~Real Article~

by Katie Allen*

EXCERPT of article. . .

I spent a whole hour fixing my hair the first time I went to my church’s youth group. Why am I even going? I fretted as I struggled to get my hair to look half decent. I don’t really have any friends there. But I figured it was better than sitting around the house or doing homework. So I jerked a comb through my hair one more time, hollered “I’m Ready!” to my mom, and headed for the car. When Mom dropped me off at the youth pastor’s house, a guy I recognized from church answered the door.
“Hey, Katie, come on in. It’s cool that you came,” he said. He introduced himself as Ben and walked me into the living room. I blushed, flattered that he knew my name. Music was playing and kids were talking and laughing in tight little groups. Ben must’ve realized I felt out of place because he stayed by my side, introducing me to the others.
Soon, Ben and I started dating. Like the other kids in the youth group, we both agreed it was smart to save sex for marriage. But we never really talked about how far we would or wouldn’t go. It didn’t seem to be that big of a problem until we’d been dating over a year and ended up alone one winter afternoon.
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