I Didn't Want to Cheat, But........

[Karice]

Part 1

Professor Dawes gave our History Class one week to prepare for our exam coming up on Friday, September 17, 2004. I was nervous, because he said it would be worth 25 percent of our final grade. My stomach flip-flopped uncontrollably.

I tried my best to study hard for Professor Dawes test, but I had six other classes to study for. Math, English, Science, Drama, French and Literature. I felt overwhelmed. I had FIVE tests, one for five of the classes to do for too, on top of my History Test.

I'm Dave Winston by the way, a 16 year old student at Marshall Johnson Academy for Boys, in Jacksonville, Florida.

I had to study the Early United States History. I wanted to cry. There was so much to study for, such as The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Boston Tea Party, The American Massacre, and American Revolution.

I studied for all 6 tests almost simultaneously. I began thinking of a song by Queen and David Bowie, "Under Pressure." That song embodied what I felt. Not a good feeling.

On September 16, I briefly thought about cheating on Professor Dawes's test while I was in my English Class. I felt a knot in my stomach, but I wanted to pass the test.

"Is it a good idea to cheat on the test?" I asked myself in my head. "Go to sleep, and try to see the answer," I thought in my mind.

I went to sleep to see if I could get the answer in my dream.

In my dream, I was called to the front of Professor Dawes's class. I went up. "Dave, you cheated on my test. I'm so disappointed in you." He looked at me hurt. "You cheated, and you're expelled. You are off of school property right after you get your things," he said, solemnly.

I got scared and screamed, "No, no, no!" loudly in the dream. The bad thing is, I screamed myself awake in real life. The whole class stared at me in confusion. I didn't blame them. I woke up screaming like Nancy Thompson in Nightmare on Elm Street when she burned herself to wake up from her Freddy Krueger nightmare.

Professor Atkins concernedly asked if I was all right.

"I woke up screaming. Not a good sign," I said, more to myself, than to him.

"What happened in your dream?" Professor Atkins asked me. Since I woke up screaming like Nancy, I decided to lie. "I had a dream about Freddy Krueger. He put his claws in me, and I screamed, walking myself up," I said, shakingly.

"Just be glad you woke up," Bobby Enders said to me, teasingly. I smiled weakly at him.

Professor Atkins asked me again if I was all right.

"Yes, I'm all right. It was just a bad dream," I told him. We went back to assignments.

I studied harder for the History test after school and before bed(the other tests were a little later). I made notes and looked at them the next morning before I left for school and got ready for the day. I looked at them again right before my first class, and right before Professor Dawes's class. My stomach was uncontrollably flip-flopping again and I felt dread about the test. I put my notes in my locker.

Soon, it was time for Professor Dawes's class.

We students filed in, and we nervously smiled at each other, and at Professor Dawes. He smiled back, and handed us our exams. "Good luck," he said. "The test begins now."

I began my test. I WANTED to cheat. I wanted to look at my neighboring classmate Jerry Knowles's paper and cheat off of his answers. "Don't do it, Dave. Don't cheat." my good conscience begged.

I glued my eyes to my own paper. I had questions like, "When did America win its independence? " I answered, "July 4th, 1776." Easy. Then I got a harder question. "What day was the Constitution finished?" I had to think REALLY hard. It was NOT July 4. I thought and I thought. I looked at the date on my paper kind of by accident, and it was September 17th. The same day as the Constitutions completion. September 17, 1787! I jotted it down. I remembered reading that in a chapter of my textbook.

 

[kottur13]

:timer:

 

[Karice]

Part 2

I still found my eyes wanting to wonder to Jerry’s paper. “ Stop Dave! Stop!” my conscience screamed at me. My stomach began to twist in knots.


“It would be so easy to cheat,” a silky voice told me in my head. “You could keep up your “A” average,” the voice continued to coo.


“No, don’t cheat. It’s unfair for you to cheat,” my good conscience told me.


I gritted my teeth as I tried not to cheat.


I got a sudden flashback of an incident that happened when I was 10 years old in fifth grade, in North Port Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. We were taking a spelling test, and our teacher had stepped out of the room for a few minutes. I had trouble spelling the word, “dynasty,” so I went into my desk to get out my spelling words list, to find the correct spelling and I jotted it down. Little did I know, Mitch Parkerson saw me, and told the teacher what I had done when the teacher returned to the class.


The teacher confronted me in front of the class, and I reluctantly confessed. The teacher solemnly said in front of everyone,” Dave, you are a cheater. Do you know I could have you expelled for cheating?”


I said, “I’m sorry.”


My teacher put “Minus 5000 points for cheating and a sad face for cheating" next to my name on the class roster list that was on the blackboard. I felt humiliated and bad.


When I went home, I spoke to my father’s friend, Eddie. I explained what happened, and he told me that he wouldn’t tell my parents, but told me never to do it again. It felt good to talk with him, and I promised to never cheat again. I’ve kept the promise since.


I went back to the present. I did my hardest, and super glued my eyes to my own paper. I still felt the urge to cheat. It was a really bad urge.


“Professor Dawes, can I do my test up front, next to you?” I asked.


“Why?” He asked.


“Because I will cheat if I stay here,” I told him.


He looked at me in surprise. I am sure no student had made that request before.


“Sure,” he told me, and I sat next to him and could easily focus on keeping my eyes on my paper. 20 minutes later, I handed him my paper, and he smiled at me. I smiled back at him. I went back to my seat. We did another assignment, and then class was over.


I went through my day. The next day, I went to school, and then a little later went to Professor Dawes’s class.


Professor Dawes looked at the class solemnly.


“It pains me to say this, but someone cheated on the History test.” He looked really hurt and angry.


The class gasped.


Professor Dawes said, “I want everyone to pair into four pairs, since there are 16 students. Each person will write down the person they think is the cheater. Whoever has the most votes will be questioned.”


The class had to split into four groups. My group was me, Jerry, Ronnie Bradley, and Walter Pearson.


We all stared at each other.


“Who should we put down?” Jerry asked.


Everyone looked at each other in suspicion. ‘Maybe we shouldn’t tell who we are going to put down,” I said. “It might cause awkwardness.” I reasoned. The group agreed, and we wrote names down. I put “Dave Winston,” because I did not want to put someone else’s name down and get them into trouble.


We all turned our papers face down and handed them to Professor Dawes. Professor Dawes accepted the papers and put them down on his desk.


We all walked back.


In a few more minutes, everyone had turned in their papers.


Professor Dawes stood up and read each boy’s names and how many votes they got from their “group.” When my name was called, he said, “Dave Winston, 2 votes.” I was shocked! Who else had voted for me?!


“2 votes?” I screeched. “It should only be 1 vote!” I yelled emotionally.


“No, it’s two votes,” Professor Dawes said, looking at me strangely. I felt like I was having a mini-heart attack. I could be questioned! Maybe putting my own name wasn’t smart.


Walter got no votes and, Ronnie, and Jerry each got one vote.


I was the only sucker with two votes out of the group.


“Dave, come to the front,” Professor Dawes said. I did.


“Dave, did you cheat on my test?” He asked.


“No. Remember I asked to come to the front to take my test so that I wouldn’t cheat?” I asked.


“Yes, I remember that, but that could have been a cover-up, Dave,” he replied.


“I didn’t cheat!” I yelled emotionally. “I’m innocent!”


Professor Dawes pursed his lips together. “You’ve had a problem with honesty, haven’t you?” He asked me thoughtfully.


I blushed. I’m a compulsive liar, and have told many countless lies.


“So, how do I know you’re telling me the truth?” Professor Dawes asked.


“Am I a compulsive liar?” I asked. “Yes.” I said. “Am I a cheater?” I asked. “No”, I told him.


“Dave, I’m going to have another vote for you,” Professor Dawes said. He turned to the class.


“Anyone who thinks that Dave is the cheater, raise your hands,” he said. A few students raised their hands.


“Anyone who thinks that Dave is NOT the cheater, raise your hands.” Professor Dawes said.


More hands were raised in my defense.


Professor Dawes said, “Majority says that they think that you DID NOT cheat on the test.”

 

[Karice]

I breathed a sigh of relief.


"So, am I off the hook?" I asked.


"If there is no proof, you are off the hook." Professor Dawes said.


I begun to walk to my seat.


"I wouldn't go so fast," Profesor Dawes said with a cold smile.


"What do you mean?" I asked.


He gave me my test paper, and compared it to another student's. He blocked the other student's name.


They were the SAME test answers! I was shocked.


I nervously smiled at Professor Dawes. "That does not look good," I told him, trying to "side" with him. "I mean, I'm a compulsive liar, and I have a test that looks exactly like another student's test. But, I am innocent." I continued.


"No, it doesn't look good. Would you like to explain your side to Student Court?" Professor Dawes asked.


"What? Student Court?" I asked, indignant. "I didn't cheat!"


"If you don't have anything to hide, let's take this to Student Court," Professor Dawes said, coldly.


"Okay, I'll go to Student Court,"I told him reluctantly.


"Okay," Professsor Dawes said. "You may go back to your seat."


I did.


In my seat, I wondered how I would prove my innocense. I was NOT a cheater!


I HADE to go to Student Court and clear my name.


On Monday, rumors of my "cheating" were already beginning to circulate.


"I heard that Dave Winston cheated on Professor Dawes's test," Rick Smalls said to Billy Alexander.


"I heard he cheated on his last Math test," Billy said.


"I heard he committed Plagarism on his Literature essay," Alex Sanders said.


That last one was true. I committed self-plagarism. I re-wrote my Literature essay from my Freshman year and turned it in. I blushed.


Alex, Billy, and Rick all turned around.


"Dave!" Alex said in shock. The others look uncomfortable.


"Hi guys," I said, nonchalantly. They all laughed like damn hyenas.


"Uh, how much of that did you hear?" Alex asked me, smiling plastically.


"Everything," I said, calmly.


"Uh, we were just jokinjg," Rick said.


"Whatever, it's just gossip," I said, smiling coldly. "How bad can it get?" I asked.


They were all sweating. "Uh, I have to get to my class now," Billy said. He walked away, tensely.


"Bye, Billy," I said.


"We have to go to class too," Alex said. Rick said, "Yeah,". They both chuckled weakly. They walked away uncomfortably too. "Bye," I told them too.


I went to my Math Class. In class, I heard snickering and pointing. I heard nasty murmurings about me.


"Dave totally cheated on that test," Erick Fox said. There was more nasty chattering and snickering.


"I did not cheat!" I exclaimed. "It was just a coincidence that my paper has the exact same answers as another student's!" I yelled frustrated.

 

[Rockin.]

Is this finished yet.. I don't think so right? I want to comment, it reminds me of something.. ahem !

 

[Karice]

Part 4

Something hit me. Why didn't Professor Dawes question the other student's paper? Hmm.


I painfuly went through my day. At home, I called Max Cartwright, my boyfriend.


"Max, I didn't cheat on my test! You believe me, don't you?" I asked Max.


Max answered, "Sure, I do. I believe you are innocent. You are not a cheater, Dave," he said, reassuringly.


I smiled at him over the phone. "Thank you, Max!" I told him, happily. I gave him a kiss on the phone.


"You're welcome, sweetie," he said.


I hung up the phone.


I felt good that Max believed me. I loved his trust in me. We've been dating for over a year, almost two years now.


I took a bath and ate dinner, and watched some T.V. I went to sleep.


The next day was my Student Court day.


I put on my best outfit, a two piece professional outfit that my father had given to me to wear on professional occasions. I got to skip some classes to go to Student Court.


At Student Court, I saw Max smiling at me. He waved at me and mouthed, "I believe you."


I smiled warmly at him.


I had to stand in front of the court. Billy was the Judge.


"Dave Alexander Winston, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" The Baliff, Bobby asked, making me put my left hand on a bible and raise my right hand.


"I swear," I said.




Billy said, "Dave winston, you are accused of cheating on Professor Dawes's History Test. How do you plead?"


"Not guilty, your honor," I said, humbly.


There were chatterings again.


"Are you an honest person?" Billy asked.


"Please don't make me answer that," I begged. I squirmed visibly.


"Answer it," Billy said. "The court would love to hear your answer."


"No," I reluctantly answered.


"That doesn't sound good," Billy said. "How does the court know you are going to be honest now?" Billy asked.


"Because I'm not a cheater!" I exclaimed.


"Have you ever cheated on a test before?" Billy asked.


I blushed uncomfortably. "D-Y-N-A-S-T-Y," I answered.


"What?" Billy asked. "Why are you spelling, "Dynasty?" He asked confused. The jurors(full of other students) looked confused too. So did everyone else.


"In the fifth grade at 10 years old, I had trouble spelling "Dynasty," on a spelling test, so I took a peek at my spelling wordds list while the teacher had stepped out of the room for a few seconds and I jotted down the correct spelling down on my test. Another student caught me, and he told the teacher on me, and I was scolded by the teacher in front of the whole class for cheating. I felt bad and promised never to cheat again. I've kept that promise ever since," I answered.


Billy said, "So you admit that you've cheated before."


"It was just once on a spelling test, when I was 10!" I defended myself desparately.


"Once a cheater, always a cheater," Billy said.


"Wait! I object!" I protested.


"You can't object," Billy said. "Only your lawyer can object," He continued. He looked around. "By the way, where is your lawyer?" Billy asked.


"I don't have one. I am representing myself," I answered.


"Oh, this is going to be good, " Kevin Martin said from the jury.


The rest of the jury chuckled.


"Order! Order!" Billy exclaimed. The jury settled down. "Dave, you decided to come to court without a lawyer. That wasn't wise."


"I don't need one," I replied smugly.

 

[Karice]

Part 5

“Bailiff, bring out the Exhibit A,” Billy said,” Billy said.


Bobby brought out the “Exhibit A”. The two matching tests. Once again, the other student’s name was covered.


Everyone looked at the two matching tests.


“Mmm. Dave must have cheated! His test matches the other test completely!” Aaron Sydney said, from the jury. A few other jurors agreed.


“Hey, that’s not fair!” I protested. “The other student could have easily cheated off of me!”


Professor Dawes spoke up. “I know the other student, and he is an honest person. He never lies, and he’s never cheated before, which is why I haven’t questioned him.”


“So, you automatically assume that I’m the cheater?” I asked, seeing red.


“You’re not an honest person,” Dave, he said.


I took a closer look at the tests. I knew the other student’s handwriting!


It was Ronnie Bradley’s handwriting! Ronnie didn’t sit too far away from me. He could have easily seen my test answers and jotted them down!


Ronnie Bradley cheated! He WAS struggling in class, after all. And he was in our “little group”. He could have easily jotted my name down as the cheater!


I cleared my throat. “As my lawyer, I will say that Exhibit A is not evidence, but suspicious. There is no REAL proof that I cheated, so this trial must be deemed as insufficient evidence. Plus, I’ve read the Marshall Johnson Academy Handbook for 2004, and it says that a student cannot be persecuted on mere suspicion,” I said. I went over to my book bag and pulled the Handbook out.


“A student who is accused of cheating must have sufficient and reasonable proof of cheating and not mere speculation. The proof must be plausible and absolute. It must not be mere suspicion.” I read from the Handbook.


I put the Handbook down.


I soon picked it up. “Read the Handbook! Read it!” I cried, desperately to Billy. “This isn’t proof. Two matching tests are suspicious, not proof.


Billy reluctantly read the Handbook. He reluctantly agreed to what it said. He gave it to the jury who read it and agreed to it too.


“Dave Alexander Winston cannot really be tried for something that is plausible suspicion,” he said, with a deep sigh.


“Thank you, your honor,” I said.


Billy said, “I hereby declare the Dave Alexander Winston trial as dismissed for lack of evidence.” He banged his gravel.


I was free to go without any worry. But I still felt unsatisfied. Sure, my case was dismissed, but I still hadn’t cleared my name. I was probably still a cheater in other’s eyes. And my case wasn’t CLOSED, it was just DISMISSED. This meant that I could easily be tried again.


I went to the remainder of my classes, feeling hollow. Ronnie Bradley cheated and let me take the fall! What if I hadn’t had the Student Handbook on me?


I ate a late lunch, and then begun to go to my next class.


I saw Ronnie on my way to that class


“Hi, Dave,” he told me.


“Hey,”I told him with all the charm of a shark with a bad toothache.


“What’s with the attitude, Dave?” Ronnie asked.


I glared at him. “You try being accused of cheating, when you did not cheat and tell me if you’ll be in a good mood. I did not cheat, Ronnie! I wanted to cheat, but I fought long and hard not to cheat, and I did not give in to cheating, and I still got accused and tried for cheating!” I was emotional.


I searched Ronnie’s face for any signs of remorse.


“Do you know who cheated, Ronnie?” I asked him. “Because if you do, you’d better tell me because people are looking at me in suspicion now.” I told him.


Ronnie said, ‘I don’t know who cheated.” Liar! I thought. And people say I’m the compulsive liar. Oh wait, I am, but Ronnie is a liar too.


“Bye, Ronnie,” I said.


“Bye, Dave,” he said.


I went to my classes.

 

[Karice]

Part 6

After school hours, I snuck into Professor Dawes’s classroom. I looked in his desk drawer for the names of the four groups.



I found them! Aha! Ronnie’s handwriting matched the handwriting that had written my name. Ronnie is a BASTARD! I thought angrily to myself. Not only did he cheat, but he wrote MY name down. Because he cheated off of me. I smiled bitterly.



I quickly shut the drawer, and snuck to my own dorm. Ronnie was going to pay! I only saw revenge in my eyes.



“You’re jumping to conclusions,” a calmer voice told me. “Find more evidence first that Ronnie cheated".



I decided that I needed more evidence before I went all “ninja” on Ronnie’s ass.



The next day, I overheard Ronnie tell his best friend Patrick King that he cheated on Professor Dawes’s test. Ronnie told him that he cheated off of my test paper. He made Patrick swear not to tell anyone. Patrick agreed.



That was the evidence that I needed! I was gonna get Ronnie badly!



I went through my day, with people still looking at me in suspicion. I looked away.



I painfully went through my day.



At lunchtime, I saw Ronnie. Ronnie looked down at his tray when he saw me.


“Hi, Ronnie,” I said, in a voice dipped in honey sweetness.



“Hey,” Ronnie said, looking at his tray. Ooh, that BITCH knew what he did.



I continued my lunch. I was already hatching a plan in my mind for Ronnie. I smiled evilly to myself.



I went through the rest of my day. At 6:00, I went to Building 8, room 380. This building is pretty much abandoned (Johnson tradition says that it’s cursed by Marshall Johnson’s ghost, but that’s just a myth.). I went to a vault in the room and put in the vault combination that I had programmed into it. 3260. It opened up, and I got out my Black Ninja outfit, and put it on over my regular clothes. I went to Building 3 to wait for Ronnie. I knew that Ronnie had a club meeting that finished at 6:30, and it was the dark kind of 6:30, not the light kind of 6:30, perfect for my ambush on Ronnie.



At 6:35, Ronnie came out of Building 3, and I stealthily followed him, like a ninja. Every time Ronnie turned around, I dashed behind a tree. I could see Ronnie was scared, especially since he had seen a dark figure run behind a tree. Ronnie continued to walk towards Alexander Hall, our dorm. I kept creeping behind him. I was gonna get him good.



“Please, leave me alone,” Ronnie cried, trembling.



Ronnie begun to run full force. I ran full force too. Ronnie took a turn behind Building 6, and I ran behind Building 6 too. Ronnie ran upstairs, and I followed him.



“Please stop following me. Leave me alone,” Ronnie said to me, still not seeing my face. Ninja outfits are notorious for hiding people’s faces. With these outfits, you can only see eyes.


“Cheater!” I hissed at him in a disguised voice. Ronnie’s face drained of color.


Ronnie ran down the stairs, and I followed him. Ronnie ran to Building 7.



I was right behind him. I punched him in his face two times and he groaned in pain. He tried running, but I was too quick for him. I stepped in front of him and punched him in his stomach!



“Please stop,” he said, trembling. I continued to beat him up. I smiled decadently as I saw the blood coming out of him. I gave him some high kicks and slammed his head on the ground. I enjoyed seeing his suffering.



Ronnie looked like a limp noodle. He was extremely raggedy.



I continued to beat Ronnie senseless. Ronnie looked like a pulp when I was finished with him. Ronnie moaned and cried.



Nobody frames Dave Winston for cheating, I thought proudly.



I left Ronnie there, proud of what I had done. I felt DELICIOUS seeing Ronnie on the floor. That BITCH got what he deserved. I smiled to myself.



I begun to feel a LITTLE bad for Ronnie, so I went to the bathroom and got out a roll of tissue and threw it at him and said, “You’re bleeding. Go stop your bleeding.”



Ronnie weakly took the ball and stopped his bleeding. I ran to Building 8, and put in the code 3-2-6-0, and put my Ninja clothes in the vault and quietly snuck back home.



I smiled happily at myself in the mirror.



I was fu…..A!” I got that bitch good. I’m sure he won’t cheat off me and frame me for cheating again! I went to sleep happily.

 

[MySerenity5]

Sorry, I didn't read all of it cause it's so long (and I'm lazy) but maybe you should try a hand at writing. You seem good at it. LOLS!

Anyways, I love History... I'm not trying to brag but I am really good at it.
My advice is that you talk with it with another person, you'll be surprised at how much you know and if you don't know, the other person can help you out. It also stays in your mind so you don't forget it easily.

 

[Karice]

Mistake.

 

[Karice]

Part 7

The next day at school, Ronnie looked like a hot mess. He was swollen and bruised. I smiled knowingly.


"What happened to you?" Professor Dawes asked.


"A ninja beat me up last night," Ronnie answered.


The class laughed. It did sound ridiculous.


Professor Dawes didn't look amused. "Ronnie, stop making ridiculous lies. Now tell me what REALLY happened."


"No, really. It was a guy dressed as a Ninja who beat me up last night," Ronnie clarified.


That made more sense. I still was smirking. Ronnie shivered visibly.


"Why did he beat you up?" Professor Dawes asked concerned.


"I don't know," Ronnie answered sadly. "I didn't do anything," Ronnie lamented. "I was just minding my own business."


"Go to the nurse and see if she can help you," Professor Dawes said, sympathetically.


He gave Ronnie a hall pass and Ronnie accepted it and left.


Professor Dawes looked sad. "Whoever did this to Ronnie deserves to get injured badly. Ronnie is a very nice kid." He said. He shook his head.


Yeah, a nice kid who cheats and frames me, I thought, bitterly. My face contorted as I thought of some nasty things for Ronnie. I hope the nurse cleans Ronnie up with rubbing alcohol. Then I hope she puts astrigent on Ronnie. I laughed evilly to myself, imagining Ronnie going through torture a second time.


I went through the rest of my classes. After school, I went to my dorm and saw ronnie. Ronnie still looked bad, but now he didn't look like a hot mess anymore.


"Dave, someone's out to get me!" Ronnie said, frantically. "You gotta help me! Someone beat the sh..... out of me!"


"Is there any reason why you would be their target?" I asked, knowingly.


Ronnie stammered, 'I don't know. I was just minding my own business," Ronnie said again.


"All you gotta do is watch your back," I vaguely answered.


"Thank you, Dave!" He said.



Ronnie took this "advice" like GOLD! Poor sap!


"You're welcome," I said.


I hatched another plan. I was gonna drive Ronnie crazy until he confessed publicly to cheating.


The next day, I quickly stuffed a typed written note in Ronnie's locker. The note read, "Ronnie, you're a cheater. I saw you cheat on Professor Dawes's test. If you don't confess to cheating, I will tell the whole school what you did." I smiled evilly as I imagined Ronnie reading that little nasty note.



At lunch, Ronnie opened his locker and read the note. His entire face got troubled. Ronnie went to the cafeteria. I had already beaten him there.



Ronnie looked troubled. I could see the trauma on his face as he waited in line and ate his food. I felt superior.



I ate my lunch. I saw Ronnie looking distraught. He said to Patrick, "Maybe I should transfer out of this school. Someone is out to get me."



No he's NOT transferring out of the school and leaving me with all this suspicion! I thought. He'd better confess!



I walked up to him. "You know Ronnie, if you did something bad, it's better to confess what you did and get off this burden on your chest and shoulders," I told him.



Ronnie looked troubled. "If I tell what I did, I'll be expelled," he answered, mournfully. Patrick looked away uncomfortably.



"What did you do?" I asked.



Ronnie said, "I'm not telling YOU, Dave, what I did, so you can blab it to everyone."



I knew the REAL reason he didn't want to tell me.



I left. After lunch, we went back to classes.



"Cheater!" Tom Lawrence called me. I KNEW this would happen once the case was "dismissed."



"I'm not a fu.......Cheater!" I yelled at him. I was fed up.



More people called me a cheater, and I swallowed my retorts. Soon, they got tired of bothering me. I smiled internally.



I went through my day.



The next day, Ronnie still hadn't confessed, so I hacked into the school computer and looked at Ronnie's grades. C-D-C-B-D-C-C. I changed all the grades to As. I smiled evilly. All "As" would look suspicious. It would look worse than all "Fs." It would look like Ronnie had given himself all "As." It was brilliant! I'm so vengeful! I gloated happilly.



I made sure I didn't leave any personal details behind, and I shut down the computer, left, and went home.
The next day, report cards were given outt. I got all "As" and so did Ronnie. Professors were suspicious of Ronnie. I would have been suspicious, too, if I were a professor.



"Ronnie, how'd you get all As? You've been getting "Cs" on my assignments," professor Dawes looked suspicious.



"I don't know. I just found all As on my report card," Ronnie anwered, looking bewildered.



"Hmm," Professor Dawes said, looking at Ronnie with distrust. "Ronnie, come to the front. I want to show you something." Ronnie reluctantly came to the front.



Professor Dawes took out the two matching tests and showed it to everyone. This time, he did not cover up Ronnie's name.



"Ronnie, your tests matches exactly Dave Winston's test. I should have questioned you too when I saw the matching tests, but I assumed that Dave was the cheater. I thought you were an honest, trustworthy student." Professor Dawes said. he looked devastated.



"Dave cheated off of my test! I didn't cheat!" Ronnie cried, desparately lying.



"That's enough," I told Ronnie in a quietly stern voice. "Why would I cheat off of you when I'm a Straight A student and you're struggling in classes?" I pointed out.



Professor Dawes said, "Speaking of Straight As, how'd you end up with Straight As when I gave you a C for this class?" He looked suspicious.



"It must have been a glitch in the computer!" Ronnie cried desperately again. "I did not give myself Straight A's."



"Ronnie, I think you cheated ,"Professor Dawes said softly.



"I didn't mean to!" Ronnie cried desperately. "I didn't mean to cheat! It just happened! I didn't mean to cheat, but the test was so hard!" Then he looked even more desperate. "Dave let me cheat off of him! We had a deal about the cheating! I told him I'd pay him $200.00 to let me cheat off of him and he accepted!"



Ronnie was sinking deeper and deeper into his sea of lies.



I stayed silent. I hoped Ronnie's ranting would make him look crazy.




"And Dave, that RAT got up in the middle of the test and continued his test from the front of the class. He cheated me out of my money!" Ronnie said. he looked frantic.



Professor Dawes looked at Ronnie thoughtfully. "Didn't you just say that Dave cheated off of you? Now you say that you cheated off of Dave, but you two planned the cheating off of him. Which is it, Ronnie?"



Ronnie looked uncomfortable. I smirked gloatedly to myself.

"I uh, I uh," Ronnie stammered. "Dave paid me to say that we had a plan about the cheating together."


Ronnie was really drowning in the sea of lies now.


Professor Dawes said, "Why would Dave do that? He would be paying to get himself into serious trouble." Professor Dawes looked like he didn't believe Ronnie. I didn't blame him.


"Because Dave is sick in the head. He's crazy and insane!" Ronnie cried, frantically.


"Do you really expect me to believe that, Ronnie?" Professor Dawes asked.


"Okay, here's the truth. Dave let me cheat off him. That's the truth, I swear!" Ronnie cried, emotionally and scared.


"Lie!" Professor dawes hissed at Ronnie.


Ronnie looked caught. "Okay, here's the real truth. I cheated on Dave's test, and we didn't plan it together." Ronnie looked sad and scared at the same time.

"So," Professor Dawes started, "You admit you cheated on the test."


Ronnie lowered his head. "Yes, sir, I admit it."



"You know you have to be punished, don't you?" Professor Dawes said/asked.


Ronnie said, "Yes, sir."


"You're gonna be expelled from now on," Professor Dawes said.


Ronnie burst into uncontrollable tears. "Please sir, it was just a lapse of good judgement! I did it out of desperation! Please don't expel me! I'm sorry!" Ronnie begged, uncontrollably emotional.



"No, you must be expelled you cheated, and let Dave take the fall. You have to learn your lesson. I'm sorry, but you bring me no choice," Professor Dawes said, firmly.



"I'll be a good student from now on!" Ronnie begged. "I won't cheat anymore!"



"Sorry," Professor Dawes said. "My decision is final. Goodbye, Ronnie Bradley."


"Noooooooooo!" Ronnie cried emotionally. He sank to the floor and begun to violently convulse. I could see the impending expulsion was taking its toll on Ronnie. I should have felt happy, but I felt sorry for Ronnie. Ronnie made a bad mistake and was truly sorry for what he had done. I almost cheated off of Jerry. So I could easily have been in Ronnie's position right now.


"Why don't we take Ronnie to Student Court and let him tell his side?" I suggested, feeling bad for Ronnie.


Professor Dawes looked at me perplexed. "Why would we have Student Court for Ronnie? He already confessed to cheating on the test," Professor Dawes asked and stated.


"Come on, everybody deserves their turn in Student Court," I said.


Professor Dawes reluctantly said, "Ronnie, you will not be expelled yet. You do deserve a chance to tell your side of the story."


Ronnie stopped convulsing and looked at both of us gratefully. "Thank you Dave and Professor Dawes!" He said happily.


"You're welcome," we both said.


The next day, it was time for Ronnie's trial in Student Court. Ronnie dressed up in a professional two piece suit like I had done.


Billy was once again the judge.


We basically went through the same thing as we had done for my own trial.


Except Ronnie said, "Everyone, I cheated on the History test. I plead guilty. I cheated so I could pass the test and get a "B" for Professor Dawes's class, instead of the "C's," I usually get. I had six other classes to study for, and all 7 classes were a hard struggle for me to study for at the same time. It's really hard to juggle 7 class assignments at the same time, especially when you have a hard 25 percent of the Final Grade test. On History Test day, I barely remembered the simplest of American History, such as when the Constitution was formed. I usually don't cheat, but Dave, the straight A student, his test was right there, and I knew he would have a lot of right answers. We sit two rows away from each other, so I peaked at his answers and jotted his answers down, until he got up and left to finish the test by the teacher's desk. When he did that, I just winged the test.


When Professor Dawes said that someone had cheated, I was in Dave's group, along with two other boys, so I jotted his name down as the cheater, so that the blame would go to him. I was not going to put my own name down, obviously." Ronnie stopped.


"So, you were willing to get Dave into trouble," Billy said, softly. "for something you did."


"I didn't want to get expelled, and well, Dave was a sitting duck. He's a compulsive liar, so no one would believe him if he said he didn't cheat.


I blushed. I AM a compulsive liar.


Then, soon after I let Dave take the fall, some guy dressed as a ninja came out of nowwhere and followed me around and beat the hell out of me and called me a cheater. The bruises have all cleared up, but I am still shaken by the Ninja.


Soon after that, I found a typewritten note saying that someone knew I had cheated on the History test and threatened to expose me if I didn't confess. I still have no idea who the Ninja guy was or who typed me that note." Ronnie finished speaking completely, and was allowed to step down. He did.


Billy said, "Jury, do we have Ronnie expelled or not?"


The jury chatted amongst themselves. Finally, Kevin spoke up. We think that he should be punished, but we think that the person who was trapped by Ronnie's dishonesty should have the final decision as to what happens to Ronnie Bradley." I knew that person was me.


"Dave Winston!" Kevin said.


I was called to the front. Billy said, "Well, it's your call what happens to Ronnie."


I looked at Ronnie thoughtfully. After all, I had beat him up, tortured him, and hacked into his school records and got him to confess what he had done. Ronnie was staring at me as if he were begging me for mercy and compassion. I felt I knew what to do.


"Let the punishment fit the crime,"I said. "I think Ronnie should stay in school, but have detention for a week and intensive turtoring in ALL of his classes, since he is struggling in the classes."


Billy said, "It's settled. Ronnie will recieve a week's worth of detention and intensive tutoring. He banged his gavel, and we were all dismissed.


Oh, and my name had finally been cleared in the whole mess. alesmile: The case against me was CLOSED!

 

[Karice]

Part 8

Ronnie and I went back to classes.



During the week, Ronnie was given detention and went to Intense Tutoring in all of his classes.



People had a hard time trusting Ronnie after he admitted he had cheated on the History Test. Ronnie looked miserable.



The guilt was beginning to build up in me. I had gotten my revenge on Ronnie, but my secrets were tearing me up inside. I HACKED into the school’s computer and changed Ronnie’s grades. I had beaten Ronnie senseless too.



“You Bitch,” my nasty conscience hissed at me. “Sure, Ronnie did something bad to you, but you were probably even worse to him.”



I felt bad, and my stomach begun to twist into painful knots. Plus, I began to have painful anxiety attacks over what would happen if I were found out.



During classes, I could barely focus on my assignments. My grades were slipping into “Cs,” and I was looking at being kicked off the Honor Roll.



I lived in constant fear of being found out. I could barely sleep or eat. I was slipping down into a downward spiral.



I decided to cope with these feelings by drinking Coca-Cola. I wanted to use the sweet caffeine to cope with my bad feelings.



I bought a cold 20 ounce of Coca-Cola and drank it. Man that was good! It tasted sweet and tart.



I realized I could drink the Coca-Cola as much as I wanted, and use the caffeine as a stimulant, and I couldn’t get into trouble for drinking a legal stimulant. Over the days, whenever I felt the panic attacks, I drank more Coca-Cola. I felt over hyper from all that sugar and caffeine.



I was wired! Shawn Mulligan asked me worriedly, “Dave, what are you on?”



“I’m on that Legal stuff, baby!” I told him, hyper.



“Legal stuff?” Shawn repeated.



“Yeah, I’m on something that you don’t need a prescription for, that is cheap, and won’t get you into trouble if you are in possession of it.” I answered giddily.



Shawn asked, “Over-the-counter products?”



“No”, I answered. “I’m not on any type of drug,” I replied.



Shawn left.



I drank another bottle of Coca-Cola. In class, I was hyped out and begun laughing like a maniac at jokes no one ever told.



I was tweaked out! Or “caffeined” out.



Our Professor, Professor Atkins made me take a drug test.



After the test, it was confirmed that I had high levels of caffeine circling through my bloodstream. I was told that my caffeine level was dangerous and I was banned from taking in any more caffeine. I was told that I was treating it like a drug. I was told of course, that caffeine IS a drug, after all. It’s just not an illegal substance.



Dean Riley looked at me knowingly. “Remember, you do have an addictive personality. Remember the cocaine addiction?” He asked me.



I blushed. “I didn’t know caffeine was a drug. It’s legal,” I said.



“So is Tylenol,” Dean Riley said, wryly. “And that’s a drug.”



“Okay, I’ll stop using caffeine like that,” I said.



“Good for you,” Dean Riley said, smiling. He left.



I went through my day. I still felt guilty about what I had done to Ronnie. I couldn’t extensively use caffeine anymore, so I substituted by drinking lots of water. I know that I’m supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but I felt so guilty, I was drinking 20 glasses of water a day. Someone once said, “You can never drink too much water,” but I think that even THEY would draw the line at 20 glasses of water a day.



I did this for a week. 140 glasses of water in one week. Eesh. I should have only drunk 56 glasses of water in a week.


I felt bloated and kept having to go to the bathroom. Drinking 140 glasses a week will do that to you. Professor Sanders, my Math Professor asked me if there was something wrong with me.



“No,” I answered. “I just love water.”



“Are you a camel?” He asked me, half-wryly and half seriously.



“No,” I said, cracking a smile.



“Then stop drinking like one. It’s scary how much water you drink. Is something making you drink so much water?” He asked, concerned.



“No, nothing,” I lied.



“I don’t believe that, but I’ll let it go for now. Just know, you can talk to George Green the school counselor, or me,” Professor Sanders said sympathetically.



“Okay,” I said.



I left. I soon saw Ronnie. I was overcome with guilt, regret, and shame.



“Ronnie, I’m sorry,” I told him, hugging him close.



Ronnie looked at me strangely. “What the hell, Dave?” He asked. He walked away from me.



The next day, I felt even guiltier about what I had done. I felt as if a dark cloud had engulfed me. I felt so bad.



“No.” I thought to myself. I can’t take this bad feeling anymore. I had to confess what I had done, no matter how much trouble I would be in.



I walked up to Dean Riley’s room and knocked on the door. Dean Riley said, “Come in.” I did.



“Dean Riley, I have something to tell you,” I started slowly.



“Go on,” Dean Riley prompted.



I took a deep breath. “Dean Riley, I hacked into the school’s computer and changed Ronnie’s grades to all “A’s,” I confessed. “I did it because I knew Ronnie had cheated off of my test.”



Dean Riley said, “You went into school grades and changed them?” He looked at me upset.



“Yes, Dean Riley,” I confirmed.



“You know, I have to punish you, don’t you?”



“Yes, Sir,” I said.

“You have to be jailed,” Dean Riley said, solemnly.



“What? You’re going to send me to jail?” I asked. “I didn’t mean it to go this far!” I exclaimed, emotionally.



“You should have thought about that before you hacked into Ronnie’s grades”, Dean Riley said coldly.



I got even more emotional. “No, please, Dean Riley! Please don’t send me to jail!” I went on the floor, begging him for mercy. "I made a stupid mistake! I’m sorry!” I exclaimed. Wow, I had just turned into Ronnie.



Dean Riley said, “I’m sorry, but I’m calling the police.” He dialed 911. Jacksonville police came and Dean Riley told him what I had done. He made me confess what I had done.



The Lieutenant took out his handcuffs to arrest me.



I ran, full force out of the Johnson School, with the police hot on my trails. I ran out to the woods behind the Johnson Estate. The police were on my trails still.



“Leave me alone,” I thought, scared. Now I knew what Ronnie must have felt when I chased him around Johnson School.



The police were gaining on me. I ran out of the woods, into city neighborhoods. I saw a bus coming and wildly jumped on it. I didn’t even check what bus it was. I paid the fare and inched my way to the back. Luckily for me, the bus made very little stops and was going to the Jacksonville Hospital. At the hospital, I realized that I saw the cop car. Shi….,” I thought. They were going to drag my ass to jail!



I ran to the main entrance. The cops followed me there, and I kept running. I wasn’t going to go down without running my ass all over Jacksonville!



I ran to “ICU”, and I hid in a patient’s bathroom and locked the door. Thank God the patient wasn’t in. I sat in the bathroom for about 10 minutes. I was scared to death, and my heart was palpitating. I could go to jail for hacking into the school computer!



After 10 minutes, I cautiously got out. I didn’t see the police anymore, and I walked down the corridors. I left the hospital, ducking low. I caught a taxi and went to Downtown Jacksonville.



Luckily I had my book bag on me with my REAL ID on me (and a fake ID that said I was 22), and some money on me. At Downtown, I bought a Blonde wig and some blue eye contacts (that looked like the picture on my fake ID, don’t ask why). I bought a new set of clothes and stuffed my Johnson uniform in my bag. I bought sunglasses and a hat, just in case. I also bought some toiletries and underwear.



I was lucky that I had a ton of money on me in my book bag. You see, I’m a Winston, and we Winstons are a rich family. We are worth a net of 12 million. If you are a Winston, you are LOADED! I had about 500.00 on me when I left. Now, after I spent some money, I had $400.00 left. I ate a good dinner and some desserts, and then I had $360.00 left. I had to find a hotel to sleep in for the night. I was getting tired.



I found a Hotel called Sunny Inn. I went into it, and they let me sleep for the night. I was lying down on the Hotel bed, watching some T.V before bed, when my cell phone rang. I looked at my cell phone. Only three bars left. I forgot to buy a cell phone charger. The caller was a telemarketer. “Fu… you!” I screamed at him and hung up the phone. I finished watching T.V, and then got ready for bed and turned off the T.V. The Hotel was very comfortable.



I drifted off to sleep. When I awoke, I went to the bank to withdraw some money. You see, my Uncle, Joe Winston, gave me a secret $30,000 account that he had told no one else about. He told me that he felt I deserved that money more than anyone else in the family. My pin number for that account is 3260. Sound familiar? Wink wink. I now had $25,000 dollars in that account thanks to Dad putting the Winston finances in the toilet when the crappy stock he put $5000 in plummeted. I secretly mailed him $5000 dollars from a “Secret Santa.”



He was thankful to have the money back, and put it back into his savings account.



Today, I withdrew $2000 dollars to be “safe” for a few days. (I used the ATM)



I went to another shop and bought a hat and sunglasses. I had to wear a disguise fully.



I couldn’t believe I was on the run for what I had done to Ronnie. Hacking into school computers=Not worth it.



I went to a Walgreens, and bought a phone charger. I went back to the Sunny Inn. I spent a peaceful day in the hotel, swimming and watching T.V. I was having a nice vacation, as nice as a runaway fugitive could have. I ate food from the nearby food market. I charged up my phone too.



I spent three days in the hotel. On the third night, I watched the news and saw that I had been put on Jacksonville police watch. They said anyone who saw me could call 1-800 FOR-TIPS. No! I thought.



I packed up my bag, even though I slept there one more night in the hotel. The next morning, I got the hell out of the hotel. I was on the run again, but this time, I caught a train to Tallahassee. After the train ride, I got off in Tallahassee. I just wanted to get out of Jacksonville. In Tallahassee, I went to another hotel. The Wallington Hotel. I once again used my fake ID and cash to pay.



I slept there another night, in comfort. I woke up the next morning, and decided I didn’t know what to do. Oh, and if you were wondering, the name on my fake ID said, “Dave Alexander”, instead of Dave Winston. My full name is Dave Alexander Winston, so technically, Dave Alexander is my name……



I had spent four days on the run. I missed Johnson a lot, but knew if I went back to Johnson, I would be jailed. I couldn’t go back. I tried to law as low as possible.



I relaxed that day. I really should have been attending classes.



I was watching T.V, when I saw a picture of me again on a Special Report. Thank God my fake ID looked like how I looked like in my disguise.



I took a quick nap. When I awoke, I decided to eat some food. I went to buy some food another market place, and I looked up to see my face on a Wanted poster. The Wanted poster read, “Dave Winston, 16 year old Computer hacker. Wanted by the police. “Thank God I was wearing a hat and sunglasses. I paid for my food, looking down, nervously. I hurriedly left the market with my food.



I went back to the hotel. I was petrified of getting caught. I spent another night in the hotel.



The next morning, I left the hotel for good.



I caught a cab and went to my next destination, the Sherry Hotel. I spent two nights there.



I woke up the next morning, tired of running. I had stepped myself in it big time. Maybe I should just go on home to Johnson and let the police arrest me and send me to jail. After all, I had broken the both the school law and the legal law. I had to face my punishment for hacking into the school system.



I was frightened to come back, even though I wanted to do so. I knew I’d be jailed if I came back, but I didn’t want to run anymore. Maybe turning myself in would lessen whatever my jail sentence would be.



The next day, I took another train to Jacksonville. Then I took a bus to Johnson Academy and went inside.



I took off my disguise in the bathroom and put on my Johnson uniform.

 

[Karice]

Part 9

I soon realized I wasn’t ready to come back to Johnson. I quickly put my disguise back on. I left. I was not ready to go to jail.



I went back to the next bus stop. I quickly jumped on the next bus. I went to another hotel, called the Sweetin Hotel. I was still scared as f……



At the hotel, I paid for another day/night. I ate some food from the nearby marketplace again.



The next day, I was looking for a new hotel, when I saw the same police that had pulled the handcuffs on me.



I got flushed and nervous. Sh…. , I thought again. I tried to walk past him, but he stopped me. I got petrified.


“Hey, I need to talk to you,” he said, firmly.


“About what?” I asked, shaking in my shoes. I was wearing my disguise, but maybe police could see right through my disguises.



“Would you happen to know this guy?” He asked. He pulled out a Wanted poster of a sketch of me. I gulped internally.



“He’s on the run for evading police and hacking into a computer system,” The cop said.


“No, I haven’t seen him,” I answered. It wasn’t a total lie. I hadn’t looked like that in a while (except for about two minutes at Johnson).



“Well, keep an eye out for him. If you see him, call me at the police station. I’m Lieutenant Brandon,” he said. He gave me his number and I took it. Then, he let me go. I walked away slowly. Running would look suspicious.



“That was close, Dave,” I said to myself. I went on to the next hotel. Braxtin Hotel. I spent four days there. I had already withdrawn money four times from the ATM, to afford my running. Now, I only had $5,000 left in my bank account out of the $25000.



“Stop, Dave. You’re spending way too much money,” My good conscience said.



I couldn’t keep spending money like this. Soon, I would end up owing my bank money at this rate.



I needed some way to earn back the $20,000 I had withdrawn from the bank. My uncle Joe would be pissed if he knew I spent the money on hiding from the police.



How could I make $20,000 as soon as possible? I could rob a bank, sell drugs, or mug people. But all of those were illegal.



“How do I make $20,000 as soon as possible?” I asked myself again. I thought of a way. (Okay, it was illegal too). I could buy a counterfeiting money machine. I think you know where I am going with this!



Wait! Was I crazy? How could I even THINK of buying a counterfeit money machine? There had to be a better way to make money that wouldn’t rack up even more charges against me. I was feeling desperate. How did I withdraw $20,000 in less than 2 weeks?



I could call Uncle Joe and tell him what happened. Maybe he would give me more money. Are you NUTS, Dave? You might as well go buy that counterfeiting money machine!” A voice in my head screamed at me.



Hmm. I could get it out of my inheritance money!



When Aunt Bertha died, she left me $40,000 in her will. Oh, wait. She left Dave Winston $40,000. Not Dave Alexander. That wouldn’t work.



I thought of another way! I could pick up some money from my house in Sarasota! I had lots of “secret cash” in an old hidden shoe box! I rarely spend the money I’ve gotten over the years. Even when I was a baby, my Grandpa, Albert Winston gave me $3000, which my parents, Andrew and Alice Winston gave to me when I was older. I keep my birthday money, Christmas money, and “good grades” money in my shoebox.



I took another train to Sarasota and then took a bus to my house, which was just a regular Victorian house.

It was not a mansion. My parents wanted to buy a mansion, and they had found one, but when I looked at it, I got a very bad vibe about it. I got the hee-bie jeebies when I saw it. Sure, it was beautiful, but it just unnerved me. I begged my parents not to buy it, but they wanted it.



They went to check it out some more, and they took my both my older brother, Ryan, and I with them to look at the house. I threw myself into a “possessed” tantrum. I screamed, and had “seizures” on the floor.



I was just pretending, of course, but I wanted them to see that the house was causing me to act like this. I did this EVERYTIME they took Ryan and I to the mansion. Finally, they decided not to buy it when I acted like that constantly. The mansion cost 2 million dollars anyway just to buy, and to maintain the house would be 1 million more dollars. That would have been a big chunk of Winston investment, right there, anyway. They were willing to throw 3 million dollars into this unsettling house.



A few months after they decided not to buy the mansion, the mansion caught on fire and burned to the ground from bad electrical wiring. Mom and Dad at best could have lost 3 million dollars. At worst, we could have all been in that mansion when it caught fire. Luckily, no one had bought that mansion, thank God.



My family thanked me for dissuading them from buying the mansion.



I HAD saved my family from despair. I had something to be proud of.



Today, I was sure that my family wouldn’t be proud of what I was about to do.



I snuck up to my house. I knew my family wouldn’t be home. I turned off all security alarms, and broke in the house. I went to my room and found the hidden shoebox which I had hidden in the back of my closet. I took out the “secret” cash I had. I had $25,000 in “secret cash.” I took out $23,000 to have an extra $3,000 on me. I pocketed the cash and left the house. I turned the security alarms back on. I took a bus, and then a cab to the airport, to go to Orlando, to have a night/day of fun. I put $20,000 back into my bank account, and went to one of Disneyworld’s nearby hotels. This should be my time for just sitting back and relaxing.



The hotel was called, “Best of the West,” and it was marvelous and comfortable. I took a shower and got ready for bed. I was watching T.V and imagining all of the rides I would go on tomorrow. I would have fun. After T.V, I went to bed and woke up the next morning, ready for my fun day at Disneyworld. At Disneyworld, I had a blast! I was on my vacation, damn it! I wasn’t going to waste it away by worrying about being caught. I was Dave Alexander, just another guy enjoying his stay at Disneyworld. I went to Tomorrow land, I went on big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Tower Of Terror (yikes! In a good way), and many other good rides and attractions. I was not Dave Winston, runaway fugitive at this point. Oh, yeah, and I had lots of good food two.



After my stay at Disneyworld, I went back to Best of the West for one more night. When I woke up the next morning, I was on the run again. I went to another hotel in Orlando. The Raningston Hotel. I stayed there for two days. It was a good hotel too. On the second day, I happened to be watching the news, and I saw Mom’s teary face on the news. My heart wretched. Mom looked pleadingly into the camera and said, “Dave, please call us and let us know that you’re okay. We won’t ask any questions. Just let us know that you’re all right. Your dad, Ryan, and I are worried. We love you, Dave,” she said. She burst into more tears. The news reporter said, “That was Alice Winston, mother of Wanted fugitive Dave Winston. I’m Mitch White, for Channel 8 News. If anyone knows where Dave Winston is, call 1-800 555-NEWS begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800 555-NEWS end_of_the_skype_highlighting.”



My heart wretched even more, after hearing my Mom’s sad plea and seeing her cry her heart out. But, I knew that if I called to let her know I was okay, she’d nag me to go turn myself in. And let the police take me to jail. After that, I’d be whisked off to prison. Then put on Death Row and then forced to sit in an electrical chair. Okay, I was reaching now. But still……



Mom called my cell phone. I painfully ignored it. She left me a voicemail. “Dave, please call us. We’re worried about you. We don’t care about the hacking. You just made a mistake. Just let us know you’re fine. Please,” she pleaded in a worried, desperate tone.



I positioned my thumb to call Mom, but I stopped myself. Mom would surely find away to have the police arrest me. I turned the phone face down and went to sleep.



I woke up, and got ready for the day. I tried hard to have fun, but I found it hard to have fun while Mom was worrying her heart out over me. I didn’t mean to make Mom cry. I didn’t mean to make Mom worry.



I went back to the hotel and went to sleep. When I awoke, I went outside of the hotel and saw a party. I quickly went back inside. I just didn’t feel much like partying.



The guilt was eating me alive. The guilt was rotting me from the inside. It was driving me the same was it drove me to confess to hacking into the computer in the first place. The guilt felt like a dark cloud hovering over me again.



I tried to ignore the guilt by watching happy TV shows, like That’s So Raven and SpongeBob Squarepants. While these shows were hilarious, I still felt the intense guilt. If only I hadn’t watched the News and saw Mom’s crying face. I would have been having a lot of happy fun right now.



“You know what you have to do,” my good conscience told me. “Call Mom,” it ordered me softly.



I reluctantly picked up my cell phone. I paused before I called Mom. I was getting ready to put the phone back down, but my conscience kept telling me to call her.

I called Mom from a pay phone. No way was I calling Mom from my cell phone. I wasn’t an idiot.



Mom picked up on the second ring. “Dave?” She asked hopefully.



“Yes, Mom,” I replied softly.



“Oh, thank God!” Mom replied, crying relieved tears. “Are you okay?” She asked.



“Yes, I’m okay,” I told her.



“Where are you staying now?” Mom asked.



“I’m staying at a hotel,” I replied.



“What’s the name of the hotel?” She asked me.



“Mom, do you think I’m stupid? I’m not telling you the name of the hotel I am staying at,” I replied.



“Please? I won’t turn you to the police if you tell me.” Mom said. Mom SOUNDED sincere, but I wasn’t sure. I decided to lie. I needed to protect myself in case she told the police where I was. “I am staying at the City Inn Hotel in Orlando,” I lied.



“Thank you, Dave for that information!” She told me happily. “I love you, Dave!” she said, happily.


“You’re welcome and I love you too,” I told her sincerely.



“How long will you be there?” She asked me suddenly.



“Three days,” I said.



“Okay, bye,” she said.



“Bye, Dave,” I said.



She and I hung up. I went back to the hotel and relaxed, then fell asleep.



I woke up the next day, ready for my day. Mom knew that I was okay, so I felt better to have fun today. I got ready for my day.



I went outside, having fun without the added guilt.



I went to the movies, to the bargain store to get some newer clothes, and I went back to the hotel. I relaxed some more.



The next day, I was out again, trying to see if I could get some new Payless Shoes. I LOVE buying “bargain” things, and I LOVE buying my shoes from Payless Shoes. I was about to shop, when I saw MOM! My heart dropped. What was Mom doing in Orlando? Duh! Looking for me!



I tried to walk away, but Mom saw me. I tried to walk past her. Could she see through my disguise? I swallowed.



I was trying to walk past her, but she stopped me. She asked me a question. “Young man, do you have the time?” She asked me softly.



I looked at my watch. “Maam, it’s 2:15,” I told her in a deep Boston accent. I had to disguise my voice.



“Thank you, young man,” She said. She looked at me deeply. “Have you seen Dave Winston? He’s my son and he’s on the run from police for hacking into a school computer. I am worried about him.” She pulled out a picture of me. My heart swallowed. It was a picture taken of me on my last break home. I looked so happy in that picture. Maybe I could be that happy again, if I stopped running.



“No, Maam, I haven’t seen him,” I deceptively said again.



“If you see him, please tell him to call me at my number,” Mom said. She gave me her phone number.



“I will, Maam,” I said.



“Hey, what’s your name?” Mom asked me.



“Andy,” I replied. I got “Andy” from “Alexander (The “Ander” part).



“Thank you, Andy,” she said. She began to leave. She turned around. “You know, it would mean so much to me if Dave would stop running. It wasn’t THAT bad what he did. But running from police will make things worse for him,” she said. Mom begun to cry a bit.



“Maam, don’t cry,” I begged her. “I’m sure your sun is fine,” I continued in the Boston accent.



She cried even harder. “I love him so much. Dave is my heart and soul. I would do anything for him. I’m sorry for eating your time, Andy,” she said, remorsefully.



“No, Maam, it’s okay,” I said, uncomfortably. One more minutes, and I would take off my disguise and show Mom my real face so she would stop crying.



“God bless you,” she said. “Dave is so sweet and nice. He’s an angel,” she cried, blowing her nose into a napkin. I felt like crap.



Mom continued to cry. “He’s only 16! He’s just a baby! He doesn’t know how to take care of himself!” Mom exclaimed loudly. “Say, do you know where City Inn is?” Mom asked in a softer voice. “He told me he was staying at City Inn over a pay phone. I can’t find it anywhere,” Mom continued.



I said, “City Inn is about 2 miles away,” I told Mom. I knew where it was. I just hadn’t been there.



“Thank you, Andy!” She said, happily. Her face changed a bit. “Say, will you come with me? I could really use the company,” she said, looking pleadingly.



“Uh, no thanks, Maam,” I said, uncomfortably.



“Yeah, I know. You don’t jump into cars with strangers,” she said, smiling wryly. “You’re just like Dave. I taught Dave not to jump into cars with strangers too. Your parents taught you well,” Mom said.



“Yes, they did,” I said, smiling shyly.



“Okay, bye, Andy,” she said. She hopped into her car and drove towards City Inn.



“That was too close for comfort, Dave,” I told myself. I bought the Payless shoes and went to the hotel.



I relaxed, and then got ready to leave. I packed my suitcase, which I got a few days ago. I was off to the Ocean View Hotel in Tampa. I stayed there for five days. During my stay, I went to Busch-Gardens and had some fun.

 

[Karice]

Part 10

After five days, I watched the news again. I was now on United states Most Wanted List! The reward for any tips leading to my arrest was $5,000! Anyone would turn me in for that kind of money! I decided I needed to get out of the United States! I know many on the run fugitives run to Mexico, but I knew Mexico was probably full of Federal Agents and Police Officers guarding both sides of the border.



I decided to run to Canada, the exact opposite of Mexico.(Maybe it wouldn't be as guarded as Mexico.) I took a bus, and then a train to Orlando International Airport. I had a fake passport and a fake visa that bothy said, "Dave Alexander" on them. I bought last minute tickets for the next plane to Canada. I was checked out in security, then I waited for an hour for the next flight to Cananda, then the plane came. I eagerly left the terminal and went to my gate. I was off to Canada! On the airplane, we passed over at least 15 states. We had a stop in New York International Airport. At New York, the break was two hours. Wow, new york was a very busy, tourist-filled state. There were lots of souvenirs to buy(they were very expensive). New York was an expensive place, though it was great.



"Someday, when I'm not on the run, I'm going back to New York to vacation," I said happily to myself. I didn't buy a souvenir, but I bought a "Tourist Guide To Canada" book. I needed a crash course for Canada if I was going to be hiding in there. Then, a newspaper caught my eye. My ACTUAL picture in the newspaper! Mom must have given police a picture of myself! The newspaper read: "Dave Winston, 16-year old Runaway hacker fugitive. " I HAD to buy it! I quickly paid the cashier, and left with the newspaper.

The article basically said that I was a 16-year old runaway fugititve for hacking into a computer at Marshall Johnson Academy, a prestigious private school. Dean Riley was quoted as saying, "Dave Winston was always a bit of his own person, and a bit of a rebel. I haven't seen him since he fled my school in late September."



It was now October 10th. Once again, a $5,000 reward was offered. I also bought a Map of Canada. I needed to know where I was going to be hiding looked like too (wink, wink).



Soon, the break was over. We went back on the airplane. On the airplane, other people were reading the same newspaper I was. My flight partner, a woman in her 30's, said, "This kid is a genious. He's definetely got the makings of a mastermind." She seemed impressed.



A genius mastermind. That sounded note-worthy. I smirked to myself.



Out loud I asked, "What do you think the odds of him being caught are?"



"I don't know. Kid seems smart for a 16-year old boy. He may be able to keep running for months before he is even caught," she answered.



"Oh," I said.



On the airplane ride, I looked out of the window, wistfully at the clouds. "Goodbye Dave Winston, American Fugitive. Hello, Dave Alexander, Canadian Nobody," I thought. I was a little nervous, but I was excited! I studied the Canada Tour GuideBook and the Canadian Map. I got a crash course in both.



The plane landed in Canada International Airport. I got my luggage and got off the plane with the other passengers, and we went into the terminal.



I was in CANADA! I made it across the North Border! Yay me!



A well-dressed man came up to me and said, "You want me to give you a Taxi ride?"



My hee-bie jeebie sense came back full force, just like it had with the Amityville Houseish Mansion. Something was creepy about this guy.



I walked away from him. He continued to followed me, still asking if I wanted a Taxi Ride.



"No thank you", I said in a controlled tone. I walked faster away. He was giving me a bad vibe.



He still continued to follow me, asking if I wanted a Taxi Ride.



"Go fu.... yourself," I told him, annoyed. I don't fu..... want a Taxi Ride!" I hollored at him.



He was still following me. "I'm a Black belt in Karate, and I'll kick your ass," I hissed at him.



He finally relented . Or so I thought. He began to try to MUG me, right there in a crowded terminal! I wasn't going to let him mug me or accidentally remove my disguise. I hit him in self-defense, and then called Security to take him away. They did.



"Wow," I said to myself.

I almost got mugged within my first hour of arriving in Canada! What the hell?



I took a bus out of the airport and went to a another hotel.



I was in Abbotsford, Brititsh Columbia. I paid for the hotel in American cash, and slept a comfortable two days at the hotel. Canada was a lot like Florida, except..... COLDER! Oh Sh....! Winter was coming, and in Canada, that meant SNOW!



Me, being from Florida, have never seen snow in my life. But, I'd better get ready for it. I went to a clothing store, and got a parka,some overcoats, some jackets, sweaters, snowshoes, mittens, earmuffs, and some sweatsuits.



I was ready for the winter!



I went to another hotel this time and I stayed there for one night. It was comfortable too.



The next day, I decided maybe I needed a place to call hotel to hotel. I was in Canada now, not the US. There was really no reason for me to keep roaming around hotels.



I went apartment hunting. I looked at some apartments, but I found they were all too expensive for me. I only had $10,000 US dollars on me, which I put some on a reloadable cash card.



An apartment owner told me that I could get an apartment for $400.00 a month. I got suspicious, but I didn't get the Hee-bie jeebie feeling this time. I decided to check it out.



He gave me a look at the room for $400.00, an I liked it. It was absoulutely beautiful. In fact, it was GOURGEOUS! But, he it was a furnished apartment for $400.00. "Something is not right here," I thought. " But, there's no hee-bie jeebie feeling",I thought to myself. That was weird.



"Okay, what's the catch?" I asked him, suspiciously.



He smiled at me. "All you have to do is agree to babysit my three kids for 10 days straight. I'll pay you a big reward," he said.



"Hmm," I thought. "These kids could be the kids from HELL!" I thought.



"Uh, no thanks. I'll look somewhere else," I said. I begun to leave.



"So, you rather keep "running" all over Canada than have a nice comfortable home to go to every day?" He asked me with a knowing smirk.



"What do you mean by "running" I asked, my mouth dry.



"You look like someone who is a "runner." You look like you've got something to hide, some dark secret you're running from."



I begun to squirm uncomfortably. Was this guy psychic? or just a really goood people reader?



"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.



"I don't judge. Maybe what you're "running' from isn't even that bad. What did you do? Steal from a grocery store?" Bounce checks?"



"I did nothing," I continued to lie," I felt extremely uncomfortable. I begun to leave.



"You don't have to keep running, Dave Winston," he said, softly, stopping me dead in my tracks.



I felt cold blood run through my veins. How did he know me?



I turned around. "My name is not Dave Winston," I lied. "My name is Andy," I lied again.



"Yeah, your name is Dave Alexander Winston." he told me knowingly.



"You're seriously creeping me out man," I said, shaking internally. This man was sh.... scary.



I ran out of that apartment.




I ran to another hotel. I paid for another night. I realized for some strange reason, that apartment I had run out of seemed to speak to me. I felt extremely comfortable when I was in it. I was probably passing up gold to get bronze. Sure, that apartment owner was creepy in that he knew my full name and knew that I was "running", but for all I knew, he could have recently been in US and seen a picture of me as Dave Winston. US wasn't too far away from Canada.



I found myself going back to that apartment. The creepy owner was there again. "Welcome back, Dave Winston," he said, smiling at me widely.



"I am not Dave Winston," i lied. Damn, I wanted this apartment BADLY!



"I can see that you like the apartment a lot, "Andy". I can see it it in your eyes," he said, softly.



I looked at the ground. "All I have to do is baby-sit your kids for 10 days straight?" I asked.



"Yes, and this apartment is your for $400.00 a month," he said.



"Okay, I'll watch your kids for 10 days," I agreed reluctantly.


"Good!" he said, smiling.



He showed me his three kids. They looked HYPER! Okay, at least they don't look like the kids from hell," I thought.



"These three kids are yours for 10 days, starting tomorrow" He told me. "My name is Allen, by the way."



The three kids names were Sandra, Jerry, and Stan. Stan was 2 years old, Sandra was 8, and Jerry was 9.



They were jumping around like damned kangaroos! What was I going to do with them!



"Hi, Andy!" They all told me overenthusiastically! Oh, brother, I thought. Still a $400.00 apartment and a hefty cash reward were worth it.



"Hi, kids, I said, back.



Allen gave me an apartment contract to read and sign, and I read it very carefully, even the very fine print and I understood and agreed to it all. I signed my name to it, as Dave Alexander. OOPS!



I gave the contract to Allen, and he looked at me quizically when he saw the name I had put in the "signature" line. I blushed.



I thought your name was "Andy," he said, knowingly.



"It is. I put Dave Alexander by mistake," I lied unconvincingly.



"Let me see your ID. I have to match the signature to the name on the contract."



"I don't have an ID," I lied.



"If you don't have an ID, I can't sell this apartment to you. You could be a fugitive for all I know.," he said, a little too knowingly.



I squirmed uncomfortably when he said that. I reluctantly pulled out my fake ID. Dave Alexander. I gave it to him.



"Hmm. Your ID says,"Dave Alexander. And your signature on the ID matches the signature on the contract. Suspicious as hell, "Andy" he said." he looked at me as if he knew I was a liar....



I began to squirm uncomfortably again. "Please don't call me Dave Alexander," I begged him. Please call me "Andy," I begged him .



"Okay, like I said before, whatever you did, "Andy" probably wasn't even that bad. I'm not here to judge," he said again. "We all make mistakes," he said in an understanding tone. "You can sleep in the apartment free of charge for today, if you want to."



I had a good feeling about this. I slept in the apartment that night, and it was more comfortable than any hotel I had slept in before. This really felt like HOME! I felt as if I belonged in this apartment.


When I awoke, it was time to start babysitting the three kids.



I watched Stan, Sandra, and Jerry for almost 10 hours, while Allen went to work in the afternoon. Their mother was on a business trip in England. I had to feed Stan, clothe him, help him brush his teeth, and I read all of them stories. I helped Sandra and Jerry with their homework. I played with all of them, sang them songs, and gave them dinner. I sent them to bathe before bed, and I bathed Stan. At 7:00, I put Stan to bed, and at 8:00, I put Jerry and Sandra to bed.



I made sure they were safe until around 12:30, when Allen came home.



He thanked me, and told me I could sleep in the apartment again. I had a comfortable sleep again.



The next day, the three kids were wearing me out. They must have been part sugar, because they had boundless energy.



"I'm going to need a chocolate bar to counteract all this excitement," i thought.



I ate a chocolate bar and felt immeadiately calm. "Hey, maybe giving them chocolate will calm them down!" I thought.



I checked the "allergies" list that Allen had left me for the kids, and Chocolate wasn't on that list. I gave them chocolate, and they were all sedated from the Seratonin in the chocolate.



They were very relaxed. Soon, they drifted off to sleep.



Allen came home unexpectedly early. "The workplace was extremely slow today, so they sent me home," Allen explained.



Allen was impressed by how calm the kids were. He gave me a litttle of a cash reward of $100.00.



"I thought I would be paid in 9 days," I told him, confused.



"No, you deserve it," he told me. I accepted it, and was about to go to another hotel, when he gently stopped me. "You can sleep in your apartment again. You don't have to go to another hotel today," Allen said.



"Okay," I said. I got ready to sleep in the apartment again. "Man, this place feels like home," I thought, cozily, before I drfted off to sleep.



I watched those kids for 8 more days, giving them chocolate whenever they were too hyper.



They told me I was their favorite baby sitter. (Oh, and I got to sleep in my new favorite place for all 10 days.)



On the 11th day, it was time to get my pay and also, to pay for my apartment. I went up to Allen.



I smiled at him awkwardly. I didn't know how to tell him that it was time to pay me.



He smiled at me knowingly. "Today is the 11th day. I have to pay you your wages for baby-sitting the kids," he said. He reached into his wallet and pulled out $1,000 and handed it to me.



"Here is your pay for watching the kids," he said, happily. "You were a very good baby sitter. Thank you," he told me still smiling.



$1,000! I could pay my first and last month's rent with that pay, plus have extra left over.



I gave him $800.00 out of the "pay."



He gave me a confused look. "I don't want this," he told me.



I frowned at him. "Why not? it's my first and last month's rent," I told him.



"No, it's not," he said. "I'm not taking the money," he told me still looking confused.

"I don't understand. I agreed to watch your kids for 10 days, and then you would let me buy the apartment for $400.00 a month," I said.



"No, I didn't,"Allen lied.



"Where's the contract? "I asked him.



"You never signed any contract,"Allen said, looking confused.



"You LIAR!"I screamed at him emotionally. "You FU.....LIAR! I DID sign a contract! You're supposed to take this money and give me the apartment!" I begun to cry a little. I would be out of a home now.



Allen looked sympathetic. "Okay, okay, "Andy", you did sign a contract. But, I still won't accept the money,"" Allen said.



"Why not?" I asked him.



"Because, I gave it to you for free. The apartment is yours already,Allen said.
"



I.....I don't understand,"I told him, blinking.



"You earned it by fulfilling your 10 days,"He said. "You don't have to pay","Allen said.



"So, what about the contract?" I asked.



Ï had it nulled and voided,"Allen said, smiling at me.

I didn’t like the sound of that. He could probably kick me out any day he wanted to since he “nulled” the contract. He showed me the nulled contract.



“Thanks, Allen. It’s been a really good 11 days. Bye,” I said.



Allen asked, “You don’t want to stay in your apartment?”



“No,” I said. I just wanted to leave. I got my things and left.



I found another apartment, in another Province named Nova Scotia. This apartment was $1,000 a month for a furnished apartment. I paid first and last month’s rent.



The owner was not some creepy guy who knew who I was before I knew him. He was just a regular guy, in his 50’s.



I enjoyed my new apartment. It was spacious and very homey.



I was staying there for about two weeks when I looked at the calendar. It was November 8th! Mom’s birthday was on November 12th! Dad, Ryan, and I were always there to say Happy Birthday to Mom. It was an unbroken Winston tradition. My stomach begun to tie in knots. Mom would have a very sucky birthday without me. I could ruin her birthday.



I HAD to go home and be there to say “Happy Birthday” to Mom. She might even call the police on me, but I needed to see her.



I made reservations to go back to Sarasota. Over the next days, I was sweating bullets. I had made some friends in Canada, however, and enjoyed spending time with them.



On November 11th, Veteran’s Day, I was back in Sarasota, ready to face Mom, Dad, and Ryan.



I spent one more night in a hotel, and then the next day, I got ready for the day and bought Mom flowers and chocolate, two of her favorite things.



I took a bus, and then I went home and took off my disguise.



Dad opened the door. “Dave!” he cried happily, wrapping me up in a huge hug.



Mom looked ecstatic to see me and ran up to me and hugged me, crying happy tears.



“Happy Birthday, Mom,” I said. I gave her the presents.



She happily accepted them. She put the flowers in a vase and put the chocolates into the refrigerator.



“Dave, does this mean that you’re not running anymore?’ Mom asked happily.



I blushed. “I am still running. I just came to say “Happy Birthday” to you,” I told her, reluctantly.



I could see Mom’s eyes fill up with sad tears. My heart wretched.



“Oh, Dave. Please do yourself a favor and turn yourself in. Cops will go easier on you if you give yourself up,” Mom begged.



Ryan came over a few minutes later.



Ryan looked at me in shock. “Dave!” He announced. He gave me a high-five.



“Hey, Ryan,” I said, shyly.



We soon had a birthday party for Mom. Mom blew out her birthday cake, and we had lots of fun.



While we were eating cake, ice cream, and chips, and drinking orange soda, I begged Mom, “Please don’t tell the police where I am. I’m scared,” I confessed.



Mom looked at me, tortured. “I don’t know, Dave. It’s really not healthy for you to be running from police,” she said, pleadingly.



“Will you at least hide me while I’m here?” I asked Mom and Dad.



Mom and Dad gave each other glances.



Finally, Dad spoke. “We really don’t want you running anymore, but we don’t want you to go to jail, either.”



Mom asked, “Why did you hack into the school computer in the first place?”



I took a deep breath. “I hacked into the school computer because a kid named Ronnie cheated off of my test and framed me for cheating, even though I hadn’t cheated, so I wanted revenge.” I told Mom.



“You gave him all F’s?” Mom asked.



“No, I gave him all A’s,” I answered. I gave him all A’s so the professors would be suspicious of him, and it worked, and he confessed to cheating off of me and framing me. But, I felt guilty for the hacking, so I confessed to the hacking,” I continued.



Mom said, “You did that out of revenge, but you ended up hurting yourself,” Mom said, thoughtfully.



“I’m sorry for doing that,” I said, lowering my head.



Ryan said, “You really put yourself in it this time. I hope the judge gives you mercy.” He looked and sounded sincere.



Dad said, “Don’t worry. I’m going to hire Mark Erickson, my good lawyer, to get you out of this mess.”



“Do I HAVE to go to court?” I asked. “Can’t I just hide for the rest of my life?” I asked.



“Yes, you have to go to court!” Dad exclaimed.



Mom said, “Please, Dave, just turn yourself in.” She was begging me pleadingly again.



“But, I’m on United States Most Wanted,” I said, hanging my head low. “I don’t want to turn myself in,” I confessed.



“It would be a good birthday present for me,” Mom said.


"Turning myself in would be a good birthday present for you?" I asked her, incredulous.


“Yes,” Mom replied.



I thought and I thought. “Do I have to turn myself in today? Can I turn myself in a little later?’ I asked.



“I guess,” Mom said, softly.



“Can I hide out at Marge and Tommy Alexander’s house? The police won’t bother to look at the Alexander’s house. Please?” I begged. The Alexanders are the other side of our family. The police would be looking for the WINSTON family for me, not the Alexander family, since most people don’t even know that we are related.



Mom and dad exchanged glances again. Finally, Mom spoke. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. You need to act like an adult and face your consequences,” Mom said.



“But, I’m not an adult! I’m 16!” I exclaimed.



Mom’s eyes welled up with fresh tears. “That’s right. You are 16. You’re just a baby. Oh, Dave, how did hacking into a school computer end up like this?” Mom asked. She sounded tortured.



I couldn’t take Mom’s crying. Mom’s crying tortured my heart. I was making her cry bad tears on her birthday.



“Okay, Mom, stop crying. I’ll go turn myself in, “I told her.



“You will?” She asked, her eyes drying a bit.



“Yes, I will,” I promised her. “But, can I stay at the Alexander house until I’m ready?” I asked her.



“Okay, “ Mom said, reluctantly.



We enjoyed the rest of Mom’s birthday. At night, we got ready for bed, and Mom came into my room while I lied in bed and kissed my forehead.



“I love you, Dave,” she told me happily. “I’m glad that you’re here and that you’re safe,” she continued.



“I love you too, Mom,” I said.



I felt so comfortable in my old bed. I loved my old room.

 

[ASIS]

WOW!:bugeyed

 

[Adore]

:scratch:

 

[Science Freak]

I enjoy reading it, but yeah, I would expect something else :scratch:

 

[kottur13]

This is madness!

 

[Karice]

Part 11

At 3 AM, I woke up and realized I wasn’t ready to turn myself in. I packed my bags, and snuck out of the door. I was about 2 yards from the house from the house when I heard Mom say, “Dave?” I reluctantly turned around. I saw Mom looking at me with concern and worry.


“What are you doing?” Mom asked, obviously knowing what I was doing.



“I’m just going for a little walk,” I lied. Actually, I was going to find the next available taxi to get the hell out of Sarasota.



“Dave, you don’t have to run anymore,” Mom said softly to me. “You’re with family now,” she continued. She wrapped her arms around me. “We all love you. Come on, let’s go back to the house,” she said.



I reluctantly followed her back to the house. I went inside, and Mom gave me some warm milk to drink. I began to drink.



“Dave, let’s chat,” Mom said, non-evasively.



I looked at Mom with tortured eyes. I really didn’t like the torture I was doing to Mom. I was putting her through hell. I could see it.



“Okay,” I said, reluctantly.



Mom looked at me deeply. “Are you truly sorry for hacking into the computer?” She asked.



“Yes, Mom,” I replied. I looked at the door, longing to run out of it, to go on the run again.


“Dave, do you love me?” Mom asked me.



“Yes,” I told her.



“If you really loved me, you wouldn’t run from this,” Mom said. Mom was obviously trying to guilt-trip me. And it was working. Mom really knew how to work my emotions.


“Mom, just let me go. Let me keep running,” I begged her. Really, deep down, I wanted Mom to hold me and tell me everything was going to be fine. But yet, I was pushing myself away from Mom. They were conflicting feelings.



“No, Dave. You’re my son. I can’t let you keep running. I WON’T let you keep running,” mom said, vehemently.



“I HAVE to keep running,” Mom I told her. “I’m a Wanted fugitive,” I said, sadly.

“You’re being selfish, Dave,” Mom said, a little angry. “You’re only thinking of yourself in this situation. You don’t care about this family. You are just looking out for yourself. You damn selfish hypocrite,” she hissed at me.



“Selfish hypocrite?” I spat back at her.



“Yes. You said, “Family first, friends second, you third,” Mom said. “Remember that, Dave?” Mom asked. “That’s been our family mantra ever since you said that,” mom continued.



I remembered that. “I was 12, Mom!” I cried. “I was young and naïve back then when I said that!” I exclaimed.



Mom’s face changed. “So, you don’t believe in “family first”, anymore, huh?” She asked in a sneering tone.



My face changed too. “Mom, I’m sorry. Family does come first,” I said, in a resigned voice.



“Then, will you stop running, Dave? For the sake of this family?” Mom asked, pleadingly.



“Yes,” I said.



“Good,” Mom said, smiling.



I soon went to bed. Secretly, I knew it was a good thing that Mom had stopped me from going on the run again. Running wasn’t good for me. I needed to be with my family.



I drifted off to sleep. When I awoke, it was 8:30 AM. I got ready for the day. Mom made my favorite breakfast: Pancakes with butter and syrup, sausage, bacon, and sunny-side up eggs. She put orange juice into glasses.



“Hi, Dave,” she told me happily when she saw me.




“Hi, Mom,” I said. I got some food and hungrily began devouring the food. The food was yummy! Such good home-made food!



“Thank you for this breakfast,” I told her, with a mouthful of food.



“You’re welcome,” She said.



Soon, Ryan and dad came downstairs for breakfast. “How’s our favorite fugitive doing?” Ryan asked, good-naturedly.



“I’m doing fine,” I replied, with a happy, wry smile.



Dad looked at me deeply. “We’re glad to have you back, Dave,” Dad said, huskily. I could have sworn I saw happy tears in Dad’s eyes.



We were all soon eating. We chatted, and after the meal, I cleaned up my room and thought about how much I loved my family and vice-versa. “Oh, what had I gotten myself into? Running from the law, and making my family worry,” I thought, regretfully.



I soon watched That’s So Raven on T.V. I was watching the episode where Raven runs away from Loca, Muffy, and Alana because she accidentally makes Alana get covered in blue paint, and Alana wants to beat up Raven for the accident and begins stalking raven around the school. Loca and Muffy are Alana’s henchwomen, so they want to beat up Raven too. Chelsea, Raven’s best friend, accidentally bumps into the three girls and gets the tracking device that Raven put on Alana to know where Alana is put on herself. At the end, it is found out that Raven was actually running away from Chelsea, not Alana, so raven didn’t have to run. Chelsea says wryly and ruefully, “All that running for nothing.” That line touched a nerve with me. Maybe I was running for nothing.



After all, how long could I go to jail for a hacking a school computer? Maybe it could be considered a misdemeanor rather than a felony.



I relaxed a bit. I went on my internet in my room and looked up “Dave Winston.”



I found, “Dave Winston, 16-year old Runaway Computer hacker fugitive. $5,000 reward for information leading up to Winston’s arrest. Winston is 5’8, 125 pounds, brown-haired, brown-eyed Caucasian male. Winston was last seen in Jacksonville, Florida. If Winston is found, he faces jail time for computer hacking and police evasion.”



“What? Running from police is a charge?” I was shocked to see that. Maybe running from the police wasn’t a smart choice. But I was scared and wasn’t really thinking.



I shut down my computer. I went outside of my room. I saw Mom and Dad sitting at the table…… along with Mark Erickson, Dad’s lawyer!

“Hi, Dave,” Mark said, smiling at me politely.



“Hi, Mr. Erickson,” I said, politely.



“I’ll take your case, if you want me to be your lawyer,” Mr. Erickson said to me.



“How much will it cost to take Dave’s case?” Dad asked.



“Since you’re a good client of mine, I’ll take Dave up for $1,000.” Mr. Erickson said.



Dad said, “Deal.” Dad paid him cash, and soon, Mr. Erickson turned to me.



“Dave, I think you should do a plea bargain,” Mr. Erickson said.



“What’s that?” I asked.



Mark looked at me incredulous. “You actually don’t know what a plea bargain is?” He asked, in disbelief.



I shook my head.



“A plea bargain is when you plead guilty, and get a lesser charge/sentence. I can talk to a judge for you,” Mark said.



“Okay,” I said.



Mark chatted to Mark, and then Mark turned to me again. “You know, running from the police is considered a Misdemeanor, don’t you? It could be put against you. “He asked/stated.



I blushed. “I didn’t know that running from the police was a misdemeanor,” I said.



“Hmm,” Mark said. “You are looking at least 6 months in jail for hacking into the computer and hiding from police,” mark said, thoughtfully.



“Six months?” I shrieked.



“Yes,” Mark said, solemnly.



After a short while, Mark wrapped up with us.



The next day, I was on my way to the Alexanders’ house. Mom gave me a good breakfast, and the Alexanders knew I was coming.



I was soon at Marge and Tommy’s house.



I was wearing my disguise again. “Hi, Dave,” Aunt Marge said to me, wrapping her arms around me.



Uncle Tommy shook my hand.



“Hi, Dave,” Tommy said.



“Hi, “I said, shyly. “Come on in,” Aunt Marge said.



I came in. Their house was a two story townhouse. It was lovely.



I went into the guest bedroom and unpacked my things.


I went to the living room and we were all chatting like one big family. Then, Tommy asked, “Why did you hack into the school computer?”


I told him the story about Ronnie again.


“That wasn’t very wise,” Tommy said, thoughtfully.


“I know,” I said, lowering my head.


Aunt Marge gave me some home-cooked food. Chicken, white rice and tomato sauce. I hungrily devoured it.


“I’m sorry,” I said. I looked like a greedy animal eating like that.


Aunt Marge smiled softly at me. “No, it’s okay. It shows that you really like my cooking,” she said, wryly.


“Thank you, Aunt Marge,” I said, demurely.


“You’re welcome, Dave,” she said, smiling at me.


Aunt Marge soon said, “You can stay here as long as you like, but you can’t stay here forever.”


Uncle Tommy nodded.


“Thank you guys for letting me stay over for a while,” I said, demurely again.


“You’re welcome,” they both said.


I went to my older cousin’s room, Derek. Derek was 19.


“Hey, Dave,” Derek said, smiling at me. Derek had blue eyes and blond hair.


“Hey, Derek,” I said, smiling back.


Derek was doing his studies for college. I sighed wistfully.


“What’s the matter?” Derek asked me.


“I wish I could be studying now,” I said, regretfully.


Derek looked at me sympathetically. “It must be hard to run from the police, for such a petty crime like hacking into a school computer.”



I looked at him, a little hard. “Petty? I can end up in jail for such a ‘petty” things,” I scoffed at him.


“Hmm. You might end up in jail more for running from the police than for hacking into the computer, especially if you didn’t give the computer any viruses or make it crash,” Derek said. He cocked his head. “Is that ALL you did? Hack into the computer?”


“Yes, and I changed someone’s grades,” I said. “He cheated off of me, and let me take the fall when the teacher announced that someone had cheated,” I continued.


“Hmm,” Derek said. “Maybe you should surrender to the police. But, do it with a lawyer,” he said. A suspect without a lawyer is like a duck in the wild in open season.”


“Thanks for the advice, Derek,” I said.


“You’re welcome,” Derek said.


We went to the living room again. I noticed that Marge and Tommy were smiling at me, with forced cheerful smiles.


I got the hee-bie jeebie feeling again. “Oh no,” I thought. Whenever I got that the hee-bie jeebie feeling, something bad was about to happen. The burning of the mansion and the near mugging popped into my head.


Marge said, “Hey, Dave,” in a forced chipper voice. Tommy gave me an obviously plastered smile.


I was getting the creeps and the heebie-jeebies at the same time.


“Hey,” I said to them, nervously.



I left and went to Derek's room again.


Derek was giving me a real smile. “Derek, do Marge and Tommy not like me?’ I asked him.


Derek’s smile faded just a bit. “They love you, but they don’t want a fugitive living in our house,” he said. “They can be jailed for keeping you here. But, I don’t care that you’re a fugitive. You are still my cousin, my family.” Derek was smiling fully again.


“So, how long before they kick me out?” I asked.


“They will not kick you out,” Derek said. “They will start suggesting that you stay with our other Alexander relatives. They will ask if you REALLY want to stay with us. They don’t want to outright say that they don’t want you here.”


“Oh,” I said.


I showered and went to sleep. When I awoke, it was 9: AM. I got ready for the day.


At about 9:30 AM, I went to the living room again.


Marge and Tommy kept exchanging glances. Finally, Marge spoke. “Dave, would you like to stay with Sherry and John Alexander in North Port? I am sure they’d love to have you over there,” she said.


Derek warned me about this.


Tommy asked, “Are you REALLY SURE you want to stay here? I mean, the police will be hot on your trail,” he added.


Marge said, “We really want you to get out there and have some fun with Sherry and John.”


Tommy said, “Yeah. You should really GO over to Sherry and Johns’ house.”


They couldn’t make it any more obvious that they didn’t want me here.


I said, “You don’t need to make up excuses. I’m a fugitive. You don’t want to get into trouble,” I said, understandably and matter-of-factly.


Marge said, “It’s not that we don’t love you. We do. But, we don’t want any trouble.”


Tommy said, “You’re a good kid, Dave. We just don’t want to get you into any more trouble.”


Oh, Tommy was spreading it THICK. I knew that he meant he didn’t want me to get them into any trouble.


“I’ll leave now, FAMILY,” I said. Softly spitting out venom.


I packed my bags and sadly said bye to Derek. I hugged him Good-bye. He reciprocated.


To Tommy and Marge, I thanked them for the sleepover and the food.


Right before I left, I said, “Robert Alexander 1995. Wanted fugitive for robbing a bank. Winston Family hid him in their house, until he finally turned himself in to the cops. Remember that?” I softly hissed.



In case you’re confused, our Alexander cousin, Robert, robbed a bank in 1995. He became a Wanted Fugitive on the run. We Winstons fed him, gave him a nice warm bed to sleep in, and clothed him. We hid him for three months, until his guilty conscience settled in, and he turned himself to police. He is still in prison.



“You should have shown me the same kindness that we showed to Robert,” I said, with a nasty sneer. “You should have paid it forward,” I hissed.



Marge said,”You Winstons may not care about getting into trouble, but we do.”



Tommy nodded in agreement.



I looked at Marge and Tommy in disgust. I took a cab and went back to my house. I paid the driver.



Mom asked, “Back so soon?” Her eyes registered surprise.



“Yeah, it didn’t really work out,” I said, simply. I couldn’t believe how Marge and Tommy had treated me.

 

[Science Freak]

This is madness!

:hysterical: Why is this madness?:lol:

 

[Karice]

Part 12

Ignore this post. I uploaded a new part, and it ended up looking like trash.... I will have to try again later...

 

[Karice]

Part 12

Mom wrapped her arms around me. “You wanna go surrender to the police with Mark?” She asked me, sympathetically.



I numbly nodded.



“But no, not yet!” I said, suddenly. “I have to talk to Mark first before I surrender!”



Mom agreed. She called Mark, and Mark was able to come in half an hour.



When Mark showed up, he and Dad (who had been sleeping but was now awake) chatted with Mom and me.



“Dave, this is a very important decision. You’re about to go to the end of the line on this. Are you ready?” Mark asked me.



I swallowed. “No,” I said. I changed my mind. I wasn’t ready to go turn myself in.



Mark told me it would be better if I surrendered to the police. Mom and Dad agreed.



I took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready to go surrender,” I said, reluctantly.



Mom, Dad, Ryan, Mark, and I all climbed into Mom’s car. We began to drive to Sarasota Police Station.



Mom, Dad, Ryan, I love you all,” I said, tearfully. “I’m truly sorry for my recent behavior,” I said, heartfelt.


Mom reached over at a stop and gave me a hug. “We love you too,” she said, tearfully. Dad and Ryan agreed.



All of a sudden, I screamed, “I’m not ready to go to jail yet! Turn back around!”



Mom pulled the car over and Dad said, “Dave, you have to do this. You don’t want to be looking over your shoulder anymore.”



“All I “have” to do is stay White and die,” I said, crossly.



Dad gave me a cross look. “You got yourself into this mess, Dave. Now, you have to get yourself out of this mess,” Dad said, fed up.


I took a deep sigh. "Okay," I said, reluctantly. "We can keep going to the police station."



Mom kept driving towards the police station. When we were in front of the police station, my heart was beating extra hard and my blood was racing. I wanted to turn around and go back home, but I knew Dad wouldn't let me. Besides, I had Criminal Defense Attorney Mark Erikson at my side. A quick prayer was prayed for me, and then we all went in.



We walked up to the front desk. "Hi, I'm Dave Winston, and I'm here to tun myself in," I said to the receptionist.



The receptionist called a Police Officer over to the front desk.



My knees begun to buckle.



"Dave Winston?" he repeated, looking at me in surprised shock.



"Yes, " I said, reluctantly. "I'm here to turn myself in."



The Police Officer said," Come follow me." He led me to a "booking" room. he took my fingerprints, and my mugshot. For my mugshot, I tried to look extra serious, but I ended up looking slightly relieved. Not running took a huge burden off of my shoulders.



After that, I was led to an interrogation room, along with Mark. Two other cops were going to be interrogating me. One cop was giving me a cold, hard stare, and the other was giving me a sympathetic, emphatic look. Ah! The Good Cop/Bad Cop. I had seen this on many crime shows.



Mark told me not to fall for any tricks. My rights were read.



The first question was, "What is your name and date of birth?" I answered, "Dave Winston, August 12th, 1988. I was asked for my social security number, and I told it.



The second question was, "Do you know we found evidence that you hacked into Marhsall Johnson Academy's school computer?" The "Bad" cop asked, threateningly. "You can go to jail, based on that."



Mark told me, "Don't answer that. It's a noted trick." I turned to the cops and said nothing.



The "Good" cop said in a "nice" tone, "We will let you go home right now if you confess to the crime. You can go back home and sleep in your warm bed."



Mark said, "That's a noted trick too. Don't fall for that. The cops have no power to let you go after you confess. In fact, it WILL be worse if you confess."



I turned back to the officers, and stared at them blankly.

The “Bad” cop got in my face and screamed, “Confess to the crime now, or I’ll throw your ass in jail for non-cooperation!”


Mark said, “You are not allowed to threat Dave like that.”



The “Bad” cop relented with a nasty sigh. “Whatever. We have your confession on tape already. We know you hacked into the computer,” he said, off-handedly.



“Don’t answer that,” Mark said.



I gave them a tight lipped, cold stare. Dean Riley didn’t have any recorders in his office. I doubted the police did either.



The “Good” cop said, “Confession is good for the soul. It will help ease your guilt.”



Mark said, “Don’t fall for that. He’s an actor.




I gave another tight-lipped smile and said nothing.



“We know you used to be a Cocaine addict, Dave,” the “Bad” cop said. We can arrest you on that if you don’t confess.”



I was caught off-guard. How’d they know about my Cocaine addiction?



“Keep silent,” Mark said.



“Dean Riley told us all about it,” the “Bad” cop said, silkily.



The “Good” cop said, “We can get your Cocaine addiction off your record if you just confess.”



“Dave, don’t confess to that. If you do, you risk getting three charges,” Mark said.



The “Bad” cop got angry and hollered at me. “Just confess to the stinkin’ crime. We already know that you did it, and we don’t have all freakin’ day, you know?”



The “Good” cop said, “Steve, relax. Dave is just a scared 16 year old boy. Give him some slack.” To me, he said, “Anyone could get caught up in a Cocaine addiction. Going to an exclusive private school and working extra hard in that school. It was just a lapse of good judgment, am I right?” He smiled at me.



Mark said, “Don’t fall for it, Dave! Keep silent!”



I kept my mouth extra shut.



“Is Dave free to go?” Mark asked.



“No, not yet,” Steve said. “Johnson Academy has visual tape of someone who looks like Dave hacking the school computer.”



HA! I laughed in my mind. The old computer room didn’t have any cameras. It was so technically behind, that the computer I hacked into was running on DOS! Kind of scary though that school records were held in a Disk Operating System computer. DOS is kind of like BETA (a video showing system that came out BEFORE VCR’s, so it’s REALLY old).



“Care to explain that?” Steve asked.



“Mark said, “Do not answer that, Dave!”



I just stayed mute.



“Look, this interrogation is going nowhere. Give Dave a court date and let him go home,” Mark said to the cops.



Steve and Larry stared at each other.



“You know, we have to jail Dave for evading the police,” Steve said.



I put my hands out in surrender. Steve handcuffed me.



“Let him at least say goodbye for now to his family,” Mark said.



The cops reluctantly allowed me to say goodbye to my family.



Mom burst into uncontrollable tears. “Bye, Dave. We’ll come visit you.” She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.



Dad and Ryan hugged me goodbye and sadly said, “Bye.”



“Bye,” I told all three of them. To Mark, I said, “Thanks for helping me.”



“You’re welcome,” Mark said.



I was led into a jail cell with tough looking guys.


I sat in a corner of a bench and begun to stare miserably.



I could be in jail for an infinite number if time for running from the police!



What had I gotten myself into? I was sitting in jail for 2 hours, when the police said I could call anyone I wanted to. I decided to call Mom. I did. When Mom picked up, I cried emotionally. "Mom, come get me, Come pick me up. I don't want to stay anymore," I said, tearfully.



Mom cried too. "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm sorry. I wish I could, but I can't. Oh, I wish you hadn't run from police and hacked into the computer."



I felt like crap making Mom cry. I think I'm officially the Black Sheep of the family.



"Mom, don't cry, you still have Ryan, he's still free," I begged her, sadly.



"Ryan can't replace you," Mom said, mournfully.



That coming from Mom really touched me in my core. Mom really loved me, and she cared about me so much. She didn't deserve what I did to her.



"Mom, I'm so sorry," I told her, huskily.



"It's okay, Dave," Mom said, and I knew she was in denial. It was NOT okay, and she just didn't want to make me feel even worse. My life was going down in a downward spiral.



After hanging up with Mom, I went back to my cell and was locked in again. I decided to open up to God. I decided to pray. "God, please ease my mother's pain. Please ease her sorrow. Please make her joyful. I love her a lot, and would appreciate it. In the name of Jesus, Amen," I prayed.



Adrian, one of the other prisoners and one of my cellmates said, "That's really deep. Believing in God and stuff." He seemed intrigued.



I blushed a bit. "Yeah, I'm a Christian," I said, shyly.



Adrian said, "I'm not really a Christian, but it seems it would be fun to have someone watch over me, and protect me."



"Yeah, it is. It's great fun having someone protecting me," I said.



Adrian smiled at me. "So, what are you in for?" He asked me casually.



For all I knew, Adrian could be a police informant. He could be pumping information out of me for a deal for himself.



"My lawyer told me not to tell anyone what I'm in jail for," I lied.



"Oh," Adrian said. "I'm in jail for pulling a knife on a guy who was hitting on my woman. That bitch backed off," he said, proudly.



"Don't you have a lawyer?" I asked him, incredulous.



"No. I can't afford one," he said, off-handedly.



"They can appoint you a lawyer," I said. "It's your right. It's the 6th Amendment."



"I'll look into it. Thanks," Adrian said, giving me a grateful smile.




"You're welcome," I said.



I was well on my way to spending my first night in jail. We ate dinner in the mess hall. I was given gruel to eat. Gruel was oatmeal mixed with water. Not even milk. My stomach was grumbling with the want of Mom's good cooking. The gruel was kind of nasty! I forced it down. I looked around. Jail was kind of like Marshall Johnson Academy. All boys and the same uniform. Except in Johnson, I got to sleep in a comfortable dorm bed. Here, I got to sleep in a rock hard bed.



After dinner, all of we jail inmates had to shower together. I guess this was like showering in the locker room with the boys at Johnson. After P.E., classes last year, all we guys would shower together. It was no big deal. Here, in jail, it seemed the same way. Just weird, since I didn't know any of these guys.




After showering, it was back to the cell for lights out. I said another prayer before bed, for God to watch over me and my family. In a few minutes, the sliding doors closed with a loud CLINK! Damn, that sound is scary as hell! I went to sleep a few minutes later, however.



When I woke up in the morning, two other people were there that I didn't recognize. They had come in during the middle of the night.



There names were Timmy and Corey. They were friends who hijacked a car together.



"Hey, aren't you Dave Winston?" Timmy said, looking at me in awed surprise. "You were on United States Most Wanted!: He exclaimed, excitedly.



Corey looked at me in awed surprise too. "He DOES look a lot like Dave Winston. I think it's him."



I blushed, but didn't answer.



Timmy called a jail guard over. The jail guard spoke to him through a locked sliding door.



"What's that guy's name over there?" Timmy pointed over to me.



The guard looked at me. "Dave Winston."



Timmy and Corey squealed like excited little girls. "You're like a legend," Timmy said, excitedly. "You hacked into a school computer and gave the cops the slip for over a month!"



I said, "Hi," but didn't confess to the crime. Soon, we had to all shower again. I suddenly had to go pee. I begun to "dance."



I couldn't hold it in anymore and peed right there in the shower.



"Eew gross," another inmate said, disgusted, as my pee went under his feet. I laughed to myself mentally.



Soon, the water washed away my pee, and we continued showering.



After showering, we dried off and put on new orange jumpsuits. We ate breakfast. This time, it was eggs and breakfast. Like a real breakfast. It was yummy. I got to put butter and syrup on my pancakes.



"Hey, Ryan, how do you like your food?" I said to Adrian, barely thinking.



"My name is Adrian," he said.



"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "Your name almost sounds like my brother Ryan." I missed Ryan a lot, which was obvious.



It's okay," Adrian said. "I like my food fine," he said.



"My food tastes yummy too," I said, smiling.



After breakfast, we went back to the cell.



Timmy asked me with wide-eyed innocence, "How do you hack into a computer?"



I didn't answer him. I ignored him. He could be a police informant too for all I knew.



"Dave, I just want to know how to hack into a computer," Timmy said.



"Leave me alone, Timmy," I told him, coldly.



"Fine! What a stinkin' attitude!" Timmy yelled. Timmy looked miffed.



Corey said, "Timmy was just asking you an innocent question. You didn't have to act like that." He looked miffed too.



I ignored Corey too.



I laid down in my top bunk bed and went to morning sleep.

 

[Karice]

Part 13

When I awoke, it was bathing time again.



We went to the shower again and all showered again together.



Adrian dropped his soap by accident. He looked around nervously and apprehensively. I knew what he was thinking.



“Adrian, this ain’t prison. This is jail. You don’t have to worry about that stuff until you’re in prison,” I told him, good-naturedly.



Adrian nodded, and quickly picked up the soap and continued to shower.



I continued to shower too. I looked around and realized that some of these men were HOT! I found myself staring lustfully while they weren’t looking, then I adverted my eyes when they looked at me. I blushed hotly.



Soon, we were all finished, and we toweled off and changed into new jumpsuits.



After that, we went back to our cells. This was a minimum security jail, so we didn’t HAVE to stay in our cells all day long. We only had to be in them to go to sleep or when we were being extra punished. (Or after baths).



“So, Dave, how do you hack into a computer?” Timmy asked me again.


I stayed mute.



“How do you hack into a computer?” Timmy asked me again.

“Shut up, Timmy,” I replied.



“How do you hack into a computer?” Timmy asked relentlessly.



I walked away from him. He followed me, still asking, “How do you hack into a computer?”



I finally got very fed up. “You take a sledgehammer,” I started. Timmy was hanging on to my every word with big, eager eyes.



I continued. “You walk over to the computer and continuously whack the computer until it is nothing but a banged up crapheap!” I hissed.



“Wouldn’t that break the computer?” Timmy asked, dumbly.



“Yes, but know you know how to “hack” a computer. No need to thank me,” I said, rudely.



“You’re a bitch,” Timmy said, bitingly.



“Only a bitch would know what a bitch is,” I said, snappily.



Timmy walked away from me. We ate a lunch of Chicken Goulash and had water. After lunch, we got to play basketball. I was bad at basketball and when I tried to throw the basketball into the net, it hit the backboard and landed on my face. OUCH! It hurt excruciatingly. I thought I was going to pass out. I also wanted to cry. I could actually feel the tears coming out of my eyes.


I ran back to my cell and the jail guard opened it up and I cried in private and wiped my eyes afterward.



I splashed some water in my face so that I wouldn’t look like I had been crying.



After the basketball game, I pretended to be asleep, and I turned my head toward the wall.



I heard Timmy say, “All Dave does is sleep,” with a sneering tone, “When he’s not belittling me,” he continued.



Corey said, “Well, you DID keep persistently asking him the same question. Maybe Dave isn’t into sharing his criminal deeds.”



Adrian said, “Dave seems pretty nice, the way I see it.”



“Why don’t you just marry him,” Timmy snorted.



Adrian said, “Now, don’t you get all snippy with me. You’re the one who kept barraging him with the same question.”



“All I wanted to know was how to hack into a computer,” Timmy said. “He didn’t have to jump down my throat.”



"Dave doesn't even know you. Why would he discuss his criminal deeds with you?" Adrian reasoned.



Timmy said,"You've got a good point there. When Dave wakes up, I'll apologize to him."



Hmm, Adrian didn't know me, and he told me about his criminal deed, I thought.



I went to real sleep soon after.



When I awoke, Timmy looked at me apologetic.



"Dave, I'm sorry for asking you the same question over and over," Timmy said. He did look remorseful.



"Apology accepted." I told him.



He smiled at me.



I got down from the bunk.



I looked around the cell. I had three cellmates, Timmy, Corey, and Adrian. We had all done criminal deeds. We were all scumbags.



I smiled guiltily at the thought. I let my mind wander. I begun to think about Max. I missed Max a lot. I begun to think guiltily about all the times we lied in bed, making out, and the warm feeling I felt inside when Max stared at me with love in his eyes.


I blushed happily when I remembered Max making love to me. It was one of the best nights in my life, the day I gave me virginity to Max. It was also the same night I kicked my cocaine addiction forever.



I wanted to be in Max's arms right now. I wanted to feel his soft lips on mine.



Damn, I wanted Max so badly. I wanted to be able to go home to him.

I wondered when my name would be called. I thought my name should have been called by now to see if I could get out.



In two hours, my name was called, and Mark stood outside of the cello. I got to talk to him in private in another room.



“Hi, Dave,” he said, smiling at me.



“Hi, Mr. Erickson,” I said to him.



I smiled at him, extremely happy. Maybe I’d get to leave jail!



We soon went to the courthouse. Mark said, “Let me do all the talking.” He took me to a judge. Mark said, “I’m Criminal Defense Attorney Mark Erickson. Here is my client, Dave Winston, the Wanted fugitive for the computer hacking and the police evasion. He’s already turned himself in to the police, but we want a court date for him.”



The judge, an older man in his 50’s, with a round face and caring blue eyes and white hair, looked at me thoroughly. “We’ve been a busy little boy, haven’t we?” He quipped.



I blushed.



“This is your first offense, is it not?” The judge asked.



Mark had told me let him do all the talking. I heeded his advice. He knew all about law, not me. I didn’t even know what a plea bargain was before this mess.



“Yes, it’s his first offense,” Mark said.



The judge took my information down. He ran it through a computer.



After that, the judge gave me a court date. November 20th.

After that, I had to go back to the jail.


Mark told me, “Don’t discuss your case or your court date with anybody in the jail. Don’t tell anyone what you’re accused of. They could be police informants.”

I felt the urge to confess something to mark.


“You know, I’m guilty. I hacked into the school computer,” I told him reluctantly. I needed to tell him the truth.


Mark said, “You still have your rights, and I’m going to do my best to see you out of this mess.”


We were in a private room as he told me this.


After talking, I was searched by the guards and led back to the cell. I was hoping that the other three would all be playing in the yard, but all three of them were there. Shi….!” I just wanted to be alone.


Timmy, of course, asked me what happened at court.


“I plead the fifth,” I told him, politely.


“Okay,” Timmy said.


I lied down on my bunk and pretended to sleep again.


Timmy said, “There goes Dave, sleeping again. What a lazy person.”


Adrian said, “He seems like a cool guy. He gave me really sound advice on my rights and lawyers.” Adrian seemed happy.

I drifted off to real sleep soon.


When I awoke, a jail guard told me that I had three visitors. I knew that they were Mom, Dad, and Ryan. I smiled at the guard. He smiled back.


I had to talk to my family through a glass window. I kind of felt bad, because I wanted them to hold me.


Mom looked at me with love in her eyes, and sadness.




“Dave, we miss you. We want you back home. We wish we could pick you up you up and take you home with us, but we can’t.” Mom sounded devastated.


“Mom,” I said, choking on my sadness and regret. “I want to come home too.”


Mom asked, “How have you been doing? Are you eating well?”


I smiled wryly. “All I basically do is sleep around here. Soon, they are going to send me to the Sleeper’s cell. I eat three meals a day, and drink lots of water. So I’m eating well,” I answered her.



Mom smiled at me, with a watery smile. “When is your release date?” She asked.




“I don’t have one yet,” I told her. “But, I do have a court date. November 20th, I told her.


“We’ll be there,” Mom promised.


After chatting with Mom, I got to speak with Ryan and Dad. They basically told me that they loved me and missed me.


I wanted to hug all of them, but I wasn’t allowed to have physical contact with them. I saw sadness in their eyes. Their sadness mirrored mine. I wanted to break out of jail, but breaking out of jail equaled even more time in the slammer.


After the visit, I went back to my cell. I was miserable.


I cried softly to myself, and then washed my face again so I wouldn’t look like I had been crying.

Adrian later came up to me and looked at me with sad eyes.


“I miss Alicia,” He told me sadly. “I wish I could be with her now. I shouldn’t have pulled the knife on that guy. I love Alicia, you know?”


“It’ll be all right,” I told him, uncertainly. “Bitch, you don’t even know if it’s going to be all right for yourself, Dave a nasty voice told me.


“Tell me about Marshall Johnson. I need some sort of release,” Adrian said, pleadingly.


I looked at Adrian’s eyes and saw need and despair in them I took a deep breath and obliged.


“In Marshall Johnson, it is an extremely great place. It’s a fabulous place. You can see the sun, day or night. That place is paradise on Earth. Everyone has a smile on his face and you cane eat as much as you want, and not gain any weight, because all of the food is tasty, decadent, low-fat food.”


Adrian was hanging on to my every word. I could see the excitement in his eyes. He was smiling a little.


“What else, Dave?” Adrian asked me.


“At Johnson, we get the hottest singer celebrities, like the time Sierra sang her hit song, “One Two Three,” and the other time that Double M sang his hit, “The Real Skinny Shady.” The whole student body was rocking to these songs.



Then, after the songs, we students got to go to Disney World! We went on The Tower of terror, Space Mountain, Tomorrow Land, Big Thunder, and other rides and attractions. We had such fun that day.


After that, we went to Universal Studios, and got to ride King Kong. The flames were so HOT, but they were a while away.


We had fun in Orlando. We even got to go to Wet And Wild, and I got to splash in all of the water attractions. What a fun two days those were in Orlando!” I smiled widely at Adrian.


Adrian said, “Gosh, Marshall Johnson seems like such a fun place to be at.” He smiled wistfully.


“It is. Marshall Johnson is a great school,” I told him.


Adrian looked at me with an uncomfortable question in his eyes.

“What is it, Adrian?” I asked. “You can ask me,” I said.


Adrian looked at me, and he was looking really uncomfortable now.


“I don’t really know if it’s my business to ask, but if Johnson’s so great, why did you give it up and come here?” Adrian asked, reluctantly.


“I made a mistake,” I said, holding myself off a bit. I was still wondering if Adrian was a police informant.


“Okay,” Adrian said. Adrian looked like he wanted me to tell him more, but knew I wouldn’t.


Soon, Adrian drifted off to sleep.

 

[Karice]

Part 14

I went to the yard. I actually didn't go to sleep. Are you surprised? Wink wink.


I sat on a bench and just thought about jail life. I was stuck here for God knows how long, for letting my revengeful emotions take over me.


Soon, I went back to the cell.


I went to my bunk, but didn't sleep.


Timmy said, "Hey, Dave finally is actually awake!" He smiled, wryly.


Corey said, "I wish I could sleep like Dave all I wanted." he seemed rueful.


"Uh, you can, Corey," I thought.


Adrian said, "I want to hear more stories." He looked eager.


"What do you mean "stories"? Timmy asked.


"Dave is an amazing storyteller. Dave has amazing stories of Marshall Johnson," Adrian said, happily.


Adrian, Corey, and Timmy looked at me with wide, eager eyes.


"I want to hear a story," Timmy said. "Me too, Dave," Corey said.



I blushed.


I begun to tell them more outright lies. "In Johnson, we once had a Code Red. A fugitive on the run from police for robbing banks ran to Johnson to hide out. The police found him, and we were about to take him, when he grabbed poor Jason and put a gun to his head and threatened to shoot Jason if the police didn't let go free. Jason begun to cry, and I could see the pure fear in Jason's eyes. Poor Jason, he was just minding his own business and didn't deserve to be hostage. He was freaked out.


The fugitive said that these would be Jason's last few minutes on Earth if the police didn't leave him alone. "Please God, help me," Jason moaned, scared.


The police had no choice but to let the fugitive go free. The police roughly pushed Jason away from himself and Jason trembled uncontrollably. It was hell for a 16 year old to think he was about to meet God. Jason was consolled by some professors. The fugitive ran out of Johnson, with the police hot on his trails. He was soon caught and put in jail.


I said, "I'm finished." Everyone looked at me, enthralled.


"Wow," Adrian said, softly.


Timmy and Corey both said, "Tell us more." All three were smiling widely.


I made up another story. "There was once a Prince who came from Adersen Castle to in England. He was dressed like a chimney sweeper, trying to look as poor as dirt, and he really did look like a Pauper/Chimney Sweeper. But, we found out he was a Prince anyway, when he accidentally dropped his ID and we saw his name. He dressed like a Pauper to avoid "fake friends". We didn't blame him at all. We treated him like a regular person and became his real friends. Though he enjoyed having us as real friends, he went back to England a few months later."


The three were still enthralled, and I made up even more outright lies, and had a very captive audience. My audience of three was soaking up my Lie stories like bread with olive oil.


I loved the good attention I was getting.


The next day, my Lie stories had spread throughout the jail. My Lie stories were a HUGE hit. Even the worst inmates tried their best to be good so that they could hear my Lie stories of Johnson. My Lie stories became reward for Good Behavior.


I felt popular.


Over the next few days, my stories were a constant demand. "The Stories That Dave Tells," became a hot commodity around the jail. Even the jail guards were fascinated by how good the inmates were behaving just to hear my Lie stories.


Soon, it was time for my next court date. It was November 20th.


I got to put on my street clothes that i came in with to the jail. A blue T-shirt and blue jeans. I combed my hair and tried to look as good as possible.


I quickly prayed before I went to the court.


Mark came with me to the court. My court was scheduled at 9:30 AM, so I showed up at 9:00 AM. The judge was impressed by how early I had come.


Mom, Dad, and Ryan had come to my court case. I smiled and waved at them.


They did the same thing to me.


I chatted with them for a while, and Mom said, "We're here for you, Dave. Dad and Ryan agreed.



When court started, the judge siad, "Dave Alexander winston, we found matching your fingerprints on the school computer at Johnson. He showed me my fingerprints on the computer. "How do you plead?"


"Guilty, your Honor," I said, humbly.


"I sentence you to 8 months in Sarasota Jail, for police evasion and hacking into the Johnson computer. It would have been 10 months, but you surrendered yourself to the police soon after," the judge said, firmly.


Mark said, "The computer that my client hacked into was a Disk Operating System, a computer operationg system that's been obsolete since the 90's. I move that my client be given a far less punishment."


The judge took this into consideration and said, "Being that you hacked into a computer system that isn't supposed to be in the school anymore, I will reduce your sentence to 10 days, starting today." He banged his gavel.


My family cheered for me. I could have gone to jail for 8 months! Mark saved my ass good!


I thnaked Mark, and he welcomed me. My family was happy, but sad that I wouldn't get out of jail until November 30th, and would miss Thanksgiving dinner.


"Save me soom good Thanksgiving Dinner," I told Mom wryly.


"We will," Mom said, watery.


After a little while, I was searched and put back in my jail cell. I didn't talk to anyone about my release date.


I smiled whenever I thought of November 30th.


"I want to hear another story," Corey said, smiling at me. "Me too," Adrian said. "Me three," Timmy said.


I made up a HUGE lie about Johnson.


"On September 10th, 2003, we had both a Tornado and a Hurricane at the same time.



We were scared to death, and we realized that we all had to go into a cramped basement until both of the disasters passed. 1,200 people all had to go into this basement.


I looked around in horror. "Where is Rick Sitton?" I asked.


"Oh no, he is not here," Randy said. He looked panicked.


"I'm going to go get him. he's still outside, and is in danger." I said.


"No, Dave, it's too risky to do that," Dean Riley said.


"No! I'm not going to sit here knowing that Rick is going to die! I'm going to save him!" I said, decisively.


I got out of the basement, and looked for Rick. I saw the Tornado coming rapidly in the distance. The Hurricane was near, and the winds and the rain were pushing me back, but I hurtled forward and went to Rick's dorm. I found him cowering in fear in his dorm.


"Come on Rick. I'm taking you to the basement where you can be safe," I said to him.


Rick reluctantly held on to me, and I begun to lead him to the basement.


The tornado was only about 200 feet away from us, so we had to run.


Rick was incredibly weak and frail. "Just leave me here. I don't have the strength to run anymore. Let the Tornado and the Hurricane take me. Save yourself, Dave," he choked out.


"No!" I screamed emotionally at Rick. "Hop on my back, and I'll give you a Piggyback ride to the basement. " The Tornado was now only 100 feet away from us, and the Hurricane rains and winds were devastatingly hard.


Rick hopped on my back and I ran, holding Rick on my back the whole time.


We went to the basement just in time, as the Tornado and the Hurricane came just 20 seconds later.


Rick thanked me for saving his life. I weclomed him and everyone called me a hero.


It was crowded in the basement, as 1,200 people were there. It was uncomfortable, but we survived.


In a few hours, the All-clear alert was given out over the portable radio, and we got out.


Johnson looked like sh.... after two simultaneous disasters.


There were grown teenage boys crying, as their dorms had been destroyed. Johnson looked like a post-Apocalypse world.


We had to sleep in and attend Ellerson Academy, our Sister All Girls School, not too far away, while Johnson was rebuilt and cleaned up. Two months later, Johnson was incredibly rebuilt, cleaned up, and back to normal. We were allowed back to Johnson. I'm finished," I said.


I smiled at my captivated audience.


"Wow!" Adrian said again.


Timmy said, "You were truly a hero!"


Corey said, "You should have gotten a medal for saving Rick!"


I blushed, knowing that the Tornado/hurricane story was a complete lie.

Soon, the Tornado/Hurricane story spread throughout the entire jail cell, and everyone thought I was a hero. I was treated really well, under false pretenses.



I was making more outrageous Lie Stories about things that happened at Johnson when Kenny, a new jail inmate said, “I went to Marshall Johnson Academy, and Dave is telling complete lies. Those stories never happened.”


I remembered Kenny, who was 18, and a recent Johnson Academy graduate.


“You actually believed that both a Tornado and a Hurricane hit the same place at the same time?” Kenny chastised scornfully. “Dave was lying the whole time, and is still lying.”



Adrian, Timmy, and Corey looked at me with questioning eyes.



Timmy asked, “Were those stories you told us true?”


I blushed and decided it was time to tell the truth.



“No. They were complete lies,” I said, reluctantly. “They were just for entertainment.”


Timmy, Adrian, and Corey looked betrayed.


“You are a Fu…..ing liar!” Timmy lashed out at me.


“Look, it was just for fun. I NEVER said that they were Honest-To-Goodness true stories,” I defended myself.


“You let us think you were a Hero, and you let us undeservingly treat you like one,” Timmy said, disgusted.


“It was fun being treated like a Hero,” I lamented.


Adrian and Corey turned away from me, angrily.


Timmy gave me the death stare.


“Okay, it was wrong to lead you three on like that,” I admitted.


“Three?” Corey hissed at me. “Try the whole jail!”


I felt bad.


Soon, the truth about my Lie Stories spread throughout the jail, and everyone was disgusted with me.


Damn, solitary confinement sounded good to me right now. Almost all day in alone lockup. (Except for one hour a day out of the cell).


“I was just trying to add entertainment to a bleak cellmate. I didn’t expect my lies to grow this big. I’m sorry,” I apologized.


Kenny said, “True, your stories were lies, but you HAVE saved some lives, for real.” He smiled a bit.


Corey, Timmy, and Adrian all turned to Kenny. “He has?” Adrian asked.


“Yes. He saved George, from drowning in the school pool, he rescued Jack, from a suicide attempt, he called ambulance on Rob, who had fallen off of a third story roof, and he called ambulance on Johnny, a boy who’d been pushed by another boy, resulting Johnny’s head trauma. So, he really is a hero.” Kenny said.


I blushed. ‘It’s the truth, I promise,” I told the three boys. They believed me.


My real heroic deeds sped through the cell as well, and my good name was restored.


I couldn’t wait until November 30th, when I would be released. It was now November 22nd.

I wondered what would happen when I got released. Would I be able to come back to Johnson?



Would I have to go back to public school? I didn’t know what to think.


Mom, Dad, and Ryan got to see me again. I told them about November 30th again, and they all said they couldn’t wait.



Mom cried when she told me I’d be in jail for Thanksgiving.



I felt even worse. Mom promised she would bring me and my cellmates some Thanksgiving dinner. It wouldn’t be the same, however.



After the visit, I went back to the cell. Adrian asked me, innocently, “Are there any gays in Johnson Academy? Being that it’s an all-boy school?”



I didn’t know how to answer Adrian.



“Adrian, how do you feel about gays?” I asked. Maybe he was a Homophobic or a Gay-basher.



“I’m okay with gays,” Adrian said.



“Yes, there are gay boys in Johnson Academy,” I answered him.


“Are you gay, Dave? Adrian asked quietly, like a mouse.



“What was that?” I asked him, clearly hearing his question.



“Nothing,” Adrian said, reluctantly.



I didn’t know if I should be telling Adrian that I was gay. I’d probably get beat up for being gay by other cellmates or by my own cellmates.



Adrian got a visit himself from his girlfriend, Alicia. Alicia was pretty, with beautiful olive skin, wavy chestnut hair, and milk chocolate brown eyes.



Her eyes held sadness as she looked at Adrian. It was torturing her to see the love of her life in jail.



“Oh, Adrian, I wish you hadn’t pulled the knife on Clayton. I could sleep with you tonight in our warm bed.” She cried.



Adrian looked sad himself. He looked full of torture.



“I’m sorry, Alicia,” he said.



They chatted for a while. After Alicia’s visit, Adrian and I went back to the cell.



Adrian said, ‘You know, I’m an idiot. Now Clayton can flirt on Alicia all he wants to, and I can’t do sh…. about it, since I’m locked up. I’m a fu…..ing idiot!” He cursed himself angrily.



I looked at him sympathetically. “I know what it’s like to make a mistake. I made a HUGE mistake myself. I went looking for revenge, and I got it, but at the cost of my own freedom. The guy I did the revenge to is still free. I’m an idiot too.” I smiled mirthlessly.



“What did you do?” Adrian asked me.



I immediately stiffened. I was still wondering if Adrian was a police informant.



“I’d rather not discuss my criminal deed,” I said, curtly.



Adrian said, ‘You know, you should give a more little trust. Having anti-trust of everyone is not always a good thing.”



“You could be a police informant for all I know!” I blurted out.



Adrian looked taken aback. “You think I’m a police informant?” he asked, indignant. “I’m not a police informant!”



“So, if the jail guard says, “I will give you time off if you discuss Dave Winston’s criminal deed with me, you would just pass it up?” I asked, skeptically.



“Yes, I would. I’m not ratting out anyone for time off,” Adrian said. Adrian looked honest, but I wasn’t sure.



“Adrian, I’d rather not discuss my criminal deed with anyone. My lawyer told me not to,” I defended myself.



Adrian gave a deep sigh. “All right Dave,” he said.



Adrian went to the yard. A jail guard told me, “If you tell me what your cellmate Adrian is in jail for, I will give you a lesser sentence than your 10 days,” he promised. “I will give you only five days.”



Five days out of 10 days sounded good, but if I told the jail guard Adrian’s criminal deed, I’d be the police informant.



“I don’t know what Adrian is in for,” I lied.



“So, he’s your cellmate and you two don’t talk?” The guard asked me, provokingly.



“We don’t discuss criminal deeds,” I said, curtly.



“Why are you protecting Adrian? He’s not your friend. He’d turn on you in an instant if he could get less time than he was sentenced to.



“I don’t know what Adrian is in for,” I said, curtly again.



The guard looked frustrated. “Dave didn’t take the bait,” he said to himself aloud. He left.



Later, we went to lunch.

We were eating Turkey sandwiches when Billy went up to Caleb and stabbed him with a homemade knife in the leg for being a police informant against him. He pulled the knife out.


Caleb moaned in pain and fear as blood came rushing out of his body.


The mess hall was panicked, and inmates were running around like Chickens with their heads cut off.


“Everybody, calm the fu… down!” I screamed, loudly. I knew that the most important thing was to stop Caleb’s bleeding.


I took off my jumpsuit and ripped off the legs part of it and wrapped it around Caleb’s leg. I wrapped it around Caleb’s leg very tight, so that his bleeding would be restricted.


“Ouch!” Caleb complained in pain. “Dave you wrapped it too tight! I’m losing circulation!”


I snapped at him, “Do you wanna die?”


“No,” Caleb said.


“Then SHUT UP!” I hollered at him. This was his own fault for being a damned police informant for his own selfish time off. And, he didn’t even get the time off deal! What a dumbass!


I could see Caleb’s face getting even more contorted as he was in serious pain, from the wound and the tight wrapping.


I loosened up the fabric enough so that the blood was still restricted, but was comfortable on Caleb. Caleb looked a little more relieved.


I told Wally, one of the guards to call the ambulance. He did, and the paramedics rushed to the jail and put Caleb on a stretcher and Caleb said, “Thanks for saving my life, Dave.” He smiled at me gratefully.


I welcomed him, and the ambulance soon drove off with Caleb.


Billy was put in Solitary Confinement.


After the incident, we finished lunch.



We went back to the jail cells.



I was treated like a real hero in my cell.


I felt a little proud.



Mom later came over again, with Dad and Ryan. And Derek!


Derek came to visit me! I smiled at all four of them.


Derek said, “How have you been doing, Dave?” He smiled at me.

“Quiet,” I said, smiling wryly.


“Good. Stick to your own business and you won’t have any trouble,” Derek said.


“Thanks for the tip,” Derek,” I said.


“You’re welcome,” he said.


Ryan said, “On November 30th, we’ll throw a big party for you. We won’t treat you like a criminal. “He gave me a deep look. “We’ll still see you the way you were before you became a fugitive.”


Mom said that she would try her best to get me back into Johnson.


Dad backed her up.


I told them thanks and soon the visit was over.


That night, I saw Billy crawling out of a hole in SC to go to freedom.


I could have called Wally to drag Billy back, but I’d be a police informant if I did that. I kept my mouth shut and allowed Billy to crawl out to freedom.


I went back to sleep.


In the morning, we were awoken loudly by Wally and the other jail guards.


“Billy’s gone missing!” Wally said. “Start the search!” Wally barked at the other guards.


They searched for Billy for a while, but no such luck. We were asked if we knew that Billy was planning on escaping and or if we knew that Billy had escaped during the night.


Adrian, Corey, and Timmy all said, “No.” I said, “I was asleep.”


It was now November 23rd, and we ate breakfast of Gruel. We were told that we were eating Gruel because Billy escaped. No tasty food for us this morning.



These jail guards were BITCHES! Why should we have to eat Gruel because Billy broke out? That wasn’t our faults or our problems.


We had to force down the food.


The guards tripled their efforts, and Billy was brought back the same day. He tried to attack the guards and run to freedom, but they tased him, and he fell, limp, to the ground, no fight left in him. The guards picked him up and put him back in the Solitary Confinement cell and closed up the hole.


“Wow,” was all I could say.


Each jail cell was checked for any holes, and any holes that were found were closed up.


We ate dinner and showered again. We went to sleep.


When we awoke the next morning, it was November 24th. Just six days left to go! I thought, happily.


Mom visited me again later, and asked me if there was anything I wanted from home. She said that she would bring it for me.


Barely even thinking, I said, “I want my Dreamboat Annie CD. That’s what I truly want.”



Dreamboat Annie by Heart is my prized possession.


Mom smiled at me, and we chatted for a long while, and then she left.


She came back with my Dreamboat Annie album and gave me a HUGE smile.


“Dreamboat Annie!” I squealed happily, with shiny, happy eyes. “Thank you, Mom!” I told her, happily.


Mom welcomed me, but had to give it to Wally to give to me. He did. I hugged the CD close to myself.


After chatting for a long while, Mom left, and I got to play Dreamboat Annie on the shared stereo system.


Mom and Dad wanted Ryan and I to appreciate good music, so I got Dreamboat Annie (1975) when I was five. Ryan got Abba’s Greatest Hits.


Around the house, I would sing “Sing Child Sing” whenever I was in a crappy mood to make myself better. It worked. I love all of the songs on this great record, especially Crazy On You and Magic Man. They always put me in a great rocking mood.

 

[Karice]

Part 15


“You’re gonna get down on your knees and siiing child siiiing!” I sang along to the song. I had a big, happy, smile on my face.



“You have a really good singing voice,” Adrian said, behind me.


“Adrian!” I said in shock. “I thought you were in the cell.”


Adrian smiled at me. “I think you could be a big hit with that singing voice of yours,” he said.


I blushed. “I didn’t know you were listening,” I said, shyly.



Adrian asked, “Will you sing a song for me? I like your singing voice.”


I bit my lower lip. Could singing backfire on me like the Lie Stories?


I didn’t see how singing could backfire on me. I decided to talk/sing quietly Mistral Wind by Heart for Adrian. I talk/sang, “No wind when I took the watch, my ship was still and waiting. I lay on the mirrored sky, a restless sailor, waiting. I closed my eyes, said the words of will for the gentle breathing that moves the seas, make my seas fill.


Whisper waves cloud the glass, awake at last, like a lover. It rushed around me talking sweet, roll over, roll over, roll over, and in my ear, he blew his name, it sounds so strange but I heard it plain. Mistral, mistral wind”. “Here comes the good part, Adrian,” I told him with a huge smile. Adrian was listening intently.


I suddenly belted out powerfully and emotionally, “I have always held the wheel, but I let the wind steal my power. Let it spin me around; lose my course, my nights run by like hours. Well, it would show me the way to the highest (I, Dave, changed the original word “Deepest” to “Highest,” to make more sense.) mountains. Too high and beautiful to be. Mistral, mistral wind.



All the hours on the watch. I wait for that breeze to move, move, move, move me, and blow me back to that place, magic space all through me. And I call your name across the empty water. You little crazy dreamer like me. (I changed the words slightly again. It should have been, “You made a crazy dreamer out of me, but I originally thought Ann Wilson sang, “You crazy little dreamer like me) Mistral, mistral mistral, mistral wind! Yeah, yeah yeah!” I finished, out of breath.



“The second part of the song sounds just like Led Zeppelin!” Adrian said, impressed. “How’d you learn to sing like Led Zeppelin?


I blushed. “That wasn’t Led Zeppelin. That was Ann Wilson’s singing I was embodying,” I said to him.



“Who’s Ann Wilson?” Adrian asked.


“The dark haired woman from Heart,” I said.


“Oh, she sounds like Led Zeppelin then,” Adrian said.


“Actually, Heart was influenced heavily by them,” I answered.


“I believe it,” Adrian said. “You really sing, Dave,” he said, awed.


Over the next days, I listened to my D.A album and rocked to it. It made me feel happy. On Thanksgiving, Mom gave food for me and my cellmates. Mom and I lovingly chatted, and we prayed together. After the visit, my cellmates and I hungrily devoured Mom’s cooking. It was delicious!



“Your Mom’s a good cook,” Timmy said. The other two nodded in agreement.


We had a nice Thanksgiving Day.


Over the next days, I fantasized about November 30th. I sang more songs for Adrian, and he was delighted. In turn, he taught me some Spanish.


Adrian was a Puerto Rican, and was fluent in Spanish.


I now spoke Spanish, thanks to Adrian, though he could not teach me the Spanish Accent. So, I was now speaking Spanish with an American Accent. Awkward!


Adrian was pleased by how well I spoke Spanish. I was now bilingual! I smiled t myself proudly. I thanked Adrian wholeheartedly. I also taught Adrian how to sing. I taught him to sing what he heard and what he felt. He did, and was now an excellent singer.



Timmy and I NEVER got along as well as Adrian and I did, so we just tolerated each other. Corey and I were neutral towards each other.


Soon, November 30th came up, and I was to be released from jail. The other three had no idea when I was to be released, until I was changing into my street clothes and saying “goodbye” to them and the other inmates and jail guards and the warden. They said, “Bye,” too, and I was released.


I wanted to do back flips when I left the jail. I was a free man! I served my time, and my family was outside to pick me up. I went to the car, ecstatic to be free!



My family hugged me happily, and we all prayed for thanks that I had been watched over and had been protected by God.


We went home and I took a long nap in my warm bed.

When I awoke, I was told that Marshall Johnson Academy would accept me back on one condition. I had to do every assignment that I had missed since late September. Plus, I had to do my “new” assignments.


“That’s almost 3,000 assignments!” I cried, desperately.


“Do you wanna flunk out?” Mom asked.


“No.” I said.


“You will if you don’t do all these assignments,” Mom said, firmly.


I sighed. “Okay, I will do them,” I said, reluctantly.


“Good,” Mom said. “You go back to school on December 5th.”


We had 6 fun days. We had a big party to celebrate me coming home, we went to the movies, the amusement park, and swimming. We had good quality time as a family.


On December 5th, we prayed and said our good-byes.


I was put on a plane to go to Jacksonville. After the plane ride, I got on a bus to Johnson.


I nervously walked in. “Dave!” Rodney Kelly, my closest friend said to me happily. He ran up to me and hugged me. I hugged him back.


We chatted for a little while, and then I went to my dorm. I changed into my uniform, and went to my English Class. “Dave!” Billy Alexander exclaimed, looking at me in shock.


“Dave is back from being a criminal!” Erick said, not scornfully.


“I saw you on United States Most Wanted!” Aaron said.



“Hi, I’m back,” I said.


The class begun to ask how it felt running from the law.


I blushed. “It was survival, but I turned myself in and spent time in a jail,” I said, simply. Lesson of the escapade? don't hack into computers, confess to the police, then run away from them," I advised.


The professor said, “All right, Dave Winston is back from his mishaps. Let’s focus on the class lesson.” He looked at me thoroughly.



We did some assignments. After the class, I saw Dean Riley.



“Seems my little Rebel is back from his crime escapade,” he said dryly.


“Hi, Dean Riley,” I said.



“Listen, you’re gonna have to make up EVERY assignment from September 28th that you missed, and you’re gonna have to do all of your new assignments, or you will flunk out,” Dean Riley said, solemnly. “You have until December 18th to do them.”


“That’s almost 3,000 assignments, Dean Riley! That’s impossible to make up in 13 days!” I sputtered. How could I do almost 3,000 assignments in 13 days?


“You should have thought about that BEFORE you hacked into the computer, ran from the law, and then got jailed,” Dean Riley said, coolly.


He left.


I finished my day and worked hard on all those extra assignments. I was stressing out. I was lighting a double-lit candle!


I buried myself in new assignments first, and then started on the new assignments.


I finished all of my new homework assignments for the day. I also did 50 “Old” assignments in one night. I got 30 minutes of sleep that night.



The next day, I saw Max. “Hi, Max!” I said, happily, but wearily.


“Hi, Dave,” Max said. We stared at each other for 20 seconds, and then we ended up making out passionately.


I broke the kiss, saying, “I need to study,” regretfully.


“I haven’t seen you in over 2 months,” Max pouted/complained.


“I know, I’m sorry, but I HAVE to study,” I said.


Max left, sad.


I felt bad, but I had to finish all of these assignments. From December 5-15, I worked my butt off hard, and my auto response was, “Sorry, I’ll be studying.” I stayed holed up in my room, writing reports, doing take-home tests, doing lots of homework, reading, writing, doing Mathematics, and doing lots of assignments.


I looked like a zombie. You’d look like a zombie too, if you had to do almost 3,000 assignments in 13 days. I was trying to make it 10 days. I was spreading myself thin, but I spread myself even further. No parties, no fun, no nothing. Just study, study, study.


I was under pressure! But, I kept piling more pressure on top of myself. “Gotta finish all these assignments,” I forced myself to think.


I worked even harder, and said, “I’m gonna finish all the assignments, not matter how much or how hard they are.”


I worked even harder and faster, doing more and more work, until I took a good look at the calendar! It was December 15th, and I was done with all of the “old” assignments.


I just did almost 3,000 assignments in ten days! I thought, scared and happy.


Scared because it was INHUMAN to do almost 3,000 assignments in 10 days. That was like a possessed madman to do that! Happy because I was finished with the “old” assignments. I went up to Dean Riley and handed him the "old" assignments.


Dean Riley said, “You finished all the “old” assignments in 10 days,” impressed and baffled.


“Yes I finished all of the “old assignments", plus, I have done my "new" assignments too, and have given them to my Professors, ” I said, slurring, because I was sleep-deprived.


“Go to sleep, Dave,” Dean Riley said, sympathetically.


I had been sleeping only about 20 minutes a day for the last 10 days.


I took a long nap.


At school the next day, I was told that my assignments were going to be graded over Winter Break.

“Dave’s got a bad reputation. He’s a criminal,” Stan said, behind my back. “Only criminals end up on United States Most Wanted.”


“Dave was in jail for around 13 days,” Aaron said. “What a bird.”


I pretended not to hear them. There was more chattering about how “bad” I was, and I soon got fed up with it. I now had a “bad” reputation. Okay, an even worse reputation.


I went to our talent show and decided to let out by built up frustration in a song. I sang, “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett.


I shouted/sang,

“ I don't give a damn about my reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
A guy can do what he wants to do and that's
What I'm gonna do
And I don't give a damn about my bad reputation

Oh no not me

And' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
Never said I wanted to improve my station
And I'm only doing good
When I'm having fun
And I don't have to please no one
And I don't give a damn
About my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me
I don't give a damn
About my reputation
I've never been afraid of any deviation
And I don't really care
If you think I'm strange
I ain't gonna change and I'm never gonna care about my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me



And I don't give a damn
about my reputation
The world's in trouble
There's no communication
And everyone can say
What they want to say
It never gets better anyway
So why should I care
About a bad reputation anyway
Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn about my bad reputation
You're living in the past
It's a new generation
And I only feel good
When I got no pain
And that's how I'm gonna stay
And I don't give a damn
about my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not
Not me, not me”

I sang the song loud and full of force and passion.


After the song, I heard loud applause. I felt flushed (in a good way).


I won the talent show that night.


I felt happy, and went home. I went to sleep.


The next day, I saw Ronnie. I couldn’t believe it. I felt HATRED. I wanted to kick Ronnie’s ass again. If he hadn’t cheated off of me, I would never have hacked into the computer.


Ronnie’s a bitch who deserves to burn in hell!” I thought angrily.



“Hi, Dave,” Ronnie said. “Welcome back.”


I glared at him angrily. “Fu… you Ronnie.” I answered him.


“You don’t have to get bitchy with me, Dave. I’m the one who should be mad at you,” Ronnie said. “You hacked into my school records! You got me caught!”


“Oh, boo-hoo,” I cried sarcastically. “Go cry me a river full of crocodile tears.”


Ronnie said, “Look, can’t we be friends?” He looked at me pleadingly.



I gave him the death stare. “Ronnie, I don’t want to be friends with you. Leave me alone,” I said, coldly.



“Can’t we just get along?” Ronnie begged.


“Ronnie, get a fu….ing life and get out of my face,” I snapped at him.



I coldly walked away from him.



Ronnie went to his dorm.



I did my homework and thought about Ronnie’s offer. Should I be his friend? I thought.


“No,” I answered myself. “He’s a bitch. Stay away from him.” I finished answering myself.


After a while, I went to Student Life.


I saw Ronnie. I tried to leave, but Ronnie called out my name.


I reluctantly went towards him.


Ronnie stared at me solemnly. “I asked you to be friends, but you didn’t want to. Now, I’m going to be your worst enemy.” He gave me a threatening smile.



“We were never friends before, so I don’t care if you are my enemy,” I said, coldly.



Ronnie said,” Bye, enemy.” He gave me a mirthless smile.


I left Student Life, suddenly a little chilled. Ronnie suddenly seemed so cold. “Well, he almost got expelled because of the hacking,” I thought.



I went throught the rest of my day.


When I awoke, it was time for school.



Ronnie glared at me coldly in Professor Dawes’s class.



I was still full of hatred towards Ronnie, but I was now scared of Ronnie.


“Okay, Ronnie, I’ll be your friend,” I told him, desperately.



“Too late,” Ronnie answered me, emotionless. “You should have said, “friend” when I asked you too. Now, you’ll regret it.” Ronnie smirked emptily at me.


I did my assignments for Dawes’s class, and Ronnie did his too.


After class, Ronnie gave me another cold smile. I went through my day, and then went to school the next day.



I went through half of that day. At Lunch, I saw a big poster reading, “Dave Winston is an ex-cocaine addict! He used to be a Cokehead!”


I saw people look at me suspiciously when they read the poster. I shook my head at them, implying that I was not an ex-cocaine addict.



I had a feeling that I knew who was behind this. Ronnie.


I soon saw Ronnie. “Like the poster I put up?” Ronnie asked, coldly. “I’m sure everyone would love to know about your ex-cocaine addiction.”


I was furious. “You fu…ing bitch, Ronnie! You take that poster down immeadiately!” I demanded furiously.


“Or what? You’ll go all “Ninja” on me and beat me up again?” Ronnie smirked at me. “I know that it was you who beat me up as a Ninja,” Ronnie said, coldly. “I’m going to make sure Dean Riley knows who beat me up.”


“You deserved it, bitch,” I said, coldly. “You almost got me expelled for something you did,” I continued, coldly.


Ronnie smiled evilly at me. “All you gotta do is watch your back, Dave,” he said.


Ouch. That sounded like a threat.


Ronnie left.


Ronnie had turned psycho! I thought, botherered.


The next day, I found Ronnie standing by my dorm.



He threw my Ninja outfit at me. “3260,” he said, in a sugary sweet voice. “I think Dean Riley would love to hear about your little hiding place/vault.”



I saw hate in my eyes for Ronnie. I wanted to punch his lights out.


We stared at each other coldly. I wanted to wrap the Ninja outfit around Ronnie’s neck until he choked.


“Damn, I need help,” I thought. “I seriously need anger management,” I thought, scared.


“Ronnie, let’s bury the hatchet. Let’s let bygones be bygones,” I said, compromising.


Ronnie coldly said, “No.” He went up to me and punched me on my head.


“We’re going to settle this like men,” Ronnie said. “Fight me like a man,” Ronnie said, kicking me in my shin.


“Ouch, Ronnie, stop,” I begged him.

“Why don’t you fight me the same way you beat me up the first time, punk?” Ronnie sneered. He continued to hit me.


I got fed up, but tried to walk away. I didn’t want to go to jail for fighting Ronnie.


Ronnie tackled me to the ground.



I reached up and got him off of me.



I tried to walk away again, but Ronnie roughly pulled me back.



I angrily back-kicked Ronnie in his stomach, and Ronnie staggered away in pain.


I let him go. Once again, I didn’t want to go to jail again for a fight.

 

[Karice]

Part 16! The final part!

The next day, Ronnie glared at me angrily.



“You’re gonna pay, Winston, “he said, coldly.


I felt the heebie-jeebie feeling again. Uh-oh. Whenever I felt the heebie-jeebies, something bad was going to happen.



Ronnie came up to me and said, “You are so expelled. I will tell everyone what you did to me.”



I got scared. “Ronnie, I’m sorry for beating you up.”


“Apology too late. Not accepted,” he said, coldly.


Ronnie lunged at me and then continued to pummel my face . I punched Ronnie in the chest in self-defense. Ronnie painfully gasped for air. He looked as if he were running out of oxygen. His face was turning purple. He looked ready to die.


I called an ambulance and gave him CPR. I didn’t want to be a murderer. The ambulance came over and picked Ronnie up.


In a later class, people were asking where Ronnie was.


“I don’t know, “I automatically lied.


I felt guilty for what I had done to Ronnie. Ronnie didn’t deserve to die. Sure, he had turned into a cold bitch, but that was partly my own fault. I shouldn’t have hacked into his school records, beat him up, and coldly refuse his offer of friendship.


Soon, the guilt was rotting me from the inside again. I could feel the guilt rotting my guts. I felt as it were tearing my insides apart, clawing its way into my core.


I soon broke down in tears as I confessed to beating Ronnie up, and that I was the “ninja”. I was sobbing uncontrollably as I told them what had happened earlier that day, and that I thought I might have killed Ronnie. I told them about everything.


The police were called, and I didn’t run off this time. I let the police arrest me. “Wait!” I cried desperately. “Let me at least see Ronnie in the hospital before I go to jail!”


The police escorted me to where Ronnie was in the hospital. When I saw Ronnie, he looked halfway dead. I went up to him. “Ronnie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to land you in Intensive care.” I cried uncontrollably again.


Ronnie looked pained, but at peace. “I’m sorry, Dave. I forgive you, Dave,” he said, and closed his eyes.


I hoped he wasn’t dead. I looked at the monitor. It was still moving. “Ronnie, I want to start over. I want us to be friends. I want to start over with a clean slate. No more fights, no more drama. I forgive you too, Ronnie. Please don’t die now, Ronnie, “I cried emotionally.


Ronnie said, “I’d like us to be friends too. No more fights, and I want us to start all over too. Hi, my name is Ronald Bradley,” he said, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you.”


“Hi, I’m Dave Winston, and it’s nice to meet you too,” I said, smiling.


The police told me it was time to leave.



I tearfully said, “Bye” to Ronnie, and he said, “Bye” too. The police and I left, with me still in handcuffs.

The police told me that if Ronnie died, I’d be in prison for manslaughter. I was sent to a new jail, which was a maximum security jail, and I was locked up considerably longer than I was at the minimum security jail in Sarasota. I spoke to Mom, Dad, and Ryan on the phone. They were all devastated again. Mom cried for a long time.


“My baby’s gonna be a murderer.” She cried, unhappily.


I felt like crap again. I rotted in that maximum security jail for over three days. I didn’t confess my crimes to the jail people, and kept my mouth shut. I didn’t discuss my deeds with ANYONE, thinking they might be police informants. This place was not a fun place. This maximum security jail was almost akin to prison. It was a rough place, with lots of fights and riots. I heeded Derek’s advice and minded my own business. The Sarasota jail was heaven compared to here. I prayed for Ronnie, myself, Max, and my family and friends.


Ronnie was released after the third day. I was moved to a medium security jail for beating up Ronnie in the first place. After a week, I was released on Good Behavior. I went back to Johnson.


Ronnie smiled a welcoming smile at me, and I decided to do something to show that there were no hard feelings between us. I got a tree branch, and taped two green olives to it and handed it to Ronnie, and smiled at him. “It’s a sign of peace,” I told him. “It is a makeshift olive branch.” Ronnie gracefully accepted it, and told sincerely told me “thanks.” I welcomed him. Ronnie removed the poster down from the wall. He told the other students that it was petty rumor he had started about me, and that it wasn’t true.


Ronnie said that he was sorry for cheating off my test in the first place. I told him that I forgave him.


Life was too short for us to hold grudges in our hearts, and we learned to become friends with each other.


We soon became very close friends with each other, and Ronnie and Max (With all of our parents’ permissions) came home with me for Christmas Break. We had a fun Christmas Break.


Ronnie told me that he cheated off of my test in the first place out of awe and respect. I smiled at him again.


After the break, at Johnson, Ronnie and I both wanted to forget all the drama between us. We forgave and forgot.


I now had an even worse reputation, (I was in jail twice within two months), but at least Ronnie and I weren’t at odds anymore, Max was still dating me, and I was free. Life was back to normal, I got an “A” on all the “old” and “new” assignments, (oh, and the DOS computer was upgraded to Windows), and my family forgave and forgot my transgressions too.


The end.


P.S. Thank you guys for reading, and I am thrilled to have completed this story.

 

[Donathan]

Karice, your Dave character seems to be a cool boy, but here are some things I found wrong with your story.

In random order.


1. Dave would not just be able to jump on a bus to run away from the cops. The cops would jump on the bus and drag him off of there, and arrest hi, and take him to jail.


2. Why would Dave randomly have a fake ID that says he has blond hair and blue eyes, when he has brown eyes and brown hair? Usually, most fake IDS look like the person, except with altered birthdates, usually saying that they are older than their real age.


3. Dave shouldn't have been able to run to Canada so easily. Canada is heavily guarded against US fugitives. And how did he fake a passport and visa? Those are virtually impossible to fake.


4. Adrian went to a minimum security jail for pulling a knife, when he really should have gone to a medium security jail, since knifes are deadly weapons. Minimum security would be like caught selling drugs on the street.


5. Corey and Timmy, were two friends who hijacked a car together and ended up in the same jail cell! Bull! Partners in crime rarely go to the same jail cell.


6. In the beginning, Professor Dawes takes a class vote to see who thinks Dave is guilty. No Professor uses student opinion to determine guilt. Luckily you changed the flow and put a more reasonable thing, you said that Dave's answers matched another student's, which is more logical.

7. Dave was a straight A-ch

 

[Karice]

Karice, your Dave character seems to be a cool boy, but here are some things I found wrong with your story.

In random order.


1. Dave would not just be able to jump on a bus to run away from the cops. The cops would jump on the bus and drag him off of there, and arrest hi, and take him to jail.

LOL. :hysterical: Is that even possible?

 

[Karice]

God, "I didn't want to cheat, but".... is such a awesome story! I get intrigued by this story every time I read it. :wub: Thuis story is pure GOLD! What an aswesome story this is! I fall in love with it everytime I read!:wub:

 

[Severus Snape]

tl,dr. I did start reading the first page of posts, but quickly lost interest. The fact that the main character admits he's a compulsive liar makes one lose sympathy for him, and the story all in all seems rather preposterous, tbh. You are a good writer, though, you simply need to come up with better stories. That's just my humble opinion, though.