"Guess what Courtney?" Casey excitedly asked her twins sister.

"I don't know Casey, maybe, I think, we're turning 13 next Saturday." Courtney calmly interacted with her sister, pretending it didn't matter.

"COURTNEY!" Aren't you excited?" Casey started to get frustrated.

"Of course I'm excited, I'm just playing with you!" "So did you ask Mom & Dad what we're allowed to do?" Courtney was always the one who followed the rules and Casey, always got through the 'side door'.

"Courtney! We're going to be 13! I think we can do what we want to do!" Casey yelled at her, like she usually did.

"Casey I think the reason why Mom & Dad are leaving it up to us is to see if we're going to make the right decision. Let's say we see a 'rap music' group in concert, that's not considered the right decision, especially with all the curse words!" 

"Oh come on! They know we listen to rap on the radio! Ever since you joined the worship team in church you're turning into a prude!" Casey yelled back.

"So you think it's okay for a bunch of 13 year olds to use the 'F words' with our parents chaperoning us next week? I don't Casey! I think as Christian kids we're supposed to be examples and not join in like every other 12 year old turning 13!" Courtney didn't want to preach, but she had to make a point. 

"We go to Youth Group, we raise our hands and worship the Lord, then we come home and the radio dials to garbage. Are we motivating our friends, or being hypocrites? Do we believe in what we talk about in church? I don't know anymore". Courtney buried her head in her hands.

"Geez, Courtney, why is this bothering you?!" Casey said next to her in disbelief.

"Maybe, because I want to be an example! Maybe because I want to go to mission camp! Maybe, because I don't want to be like Katie or Ashley, when they turned 13, God was over for them, or maybe because I don't want to hear Mom say, "It's just a phase, they'll grow out of it!" The others didn't grow out of it, and I'm tired of everyone giving excuses for their kids! I don't want to grow out of a phase cuz I don't want to be in that phase! I don't want to give up on God because I'm a teenager now. Don't you think I need Him more now than ever?" Courtney had to stop herself because she started to sound like Grandma.

Casey started to laugh, "You're scaring me 'Grandma'!" They both started laughing at the same time.

"Okay, I get it. I don't want to be like Raina, or Jenna, getting pregnant at 13. No matter how much we said, "This guy only wants sex, he doesn't care about you!" Weren't we right?!" Casey was so angry when she knew how much both of them tried to be Raina & Jenna's friends. They just ignored them both, and then had to hear them cry when they got pregnant.

"I want to have fun Saturday! If I'm not 'cool' I don't care," Courtney stood up, pointing her finger at Casey. "We've had dumb birthday parties before, this time, I'm not going to listen to anyone else, just myself, and if you want to come...great, if not, then have your birthday without me. This party, I'm motivating myself and no one else. I'm going to remember that I pleased myself, not you, not 'our' friends! We have to be our best friends the rest of our lives. Are you on board? Do you want to please yourself? Or our friends?....