I Knew He Wasn't a Believer Part 1

I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder as I dug through my messy locker. When I looked up, tiny beads of sweat formed on my palms. It was Brad*.

"Hi," I said, startled. I was always nervous around Brad. I'd had a crush on him since our first class together that year. And now, here he was, standing next to me. "Hi," he said coolly, flashing his perfect smile. "Are you busy Friday night?"

My heart did a somersault. Not trusting my voice, I shook my head no. "Would you like to go out with me?" he asked, smiling confidently.

"Of course!" I exclaimed, not even trying to hide my excitement. "I'd love to."

"Great. It's a date, then," he said smoothly. I couldn't believe it. Brad was Mr. Popular. He was a total jock and he had even been the homecoming king. We'd had a ton of classes together, but he had never shown any interest in dating me. Until now. We'd been talking a lot in class lately.

After school I found my best friend, Deb. "Guess what?" I squealed. "Brad asked me out on a date!" Debby eyed me guardedly. "Just be careful," she said.

"What do you mean?" I said, surprised by her lukewarm reaction.

"It's no secret Brad likes to party," Deb said. "I mean, his parties are legendary—that's why he's so popular."

"Yeah," I nodded. "I've heard about that. But I'm not worried. I have it under control."

"I don't want to see you get hurt," she said. "Just promise me you'll keep a clear head and remember that you can't change him."

My family had the same reaction when I told them about Brad at dinner later that evening.

My older sister didn't even try to hide her response. "He's trouble," Kristina said.

"You're just jealous," I shot back. "He's never been that way in class. Brad is a nice guy."

"Amy, everyone at school knows Brad drinks," Kristina said. "And I'm pretty sure he does drugs and he's on probation for stealing money."

I couldn't believe she'd mention those things in front of my parents. "Give him a chance," I shouted. "He's changing." I had heard those rumors about Brad, but I didn't want to believe them. He didn't seem like a troublemaker to me.

Mom looked concerned. "Amy, I don't know if you should be going out with a boy with a reputation like that," my mom said.

I wasn't about to lose my chance. Someone as cool as Brad had noticed me—had asked me out! I wasn't going to let a few rumors stop me. My face was hot with angry tears.

"This is the best thing that has ever happened to me," I cried, pushing myself back from the table with enough force to make my chair screech against the floor. "I don't care what you say. I'm going!" I stormed away from the table, shaking.

Everyone was stunned, especially me. I'd never spoken to my mom that way.

  (To be Continued)

Good morning and do have a great week...