Short Story Sundays: "Apologetics and Cookies"

This is late, I know, but I'm enjoying my last free day before my Sophomore year begins XD and I forgot. And forgive the title, it was temporary and now I'm gonna keep it XD

Anyways, I wrote this earlier and may keep working on it, but here is a short story I wrote about my Christian character, Ruby Mia Leavitt, before she became the astronomy professor, NASA scientist, and strong apologetics debater she is now.

Without further ado, I give you:

Apologetics and Cookies

"And how do you explain the expansion of the universe?" asks my dark-haired opponent, smirking a little. "Tell me that!"

"All right, that's time," says the high school Junior who's been chosen as the moderator for this debate. "Miss Leavitt, you have five minutes to answer Mr. Cordon's questions.

I bite my lip and look to my notes, trying to figure out how to answer this question, but my mind is blanked by the question

At last, I shake my head and just as the moderator calls time.

The small, mostly-atheist crowd of other high schoolers goes nuts as I shake hands with my opponent and leave the building, hiding my shame until I get in my car, where the tinted windows and sunshield hide me from the world.

I rest my arms on the steering wheel and sigh, staring at the cross that swings from the rearview mirror.

"God, I'm sorry. I should never have let him aggravate me into debating him," I mumble, dropping my head to rest on my arms.

My phone buzzes and I look down to see that my boyfriend has texted me.

How did the debate go?

I sigh and pick up my phone, answering with a crying emoji.

That bad, huh? he answers moments later.

Yes.

Oof. I don't know what to tell you, Ruby.

Just pray for me, Cody. I'm heading over to Megan's for something to eat.

Okay.

He goes offline after that and I drop my phone on the passenger seat, starting the engine of my car and pulling the sunshield out of the window so I can see.

The neon sign for Megan's Place gleams bright as the stars come out in the growing darkness and I sigh as I turn my car into a parking spot and shut off the engine.

As I enter the little restaurant, the cowbells on the door jingle and Megan Crowley looks up where she is counting the money in her cash register. "Oh, hello Ruby, darling!"

"Hey Megan," I mumbled, dropping into the booth across from to her after locking the front door behind myself.

"Uh oh. I know that monotone. Did the debate not go well?" she asks, shoving the cash drawer away and turning her full attention to me.

"Ever whacked yourself in the hand with a hammer?"

She nods.

"That's how well it went."

"Oh, Ruby." Megan puts one hand over mine. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want a chocolate chip cookie? I have some in the oven right now."

"Sure, I guess," I mumble, staring at the scuffed wooden surface of the table.

She pats my back, then gets up and hurries into her kitchen.

I look out the window at the stars and sigh as I admire each constellation and star in turn.

"God, you know I really messed up today. Might as well have been laughed out of there. You know I can't open myself up to that kind of humiliation again. What am I supposed to do?"

I start as Megan sets down a plate of cookies on the table and blush, realizing she probably heard my prayer.

She takes a cookie and I do the same, not meeting her gaze.

"Ruby," she say, her tone gentle. "Do you know what I think?"

"What?" I mumble, biting into the warm cookie and trying to ignore how I feel.

"I think what happened was a lesson. God let you fail today so you could learn that you needed to study and practice debating more before you got in even further over your head."

I glance up. "You think so?"

"I know so. I've got a ticket to the Creation Museum and I want you to come with me and talk to somebody there. I think they'd like to meet you."

"All right," I answer in a half-hearted tone, picking up another cookie.

Okay God. You lead the way.