Sample Story for Teens

THE WEIRD NEW GIRL

"A friend loves at all times."
Proverbs 17:17a

Kimberly stared at the steaming plate of . . . something . . . the cafeteria worker handed her. Ugh, she thought, not Shepherd's Pie again! It was the lunch hour in the Washington Middle School cafeteria, and Kimberly was less than thrilled about the possibilities.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, kaboom! That jerk, Jeremy Watson, bumped into Kimberly from behind, and what would have been her lunch suddenly ended up on the front of her shirt. Sheesh! A bad hair day and now this! Jeremy grinned at her, waggled his fingers in an ornery wave and then disappeared into the crowd.
Some people! Kimberly thought, as she picked up her tray and headed over to her table, where the "crew", as they called themselves, always sat, and nobody like Jeremy Watson was allowed.
"Hi guys," said Kimberly, setting down her tray and pulling out a chair next to Jill, Tonya, Mike and Brian, her friends she had had since, well, just about forever-at least since 2nd grade.
"Hey Kimbo," said Jill. "How's that history project coming along for Mr. Remington's class?"
"Don't remind me," said Kimberly. She hated not being the best at everything, but this semester, her grade in history was beginning to look mega-grim. The pressure was beginning to mount as college applications and hopes for a full scholarship were looming on the horizon. She had to pull a good grade in history, she just had to.
Kimberly had made straight As her entire life, and it was just accepted among everyone that she would always be the best student in every class. But ever since that new girl had started at Washington, Kimberly was having to struggle to stay at the top. I can do better than that geeky-girl, I just know it! she thought to herself. Nobody makes better grades than me!
The first day Marcie Johnson had walked into school, Kimberly immediately disliked her. With her mousy brown hair that hung limply to her shoulders, and her bottle-cap thick glasses, she was the essence of "nerd," but she seemed to have the right answer to every question the teacher asked, almost before they even asked it.
"Oh my gosh, look at that outfit!" Tonya whispered under her breath across the table. "That's that weird new girl. I wonder what rock she crawled out from to wear clothes like that!"
All the heads at the table turned to stare at Marcie, who was huddled against the cafeteria wall, balancing a stack of books, a pencil box, a backpack and a cafeteria tray sporting the standard plate of shepherd's pie.
"Oh my," stated Brian. And that just about summed it up. Marcie was dressed in an orange plaid jumper that hung like a sack on her slender body. It was complemented by a green t-shirt and a bright orange bow in her hair. Tube socks and sneakers completed the ensemble. She squinted through her glasses, blinking as she surveyed the crowd.
Lord, please don't let her come sit at our table! Kimberly thought, and then immediately regretted her attitude. Marcie looked for all the world like a lost puppy who needed a friend, and Kimberly suddenly realized how intimidating the swarming cafeteria must be for someone without any real friends.
She flashed back to the lesson she had learned in church the previous Sunday. What was it her youth pastor had said? Something about being a friend to the friendless. Suddenly she felt an incredible urge to raise up her hand and wave Marcie over to her table.
"Check out the bow in her hair!" snorted Mike, just at that moment. "Hey, Kimbo-I think we should get you one just like it!"
All she would have had to do was wave, but the moment of decision passed, and instead Kimberly muttered, "Guys, just leave her alone." She turned back in her seat, and concentrated on her shepherd's pie. As she looked out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marcie sit down at one of the vacant tables near the kitchen. Was she blinking back tears?
Kimberly looked away quickly, and then turned to her friends, "Hey, did you hear about Justin's party this weekend? It's gonna be so cool!" She spoke up loudly, trying to drown out the voice inside that said she had just done the wrong thing.

"Kimberly, where's your concentration?" The volleyball coach had blown her whistle and singled Kimberly out, but she had barely noticed. She knew her mind wasn't on volleyball practice-it was on the look on Marcie's face earlier that day in the cafeteria.
What was this feeling that was bugging her? Guilt, that's what it is. I should have waved her over to our table, no matter what my friends thought.
Whoosh. The serve sailed across the net, and flew right over Kimberly's head, landing in bounds without her even having reached for it. Gotta focus! she told herself, but it was useless. Practice was a wash, and afterwards in the locker room, she kicked herself. First her history grade, now this. Was she losing her edge?
Toweling her hair off after her shower, she sat down on the bench in front of her locker. Speaking of history, what was she going to do about that project, anyway? And how was she going to improve her grade? She really needed some help, but none of her friends were any good at history either.
"Hey, I saw you out there today." A soft voice came from behind her. Kimberly turned, and there was Marcie, blinking as always behind her glasses.
"Hey, Marcie." Kimberly didn't know what else to say.
"You're a pretty good volleyball player."
"Thanks."
"You're a lot nicer and smarter than the other kids at this school, too."
Kimberly was confused. Didn't Marcie realize how she had snubbed her today in the cafeteria? Why was she still acting so friendly?
But Marcie continued, "You know, I noticed how well you seem to be doing in Mrs. Hodge's math class. Do you think you could give me a little help?"
Kimberly's face broke into a grin. "Sure, but do you know what you're doing on your history project?"
"Yep, history's a breeze for me. Do you want a hand with yours?"
Wow, Kimberly thought. I've just made a new friend…and she's good in history too! She had made the decision to be a friend to the friendless, and God was giving her the answer to her prayer.
"Absolutely! Let's get together and talk about it sometime." And just then Kimberly had a brilliant idea. "Let's do it tomorrow-in the cafeteria, at lunch.