacher found out about us. He was interested in me and I didn't reciprocate his feelings. He became violent and he did threaten to tell the principal but we haven't seen him since Christmas."

"Violent? That's all you have to say? Kathryn if you're going to tell them at least give them the whole truth."

The woman sighs. She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. My eyes land on her and immediately the attitude that I've had since we got here vanishes. My wall breaks and I walk over to the woman for support. I knew telling a group of people she was almost raped isn't a walk in the park. It's traumatizing. "I'm sorry. We don't have to tell them" I apologize rubbing her back.

She shakes her head, "They should know Casey. It's only right."

I nod my head. "First he tried to rape me" she spits out. I could see my mother and father giving us their entire attention now. They stare at us in disbelief. "Then he threatened Casey."

I try to hide my smile as I watch my father get angry with the confession. "He stalked us. He took pictures. And during Christmas Casey and I were in Utah together on pure coincidence. It turned out he was my sister-in-laws' brother. He told my family and then he threatened to tell the principal again. We left and we don't exactly know where he is or what happened to him. We haven't seen him since then."

Edwin's parents let out a breath, taking in the new piece of information. Not that they needed to hear that. But in a way they did. Edwin is my best friend which means that if I'm in danger, he's going to always have my back no matter the situation. If Rai was bad news for me, Edwin would step in and risk his life. So in a way, they needed to be aware of this man. They needed to know about him in case something happened.

"Okay," my mom whispers. I glance up at her in confusion. She nods her head, "Okay. That was a lot to unfold. I didn't know about any of this. The most I knew about you two was the age difference."