Live Their Lives

Live Their Lives Chapter Two

Live Their Lives

Chapter Two

"Ness, Kile, Wes, Kirstie, Anthony, and Adalyn? You're cabin one." Joe said as everyone was getting their luggage out of the trailer.

"Kile?" I groaned, looking over at Adalyn, "Please tell me this is a joke."

"They don't lie." Kile said, smirking t me and grabbing my suitcase, "Follow me!"

"Oh brother." Adalyn said, laughing and rolling her eyes. Once we were in the cabin, Kirstie and I claimed the futon.

"Dibs!" Kirstie yelled, sprawling out on it.

"Don't mind if I do." Kile commented, tossing his duffel bag on the bed beside it.

"If you even think about pulling anything, I'll shave your head, Kile." I threatened; his eyes grew huge. If Kile loved anything, it was his hair.

"Point taken." He said, starting to unpack around it anyway. I rolled my eyes and started unpacking my stuff as well.

A couple minutes later, Adalyn and the other two guys came in. She claimed the bed on the other side of the futon and each guy claimed a bunk above the two other beds.

"Anthony, right?" Kirstie asked him. He was a new kid and hadn't really made many friends yet. He seemed nice enough, though.

"Yeah," He replied, flipping his hair out of his probing sky blue eyes and half-smiling at her. "You're Kirstie."

"Have you been here before?" Adalyn asked, joining in on the conversation.

"No, it should be fun though." Anthony answered, his eyes twinkling. Kirstie blushed and looked down at her hands.

"So Ness, there is gonna be a cabin party tonight-here!" Kile announced with a cocky grin.

"What?" I asked, scowling at the ceiling, "Why?"

"Because, as you know, I hold the best parties." Kile reminded; I grimaced. I really can't believe I dated someone like that.

"And you wonder why you two broke up." Kirstie said, shooting him a look. "Don't you ever feel like there's something missing?"

"What, like God? Yeah right. He wouldn't want anything to do with me." Kile scoffed, storming out of the room. I winced at his inaccuracy. God wants everything to do with him; doesn't he know that?

"I didn't even say anything about God." Kirstie said, looking at me thoughtfully.

"I used to." I commented, biting the inside of my lip, "Maybe it's finally getting through to him."

"Maybe." Adalyn allowed; Wes hadn't said a thing.

-That Night At The Party-

(Kile's P.O.V)

The crowd arrived, the music was shaking the windows, and drinks were in full swing. But, oddly enough, what used to be the ultimate high felt dead and empty. The chaperones were at a meeting; I knew we wouldn't get busted or anything, but that wasn't the problem. Something is definitely missing, and I'm desperate to know what it is.

"Kile, join in bud!" One of the partying sophomores, Ellis, encouraged.

"What's the point?" I snapped, loud enough for the room to hear. Someone stopped the music and they all just stared at me.

"Speak up, man." Ellis said, searching my eyes curiously. He was a popular surfer now-back when I met him, he was a nobody.

"When are you going to wake up?!" I demanded, searching each and every face in the room, "When will you stop this crap? It's not worth it!"

"Then what is?" Someone shot back fiercely. When I searched for the speaker, I saw Kenzie. A punk, an emo, a nobody scene-kid. But the look in her piercing eyes told otherwise. She was just as lost and hurt as me.

"I wish I knew, but I don't." I confessed, watching the pain grow and bitterness overshadow it.

"How can we change if no one tells us how?" Ellis asked, looking at Kenzie.

"I know who does." I said, not even realizing what I was saying. They all looked expectantly at me and I could feel anticipation growing in my gut as well, "Ness does. Just hear her out, she knows-better than any of us."

Vanessa came down the stairs then, and some grew mad and left, but it didn't stop her. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked at us. Not just a quick glance, but really looked at us. There was a deep compassion in her eyes as she cleared her throat to speak. A deep peace washed over me and I prepared myself to actually listen to her for once.

"Maybe you know the way to get out of this, maybe you don't." She started, carefully scanning the crowd again. "And you know, maybe there was someone bring you to church, but you gave up on them. Or worse, they gave up on you. Maybe your old self took over and you called them out when they stumbled. Or, maybe you've never even known a bit about God's love."

A deep hush set over the room and every single on of us was actually listening; desperate for the hope she had for us.

"Do you hate him? Are you mad at him? Did he take someone from you?" She questioned, "Go ahead and lift your hand if you answered 'yes' to any of those."

Hands slipped up everywhere and her eyes held even more love, if that was even possible.

"But, have you ever even given God a chance? If you have, keep it up." She challenged, almost all the hands went down.

"He doesn't deserve a chance!" Kenzie yelled, though her hand was still raised.

"If anyone deserves one, he does." Ness corrected, "Think of how many he's given you. He died so you wouldn't have to. He's the only way out."

"Then how come when I 'tried' him it didn't change a thing?" Kenzie demanded.

"You didn't give everything to him-you didn't surrender." Ness answered calmly.

"Surrender?" Ellis repeated, desperation in his eyes, "Do you know how hard that is?"

"It's not easy, it will never be easy. You fight at it every day-the spiritual world of heaven and hell. But, it's worth it. When you have Jesus, he's with you every step along the way." Ness explained.

"How do I know he won't leave me?" Kenzie pressed.

"He's never left you; he never will. He hangs onto that moment when you finally decide to stop shoving him away and run into his arms. Like the prodigal son and his father." Ness replied.

"Prodigal son?" Ellis asked curiously.

The next few hours Ness spent answering questions and reaching to people desperate and hungry for this 'unconditional love' she spoke of. Kirstie and Adalyn cleared out all the alcohol and drugs and joined the others, listening and asking. I held back, could this God of hers really love me?