New Believers Of God

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Over the next month, I persisted with the same weekly routine. Mass on Sunday, CCD on Monday, Bible Study on Tuesday, GLOW on Wednesday, and Hangin' In on Thursday. Holly and I also continued serving and ended up getting an A+ on our project. Even after that though, I decided to stay on and become a permanent member of the clergy, which both her and my parents were beyond thrilled about.

We had become offlay close in that time. She understood my beliefs more than any of the guys did, and I admired her for it. There was nothing I enjoyed more than discussing something with someone and knowing they were genuinely listening.

Not long after Easter came and went, we had a guest speaker at Hangin' In. An elderly looking man with short gray hair. I would say late sixties or early seventies.

"Evening." he said upon walking to the front "I'm Chester Richardson, founder of the Silver Ring Thing."

Me and the guys all looked at each other to see if anyone had ever heard of that.

"I'm sure you're wondering what that is." he added, basically answering our question "Well, I'll tell you."

From there, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the program's namesake, a silver purity ring.

"For the last eighteen years now," he continued "I've been running this program for kids all over the world, teaching them the importance of pre-marital abstinence."

I was instantly surprised to hear that this is what he had come to talk about. I wasn't even sure if I fully understood what it meant.

"I know what you're thinking. Isn't it kind of early for that?"

That's exactly what I was thinking for one.

"Well, that may be true. But I feel it's better to start now rather than later. Because while it may seem like a long time away, before you know it, you're going to end up in some tough situations, ones where you might not always know what to do. This is one of them."

He then held up the ring.

"This ring serves as a form of commitment, as a vow to refrain from it until the time is right, and as a reminder to stay faithful. That is why I would like to pass it onto you."

I was admittedly curious. Seeing an object as nice and shiny as that was sure enough to gain any kid's interest.

"Next Friday, I'll be hosting our yearly event in Butler. If you would like to come, you'll be leaving here around five in the evening and returning no later than ten. Everything is free of charge."

Of course, the guys were always up for any kind of gathering, even if they may not have cared about what it centered on. Therefore, we were all on board to go right away. I for one was especially looking forward to it. This wasn't a topic I really had much insight on, so it was a perfect chance to gain some. Not to mention, receiving one of those rings.

However, while I may have been excited at first, that was all ruined when the following Monday, Chester also made the same offer at GLOW.

Naturally, I wasn't expecting this. Somehow, it completely slipped my mind that he would come to every youth group in town. What concerned me even more though was Holly, who I knew would be just as interested in attending.

After the evening concluded, her and I discussed it as we waited for our parents. Right away, I wanted to tell her the truth, being that I had already planned to go with the guys.

"So," she said "What do you think? Will you go?"

"Well," I said back "I don't think I can."

"Why not?" she asked, "Don't you want to go?"

"Yeah, I do." I answered, "But I kind of have a problem."

"Come on Cole. It'll be fun. You've got to come. You've just got to."

She wasn't listening to me, which in turn was only making this harder. All I had to do was be honest. But who would've thought it would be such an obstacle?

"You don't understand Holly."

"Please Cole. I don't want to go without you."

That did it for me. There was no way I could say no now. I couldn't possibly bear disappointing her. I didn't think I had any other choice.

"Okay." I reluctantly said, "I'll go."

"Great!" she said back, cheerfully.

What had I just done? On one end, I made her day. On the other, I had screwed over the guys big time.

I knew this wasn't going to end well.