The World vs. Us: A Love Story (In Progress)
written by ☆kiola-the-iola☆
Kenosha "Kensie" Black has a normal teenage life. She goes to school, goes to youth group, and deals with her rollercoaster emotions like a pro. It's pretty easy, being Kenosha Black. Her life isn't confusing. Until it is. Until she realizes she has feelings for a boy in her youth group named Jeff Halladay. Who's two years younger than her. All of a sudden, she is on a stormy sea that she doesn't know how to navigate. Even if he likes her back, how is she supposed to tell her friends that she likes him? And what will they think?
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
5
Reads
715
Chapter Three
Chapter 3
I was at school that Wednesday, chatting with my one friend there (Conny) when I got a text.
Jeff: Hey Kensie, just wanted to check in and see how you were doing.
I stared at my phone like it had electrocuted me.
"Ummmm, Kenosha? You good?" I wordlessly held out my phone. She snatched it and started typing…
Kenosha: Hey Jeffypoo! I'm good… at least good enough to go on a date with yo
I snatched the phone back and deleted the draft, instead just sending,
Kenosha: I'm good! Thanks for checking in.
Conny pouted behind me.
"Why won't you take a romantic opportunity when you see one?" I sighed,
"Because he's two years younger than me!"
"But he's cute!" Conny whined. She pointed at his contact picture, which was of him giving me a piggyback ride. You could see two other teams racing us in the background. (And yes, we did win.) I shrugged her finger away,
"Conny, do you know what people would think if the pastor's daughter started dating a kid two years younger than her? Actually, any boy I ever date is going to be under constant scrutiny because I'm expected to be perfect and to have the perfect relationships!" Conny sighed and said her one profound fact of the day.
"Kensie, if you're happy, it shouldn't matter what they think." I shot her down.
"Yeah. It shouldn't. But it does." With that, I grabbed my stuff and walked away to find a cold paper towel to hold to my lip.
.....
At church that Sunday, it was time for a children's church play. It was expected of me to be in it because I was the pastor's daughter, so I walked downstairs with the little kids.
Leyla always got the good, godly woman parts, and I always got the ditzy girl. The ditzy girl with the most lines because I was a good actor, but still the ditzy girl. If someone measured Leyla and I against each other and had to guess who was the PK, they'd probably guess Leyla.
I sat with Leyla, Nat, Jayne, Hana, Darek, and Jeff as Miss Sharlie explained to the kids that they would be the villagers of Jerusalem. Then she turned to us and began to give out parts.
"Jeff, will you be Joseph?" Jeff nodded with a surprised look. Then she turned to me,
"And Kenosha, will you be Mary?" Now it was my turn to be shocked. That was supposed to be Leyla's part! I usually was a snotty temple woman who thought she knew everything.
"I- yes, sure!" Leyla leaned forward,
"But what about me? If Kenosha is Mary, who will I play?" Miss Sharlie smiled patronizingly at Leyla,
"You are Temple Woman 2." Leyla's jaw dropped.
"B-but- I'm not even Gabriel or Elizabeth?" Miss Sharlie raised her eyebrow,
"Hana is Gabriel, and Jayne is Elizabeth. Oh, and Nat? You are Temple Woman 1." All of the three girls beamed, but Leyla just pouted, whispering under her breath,
"I'm not even Temple Woman 1." Miss Sharlie ignored her,
"And Darek, you are Zechariah."
"Thank you," Darek said. He looked relieved to have stopped the Leyla-Mary, Darek-Joseph phase. Miss Sharlie started handing out our scripts, and then told us to split up into partners.
Jeff and I walked into the next room.
"So, do you think we're the new go-to pair now?" I shrugged,
"Maybe. I mean, I was getting tired of playing the ditz." Jeff laughed,
"Yeah, well, I think that you would do a great job either way, but I'm glad you don't have to play the ditz again." I shrugged,
"I mean, I'll take any acting experience I can get." Miss Sharlie peeked her head in,
"You two working?" We hurriedly opened our scripts and started reading.
"Joseph, you've got to believe me!"
Jeff: Hey Kensie, just wanted to check in and see how you were doing.
I stared at my phone like it had electrocuted me.
"Ummmm, Kenosha? You good?" I wordlessly held out my phone. She snatched it and started typing…
Kenosha: Hey Jeffypoo! I'm good… at least good enough to go on a date with yo
I snatched the phone back and deleted the draft, instead just sending,
Kenosha: I'm good! Thanks for checking in.
Conny pouted behind me.
"Why won't you take a romantic opportunity when you see one?" I sighed,
"Because he's two years younger than me!"
"But he's cute!" Conny whined. She pointed at his contact picture, which was of him giving me a piggyback ride. You could see two other teams racing us in the background. (And yes, we did win.) I shrugged her finger away,
"Conny, do you know what people would think if the pastor's daughter started dating a kid two years younger than her? Actually, any boy I ever date is going to be under constant scrutiny because I'm expected to be perfect and to have the perfect relationships!" Conny sighed and said her one profound fact of the day.
"Kensie, if you're happy, it shouldn't matter what they think." I shot her down.
"Yeah. It shouldn't. But it does." With that, I grabbed my stuff and walked away to find a cold paper towel to hold to my lip.
.....
At church that Sunday, it was time for a children's church play. It was expected of me to be in it because I was the pastor's daughter, so I walked downstairs with the little kids.
Leyla always got the good, godly woman parts, and I always got the ditzy girl. The ditzy girl with the most lines because I was a good actor, but still the ditzy girl. If someone measured Leyla and I against each other and had to guess who was the PK, they'd probably guess Leyla.
I sat with Leyla, Nat, Jayne, Hana, Darek, and Jeff as Miss Sharlie explained to the kids that they would be the villagers of Jerusalem. Then she turned to us and began to give out parts.
"Jeff, will you be Joseph?" Jeff nodded with a surprised look. Then she turned to me,
"And Kenosha, will you be Mary?" Now it was my turn to be shocked. That was supposed to be Leyla's part! I usually was a snotty temple woman who thought she knew everything.
"I- yes, sure!" Leyla leaned forward,
"But what about me? If Kenosha is Mary, who will I play?" Miss Sharlie smiled patronizingly at Leyla,
"You are Temple Woman 2." Leyla's jaw dropped.
"B-but- I'm not even Gabriel or Elizabeth?" Miss Sharlie raised her eyebrow,
"Hana is Gabriel, and Jayne is Elizabeth. Oh, and Nat? You are Temple Woman 1." All of the three girls beamed, but Leyla just pouted, whispering under her breath,
"I'm not even Temple Woman 1." Miss Sharlie ignored her,
"And Darek, you are Zechariah."
"Thank you," Darek said. He looked relieved to have stopped the Leyla-Mary, Darek-Joseph phase. Miss Sharlie started handing out our scripts, and then told us to split up into partners.
Jeff and I walked into the next room.
"So, do you think we're the new go-to pair now?" I shrugged,
"Maybe. I mean, I was getting tired of playing the ditz." Jeff laughed,
"Yeah, well, I think that you would do a great job either way, but I'm glad you don't have to play the ditz again." I shrugged,
"I mean, I'll take any acting experience I can get." Miss Sharlie peeked her head in,
"You two working?" We hurriedly opened our scripts and started reading.
"Joseph, you've got to believe me!"
