Blind Date

Chapter 7

It was five, Sara called and told me to get ready for Church and told me that they would pick me up at five-forty.
I picked out a T-shirt and a skirt, but the skirt was too short and Sara told me I had to dress "modest." I didn't have anything in my closet or drawer that Sara would consider modest. There was a used clothes shop, Betty's Used Closet, down the street and they had long Church skirts for a cheap price. All of them were about five dollars. I ran downstairs and went over to where dad kept his wallet. I looked around to make sure dad wasn't around, then opened his wallet and took out a ten dollar bill. Five dollars extra wouldn't hurt. Dad would never notice anything was missing. Was I going to return it? No. It wasn't stealing, it was simply borrowing. Besides, I needed a raise in my allowance until I could find a job.

I stuffed the ten dollar bill in my pocket and ran down to Betty's Used Closet. I went to the skirt section and picked out a blue and white striped skirt and a blue shirt to go with it. The shirts were extremely cheap. One dollar each. I spent six dollars, and seven cents for tax. I had four dollars left. I ran back to the house and got dressed and put my hair into a bun. Then went outside and sat on our porch swing until I saw Sara's van driving up the road. I walked over to the van and got in the middle with Sara.

"You look nice. Where did you get that skirt?" Sara's mom, Jill, asked.

"I bought it at Betty's Used Closet for five dollars. They have really cute clothes there, and everything is cheap since it's used." I answered.

"Thank you, Sara needs some new skirts." she replied.

"I didn't know you had any modest skirts. Mom's right, that skirt is really nice, so is that shirt." Sara remarked.

"Thanks, I think." I joked.

When we arrived at Church, I saw Cameron. I glanced at Sara, and somehow she knew I was trying to remind her of when she said we could sit beside of Cameron and she rolled her eyes. I followed Sara to Cameron's bench.

"Hey, Cameron. Mind if we sit with you?" Sara asked him. Cameron looked over at us and smiled.

"I don't mind. Please, sit." he replied. Sara sat beside of him and left room so I could be in the middle.

"Oh, and mom, dad, and Jeremiah are sitting in the back. Jennette is sitting with us." Sara told him. I gave her a funny look. He looked at us, he would've noticed me.

"Oh! Jennette, how are you?" Cameron said and smiled.

"I'm good. How are you?" I replied.

"I'm doing great, thanks!" he was always great.

It's like I was the only one who was really dying inside.
The Church service started. They sang songs I've never heard before, such as Just Be Held by Casting Crowns:

"So when you're on your knees,
And answers seem so far away,
You're not alone, stop holding on,
And just be held. Your world's
Not falling apart, it's falling into
Place. I'm on the Throne, stop
Holding on, and just be held."

I didn't know why, but tears started streaming down my face. All of my pain, all of my hurt, all of my worry was coming out. I couldn't stop it. The tears kept coming. Sara knew why, so she took my hand and led me to the back. The pastor was there.

"Pastor Josh, my friend needs Jesus. She's been through so much, and things are getting worse for her. Her mom died of cancer a few years back, and her relationship with her dad isn't going too well. She didn't want me to tell anyone, but someone needs to know. She has depression, and she writes poems about it. Please pray with her, this is really important to me. I feel like God is touching her. I know she will never admit it, but she needs Jesus," Sara looked at me, "I'm sorry, Jennette, but you can't keep going like this. It isn't fair."

The tears kept coming. I still could not stop crying. The pastor walked over to me.

"Jennette, do you want to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? It's your choice. Don't feel any pressure about this. Decide for yourself. Come back next Sunday, and if you're ready to confess your Faith in Jesus Christ, come back here to me and I'll pray with you." the pastor had a warm smile, and friendly eyes. I felt comfortable around him.

"I don't want to be a Christian, I don't want to live that way. I can't." I said and walked back to Cameron's bench. I took his hand and led him to one of the Bible school rooms in the back, so I could talk to him in private.

"Cameron, I know you're a Christian. But I'm not a Christian, and I don't want to be one. I like you, but I know you probably won't like me anymore because I'm not religious." I stated.

"Jennette, it's not a religion. It's a relationship. I still like you, and I accept that you don't believe in God. But that doesn't mean I won't tell you about Jesus, because I will. God wants us to be witnesses to others, and I'm going to be a witness to you." Cameron replied. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Do you remember when you said you were going to tell me something on our next date? Can you tell me now instead?" I insisted.

"I'm honestly very surprised that you haven't found it out yet. I'm not going to tell you until Saturday. Until then, you'll just have to wonder about it." he said and we walked back out to the bench Sara was at now.