Storm Read Free Page B

funds.”
    “I vote for the surf-a-thon” Holly said.
    “I thought you wanted the jog-a-thon,” Bethany said, trying to sound innocent.
    Holly’s heavy silence was followed by a burst of laughter from all three of them as Sarah popped the girls’ favorite Switchfoot CD into her player. There was no mention of running or anything else until they stopped and parked next to Hanalei Harry’s Smoothie Shack.
    After they ordered their smoothies, Bethany, Holly, and Sarah sat down at a bench together to sip their drinks. Bethany stirred her papaya and acai fruit smoothie with a straw and thought about the surf-a-thon idea.
    “Check it out,” Holly said, tapping Bethany’s shoulder as she pointed. “It’s the celebutante and her mom!”
    Bethany glanced over to see the teenage girl they had seen riding in the limo earlier that day. She and her mom were sitting at a picnic table, drinking smoothies, and looking at a Kauai hiking trails book. Bethany overheard the girl mention the Hanakapiai Trail.
    “Sounds like they’re going for a hike,” Bethany said. “Hey, Holly, why don’t we run the Hanakapiai Trail tomorrow.”
    “Ugh!”
    “Come on, it’ll be fun,” Bethany coaxed. “We can run to the stream, go bodysurfing, and then run back.”
    Holly pursed her lips as she thought it over. “Well, I guess I could. If it’s good enough for the celebutante, it’s good enough for me.”
    “Thatta girl!” Bethany laughed.
    “Do you know that girl?” Sarah asked.
    “No, she’s just some rich girl we saw riding in a limo earlier,” Holly said with a disdainful note to her voice. Sarah raised her eyebrows at her.
    “I know your parents didn’t teach either of you to think of people like that!”
    “I know, I know,” Holly said as Bethany glanced back at her with a sheepish look.
    “Well,” Sarah said, “just remember, the Bible tells us that the rain falls on those who live right as well as those who don’t. We don’t know anything about this girl and her family.”
    “You’re right, Sarah,” Holly said, contrite. “I just wish the rain would fall on us a little more right now. We could really use it.”
    Sarah steered her car into the driveway of Bethany’s house, put it in park, and then gave both of the girls a soft smile of understanding.
    “I understand where you two are coming from — I really do. But I want you to think about this: Sometimes when the rain falls, it isn’t always agood thing. Sometimes it can be the beginning of a pretty bad storm. Let’s be patient. The money for our trip will come. We are lucky we have God with us through the good times—as well as the bad.”
    Bethany suddenly felt a chill go up her back. She remembered her dream … and then remembered the look of sadness on the girl’s face as she glanced up through the window of that limousine.
    Whatever gave her that sad look, money wasn’t curing it. Bethany prayed for the girl and then she wondered if the girl knew God.
    Bethany felt herself being drawn back into another memory: the morning of the shark attack when she’d lost her arm … She tried to imagine what it would’ve been like if
she
hadn’t known God when it happened.
    I don’t know that girl, God, Bethany silently prayed. But you do, and I think she could use your help right now. Bethany thought about what Sarah had said, then quickly added. Me too; I have a feeling there’s still a lot I gotta learn …
    “It says here that we should come across a small stream just before we get to the parking lot for the trail,” Andrea said only seconds before the rental car suddenly dipped into a six-inch stream running over the road. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
    “Great timing!” Her mom laughed, turning into the parking area. Andrea exhaled, relieved that hermom had taken it so well. Dead ahead of them was the ocean, and to the left was a steep velvet-green cliff that soared straight up, hundreds of feet into the air. Hikers were everywhere