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The girl from my eighth-grade math class brushed past me. "Hi, Holy Girl," she sneered while her friends laughed. My cheeks flushed, and I lowered my eyes.

I hated that nickname. It all started with a seventh-grade English report. I'd used the assignment to write about my Christian beliefs.

By eighth grade, I'd gotten pretty tired of the "Holy Girl" label. It seems like that label, along with the fact that I was very shy, held me back from making new friends. I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere.

Then I met Katie*. She scared me a little at first because she was so outgoing and confident—everything I wasn't. She was also nice to me. She introduced me to her friends, and soon I was hanging out with them.

Since I was desperate to be accepted, I copied almost everything they did. They watched R-rated DVDs. I did, too. They ditched class. So did I. They cursed. Me too. Somehow I managed to hide all this from my parents. As far as they knew, I was still a good Christian girl.

And why wouldn't they think I was living my faith? I willingly went to church and youth group. "My parents force me to go," I told my friends. Since I went to a different school than the other kids at church, nobody there knew about my new lifestyle.

To be honest, I really missed living for God. Part of me wanted to go back to being the old Beth. But I really liked my new friends. I wasn't ready to change.

Then near the end of the school year, a guy named Marcus started an after-school Bible study. My friends made a game out of barging into the meetings and making fun of the Christians.

Then one day, Marcus saw us together in the hallway and walked up to us.

"Look," he said gently but firmly. "You're welcome to come to the Bible study if you want to learn. But if you're just going to mess around, please don't bother coming." He then turned and walked away.

I couldn't believe it. He seemed so bold and confident. When I saw Marcus in the hall later, I just had to ask him one question: "How'd you stand up to my friends like that?"

Marcus said it wasn't right for them to interrupt and mock a group dedicated to learning about God. To him, it was that simple. He invited me to come to the Bible study. I did, and it felt good to talk about the Bible again, and be around people who took their faith seriously. I not only went to the Bible study, but I also started hanging out with Marcus and his friends. The more time I spent with these Christians, the more I changed. Soon, I had a better attitude about life and school.

"Come on, Beth," Katie said one day. "You can't change on us!"

I told Katie I didn't have to act a certain way to fit in with my new friends, like I did with her group. She didn't seem to understand and even made fun of me. I soon realized I wasn't welcome in her group anymore.

It didn't bother me that much, though. With my new friendships, it was like going back home after a long, hard trip.

I hung out with Marcus and his friends almost every day that summer. Even though Marcus accepted the real me, he wouldn't let my bad habits slide. He challenged me to read my Bible and confronted me about my swearing.

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