"Sheryl thought a moment, and decided that having a little fun one last time before everything blew up in her face couldn't make things any worse."Sur...e Cricket, why not?" Good, I'll see ya in an hour."As usual, Cricket hung up the phone before she could answer.'It doesn't matter anyway, ' she thought.Forty five minutes later, Cricket called again, and said he was going to be a little late."I gotta take care of somethin', but don't go nowhere. I'll be by as soon as I'm done."Sheryl's curiosity. He treated her like an equal and that made all the difference. Her mother never told her anything bad about him, but Leanna felt that a falling out was why Mama had left home. She suspected it may have had something to do with her father - whom she didn't remember. He had left when she was very young and Mama never spoke of him. Grandfather never spoke of her mother except on Mama's birthday, which they celebrated every year.Leanna stopped her musings and got dressed. She wore a white blouse. But Phee was miserable. They all were, but they weren't hanging out any more to be able to share and help each other out and all that touchy feely stuff girls do. They met at practice and the games, of course, but all that could be performed in steely silence. Cooperation in stunts doesn't require friendly chat.And somehow, all the blame for just about everything drifted towards me, until the girls wouldn't even acknowledge my existence at school.Phee, of course, stopped sneaking into my. It was covered with a black velvet cloth, golden crosses sewn into the edges that hung down the front. The altar was not as tall as the one in the church; this one stood about three feet high. She cringed at the thought of being spread open on it, but she knew that was Father John's intention. She began to dread the Ceremony of the Candles. She saw a table behind the altar, a large selection of candles and candlestick holders on it. There must be over one hundred of all sizes and shapes. Some.