"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." – Hebrews 10:25

It had been a rough weekend. Cole and Alana had both placed second in their heats by a narrow margin, giving Ventura Islands the win in both categories. Maya's parents weren't giving her the answers she wanted, which only made her more frustrated and suspicious. To make matters worse, she hadn't been able to see Jake until Sunday afternoon when the gang had their Bible study at Scottie's.

During the study, and later at church that evening, Maya realized just how emotionally exhausted she was. Being able to sit back, listen to a thoughtful sermon, and make notes in the small margin of her Bible was something she would have never described as "relaxing" before. But she left church with a happier heart and a lighter spring in her step.

Until Monday morning, that is. Maya woke up late for school, causing herself and Jake to be tardy, and was unable to turn in any of her homework because she had accidentally left it on the desk in her bedroom.

It looked like the beginning of a stressful week, so Maya trudged into work that afternoon with a permanent frown on her face. She reluctantly tied her apron around her waist, took a deep breath, and prepared for four hours of standing on her feet at Scottie's. She had just stepped up behind the counter to take orders when the door suddenly banged open, causing several heads to turn in that direction, Maya's included.

"Surprise!" Jake exclaimed.

Maya's face blossomed into a large smile. She threw out her arms and laughed as Jake barreled into her embrace. They stood grinning stupidly at each other until she asked, "So what's the special occasion?"

"Do I need a special occasion to visit my girlfriend?" he shot back.

"I hope not."

Jake slid around the counter, heading towards the door that read Employees Only. "Actually, I decided to take Scottie up on his offer, so there is a reason I'm here..."

But Scottie himself suddenly burst through the door, rendering Jake's explanation void. "Jake!" he exclaimed. "There you are! Nearly late for the job on the first day, eh?"

Maya's jaw dropped. "You work here now?"

"Starting today," said Scottie at the same time Jake exclaimed, "Yeah I do!"

Maya closed her eyes and breathed a quick prayer, thankful that her lousy day had turned a full 180 degrees in just a few short minutes. "That's awesome," she breathed. "I can't wait to work with you!"

Jake beamed, and Scottie gave him a firm pat on the back. "Put your stuff in the back and get going," he ordered. "We have the dinner rush coming soon."

Suddenly, the bells on the front door jingled again, and Maya quickly smoothed down her apron in preparation of her next customers. She brightened when she saw it was Hannah and Benji.

They stood for a moment in the doorway, taking in the checkered wallpaper and light wood floor, then the surf shop visible through the glass window. When they strode up to the counter, Hannah exclaimed, "Maya! You work here?"

"And Jake," she confirmed. "How are you guys?"

"Good," they chorused.

"It was time for us to take our weekly date, and Hannah thought we should come here," Benji said. "What do you recommend for us to eat?"

Maya rattled off a few of her favorites, and after placing their orders, the couple took a seat at a round table near the center of the restaurant. Maya relayed their order to the kitchen staff and resumed her position at the counter. Jake reappeared a few moments later, now wearing an apron similar to Maya's.

"Hey," he said brightly. "Is that Benji and Hannah?"

"It sure is," she confirmed. "Aren't they perfect for each other? Just look at them."

Hannah was smiling, one of her hands resting on Benji's elbow while the other played with the corners of her napkin. Benji laughed at something she said and draped an arm around the back of her chair.

"I don't think they're as perfect as us," Jake pointed out.

Maya blushed—she hadn't realized how close Jake had stepped towards her. He pressed a light, swift kiss on top of her hair. "Okay," he said, moving toward the cash register. "Scottie said you could show me the ropes. What do I do?"

Maya quickly resumed her air of business. "It might seem overwhelming at first, but before long it'll feel like second nature," she began. As she launched into an explanation, she realized that Jake was a quick learner, performing all the steps perfectly the first time around. He let her take the order of the next customer that walked in the door even though Maya insisted that he needed to practice.

"I'll do the next one," he promised. "I just wanted to watch you first."

"You'll be fine," she said breezily. "Oh, hey, Hannah and Benji's orders are ready."

Balancing a tray on each hand, Maya walked over to the couple's table and delivered their food. She placed a BLT sandwich in front of Hannah, a bacon cheeseburger in front of Benji, and a large basket of fries in between them.

"Thanks, Maya," Hannah said. She wrapped her fingers around the sandwich and gingerly lifted it out of the basket, trying to see which corner was small enough to bite into.

"How do you like it?" Maya asked, sliding a strawberry lemonade in front of her friend.

"So good!" she exclaimed.

"Told you." Maya grinned and placed a Pepsi in front of Benji. "Enjoy, you two."

Benji smiled gratefully. "You and Jake should do something like this," he said. "You know, have a date once a week. It's pretty fun."

"We try," Maya said halfheartedly. "Our schedules are busy, though."

Hannah swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "No, you guys really need to spend more time together. You and Jake are great together, but you can only strengthen your relationship by communicating more."

"Plus," Benji added, hefting his bacon cheeseburger in one hand, "you two already have the upper hand by working together. Hannah and I see each other at school, but we have to make an effort to do homework or other things together outside of school. Good thing we applied to the same colleges!"

Maya wanted to explain that she and Jake were in the same boat—they had only started working together literally minutes ago—but she just smiled in acknowledgment. "Thanks for the advice," she said honestly. "That's so cool. You guys are my role models, you know that?"

Hannah smiled. "We should do a double date again. What do you think?"

"Definitely!" Maya nodded vigorously before picking up her trays and tucking them under her arm. "I'd better get back, but it was great to talk to you. Enjoy your meal!"

As she returned to her place behind the front counter, she placed her hands on her hips and watched as Jake took orders from an elderly couple. He operated the cash register perfectly, handed them back their change, and showed them to a table. Maya couldn't help but smile at his behavior. He was so sweet, so caring, so handsome. How could she be this lucky? Hannah was right; they really needed to have one date a week. She couldn't lose Jake over something as stupid as not spending enough time together.

"Jake," she said quickly when he returned. "Listen, I have a great idea."

He raised his eyebrows. "Okay, shoot."

As she explained what Hannah and Benji had said, Jake slowly nodded and smiled. "They're right," he said finally. "We definitely to get in the same routine. Want to set up a date for this week?"

"I was already thinking of doing a date at one of our houses," Maya said. "We can eat, watch TV, talk, whatever—but at the same time, we should work on our college applications together."

Jake's grin grew even wider. "Yes! I haven't started on mine at all."

"Me neither. That's why it would be cool to work together."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of another customer, but Maya was satisfied. All they had to do was decide on a time after school, and they would be good to go. She thanked God for bringing Hannah and Benji to the Shack today. They had told her exactly what she needed to hear.

Jake was both physically and mentally exhausted by the time his shift at Scottie's was done. He gratefully slid into the front seat of his car and headed home. He would have given Maya a ride, but her mom was picking her up, so Jake was forced to drive home alone.

His thoughts were fixed on Maya the entire way. He was a little worried, especially with the awkward situation between her parents, but he was also worried about his own relationship with her. Ever since they had agreed on taking things slow, he felt contained. Anything more than holding hands or giving a quick hug was off-limits. That was okay, but Jake wished he could keep himself from being so physically oriented. He needed to devote more time to the other aspects of their relationship, too—things like talking, serving, doing homework together...

He suddenly smiled. Friday after school was their "date." They planned on doing some homework and college apps together, grabbing a snack, and then heading to Scottie's for their Friday night shifts. It wouldn't exactly be a romantic date, but they would be spending some quality time together, which is exactly what they both needed.

After pulling into the garage, Jake stepped out of the car and shut the door behind him. He entered the house through the lesser-used garage door, which was why he stumbled upon his parents talking before they realized he was home.

They suddenly froze when he entered the room. Mr. Sanders had an empty mug in his hand that he was waving around, while Mrs. Sanders was seated on the couch with her head in her hands, sobbing. Jake's mouth parted. "Mom...?"

His parents exchanged a look. That's when Jake realized how strange the situation was—not only because of his parents' actions, but also because of the silence. His little brothers weren't screaming and laughing like usual.

Jake stood on his tiptoes and looked into the kitchen. His siblings were eating dinner quietly and mechanically. By the looks on their faces, he knew something was wrong. "Mom?" he asked again, turning to look at her. "Tell me what's going on."

She took a deep breath that made her whole body quiver. "I got my results back," she said quietly.

It felt like a bomb had been dropped in the room. Jake grabbed onto the nearest wall for support. No...

Mr. Sanders cleared his throat. "It's stage three breast cancer, son."

Now Jake felt tears coming into his own eyes. "Okay," he said. "What does that mean? Like, what do we have to do?"

"They haven't found a tumor yet," his mother explained hoarsely, "but they did find cancer in my lymph nodes."

"That means it's invasive," Mr. Sanders added.

Jake felt limp. Really? he wanted to shout. Why didn't the doctor find this out sooner?

By now, his little brothers had all stopped eating and were staring at the trio in the living room. The atmosphere was solemn.

"Do you have to do chemo?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes, but not yet," Mrs. Sanders replied. "They're going to use radiation first."

The conversation fell into an awkward silence after that, while Jake still struggling to process the information he had just received. "Okay," he said quietly. "Well..."

Mr. Sanders placed a comforting hand on his back. "There's dinner on the table for you," he said, guiding his son towards the kitchen. Jake stiffened when he heard his mother start to sob again. Though he'd been starving while working his shift at Scottie's, now his stomach was compressed into a knot. He didn't want food. He wanted answers.

After plopping down at the table, Jake watched his dad help his mother off the couch and walk into their bedroom. They shut the door behind them.

Finally, one of Jake's brothers turned to look at him with wide brown eyes. "Is Mommy okay?" he asked.

Jake sighed and ran both hands through his hair. "I don't know," he mumbled truthfully. "I really don't know."

But Jake did know. His mother had state three breast cancer—cancer that had started spreading to a different part of her body. Despite what anyone tried to say, Jake had a feeling his mom was anything but okay.