William Hone. The
Everyday Book and Table Book. London, 1826.
"Go up and knock," I ordered Sam.
"You," he snapped back defiantly.
"Fine." I sighed and hopped off my bike.
I tapped on the door and waited a few seconds. No answer. I gave a few more knocks. Still no answer.
"She's not home," I said.
"Try the patio door," Sam said. "Maybe she's sleeping."
I nodded and we walked around the side of the house and across the weathered deck to the sliding glass door by Connie's room. Sam knocked but there was still no answer. We decided to wait for her and plopped down in the shade under a nearby oak tree.
We quickly got bored and that's when we made a foolish decision, which didn't seem so foolish at the time.
"She probably wouldn't mind if we went in and waited for her," Sam said. "We could play her Super Nintendo while we wait."
"Okay," I said, not realizing that we were about to commit a breaking and entering offense.
Sam tried the door and slid it all the way open. He looked back at me and smiled.
"I go first," I yelled as I rushed into the living room towards the game console.
Sam and I sat cross legged on the floor and lost track of time. We were so involved in playing video games we didn't hear the car pull up in the driveway or the doors slam as they entered the house.
Connie's dad entered the living room behind us and yelled in an angry voice, "What in the hell is going on here!"
Sam and I whipped our heads around and let out a surprised yelp. We jumped up and bolted out the patio door. Sam ran as fast as he could towards his house but jumped behind a bush at the corner of his yard to catch his breath. I shot past him and ran into a neighbor's yard. I dove behind their rusty brown pickup truck. I sat there out of breath for a few seconds before I removed my jacket, thinking if Connie’s dad was chasing me he wouldn't recognize me without my jacket on as I sprinted away from the pick up truck into my yard. I dropped my coat off at my house and pondered for about fifteen minutes all the consequences that I would have to face because of this bad decision.
“Grounded for a year. I just know it. I’ll never be able to live this one down,” I thought as a feeling of dread set in.
I finally decided to walk back down the road past the four houses in between Connie's house and mine to see what the situation was and if they figured out it was me. So I began strolling as casually as I could back towards her house. It was then that I saw the whole family standing on the deck looking in the direction Sam and I had run. I tried to duck behind the pickup truck in the neighbor's yard before they saw me, but it was too late. I then realized that my no-jacket disguise didn’t work
"Jessica, get over here!" Connie's mom shouted.
I walked back over towards Connie’s house, cutting through Sam’s yard. I glanced in the direction of Sam's house to see if he was peeking out the window at me. He was. I motioned for him to come out and face Connie’s parents, since he was the one who suggested we go in, but he ducked out of sight. I sighed in disgust and made my way to the deck.
"What were you doing in here?" asked Connie’s mom.
"Nothing!" I shouted out nervously. "We were just waiting for Bonnie!"
"You know, it isn't legal to come into somebody's house without their permission," Connie’s dad said. "We could call the police on you."
There was a moment of awkward silence as they looked at me before I broke into tears. "I'm so sorry," I sobbed uncontrollably. "It was Sam's idea."
"I don't care who's idea it was. It’s still breaking the law," Connie's brother, Stan, chimed in with a smug look on his face.
I shot him an evil look as Connie’s mom said, "You go home and tell your mom what you did."
"Alright," I whimpered. I turned and sulked back to my house. I told my mom and got grounded for a week. Sam got the same punishment.
That ended our short spree as petty criminals.