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Overview
High school. Dating. Sex. 14 year old Chloe Wheeler wonders - is she ready? Finding it uncomfortable talking with her parents, Chloe turns to her best friend--Amanda Hill. Searching for guidance, they attend a nondenominational youth group where Pastor Rick Summers is facilitating a series of talks on sex entitled Another Way. At the first group meeting, Chloe meets football star Tyrell Fields. As they begin dating and Chloe's feelings intensify, she grabs hold of the lessons of Another Way and discovers...
- Her worth.
- Her voice.
- Her levels of readiness.
- Her power to make healthy decisions.
"Holli Kenley beautifully shares in Another Way how young people can embrace confidence and self-empowerment as they find their way through the challenges of the teen years." Cathy Taughinbaugh--Parent Coach, Helping Parents Find Peace "Another Way is an indispensable book for teens and those who care about them...Holli Kenley has done it again with this practical, entertaining, and bold book." Jill Osborne, Eds, LPC, RPT - Helping Families Reconnect "Another Way introduces our young readers to a new way of thinking. Through self-discovery and self-empowerment, Chloe learns there truly is Another Way--a way to stand strong with honesty and personal integrity." Judy Herzanek - Changing Lives Foundation "Another Way is one of those great reads that is sure to find an audience with readers of all ages." Cyrus Webb - Host of Conversations LIVE, Editor-in-Chief Conversations Magazine Learn more at www.HolliKenley.com From Loving Healing Press www.LHPress.com
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781615992591 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Loving Healing Press |
| Publication date: | 03/15/2015 |
| Pages: | 174 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.40(d) |
| Age Range: | 13 - 15 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
She Knew One Thing
The bright yellow ball hung from the sky and cast its sword-like rays on the silver-crested waves of the ocean. Thunderous crashes of shiny water pounded against the kelp-ridden beach. Tiny sand crabs scampered from one newly-formed hole to another, only to disappear quickly under the slippery blanket of sand and water. Straight ahead, all one could see was miles of sparkling ice-blue water, dotted here and there with stark masts and colorful sails. Off to the north end was a manicured line of beachfront condominiums and houses — each one strategically arranged among the rolling sandy dunes, the wild tall green tulles, and the wooden-planked paths. Families were scattered here and there with children busily creating sandcastles while their parents attempted to sunbathe in between their bouts of sporadic supervision. Cool breezes filled the air with the familiar smells of seaweed and ocean spray. Perhaps, the most impressive sight and sound of this beach was the constant company of the friendly pelicans. Although they visited every part and almost every person in this mostly secluded and privately owned beach, they made their home territory toward the south end.
It was in this direction of the pelicans' home Chloe Wheeler was walking. As she dipped her toes into the freshly washed sand, she chuckled as she looked behind her to view the funny-shaped footprint she had left. In a moment, the next wave would wash it away, and prepare another canvas for her next foot painting. With her hands clasped behind her waist and her head tilted back slightly to let the rush of cool air brush across her face, Chloe continued on about half mile down the beach and then turned sharply away from the ocean. The excitement began to build inside as she anticipated the place she had longed to visit for almost a year. As Chloe made her way over several sand dunes and through overgrown tulles, she then carefully crawled down some large round stones until she found her place on a smooth broad flat rock. Except for a few pelicans, no one else had discovered this private place, at least as far as Chloe knew. And that's what was important.
Making herself comfortable on her slab of gray rock, Chloe viewed the wondrous beauty of this relatively small lagoon surrounding her. The water was crystal clear, not like most lagoons, which were dark and murky. She could see the glossed rocks nestled below and the myriad of orange, blue-green creatures flittering about. The tulles encircling the little lagoon provided a wall of privacy, and the pelicans perched on rocks or posts stood guard in protection of it. Chloe took in a deep breath, letting the excitement wind down, and she began to relish the peace and quiet she was about to enjoy.
Chloe didn't realize how much she missed this place until now. Coming here just once a year didn't seem enough, but then she knew her family sacrificed to make the trip this year. James, Chloe's dad, owned his construction company and business had not done well over the past several years. Chloe's mom, Melissa, stayed at home to take care of Chloe's younger sister, Alisha, who recently turned eight. Missy, as she was called, enjoyed working her freelance interior decorating business from home. However, her income was also impacted by the recession. Chloe decided she had been feeling very selfish. She was truly grateful her family was able to enjoy one fun-filled week at their beach!
Chloe closed her eyes for a moment. Thoughts whirled and raced around in her head and then began to settle down. So many things were about to change in her life. In two weeks, she would be starting high school, and in a few months, she would be turning fifteen. Although many of Chloe's friends were allowed to date in middle school, her parents set her official dating age at fifteen. Oh, yes, she was permitted to go to the Winter and Spring dances, as well as the eighth-grade prom, but those weren't exactly the same as dating. Her stomach did a little flip as she thought about all the new experiences she was going to encounter. Secretly, she wondered if she was ready.
Chloe opened her eyes and looked down into the lagoon. The sun was shining at an angle, just so it cast a mirror-like film across the surface. When Chloe looked down, she could see herself perfectly. She never thought of herself as being pretty, just average. Her extremely curly and unruly black hair reached her shoulder blades and parted naturally toward the middle of her scalp. Her round deep brown eyes accented with a rare yellow hue were set between a straight nose, much like her dad's. Friends often commented on her unusually long eyelashes and her perfectly formed eyebrows. Moving closer to her reflection, Chloe saw a smooth complexion. Luckily, she was not tormented by acne or unwanted blemishes many of her friends complained about. And for this, she was grateful. As she smiled, Chloe viewed her white well-straightened teeth which had succumbed to two years in braces. Her frame was long and slender. She actually didn't seem to mind her figure until now, when all her friends were filling out in the right places at a much faster rate than did she. Perhaps this year that would change too.
As Chloe pulled her knees up against her and rested her chin on them, she stared deeply into her reflection. She saw a young lady who did well in school, who had a loving family to care for her, who shared some very special friendships (especially with her best friend Amanda), and who felt good about who she was. She wondered to herself, "Would this all change too?" Over the past year, Chloe had seen many of her friends change already. They became less interested in school, hung out with older crowds, and freely experimented with drugs and alcohol. Chloe mumbled to herself, "It's just the way life is ..." However, it was Chloe and just a few of her close friends who were different from so many kids she knew. She reached down to stroke the water in the lagoon. It began a ripple effect causing her reflection to waiver. Chloe's dark serious eyes followed the moving image. She pulled her hand from the cool water and allowed the reflection to take on its steady form. She didn't want to change the image she saw, at least for now. She felt secure about who she was and where she was going. She felt very comfortable with the fact no one had pressured her into doing anything against her will — not drinking, not drugs, and not sex. Although Chloe had been quite vocal about her opposition to drugs and alcohol, she kept her thoughts about virginity to herself. She secretly wondered, "Is it I don't really know how I feel about it? Is it, in a way, I am a bit embarrassed by it? Or is it my lack of experience in dating which keeps me from speaking about it?" Chloe didn't know the answers to these questions, and for now, it wasn't important she have all the right responses. She knew one thing — she was a virgin and at this time in her life, that's the way she wanted to be.
As Chloe slowly stood up stretching her long legs, she watched her reflection grow upon the water's surface. The faithful pelicans fluttered about watching her every move, and the green tulles swayed in the breeze. Chloe took one last glance, not to admire her physical appearance, but to imprint indelibly upon her mind the portrait of who she was.
CHAPTER 2
A Secret Agreement
Chloe quickly turned the dial to the right — 24, then twice around to the left — 14, and finally back to the right — 38. "Come on", she thought, "I'm running out of time." She glanced down at her watch and saw there were only two minutes remaining until the tardy bell rang. Frustrated, Chloe grumbled to herself, "Why do I have a locker which is so hard to open?" She pressed the handle up and pulled hard this time. "There! Finally!"
Chloe grabbed her Spanish book and English literature text, slammed the locker shut, and began making her way through the overly crowded hallways of Lincoln High School. As she sidestepped between the clusters of students, ducked here and there, and elbowed a stranger once or twice, Chloe managed to slide into her desk just ten seconds before the bell rang. Her Spanish teacher, Señor Escobar, stood at the front of the room, tapping his pencil, waiting to catch any tardy victims. Chloe quickly readied herself for the intense lesson, which was about to take place, but she scanned the other side of the classroom for her best friend, Amanda. Although it was quite irritating that Señor Escobar made the students sit alphabetically, thus separating the two best friends, Chloe knew if she sat next to Amanda, they would be tempted to talk incessantly.
As the irritating high-pitched bell rang for seemingly endless seconds, Chloe's eyes caught Amanda's and they smiled. Although Chloe secretly wished they had more classes together, it was good to have at least two which were the same — Spanish and yearbook. As Señor Escobar began scribbling the lesson on the whiteboard, Chloe thought about how incredibly fast the first few weeks of school had gone by. It had seemed as though it was only yesterday when she was sitting by her lagoon and anticipating high school. Returning home from the beach, registering for classes, trying out for the tennis team, shopping for bargains on school clothes, and mentally gearing up for the big transition into high school had quickly eaten up the rest of her summer vacation. And once school started, time seemed to fly by even more quickly. Chloe was excited about all her classes — Spanish, English, yearbook, algebra, ceramics, and tennis team. She was grateful she had taken geography and health in summer school to lessen the homework load this first year in high school.
"Señorita Wheeler, would you please read off the first three answers of your homework assignment?"
Chloe was startled by the request, but immediately began to recite her responses she had diligently worked on the night before.
"Muy bien. Muchas gracias, Señorita."
Chloe took a deep sigh of relief and sank down a little in her chair. She glanced over at her best friend through the side of her eye and saw Amanda was giggling. To avoid joining in, Chloe cupped her hand around her temple and blocked her vision in Amanda's direction. Once one of them started to laugh, it was all over. Chloe knew she could not look over there again!
Making his way around the classroom and calling on students, Señor Escobar finally singled out Amanda. He knew she was really good in Spanish; in fact, she probably should have been placed in Spanish II. Señor Escobar loved her accent and often called on Amanda to construct long answers or read passages for the rest of the class to hear and emulate. Chloe thought about how Amanda had spent several summers in Mexico with her church youth group helping to build simple houses, tiny churches, and crude but clean outdoor toilet facilities for some of the poorest villages. Chloe often envied Amanda's ability to give so selflessly of her time and energy. Amanda told Chloe many times, "I do this for God. It is what He would want me to do. I love serving Him in this way." Chloe didn't quite understand it all. Amanda was raised going to church every Sunday and became a Christian at the age of ten. On the other hand, Chloe's family did not go to church or profess any belief in a specific religion or God. Her father said he really wasn't sure about the whole God thing, and her mom never spoke about her true feelings. Therefore, Chloe wasn't sure what her mom believed or didn't believe. Amanda was bugging Chloe for a long time to go to a youth group with her, but Chloe just didn't have the desire to and she thought she might upset her parents by attending it.
As Amanda finished up her eloquent dialogue, the class responded with a few cheers and a round of applause. Even Señor Escobar burst forth with his favorite words, "Excelente, muy bien!" In embarrassment, Amanda buried her face in her folded arms on her desk. Her shoulder-length, sandy blonde hair shielded the redness in her face, but when she emerged from behind her veil of locks, her light blue eyes seemed even brighter against the still pink coloring in her cheeks. Chloe thought to herself how pretty Amanda was. Even though Amanda was much shorter and bigger-boned than Chloe, she carried herself with a gracefulness and an attractiveness evident to all. Perhaps it was her smile and her easygoing personality which seemed to brighten up and lighten up a whole room of people. Chloe thought to herself how grateful she was to have such a close friend. They had known each other for three years, and in spite of some of their differences, they always talked through their misunderstandings and remained loyal to their friendship.
Chloe glanced around the room and she could see Amanda pointing to her watch — about ten minutes left to go. By the time Señor Escobar finished explaining the night's homework, there were just a few minutes left in the period. He finally concluded and the students began shuffling their papers and loading up their backpacks. The noise level began to rise as students' anticipation grew to escape the classroom and join their friends for a few brief moments of much-needed texting or conversation.
"Adiós, Señores e Señoritas. Hasta mañana!" With the simultaneous shrill of the bell, students flew from their seats and whisked their way into the buzzing hallways. Amanda and Chloe were forced out the doorway with the movement of the crowd and found themselves caught up in the stream of flowing students. Both girls immediately grabbed for their phones, which were buried in their backpacks, and turned them on. At Lincoln High, phones were required to be off during class time. Chloe checked her messages while Amanda kept searching through her heavy bag.
Amanda laughingly asked, "Can you believe how stupid I sounded reading off the entire passage today?"
"Oh, come on, Amanda. You sounded great and you know it! The rest of us just wish you weren't quite as good as you are! You make us look pretty pathetic!" Chloe laughed too and they both walked on, scanning their texts and emails.
"Chlo, I'll see you at lunch! Wait for me outside the quad area by the lunch tables. You know, our usual place!"
"Okay, but I wanted to ask you if you're going to be busy after school today. I think I'm gonna need help on some of our Spanish homework. Do you have time?"
"Sure, what do you think I'm doing — going out on a Wednesday?" Amanda said jokingly.
"Well, ya never know, Amanda. It seems like Blair Stevens wants to spend more and more time with you ..."
"Oh, be quiet, Chlo. We're just friends," Amanda insisted but grinned with her familiar Cheshire smile.
"Yeah, right! Have you told him that?" Chloe kept the teasing going.
"Well, no ... there hasn't been a need to," Amanda responded with a more serious tone. "Not yet, anyway."
Chloe and Amanda both smiled and then sighed quietly to themselves. They both knew Blair liked Amanda, more than just for a friend. But they would let it drop for now. They both had classes to get to.
"Okay, see ya at lunch!" yelled Chloe as she headed down the opposite hallway.
"And don't worry about Spanish," shouted Amanda. "We'll get it done after school! See ya in a while. Adios Señorita Wheeler!" Chloe turned and mouthed the words, "Adios, Señora Stevens!" Amanda made an obnoxious face at her best friend as she began to sprint to her next class.
*
Under the scantily shady palm tree, Chloe waited for her friend to emerge from the swarm of students. It was still uncomfortably hot for a September afternoon. As Chloe continued to scan the mass of sweaty students, she wondered to herself — as she had so many times over the years -why on earth people came to live in the desert of Southern California. "It's got to be at least 115 degrees," she mumbled to herself. "Come on, Amanda, hurry up!" As the beads of perspiration rolled down her back, Chloe finally caught sight of Amanda who was forging her way through the thick bus lines.
"Where have you been? I've been waiting almost fifteen minutes! I texted you several times, but you didn't answer!" Chloe's voice revealed a strong hint of exasperation. "I thought you'd left without me."
"I'm sorry, Chlo. Blair stopped me after my last class and wanted to talk. I lost track of time." Amanda looked apologetically at Chloe. "Come on. My mom's waiting over there to give us a ride."
Chloe and Amanda dodged their way through the maze of cars and squeezed into the doors of the familiar silver Cadillac SUV. Amanda hopped into the front seat while Chloe climbed into the back. The cool air from the car brought instant relief from the scorching heat outside.
"Hi, Mrs. Hill. Wow, does it feel good in here!"
"Hello, Chloe." Turning to smile to her daughter, Mrs. Hill added, "Hi, honey. And, yes, it is way too hot for September! And, it's too hot for school, right girls?"
"You got it, Mom," sighed Amanda. "Chloe is coming over for a while to work on some Spanish homework together. Hope that's alright?"
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Another Way"
by .
Copyright © 2015 Holli Kenley.
Excerpted by permission of Loving Healing Press, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments,
Introduction: Are You Ready?,
One ~ She Knew One Thing,
Two ~ A Secret Agreement,
Three ~ It Feels So Good, It Must Be Right,
Four ~ He Really Loves Me,
Five ~ I Don't Belong Here,
Six ~ I Lied to Myself ... I Let Myself Down,
Seven ~ Finding Another Way ... Back,
Eight ~ Each One of You Matters,
Nine ~ Circles and a Code,
Ten ~ Her Way,
Appendix A ~ Book Club Questions or Individual Study,
Appendix B ~ Chloe's Circles,
Appendix C ~ Tyrell's Code of Conduct,
Appendix D ~ David's 5 Point Personal Code of Conduct,
Appendix E ~ Offering Another Way To Parents,
Bibliography,
About the Author,