On Saturday morning Mandy lay in bed, her mind replaying yesterday's events. Could Brianna be right? Did she deserve this? Maybe, but she had never intentionally hurt her twin. Brianna had done this on purpose.
But was it a bad thing? After her confrontation with her sister, Sabrina had brought Mandy to her first session with a counselor that specialized in adolescent issues. Mandy had shared her story with the counselor, minus the magic of course. As she expressed her feelings, she realized that her pain had little to do with the loss of her magic at all, and more to do with her own insecurities and lack of fulfillment in her relationships. There were problems within herself that ached to be fixed.
Mandy had the power to heal herself, her counselor had explained. It wouldn't happen overnight, and it would take hard work, but her counselor promised that the rewards would be well worth the effort. So could the theft of her powers be a blessing in disguise? A chance for a new beginning?
Mandy was startled when her phone rang. Who could be calling her? She didn't have any friends.
"Hey." Her heart jumped at the sound of Logan's voice. "You weren't in school yesterday. I just wanted to see how you're feeling."
"I'm feeling a little bit better now. Thanks. How was your date Thursday night?" She was surprised that his date was still in the forefront of her thoughts.
"Eh, it was okay."
"Just okay?" It wasn't until Mandy exhaled in relief that she realized that she had been holding her breath.
"Yep. She's a nice girl, but I just wasn't feeling it. You know?"
"I get it." Her mood lifted slightly for the first time all day.
"So, what are you up to? I know it's the weekend and you probably have tons of plans, but we are behind—"
"I don't have any plans. You want to come over here?"
****
Thirty minutes later, the science partners sat facing each other on Mandy's plush carpet. "So, what are you thinking?" Logan asked.
"I like your idea about the plants. I used to like helping my mom plant flowers in the yard."
"Yep, I remember. Sounds good. The deadline is coming up, so we need plants that grow fast. Let's head over to the nursery and see what we can find."
In the passenger seat of Logan's sedan, Mandy admired his shiny, soft brown hair. She imagined running her fingers through the silky strands…
What was she thinking? He was her friend!
"We're going to have to get pots, seeds, and soil. We might get a little dirty. I hope you don't mind," Logan said.
"Mind?" Mandy laughed. "Have you forgotten our mud wrestling matches when we were kids? What would make you think I would mind a little dirt?"
"Of course I remember. How could I forget? It's just—in recent years you've…changed."
She shook her head vehemently. "I didn't change. I just lost myself for a while. I tried to become—what everyone thought I should be. But deep inside, I was always the same. Now I just have to find that again. Find me again. I wish I knew how."
"Well, a good place to find something is the place you lost it. When did you lose yourself?"
"I'm not even sure anymore. It was so long ago. From the first time I landed a triple axel, pitched a no-hitter, landed a tumbling routine… The applause, the admiration…it was intoxicating. It became an addiction. I craved it. I lived for it. When I grew up and realized it wasn't real…it wasn't me. I was living an empty life. It was too late. Everyone already expected me to be perfect. Seeing the disappointment in their eyes, knowing I was letting them down…it was unbearable."
Logan nodded. "I can understand. There are times I feel like I'm not good enough. But as long as I'm doing what makes me happy, and I'm doing the best I can, that's all I can do. The people that matter will never be let down by that."
Mandy reached toward the driver's seat and placed her hand on Logan's shoulder, her throat swelling with real emotion. "Logan, you should never feel you're not good enough. You're incredible. You're such a good person. There aren't many people that can honestly say that."
He glanced sideways, his hazel eyes twinkling behind his glasses. "Thanks. I know you're a great person too. You just got a little off-track."
"I was way off track, but you're right. I have to go back to where I left off. That's the only way I can find myself again. I'm going to stop doing everything I did just to impress other people. From now on, I'm only going to do the things I used to love, such as mountain bike riding, hiking, reading, and bird watching." Mandy reminisced on all her favorite childhood memories. "Hanging out with you."
Logan's whole face lit up. "We can do that. How about a mud wrestling rematch?"
Mandy laughed. "Next rainy day. It's on!" An image filled her mind of Logan and herself dressed in tanks and shorts. As they grappled on the ground, their bodies were slick with mud. His smooth skin slipped against hers as he rolled on top of her, pinning her down. Somehow her imagination had created an extremely sensual vision.
At the nursery, they purchased four pots, packets of cress seeds, and a bag of soil. In Logan's bedroom, they set up their experiment. They labeled each of the pots with black permanent marker. After the seeds were planted, Mandy retrieved a bottle of multivitamins from Logan's nightstand.
"Hey, what's this?" Mandy help up a large container labeled 100% Whey Protein Dietary Supplement.
"I joined a gym and I've been lifting a little bit. It's supposed to help build muscle." Logan smashed one of the multivitamins and sprinkled the powder over two of the pots. "So, here's the plan. You take home these pots." He handed Mandy the pots labeled Control and Vitamins. "Make sure they get plenty of water and sunlight every day. I'll take these pots." He gestured to the pots labeled Music and Vitamins and Music. "They will get water, sunlight, and music played for them every day."
"Then, we just have to get together and compare measurements to see which plants grew the fastest," Mandy said.
"Yep, take pictures and measurements every day for data. We're all set."
"Okay, great." There was nothing left to do, but she didn't want to go. "Hey, what are you up to later?"
"I'm playing basketball with a few friends. What's up? You're not hanging out with Chad?"
"No. Chad and I are over."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. You okay?" Logan's big hazel eyes were wide with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good. I never thought he was right for you, anyway. Did you want to hang out tonight?"
"Well, not if you already have plans."
"Nah, we only play basketball until it gets dark. How about a nine o'clock movie? We used to go to the movies all the time." Logan's lips spread into his broad, contagious smile.
"Sounds great." Mandy couldn't help but smile back.