Road Trip (22 page)

FACE THE MUSIC
Chloe book four

Redemption has made it to the bestseller chart, but what Chloe and the girls need most is some downtime to sift through the usual high school stress with grades, friends, guys, and the prom. Chloe struggles to recover from a serious crush on the band leader of Iron Cross. Then just as an unexpected romance catches Redemption by surprise, Caitlin O'Conner—whose relationship with Josh is taking on a new dimension—joins the tour as a chaperone. Chloe's wild ride only speeds up, and this one-of-a-kind musician faces the fact that life may never be normal again.

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Sneak a peek at Chloe's last diary-Face the Music

Is it possible that I have deceived myself into believing that God would change my personality in order to make me more acceptable to Him? Okay, I realize this sounds a bit crazy, but hang with me a minute. Because I'm thinking, okay, God did give me my personality, weird as it might be. At least I assume He did since He “knit me together in my mothers womb,” and I figure that means He created my I'm, which makes me who I am. Right?

So Why then would He want to change my personality? At least this is what I've been asking myself lately. People used to call me a wild child, a rebel, a nonconformist. But in some ways, I think that I've been trying to conform myself. Now what I'm wondering is, was this God's plan or mine?

The reason I'm so concerned about this is because I think it's affecting my music. And this scares me. The last thing I want is to end up sounding like everyone else, to lose my creative edge. I guess this is something I admire about Jeremy Baxter of Iron Cross. He doesn't seem to be affected in this way. It's like he doesn't compromise who he is. He remains his own self. Oh, I didn't mean to start going on about Jeremy again.
In fact, I've been doing a pretty good job of blocking my thoughts about him. Or at least I thought so. But speaking of Jeremy, I now have a new problem. I suppose it's not fair to call Isaiah Baxter a problem. Sheesh, I know that there are millions of girls who would love to have such a problem. But it seems that Allie and Laura are playing matchmaker for me. Oh, not matchmaker exactly. Rather, they are still trying to set Isaiah and me up to go to the prom.

“He said he wants to go with you,” Laura said last night when we stopped for a fast-food dinner after pleading with Elise. (She thinks fast food will kill you, and she's probably not far from the truth.)

“But only if you ask him yourself,” added Allie. “He doesn't want a middleman.”

Fortunately, Allie, Laura, and I were seated at our own table because I'm not sure I'd want the “grown-ups” (Willy, Rosy, Elise) listening in on our conversation. I'm not even sure why.

“I don't even want to go to the prom,” I told them for like the umpteenth time. “I'm not exactly a prom sort of girl, if you remember right.”

“Oh, come on, Ghloe,” said Allie. “It's not like you have to put on a pink Cinderella dress and wear pumps.”

“You have a problem with pink?” demanded Laura.

“Oh, yeah,”I said. “Didn't your mom have a pink dress all picked out for you to wear to the prom?”

Laura scowled at me. “It's not so bad.”

“I know.” I attempted a smile on her behalf. “But the thing is I do not want to go to the Harrison High prom.”

“Not even with Isaiah?” asked Allie.

“Yeah,” said Laura. “Ifow, you're going to hurt his feelings.”

“Hey, it's got nothing to do with Isaiah—”

“Try telling him that,” said Allie.

I knew they were quickly getting me cornered. Between that proverbial rock and a hard place. “You guys are impossible!”

And so now I'm stuck here trying to decide what to do. Do I just go with the flow and invite Isaiah to the prom? I know it really doesn't mean anything from a romantic standpoint. I'm sure he knows that too. Still, it feels like it must mean something. Shouldn't you go to the prom with someone you really care about? Like Jeremy? Or even Cesar? It wasn't that long ago that I would've imagined myself going to the prom with Cesar. But true to his word, the guy is still kissing dating good-bye. Well, good for him. Maybe I should do the same.

But that brings me back to my earlier question. Like who am I? I'm afraid that I've been
conforming myself into what and who other people think I should be. And the only one who should be conforming me is God. Or rather transforming me. But what if I keep getting in the way?

H
EY
, G
OD, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

More and more teens find themselves growing up in a world lacking in godly wisdom and direction. In
Piercing Proverbs
, bestseiling youth fiction author Melody Carlson offers solid messages of the Bible in a version that can compete with TV, movies, and the Internet for the attention of this vital group in God's kingdom. Choosing life-impacting portions of teen-applicable Proverbs, Carlson paraphrases them into understandable, teen-friendly language and presents them as guidelines for clearly identified areas of life (such as friendship, family, money, and mistakes). Teens will easily read and digest these high-impact passages of the Bible delivered in their own words.

ISBN 1-57673-895-7

Tired of the game? Kiss dating goodbye.

I K
ISSED
D
ATING
G
OODBYE

Dating. Isn't there a better way? Reorder your romantic life in the light of God's Word and find more fulfillment than the dating game could ever give—a life of purposeful singleness.

ISBN 1-59052-135-8

I K
ISSED
D
ATING
G
OODBYE
S
TUDY
G
UIDE

The I Kissed Dating Goodbye Study Guide, based on Joshua Harris's phenomenal bestseller with over 850,000 copies sold, provides youth with a new resource for living a lifestyle of sincere love, true purity, and purposeful singleness.

ISBN 1-59052-136-6

B
OY MEETS GIRL
. N
OW WHAT?

I Kissed Dating Goodbye
shocked the publishing world in 1995 with its metoric rise to the top of bestseller lists. Teens wanted more than dating “rules”—they wanted an intentional, God-pleasing game plan. In this dynamic sequel, newlyweds Joshua and Shannon Harris deliver an inspiring and practical illustration of how this healthy, joyous alternative to recreational dating—biblical courtship—worked for them.
Boy Meets Girl
helps readers understand how to go about pursuing the possibility of marriage with someone they may be serious about. It's the natural follow-up to the author's blockbuster book on teen dating!

ISBN 1-57673-709-8

T
RUE
S
TORIES OF
T
EENS
L
IVING
C
OMMITTED
L
IVES FOR
C
HRIST

Compiled with the help of teenagers, these inspiring stories show teens like you making a difference in their families, schools, and world. These compelling accounts will encourage you to a deeper walk with God, while often putting a smile on your face.

ISBN 1-57673-703-9

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the authors imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ROAD TRIP published by Multnomah Books
A division of Random House, Inc.
and in association with the literary agency of Sara A. Fortenberry

© 2003 by Melody Carlson.

Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible
, New International Version
© 1973, 1984 by International Bible Society,
used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House
The Holy Bible
, King James Version

Multnomah
is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
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MULTNOMAH BOOKS
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Colorado Springs, CO 80921

eISBN: 978-0-307-56418-4

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