A Girl Among Us : A Collection of Love Stories

By Joye Bishop

Love is something we have all learned to cherish. It can come in all different forms and at different times in our lives. Come on a journey with four different women, Darlene, Laura, Carizza, and Melinda as they face obstacles that test and help them find love.

Melinda thought she needed someone to depend on and take care of her. How can she cope when she is forced to handle things alone?

When it comes to life in Darlene's world she thought the love with her husband was over. But as he came around to being the man she once knew, a new development arises. Will she still have her husband's love when it all comes out?

Laura wanted to make her own decisions when it came to love but when her mother and the church steps in, will she be able to love someone she hardly knows?

Carizza married young and thought her and her husband would grow together into old age. When she has to live life without him can the memories of the love they had comfort her enough?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365807565

Book preview

A Girl Among Us : A Collection of Love Stories

A Girl Among Us

( : A collection of love stories

By: Joye Bishop

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter one - Love Yourself                               

3

Chapter Two - Tested                                     

14

Chapter Three - The Arrangement                          

59

Chapter Four -Forever Loved                              

105

Love Yourself

The sun shined down from the partially clear blue sky. It was supposed to be winter for the folks in Phoenix Arizona but you would have never known that. As twenty-one year old Melinda Stone sat by the pool she let herself drift away into pleasant thoughts. Life seemed to be going just right for her. Here she was finally an adult able to do whatever she wanted. She didn't live at home and she was done with school for what she hopped would be forever. And the most important thing, she was married to her high school sweet heart, Marc.

Marc Andrews was a boy who had caught Melinda's eye the moment she saw him. It was in Art that she happened to be hanging around a few of her friends and that was when he walked in. A shy boy with the most beautiful eyes you had ever seen, blue and just a speck of green. His hair hung a little past his shoulders in red curls that any female would be jealous of. He spoke to hardly anyone and always seemed to sit by himself. The shy type was what caught her attention the most. Marc hardly ever spoke in class but when he did it was in a quiet voice that you had to really pay attention to hear.

Melinda was of the total opposite kind. With her small stature, she often thought she had to be loud in order to be heard. Her chest nut hair always pulled back in different hair styles that she loved trying out just to be unique. She was often surrounded by her friends during break and was always the loudest one around laughing. She couldn't help it. Melinda had grown up in a big family and so in order to be noticed she learned to be loud. Talk loud, laugh loud, yell loud. Nobody thought that this mixture of shy vs open would go very well.

It all started with a note. A simple note that she had passed over to him before class one day that asked a bunch of questions about his interests. She figured if he wouldn't open up to her verbally then she would approach it written. As the two sat there in silence, him writing down his answers and her looking around to see if anyone was watching, she couldn't help but feel giddy. She saw it as a good sign that he was at least humoring her. As he handed her the piece of paper their hands touched for a split second. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Two fifteen year old kids had just started a relationship that would hopefully build into something so much more.

Times seemed a lot easier when you are young right? For the two teens life seemed to be fantastic. They were inseparable. Marc eventually started coming out of his shell more thanks to Melinda and their group of friends built into a place where all different attitudes and talents converged. Most of the group was really into art so their days were spent trading projects they had just done or were in the works.

Melinda being the teenage girl that she was, fell for this shy guy faster than anyone could have expected. Before long the two were exchanging ' I love you' and stealing kisses in secret hideouts. As the school year went on not everything went perfect. There were many times that the two would be seen fighting over little things. Marc would yell, Melinda would cry and eventually the two would stop talking to each other. A couple of Melinda's friends seeing this pattern for months wondered why they were still together.

I don't know why you don't just break up. Ann said one afternoon over the phone. Her friend had called to complain about yet another fight that they had.

Because... He makes me feel special and that is something I haven't felt before. I know this is just a teenage crush or whatever but I see a future with him. Things will get better I just know it.

Melinda and Marc had decided their Sophomore year that they wanted to be together forever and so he had proposed her her. He had given her a small silver ring and on the summer of that year proposed in front of their favorite restaurant. She had accepted immediately and the wedding planning had begun.  

Three years later and out of High School, the couple was still going strong. Neither one wanted to be alone and so making this relationship work was crucial. Marc had found someone that wanted to be around him. He always thought of himself as just this unsure guy who never wanted to be bothered. But this girl changed that. She had accepted him and loved him. They had gotten engaged quick and their wedding was right around the corner. Getting married a few months after graduating was the plan. They figured why wait?

That was the best day of her life. She loved the ceremony.

Their friends all showed up and some were even in the wedding party. Both Marc and Melinda's families helped pay for the young couples wedding and the two were very grateful.  As the two were leaving the church all Melinda could think about was how their life was going to change. They were married now and nothing else mattered.

I can't believe we did it babe! Melinda exclaimed as they were headed to their hotel. I am the happiest girl right now.

It all seemed like a fairy tale. They spent a lovely week staying at a hotel in town since they didn't have money to go anywhere. That was fine with them, all they needed was each other. It was young love at its finest. Looking back, she thought freezing time would have been a good idea. Just freeze right there to where the two were in love and nothing could break them apart.

But things don't happen that way. Couples don't always stick together, especially young couples. Melinda didn't want to listen to those who said they should have waited just a few more years. Many thought they should have finished college first and then got married. But she was impatient and why would there be any need to wait? Could a person change that much? She should have listened.

It all came to reality when she was going through his wallet one day. She wanted to go out to their favorite restaurant and knew he had a gift card for it. It had been given to them that Christmas. That's when she saw them. The pictures were tucked away in the back and she wouldn't have noticed them easily. As her heart sank in her stomach all she could do was stare at them.

Marc was sitting in the living room watching TV when his wife flew into the room, something in her hand. As she stood right in front of him she started ripping up the pictures she had found threw them in his face.

WHAT IS GOING ON? She exploded.

I don't know what you are talking about... He said confused as to what just happened.

I found these pictures in YOUR WALLET! Why were they in there? How long have you had them?

They were given to me by a friend. She is just a friend and nothing else. We have known each other since middle school and reconnected a few months back. I didn't see the harm.  You didn't see the harm in having some other girl's photos in your wallet? You don't even have my photo in there!  Why are you going through my stuff anyway? He asked

accusingly.

"I wanted to get