In this emotional sequel to Diary of a Teenage Girl, Caitlin O'Conner faces new trials as she grows in her faith and strives to maintain the recent commitments she's made to God. As a new believer, Caitlin begins her summer job and makes preparations for a Mexico mission trip with her church youth group. Torn between new spiritual directions and loyalty to Beanie, her best friend (now pregnant), Caitlin searches out her personal values on friendship, romance, dating, life goals, and key relationships with God and family. Tough choices threaten her progress, and her year climaxes in her realization that maturity sometimes means life-impacting decisions must be made ... by faith alone. Melody Carlson is the bestselling author of more than seventy books for teens, women, and children with total sales over 1 million. She has two grown sons and enjoys an active lifestyle of hiking, skiing, and biking. She lives in the beautiful Oregon Cascade Mountains with her husband and Labrador retriever. ONE   Friday, July 13 (I’m back…)   Is it just me or is this world going totally nuts?   Okay, before I get carried away, let me first say how good it feels to pick up a pen and write in my diary again. I thought I wanted to take a little break from writing in my diary during the summer—you know how it gets with work and sunshine and fun stuff to do. Anyway, I somehow imagined I was too busy to keep writing about my life. Big mistake, Caitlin! The thing is, I need to write about my life. Like, it sort of clears out my head or something—makes things more understandable. Almost like praying, but not quite the same.   Anyway, back to the world going totally nuts. Or is it me? You see, I’ve been working at my dad’s advertising firm (actually I’m just a part-time receptionist, and not doing such a bad job if I do say so myself). But lately it seems like all these older guys have been hitting on me. Okay, now I know that sounds all narcissistic (a word I just read in a magazine, which means you think the whole world revolves around you, which I don’t really think, by the way). But I don’t think I’m imagining it either.   I mean,  Todd Alberts (who’s probably at least twenty-five) even asked me if I wanted to go get coffee with him today. Now, it’s not that I’m not flattered (because, believe me, I am!). But sheesh, I’m only sixteen (well, almost seventeen) for Pete’s sake! But in Todd’s defense, I doubt that he even knows my age, and he’s probably just being friendly. And I’m sure if he knew I was still in high school he’d run the other way—and fast. But here’s the honest truth—it feels pretty good to be noticed like that. And yet at the same time, it bugs me that it feels good. You know, like I should be above those sorts of feelings. Especially after making my vow to God about sex and dating. It’s like I just wish those feelings (you know, feeling interested in a cute guy) would all just go away, once and for all. But they don’t. So why is that?   Well, to make a long story short, I nicely told Todd thanks but no thanks (not in those exact words!). And now I feel kind of bad because he actually looked sort of hurt and disappointed. But maybe someone in the corporation will set him straight about me and how old guys like him shouldn’t go around hitting on high school girls. Big laugh!   But now that I’ve vented over something pretty unimportant, let me get to what’s really bugging me. It’s Beanie Jacobs, my supposedly best friend. I say supposedly because lately she’s been treating me like I’ve got smallpox or something. I mean, every single time I call her to invite her to go do something, she makes some totally lame excuse not to come. Okay, I know she’s pregnant and not feeling too cool lately, but it’s not like it’s my fault, and all I’m trying to do is to be the good friend that I’ve promised her I would be.   Like tonight, for instance, I just wanted someone to hang with. You know, go to the mall or something simple like that, and she says, “Sorry, I can’t.” Just like that. Not even an explanation, apology—nada, nothing. Well, instead of me grilling her like I usually do, I just said, “Well, fine!” and hung up—bam! Which, to tell the truth, left me feeling pretty rotten inside. Because I know she doesn’t need that from me or anyone else right now.   But, I ask you, how far backwards is a person supposed to bend for her these days? I mean, it’s not like she’s a whole lot of fun to be with right now. And now she’s all worried about putting on weight and getting fat, which, if you ask me, she should’ve considered before she got all hot and heavy with Zach last spring! Okay, there I go getting all preachy and judgmental again. And Beanie accuses me of doing that a lot lately. In fact, she even sarcastically calls me “Sister Caitlin” sometimes, which totally fries me!   So anyway, I called up Andrea LeMarsh, after being turned down by Beanie, and we went to the mall and hung out and had a really fun time (at least when I