Juliet Carr

Beneath the Surface Juliet Carr

Connie and Oletha are like two peas in a pod. After meeting for the first time on a Sunday afternoon after one of Reverend Pete's dynamic sermons at the local church, the fair-skinned Connie and the cocoa brown Oletha connect immediately and two strangers become best friends right then and there.

As the young girls become closer, they talk about boys during weekly youth sessions at church. While Oletha excitedly describes Leon, a high school athlete who is handsome, muscular, and a soon-to-be-lover, Connie's mind is occupied with thoughts of Melvin, a young churchgoer. But on a hot summer evening while walking to the country store, Oletha and Connie realize that everything in life can change in an instant. Leon stops to offer them a ride and asks Connie-who has always been mesmerized with Oletha's descriptions of the attractive athlete-to ride up front. As an already hot summer night becomes even more heated, Connie must face a monumental decision.

Torn between the advice of her churchgoing mother and the advice of her best friend, Connie knows that the choice she makes is going to bring unpredictable changes to not only her life, but the lives of others.