yet you still pushed me away instead of just letting us love you and trusting that we can each do our own thing and still stay friends.”
“You’re right, Lindsay … you’re totally right. I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
“It’s already done, Kelly. And someday, maybe I’ll be able to tell you about real forgiveness. For now, we need to get to school and put this behind us. Deal?”
They hugged in Kelly’s front yard, and Lindsay just held Kelly while she sobbed some cleansing tears that celebrated the freedom in forgiveness.
The next three chapters tell the story of what happened to Lindsay when she decided to give in to peer pressure by going through with the dare .
Chapter 9
I‘LL DO IT
The minutes seemed like a lifetime as Macy and Sam waited for Lindsay to decide. Kelly, feigning disinterest, picked at her fingernails while she waited. She looked up after a minute or two and said, “Well, this isn’t that difficult of a decision. You’re either in, or you’re out. What’s it going to be?”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ll do it. Let’s just go and get it over with—fast!” Lindsay got up immediately, and her surprised friends followed her up the stairs. She hurriedly slipped on her sandals and quietly opened the front door, hoping it wouldn’t squeak. One by one, each girl slipped through the open door, and then, making sure it wasn’t locked, Lindsay carefullyand silently closed it.
They giggled as they walked down the sidewalk toward the convenience store—everyone but Lindsay. She was so nervous that she spent the entire walk fighting off tears.
“Hey, Lindsay,” Kelly said, “you’ve got to pull it together. If you go in there looking like that, you’ll never be allowed to buy the beer. You need to look confident and carefree—not like you’re facing a firing squad.”
“You’re right,” Lindsay said, laughing. “I can do this. It’ll be fine. I won’t get caught. It’s almost over.…” She recited encouragement to herself, hoping it would boost her confidence.
They arrived at the store much too soon for Lindsay’s comfort, but she did just want to get her task over with and then get back safely to the comfort of Kelly’s house as fast as possible.
The three girls walked over to the large windows where they could peer between the advertisements and signs to watch Lindsay as she carried out her dare. Lindsay walked up to the door, took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and opened it. The door swung toward her with the jingling of bells that hung from the top of thedoor to alert the shopkeeper that a customer was entering the store. He was behind the counter reading a newspaper and looked up for only a second to notice Lindsay. Apparently she didn’t look like much of a threat because he went back to reading his paper.
Lindsay considered heading straight for the refrigerator cases at the back and getting it over with but decided that she would be more believable if she shopped for a few other items first. So she wandered down the aisles and selected a loaf of bread, a pack of gum, a bottle of water, and then went to get her can of beer. She opened the door to the cooler where the single cans were stored, and without checking the price or brand, she just grabbed the closest one to her and let the door swing shut. It bounced off the frame with a bang that startled both Lindsay and the shopkeeper, who put his newspaper down to keep an eye on her.
Remembering that it didn’t matter if the clerk allowed her to buy it or not, Lindsay figured that it was safe to make her purchases. She stood up very straight as she walked to the cash register, hoping that she looked much older than herage. As she approached the clerk, she had a great idea—so she thought. She would tell the cashier that the beer was for her dad. That way he wouldn’t be so hesitant to sell it to her. After she placed her items on the counter, she took out her
“You’re right, Lindsay … you’re totally right. I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
“It’s already done, Kelly. And someday, maybe I’ll be able to tell you about real forgiveness. For now, we need to get to school and put this behind us. Deal?”
They hugged in Kelly’s front yard, and Lindsay just held Kelly while she sobbed some cleansing tears that celebrated the freedom in forgiveness.
The next three chapters tell the story of what happened to Lindsay when she decided to give in to peer pressure by going through with the dare .
Chapter 9
I‘LL DO IT
The minutes seemed like a lifetime as Macy and Sam waited for Lindsay to decide. Kelly, feigning disinterest, picked at her fingernails while she waited. She looked up after a minute or two and said, “Well, this isn’t that difficult of a decision. You’re either in, or you’re out. What’s it going to be?”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ll do it. Let’s just go and get it over with—fast!” Lindsay got up immediately, and her surprised friends followed her up the stairs. She hurriedly slipped on her sandals and quietly opened the front door, hoping it wouldn’t squeak. One by one, each girl slipped through the open door, and then, making sure it wasn’t locked, Lindsay carefullyand silently closed it.
They giggled as they walked down the sidewalk toward the convenience store—everyone but Lindsay. She was so nervous that she spent the entire walk fighting off tears.
“Hey, Lindsay,” Kelly said, “you’ve got to pull it together. If you go in there looking like that, you’ll never be allowed to buy the beer. You need to look confident and carefree—not like you’re facing a firing squad.”
“You’re right,” Lindsay said, laughing. “I can do this. It’ll be fine. I won’t get caught. It’s almost over.…” She recited encouragement to herself, hoping it would boost her confidence.
They arrived at the store much too soon for Lindsay’s comfort, but she did just want to get her task over with and then get back safely to the comfort of Kelly’s house as fast as possible.
The three girls walked over to the large windows where they could peer between the advertisements and signs to watch Lindsay as she carried out her dare. Lindsay walked up to the door, took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and opened it. The door swung toward her with the jingling of bells that hung from the top of thedoor to alert the shopkeeper that a customer was entering the store. He was behind the counter reading a newspaper and looked up for only a second to notice Lindsay. Apparently she didn’t look like much of a threat because he went back to reading his paper.
Lindsay considered heading straight for the refrigerator cases at the back and getting it over with but decided that she would be more believable if she shopped for a few other items first. So she wandered down the aisles and selected a loaf of bread, a pack of gum, a bottle of water, and then went to get her can of beer. She opened the door to the cooler where the single cans were stored, and without checking the price or brand, she just grabbed the closest one to her and let the door swing shut. It bounced off the frame with a bang that startled both Lindsay and the shopkeeper, who put his newspaper down to keep an eye on her.
Remembering that it didn’t matter if the clerk allowed her to buy it or not, Lindsay figured that it was safe to make her purchases. She stood up very straight as she walked to the cash register, hoping that she looked much older than herage. As she approached the clerk, she had a great idea—so she thought. She would tell the cashier that the beer was for her dad. That way he wouldn’t be so hesitant to sell it to her. After she placed her items on the counter, she took out her
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