The "church losers" couldn't speak; instead, they bowed their heads in fear.
"What do you think you're doing!" Kara suddenly yelled at Becky and Todd. The sharpness of her voice made the church group lift their heads, startled.
"Kara, what has gotten into you?" Kelvin asked, confused.
"Nothing has gotten into me," Kara snapped. "I just realized something—'church losers' is a disrespectful name to the Lord. What! Do you guys have no shame? Uh!" she yelled, voice cracking with frustration.
Becky's face twisted with anger. She stormed over, ready to slap Kara, but Kelvin grabbed her arm and hissed quietly, "Calm down."
Turning back to the church group, Kara said firmly, "And you guys—the ones called 'church losers'—do you know why this happened? Because you folded your arms and let us harass you for years. It's time for you to wake up." Then she turned and walked away.
Hannah, the leader of the church group, nodded silently. There was truth in Kara's words. Though she didn't understand why Kara was standing up for them now, Hannah believed God sometimes used the least expected people to deliver truth. She stood and said firmly, "Do not disturb us anymore!"
"Hah! We're so scared," Becky sneered. "I should have gotten rid of this stupid group the moment she left you guys." With that, she turned and stalked away, the rest of her group trailing behind.
"Hannah, don't you think this is all a scheme from Kara?" Rachel asked doubtfully.
"No," Hannah replied quietly. "Her group members were shocked to see her act that way. I know Kara has offended us, but losing a parent is hard. It isn't worth holding grudges. Canila is gone—life is too short to stay mad. So don't resent her anymore."
Rachel hesitated. "There's truth in what you say, Hannah, but I can't just let this go."
Hannah's eyes hardened. "Then prepare yourself to not receive answers from God when you seek His forgiveness." The group bowed their heads and resumed praying.
Later, in Kelvin's car, Becky kept nagging about Kara's strange attitude.
"She might be dealing with stuff too," Iris mumbled quietly.
Becky paused, staring coldly at Iris while Todd and Kelvin scoffed.
"What do you know about her, huh? The next time you open your mouth when I'm upset, make sure it's something sensible. People like you should join the church losers' group!" Becky snapped at Iris.
"Calm down, Becky," Kelvin said with a laugh.
They drove on in silence, until a voice whispered to each of them in their minds:
To Becky, it said, "The party will calm her down. Make sure she looks dirty like she always has been."
To Kelvin, "All she needs is to attend the party."
To Todd, "She needs to get laid, and the perfect place is the party."
To Iris, "Ignore them. You'll have enough fun at the party."
After the voice spoke, they all chorused,
"Let's bring her to the party."
Then they laughed and drove off, their laughter echoing in the night.