Melissa Walker - Small Town Sinner

Copyright 2011 by Melissa Walker

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

First published in the United States of America in July 2011
by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers
E-book edition published in July 2011
www.bloomsburyteens.com

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version . Copyright 1973,
1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United
States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica. Use of either trademark requires the
permission of Biblica.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas
Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Walker, Melissa (Melissa Carol).
Small town sinners / by Melissa Walker. 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Summary: High school junior Lacey finds herself questioning the evangelical Christian
values she has been raised with when a new boy arrives in her small town.

ISBN 978-1-59990-527-3 (hardcover)

[1. Christian lifeFiction. 2. Conduct of lifeFiction. 3. Dating (Social customs)Fiction.
4. Self-confidenceFiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.W153625Sm 2011 [Fic] dc22 2010036460

ISBN 978-1-59990-638-6 (e-book)

For Dave,
who is always asking questions

(like, Shouldnt this book have paranormal
beings and action sequences in it?)

Take the wheel, says Starla Joy, sticking the grape lollipop shes been working on into her mouth. She doesnt even wait to see if Ive followed her instructionsshe just lets go and strips down, pulling off her light cotton sweater to reveal a bright red tank top dotted with white hearts.

I lunge across the front seat to make sure her old truck stays straight. A little dust kicks up as we skim the edge of the road.

Starla Joy! I shout. I dont even have my license yet.

She grins at me as she takes control of the car and says, Just two more days!

I sit back, glad shes driving again. At least were on a straight stretchlast time she pulled this around a curve and I nearly peed my pants. I think she did it on purpose.

Starla Joy takes the lollipop out of her mouth and holds it in one hand next to the wheel. Theres a ring of bright lipstick around the stick. Shes recently started wearing really strong colors. She has dark brown hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, so a ruby pout makes her look like an old Hollywood actressfrom the neck up anyway. I dont think those movie stars wore tank tops and cutoffs.

Do you think your parents will loosen up a little once youre driving? she asks.

I stare out at the flat plains ahead of us. I dont know, I say. I mean, theyre not that strict now.

Ha! she says, sticking the grape candy back into her mouth. I love your parents, Lacey, but theyre definitely strict.

I smile. A little more freedom would be nice, I say. My mom and dad arent draconian or anything. I mean, I have a summer job and I spend plenty of time with my friends. Ive never really wanted to stay out past my curfew. Nothing much happens in my town after nine oclock anyway.

But sometimes, when Im in the truck with Starla Joy, driving down a dusty road and looking out at the wide-open spaces around us, I think it would be nice to have this much room to breathe all the time.

Lacey Anne, says Starla Joy, lets have a wild summer.

She throws her head back and laughs then, and I just smile and look out the side window, glad that I have a best friend whos as fun as Starla Joy Minter.

When we get to my house, I open the door and I can already smell Moms brownies baking. Starla Joy and I sidle up to the kitchen counter and Mom hands Starla Joy a beater with chocolate batter still on it.

Just dont ruin your dinner, she says. You will stay over, wont you, Starla Joy?

Id love to, says Starla Joy. Ill text Momma.

Mom winks at me and goes back to the sink, where shes peeling potatoes. Sometimes I think my parents like having my friends over for dinner just as much as I do. Starla Joys been licking Moms brownie batter since we were in preschool, and though Ive lost my taste for it, shes still got a huge sweet tooth.

When Im sitting in church and the light hits the stained glass just right, I think I can see God. The sunbeams stream through the clearest parts of the multicolored dove and olive branch scene above the pulpit, and there are dancing rays of heat that seem directly linked to something sacred. Starla Joy says Im hallucinating, but my dad agrees that its definitely the Holy Spirit. God is all around us, he likes to say, opening his hands wide, as if hes welcoming the Lord in for one of his famously strong hugs. But I dont see God everywherejust in those beams of sunlight, which are especially bright on this Sunday in August.

I look across the pews and see that Starla Joys in her usual uniform of a T-shirt and jean skirt. Her sister, Tessa, sitting next to her, has on a bright yellow sundress, and her light brown hair spills over her freckled shoulders.

I catch Starla Joys eye, and she mouths an exaggerated yawn. I shake my head at her disapprovingly. Shes kidding, but her attitude sometimes gets her in trouble.

Me? I never get in trouble.

My other BFF, Dean Perkins, says thats because I scare easily. Lacey, hell say, youve lost all your color from fright! I know hes just joking because my hair is such a pale yellow that its almost white and my skin is near translucent. Sometimes in bright light I can see blue veins through my forehead, and my mom makes me wear SPF 50 sunscreen every day, even in the winter, so I dont burn. People say I have a sensitive constitution.

Maybe thats because Ive always been really close to my parents. For my sweet sixteen last week, we had a family party, complete with red velvet cupcakes and a new white Bible from Mom and Dad. As pretty as my new leather-bound Word of God is, Id rather have a car. I picture myself in a bright blue convertible, not worrying about sunblock or the speed limit or even what people say as I race past them with the wind in my face. My very own movie moment.

Ill never be alluring in my moms old Hondaits not a car that makes heads turn, at least not in a good way. Still, its something, and I know I should be grateful.

Past where Starla Joys sitting, I see the Raymond family, all in jeans. Not many people dress up for church anymore, which drives my mom crazy. I glance down at the sleeve of her new pink velour blazershe got it on sale at TJ Maxx, but its an Anne Klein original. My mother always finds designer stuff when she shops at outlet storesits part of her picture-perfect life. And even though the pink blazer looked stuffy on the rack, Mom makes it classy with her tiny gold angel pinned to the lapel. Her black slacks are well pressed, as always, and I look up to see her flawless rose-colored lipstick mouthing the words to the Lords Prayer.

Oops! Head down, I fold my hands in my lap and join in with Pastor Frist and the congregation. Church is almost over. Usually I dont mind lingering in the sanctuary, shaking hands and accepting the glowing smiles that come my way. Im Lacey Anne Byer, daughter of Ted and Theresa Byer, pillars of the community. What does that expression mean anyway? Ive heard it my whole life. Does it mean the whole town would collapse if we werent upright, holding its weight? We are longtime members of the House of Enlightenment, an evangelical church that serves as the center of West River. My dad has been the childrens pastor here since forever. Well, since my forever, meaning my whole life.