Knowing I was about to be exposed , I watched in horror as the door knob turned . I almost didn 't hear the other voice my heart was beating so loudly . " I wouldn 't worry about it . Whoever 's working in there has a key . " The knob stopped . The door was still closed . I held my breath . A person in here on legitimate business would respond to what was going on . I lowered my voice as much as I could . " Hey , thanks for the concern . I 'll be a while longer . " I prayed they didn 't hear the tremor in my voice or recognize it . Relief swept over me , and I slumped against the wall . I sat there for the longest time , waiting for the shakes to subside . I wondered if I was really cut out for this . If I was going to do this , I couldn 't put it off . The game next Saturday was the last home game of the season , and the team wouldn 't be in the playoffs . This would be my last chance . I kept thinking I needed a co - conspirator , someone to watch out for me . However , I was willing to take responsibility for my own actions , but I couldn 't be responsible for getting someone else in trouble . … Well , maybe Ingrid Hoffman , but that was another matter entirely . Finally my shaking subsided enough that I was willing to get up . I was finished with this reconnaissance . I eased the door open a crack and looked out . When I didn 't see anybody I opened it far enough that I could look around . I didn 't hear anyone or see anyone . I slipped out and closed the door . Making sure one more time that no one could see me , I locked the door and pocketed the key . Then I heard someone coming up one of the tunnels . I moved to the opposite stairs and headed down to that tunnel . I managed to reach it and duck inside before the other person came out . I suddenly grasped the disadvantage of being a red - head and trying to be sneaky . All the way home I questioned my resolution to carry out this prank . I had expected it to be a rush , but all I had felt while almost being found out was fright . I wished desperately that I had someone I could talk to about it . If Brian were still alive … No , I wasn 't going to go there . It had to be me and me alone … or did it ? Mom was seeing a grief counselor , and it seemed to be working . They 'd offered me counseling too , but I had wanted to hurt then . Now I didn 't . Maybe a counselor could tell me if pranks were my way of dealing with the hurt that was still there . I doubted they would condone the pranks , but maybe there was something else I should be doing . I was able to see my counselor at her office on Thursday . Olivia , a strikingly pretty , short brunet , appeared to be young , somewhere in her twenties I guessed . She wore a frilly white blouse and a black skirt short enough to have distracted a man as she sat with her legs crossed . I had other things on my mind . She listened to me whine about Brian 's death . Then she asked me , " So what are you doing about it ? " I thought about her question for a moment . What was I doing about my grief ? I didn 't know . Maybe simply hoping it would fade away with time . " As far as I know I haven 't done anything . " She templed her fingers in front of her face , touching her lips with her finger tips . " The responses to loss differ for everyone because there is no such thing as a typical loss . Each individual grieves in their own way just as they live their own lives distinctly . We speak of five stages of grief , denial , anger , bargaining , depression and acceptance , but how we deal with each stage is intensely personal . Not everyone goes through them the same way nor do they necessarily go through all of them . There is no universal right way . From what you 've said to me , I 'd say you have worked your way through your version of denial and anger , but you seem to have skipped bargaining and gone directly to depression . There is nothing wrong with that . That 's just your unique way of dealing with grief . " I hesitated . It was time to get to the point . I wasn 't sure I wanted to trust someone else with what I was preparing to do , but I was talking to her now to get this out of my system . Should I be plotting out these devious pranks ? Would they do me any good in relieving my grief ? I couldn 't put it off ; I had to tell her what I had in mind . I spilled everything , including nearly being caught in the booth . " And you want me to tell you if you 're doing the right thing ? " She paused . " You realize I can 't do that . Let me ask you this , do you believe you 'll get some kind of satisfaction out of pulling of outrageous pranks and getting away with it ? " She frowned a little as if she were considering what I said . " As a general rule getting even is rarely effective . On the other hand , if you were doing it for fun , it might relieve some of your stress . " " Okay , let 's say I 'm doing it for fun . What about that ? " I pressed for a commitment from her . Should I do it or not ? She peered at me for a few seconds before answering . " Look , I can 't solve your problem for you . The best I can do is tell you what I think . You have to decide what to do . " She surprised me . Instead of answering with something about making my own decision , she answered my question . " I 'd go for it - as long as nobody would get hurt . " " I 'll tell you what , go ahead with your prank and tell me next week how it felt . " She walked to the door to let me out . " I 'll see you next Thursday . " Author gordonsavage @ msn . comPosted on April 10 , 2017Leave a comment on Samantha - Counseling Samantha - The Broadcast Booth After reconciling with her father , Samantha had a new target for her anger , Dr . Ashworth . He had been prejudiced against her even before he had blamed her for the graffiti . She decided to get even with him by playing pranks carefully crafted to leave no evidence that she had done them . The first one came about serendipitously . I got up early Monday morning and went for a run . The marathon was coming up soon , and I needed to increase my mileage . The easiest way to do that was to run twice a day . I added the run to my morning schedule . A cold front was moving in , pushing up more storm clouds ahead of it . I kept watching them as I ran , and they got increasingly ominous . When I saw that first lightning strike , I decided it was time to head for home . When the thunder took only four seconds - less than a mile - to reach me , I decided a shortcut was in order . The street I turned down already had trash cans out for pickup . One of the houses had a small pile of odds and ends separate from the trash . The sign said , " Help Yourself . " I don 't know why - I was in a hurry after all , but I stopped to take a quick look . There it was , the answer to my first prank , an old clock radio . I put it under my arm and started running again . I didn 't immediately know what I was going to do with it , but ideas hit me as I ran for home . The one that eventually got my vote was more complex than I would have liked , but it would also be the most public . Principal Ashworth took pride in announcing the home football games . I wondered how he 'd react to being preempted by a rock and roll radio station . I figured the teams would continue playing without too much distraction , but Ashworth would be flabbergasted . And I knew how I was going to set it up . First , I had to gain access to the booth . I had the feeling it shouldn 't be too hard . The hard part would be doing it without being noticed . Anyone having access to it would be suspect after the game . I knew Coach Ford had access because she used the public address to run pep rallies . I guess she figured the amplification would make up for any lack of attendance . I went after her in a roundabout way so she wouldn 't know what my goal was . That had been too easy . Of course , it would connect me with the broadcast booth , but we didn 't have a home game for another week , and I 'd have Coach Ford to vouch for me for this week . The only question was how could I get a copy of the key ? I fretted over that for the next couple of days . In the meantime I rewired the clock radio . Dad hat a great workspace set up in the garage . I 'd used the soldering iron and other electricians tools for several projects in the past , so I had a good idea of what I was doing . I soldered an audio cable onto the terminals for the wire to the radio speaker and put an RCA plug on the end of it . I planned to clip the speaker wires when I had everything hooked up to the amplifier in the booth . That way it would be harder to trace where the signal was coming from and shut it off . When I had the wiring completed , I replaced the backup power battery and tested the alarm clock function with a local rock station tuned in . Everything worked as I wanted . I still had several problems to work out , but I was confident I could . By Friday afternoon I had figured out the key problem . It would take some work as I later found out . I picked up the key from the principal 's office . Ms . Farrow eyed me suspiciously when I told her Coach Ford wanted me to get it . She even made me sign for it . I stopped by the restroom on my way out to the athletic field and took several pictures of the key , making sure I got a straight on shot of its profile . After dinner I set to work to make a duplicate key . I had made a template from one of my photos . I glued it on the blank and clamped it in Dad 's heavy vise . Then I spent the next two hours painfully resisting the urge to rush as I cut away the excess metal . Then I carefully smoothed the rough edges . I held the finished key up close to the fluorescent light over the work bench and examined it . There were a couple of places where I had nicked the template . Hopefully the key would still work . I didn 't want to go through this again . I was beat . The next Monday before I left school for home , I made my way to the booth . I kept looking over my shoulder to be sure no one was watching . The football squad was practicing on the field , and I had to cross open space to reach the booth . I tried to walk casually and look like I was watching the team because I admired what they doing . By the time I reached the booth I was fairly sure no one had even looked in my direction . The door to the booth was on the side away from the field . I took one last look around , and tried the key . I had to jiggle it a little to get it work , but I was in . The amplifier was on a shelf under the counter that ran along the front of the booth . I crawled under the counter . There was space enough behind the amplifier to place the clock radio . I 'd just have to turn off the digital display so it wouldn 't attract attention . I pulled the amplifier forward to check the back . Yes ! There were two empty input jacks . I checked the front . Each input jack had its own volume knob and a mute switch . So far so good . The electrical outlet was was several inches to the side of the amplifier . It had three open sockets , which meant that if someone wanted to plug something else in they would see the power cord to the radio . That was a chance I had to take . Voices ! My heart thudded . Someone was walking by outside . I heard the doorknob turn . A voice said , " Whoever was in here last forgot to lock up . We should check inside . " Samantha had done what she considered to be the right thing . She had called home to report that she had gone UA ( " Unauthorized Absence " for those of you who are unfamiliar ) , taking full responsibility for what she had done . It left her father in a quandary of sorts . She had deliberately disobeyed , but she had also reported herself . On top of that he had realized she had been telling the truth , which meant the grounding wasn 't justified . What was he supposed to do ? We drove home in total silence . I looked at Father . His face was grim , and he was staring at the road . I knew better than to say anything . All I could do was sit there imagining what he would do when we got home . It take long for me to find out . As soon as Father closed the door , he stopped and froze me with a look I can 't describe . I resisted an urge to drop my head . Instead , I came to attention and stared him in the eye . " Sammy " - He never called me that except when he was apologetic - " Dammit , you 've put me in a fix . What you did tonight made me understand that you didn 't lie about the graffiti , and you didn 't deserve to be grounded . I have to apologize for that . On the other hand you disobeyed orders . I don 't know which is more important . " He paused . " So help me , if this had happened last year I would have put you in a military school to teach you some self - control . As it is , a semester - if we could get you in - wouldn 't do you or anyone else any good . " He looked me up and down . " Right now I should be chewing you out royally , but I recognize my own part in this and your grit for informing me of what you had done . So here 's what 's going to happen . Your grounding is terminated ; however , for now your 10 o ' clock curfew will continue , and if you screw up again … well , you figure it out . " I stood there speechless . What had just happened ? I had disobeyed , a cardinal sin , and I had gotten off with a reprieve . I had to rethink Father 's - my Dad 's - actions . I was still mad at him for Brian 's death , but he had been more than fair with me , and Brian wasn 't forced to join the marines . He 'd made that decision based on Dad 's urging , but it was Brian decision . I looked down . Then I gritted my teeth . " I need to apologize . I was so mad at you for making Brian join the marines , but I realize it was his decision . I don 't know if he did it to make you proud of him or what , still it was his choice . " I paused to gather my thoughts . An hour later I continued to be in shock . What had happened ? Dad had forgiven me , and I had forgiven him . The feud was over . I could get back to my life . I should have been elated or maybe a little sad . Instead , I was still feeling angry . And it wasn 't at Dad . It was at Principal Ashworth . Even before the graffiti incident , he had been after me for some reason , maybe the prank . He had no right to profile me . The more I thought about it the angrier I got . The idea was slow forming , but I was going to make him pay . He didn 't like my pranks ? He 'd learn about pranks . I began thinking of ways I could play practical jokes on him - without getting caught . When she was told she couldn 't go to the dance , something broke in Samantha . She was so angry with her father she ignored her own responsibility for being grounded and decided on outright defiance . She was going to the dance no matter what . If that caused more punishment , so be it . First and foremost I had to get out of the house on a Saturday night without being noticed . As I continued planning , my anger faded to a smoldering resentment . By the time I went to bed I had worked out a plan that both excited me and terrified me . Starting Monday , I began taking make up , toiletries , and such to school and leaving them in my locker . The hard part was getting my dress there without attracting attention . I finally took it to the cleaners on Thursday and had them deliver it to me at school on Friday . I hoped it wouldn 't get crushed in my locker . Saturday came , and I pouted all day . That wasn 't lying . I was unhappy with what I was going to do . I picked at my dinner , more because of nerves than because I wasn 't hungry . After dinner Mom had rented a movie to watch . She and I cleaned up the table and loaded the dishwasher . As soon as we finished , Mom announced the movie would start as soon as everyone had assembled . To give everyone time to settle down in the living room , I took a quick shower . When I had finished , I put on my sweats and pocketed my cell phone . I opened my door a crack to listen . Nothing but a murmur from downstairs . Out on the landing I stopped to listen again . The only thing I heard was the soundtrack from the movie . From the top of the stairs I looked down to ensure no one was in sight . So far so good . I eased down the stairs . About half way down I heard the sound of the microwave and popcorn popping . Swearing to myself I hurried back up the stairs . Sure enough , before I reached my door , I heard Mom say , " I 'm going up to see if Samantha wants to come join us for popcorn . " I slipped inside and quietly closed the door . I thought for a moment I 'd sit down at my desk and turn on my laptop . Then I had a better idea . I climbed in to bed . I pulled the covers up so my sweats didn 't show and lay on my side facing away from the door . In a few seconds Mom knocked on my door . When I didn 't answer , she opened the door . " Samantha , we 're having popcorn … " I waited a few minutes and made my way downstairs . This time I got all the way down . I hurried into the kitchen , stopping at the back door . Straining my hearing to make sure no one was coming from the living room , I opened the door and slipped outside . I had made it this far , but it wasn 't time for celebration yet . There was no fence between our house and Captain French 's . I ran across our backyard and through his backyard . Careful to stay close to the house and below the window sills , I made my way to the street in front . I pulled out my phone and dialed Dwayne . In a few minutes he pulled up in front of me . As I got into his car , he said , " Hi . I love your dress . " When we got to school , the dance had already started . I carried my dress and things into the girls restroom and hurriedly changed . Then I took the time to make sure I looked as if I had gotten ready at home . The dance itself was a dream . Dwayne was a terrific dance partner , and several other boys , including Bill , danced with me . I enjoyed myself more than I had in weeks . At the intermission Coach Hendricks ran up the stairs to the stage . He made a big deal of congratulating the football team for their victory in the afternoon . He called some of the players up for special recognition , and finished by leading a cheer for the team . Then Mrs . Campbell , one of the English teachers , announced the Homecoming Queen , Lisa Marconi , and the Homecoming King , Daniel Goodman . I suppose I should have been upset , but that statement neither surprised me nor bothered me . " So he was already after me for some reason , and the graffiti gave him ammunition . I may need to have a talk with him . Thanks for the info … and I meant it when I said you deserved the title . " The rest of the dance passed so quickly I almost passed my deadline . The scoreboard clock said 9 : 33 when I looked at it . When Dwayne and I finished the dance , I walked him to the seats and said , " I 'll be back in a minute . I have to make a phone call . It 's time to face the consequences . " " I 'll tell you when I get back . " I hurried out of the gym and went to my locker . I checked my phone . No missed calls and no messages . Good . At least no one was panicked yet . I speed - dialed Father . " I 'm at the dance . I wanted to make sure I called you before anyone found I was missing . I 'm ready to face my punishment . I 'll be in the gym . " I hung up . " Maybe , but I 'll feel better about myself this way . I take responsibility for my actions and I don 't lie . Let 's dance . " I was dancing with Dwayne when Father came into the gym . I didn 't see him until he walked up to us and tapped Dwayne on the shoulder . " Mind if I cut in ? " Dwayne jumped like he had been jolted with electricity . He stepped back from Father with a horrified expression on his face . " No sir . Go right ahead . " One thing about Father being in the navy , his time was rarely his own . He had been called in that morning to an emergency meeting . He didn 't get home until after two in the afternoon , giving me plenty of time to stew . By the time he walked up the steps , I had had come up with a list of possible outcomes , none of them pleasant . I was beginning to wonder if getting even with him for Brian 's death was worth the difficulties I was going through . I waited for him downstairs doing homework on the kitchen table . Mom intercepted him and told him what had happened . He came into the room with a non - committal expression . I stood up to face him and came to attention . He hadn 't told me to , but I had to show him that I understood this was serious . I wasn 't prepared for that question and had to think about it . Tom Sawyer had conned other children into helping him whitewash a fence . " No , sir , not exactly . Several kids had gathered to heckle me while I cleaned up the wall . I stood up to the most obnoxious one and told him off . Apparently it made an impression on him because he decided to help . When he did , a lot of the other hecklers joined in . I didn 't con any of them . " A fleeting smile crossed his face . " So , what am I supposed to do with you ? Your mom says you also stood up to Ashworth and got away with it . " The smile returned . " Actually , I 'm proud of you . You 're going to make a fine leader someday . As far as I 'm concerned you met the school 's requirements and I see no reason to extend your grounding . " I tried not to show my relief . In fact , I decided to make one more plea for him to recognize that I hadn 't been lying . I think that if it had succeeded , my life would have been decidedly different . At least I would have quit trying to hurt him . " Sir , you have to believe me . I didn 't paint the graffiti on the school building . I 'll never convince Principal Ashworth , but you must know that I don 't lie - ever . " The lunchroom was noisy as usual that Monday . I did a quick scan and spotted Dwayne by himself at a table near the windows . When I had picked up my lunch , I carried my tray over to his table . He looked up as I approached . I smiled , perhaps a little too brightly . " Hi , Dwayne . I just wanted to thank you again for your help Saturday . " Would I ? Okay , he wasn 't as handsome as Bill , but he was good looking , and he was taller than I , even if only an inch or so . And he was smart . I wasn 't about to complain . " Thanks . " I put my tray down next to his and sat . " I never did find out the big guy 's name . Do you know who he was ? " " That 's a shame . I 'd like to thank him as well . If I can find the time , I 'll try to find him . " I couldn 't help grinning . " It wasn 't that big a deal . I simply told him I met the terms he gave me and I wasn 't going to do any more . " I let the insult pass . I knew he didn 't mean for it to be one . " That 's what 's so frustrating . I didn 't put up the quote . Someone else did , apparently to get me into trouble . " " And they succeeded . I wonder if it was Ingrid . I know she set up the hecklers . That 's the reason I was there . " He suddenly looked embarrassed . " Not to heckle . To head it off . " Then I remembered . " I 'd love to , but I 'm grounded . I 'll have to ask . Maybe I can get a pass this once . " I could see his disappointment . It thrilled me , not that he was disappointed but that he was that interested in me . " I 'll do my best , but if you find someone else , I 'll understand . " She didn 't respond right away . Finally she said , " I understand what you 're saying , but I 'm not going oppose your father . If you can convince him , I 'll accept that decision . " Okay , that put me in a difficult position . Mom had finally come around , but I knew arguing with Father was going to be a waste of energy . I didn 't want to set them against each other . That was a recipe for disaster , and to be honest I didn 't think I could convince Mom to do it anyway . " Could you at least tell him you support my request ? " Father got home just before dinner , leaving no time for discussing the Homecoming Dance until afterwards . While I helped Mom clean up , I had a hard time not hinting that she should talk to Father . When we were finished , I stood waiting . Mom examined me . " Do you want me to talk to him first ? " I stood . " I do . " I made my request , finishing with , " This is the last big dance in high school except the prom . Up until this graffiti thing , which I did not do , I admit I had earned my groundings . I don 't think it 's too much to ask for an exception to my grounding for this one occasion . Especially since I was grounded based on something I flatly deny doing . " " Denial or not , I don 't feel I can trust you at this time . No , you will complete your punishment before you can go on any date , including special occasions . " He started to turn away . I was hurt and disappointed but mostly angry . I rushed up to my room and slammed the door behind me . Seething , I leaned back against the door and made a decision . I was going anyway . When I left home that morning , I was livid . Mom had offered to drive me , but the distance was less than my daily run . So I walked , and it cleared my head . I was still angry , but I made up my mind to get the job done as quickly as I could . Dr . Ashworth was in his office . I briefly considered trying one more time to convince him I hadn 't done it , but I knew he would ignore any logic , like why would I sign something like that if I had done it . Instead , I checked in , showed him my supplies , and headed out front . On my way out I got a bucket and brush from the custodian 's closet . What I hadn 't expected was an audience . At least thirty kids from the school had showed up while I was inside . I hadn 't noticed , but their cars had been parked on the street when I showed up . Sure enough , Ingrid Hoffman was among the onlookers . I unloaded my backpack on the ground in front of the graffiti and filled the bucket from a nearby faucet . While I was doing that , the gallery started up catty conversations about me and what I was doing . I was tempted to turn on them and shout I didn 't do it , but that would have just let them know they were getting to me . Instead , I got to work . I 'm not sure what he expected from me , but he didn 't get it . I walked over to him silently and stopped directly in front of him . He was almost a head taller than I , but I glared at him , looking directly in his eyes until he blinked . My voice grated as I said , " You blinked first . Go fill that bucket and bring it back here , now ! " The gallery went dead quiet as if anticipating an explosion . It didn 't come . The galoot picked up the bucket and headed for the faucet . I went back to applying the paint remover . The gallery broke up and headed for their cars . The big guy brought the filled bucket back and followed the crowd . Ingrid was the last to leave . As she did , Dwayne Lindquist parked across the street and came over . He didn 't acknowledge Ingrid . Instead he came up to me . " Can you use some help ? " A few minutes later the big guy came back and offered his help . The number of helpers grew to the point we were getting in each other 's way , and I had to turn some of them away . I thanked each one profusely . With all the help we were finished in a little over an hour . I thanked everyone who had helped and headed inside . Dwayne waited . Dr . Ashworth looked stunned to see me so soon . He almost dragged me out to inspect the work . I had to struggle to keep from laughing as he first got as close as he could and looked the work over , even taking his glasses off to examine what we 'd done . Then he moved around viewing from every angle . Finally , he stepped back frowning . " You were supposed to do this by yourself . " " My job was to get the graffiti off the school wall . I did that . With help , yes , but not getting help wasn 't in the job description . " I put my hands on my hips and faced him . " That wasn 't in the job description either . If you want to punish me further , you 'll have to take it up with my parents . For now I 'm going home . " Dwayne helped me put the custodian supplies away and then drove me home . On a whim I leaned across the console and kissed him before I got out of his car . He acted surprised , but his eyes lit up . Before anything else was said or implied , I got out of the car . I waved goodbye and watched him drive off . Then I turned for the front door . I never did find out who actually put the graffiti on the school wall , but I suspect it was Ingrid Hoffman . She had broken up with her longtime boyfriend , Dwayne Lindquist , and he had taken an interest in me . When he did and she noticed it , she stopped me in the hall . Her face was red and her eyebrows furrowed . Her voice reminded me of a snake 's hiss . " You keep your hands off Dwayne , or you 'll be sorry , you hear ? " I admit I don 't take kindly to threats . I put my hands on my hips and stared her in the eye . " Are you threatening me ? You don 't decide who Dwayne takes an interest in . He does , and he says you 're the one who broke up with him . So buzz off . " She must have initially thought she could intimidate me . When I glared down on her , I think it scared her . She stepped back looking shocked , but she made one last attempt . " You 're going to be sorry . " She turned and stalked off , clearly fuming . I know , circumstantial evidence , and it really didn 't matter . I was the one who got the blame for the graffiti . Dr . Ashworth was sure I was the one who did it , and he refused to even consider anyone else . He called my mother and demanded she come to his office . Then he took my phone and sat me down on the same bench I had waited on before . He handed the phone to Ms . Farrow and stomped into his office . Mom showed up with Father thirty minutes later . While Mom checked in with Ms . Farrow , Father came over to where I sat . He stood in front of me with a scowl on his face . " Now what the hell have you done ? " I stood up , partly out of habit and partly because I felt less overawed that way . I couldn 't keep the anger out of my voice . " Someone spray painted graffiti on the front of the school and signed it with my initials . I didn 't do it . " Instead of asking Mom and Father to sit down , Dr . Ashworth stood up and delivered my sentence . I was to come in on Saturday with paint remover and other appropriate cleaning material and remove the graffiti . Any further offenses on my part would be grounds for suspension . What hurt most was that neither Mom nor Father offered any objection or defense for me . They believed I was guilty . Well , Father did anyway . That evening he notified me that my grounding would be extended another month and dismissed me . I stood my ground . " You 're not listening to me . Why don 't you believe me when I say I didn 't do it ? " What to believe ? I had long before learned better than to lie . I challenged him . " Did I lie to you about going to the mall ? Did I lie to you when I pulled that stunt with the police car ? I don 't lie . You taught me well . " He faced me again . He barked , " That 'll do ! I 'll not take any more excuses from you , and don 't you ever try to order me around , young lady ! Now get up to your room before I add another month to your grounding . " Stepping into my room , she closed the door and walked over to the bed . She sat down beside me and stroked my hair . " It 's not the end of the world you know . " I was tempted to bury my face in her shoulder and just cry it out , but I resisted the urge and choked out , " It 's not the punishment . It 's the fact that you and my father don 't believe me . I 've never lied to you , not ever . You know that . " " Yes , I know that , dear . I 've tried to tell that to Brian , but he won 't listen . I think you 've hurt him the past few months and he no longer trusts you . " Samantha had had a good scare . She had also violated her curfew and she knew she was in real trouble . Instead of chewing her out on the way home , her father let her stew . By the time they pulled into the garage , she was in tears . I was afraid to get out of the car because I knew what was coming . Father walked around to the passenger side and , after he opened the door for Mom , he opened my door . Grim faced , he pointed at the doorway into the house . Reluctantly I released my seatbelt and followed Mom in . Inside , Father pointed to the living room . I headed that way knowing I had better not say anything . I stopped in front of the couch and stood at attention , showing I knew what was coming - but I didn 't . He walked around me as though I was being inspected . Finally , he stopped in front of me . I stared straight ahead , which meant I was looking at his mouth . The lines around it were hard , and his brows were furrowed . " You know how much trouble you 're in . " It wasn 't a question . " You broke curfew by a whole hour before you harassed two police officers . You drug one of your friends in with you and got her in trouble as well . What do you have to say for yourself ? " He surprised me by smiling . " I don 't know what to do with you . That prank was so funny , but you did break curfew . " He paused briefly . " Do you have any excuse for breaking curfew ? " My answer seemed to satisfy him . " Okay . Here 's what we 're going to do . For blowing curfew you 're grounded for the next six weeks . " Six weeks ! No way ! I did a quick check of my mental calendar . That meant I 'd miss the homecoming dance . I almost objected , but he continued , and was I glad he did . " However , your prank was harmless and actually kind of clever , so I 'm knocking two weeks off . You 're grounded for a month . " He must have seen my relief . " But I want to make something very clear . The legal definition of harassment requires it to be repeated . That , and the fact that this was your first run in with the police , was the reason you got off with a warning . Any new pranks on the police , and not necessarily the same kind , could legally be classified as harassment . So be careful around the police . Do you understand ? " I was so relieved I missed that last part and went right to sleep . Father knocked on my door at six in the morning . After breakfast we went straight to the impound lot and picked up the Mustang . There were no fines , but there was a towing fee . $ 90 took a healthy toll on my allowance . It didn 't matter much . I was stuck in the house or at school for the next month . Unfortunately , trouble was waiting for me at school . It hit two weeks into my grounding . " Samantha Pederson report to the principal 's office . " The announcement came over the public address while I was putting my books away for lunch . What now ? I closed my locker and made my way to the school offices . Ms . Farrow was standing at the counter when I came in . She was a heavy set woman in her late fifties . She was wearing a green sheath that did nothing to hide her bulges . Her hair was died auburn and she wore it shoulder length . Her eyes were a pale brown , and I could catch the glint of contacts in them . " The principal wants to see me ? " I made it a question . I sat … and waited . It was at least fifteen minutes before Dr . Ashworth came out of his office . Stern faced , bald , and overweight , he walked up to me like a charging rhino . He was wearing a dress shirt and a tie , and I could see where the shirt was soaked with sweat under his armpits . " Come with me young lady . " He headed for the door without slowing down . I had to rush to catch up . We went out the front entrance and turned left . A few feet from the steps he pointed to the brick wall . " What 's the meaning of this ? " It was a spray painted version of a quote from Winston Churchill , " Men stumble over the truth from time to time , but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened . " His smile became even more predatory . He pointed to the end of the quote . There were three letters : " SRP . " " Aren 't those your initials , Samantha Ruth Pederson ? " I 'm not slow . I just hadn 't noticed them . A chill went through me . " Now wait a minute . I didn 't write that . " He stood with his hands on his hips and continued smiling as if he had just tricked me into confessing . " I checked . You are the only student in the school with those initials , and you just admitted it 's your favorite quote . " " Who else would have a reason to put your initials there ? " He turned toward the steps . " Come along . I need to talk to your parents . " It only took a few minutes to drive to the police station . They unstrapped us and had us get out of the cruiser . The tall guy grabbed me by the upper arm , and the other one did the same with Renee . They removed the handcuffs . We were fingerprinted , photographed , and relieved of our purses and the stuff in our pockets . Then they sat us each down at a phone and said , " Make your call . I 'd suggest to your parents . " This was worse than the ride over . I had been terrified before , but now I had to talk to my family and tell them I was under arrest . Trembling , I dialed our number . Naturally Father answered . " Admiral Pederson . " I broke down . My tears started flowing , and I choked up . I was so scared I forgot to call him Father . Daddy … Renee and I are in jail . … Please come and get us out . " " What ! " I had to jerk the phone away from my ear . He was so loud I could hear him with the phone in front of me . " You 're in jail ? " Renee had finished her call as well . The older policeman led us through a locked door into a long corridor . There were two cushioned benches along one wall . A woman sat on one of them . The first thing I noticed was her bright red lipstick . She was wearing a black leather mini - make that micro - skirt , a bright pink top that exposed a bare midriff , knee high black boots , and black tights . Her bored expression brightened noticeably when she saw us . The other bench was occupied by a disheveled man who appeared to be asleep , including a loud snore , so we had no choice but to sit next to the woman if we didn 't want to stand . She slid over and patted the bench next to her . " Hi , girls . They picked you up too , huh ? " As I sat , she looked me over thoroughly . " You girls are awfully young to be doing tricks . Take my advice and get out of the business now . " I was tempted to explain why we were there , but I didn 't see any point . I put my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands . Then I heard the man slurring , " My , my . " When I craned my neck to see him , he was sitting up with a dazed expression . He continued his slurred speech . " They get younger every year . Sorry , girls I 'm out of cash . " He swayed to his feet , and mumbled , " Where 's the restroom around here ? " He turned and staggered down the hall away from us . When he reached the end of the hall , he opened a barred door and disappeared from sight . It took me a second to realize he had gone into a holding cell . In a moment I heard a zipper and then liquid flowing into a toilet . For some reason I was embarrassed for him . He wobbled back and dropped onto his bench . " So we 're in jail ? It 's better than lying in the street . " His speech was still slurred . He lay back down on the bench , and seconds later he was snoring again . " Well , that was interesting , " the woman said . " You meet all kinds of characters in lock - up . If you have to keep doing johns , at least be careful . " She pointed to a scar on her left cheek . " I got this from a john who was arrested with me . He knocked me down while they were separating all of us into boy / girl cells . Of course , I have to be thankful he did it . The cops cleaned me up and let me go because of it . " It seemed like hours later the locked door opened . The cop stood there and called , " Renee Williams , your parents are here . You 're going home . " She jumped up and started for the door . Then she stopped and gave me an anguished smile . She mouthed , " Sorry , Sam , " and rushed to the door . The woman gave me a wide - eyed stare and said , " Parents ? You 're not one of us ? " She smiled . " Believe me , you don 't want to get into the business . " We waited in silence for what felt like an hour . When the door finally opened , I jumped to my feet . The cop stayed there for seconds before he spoke . " Samantha Pederson . It 's your turn . " Father was there . He looked unemotional as I came out . I was so relieved that I ran to him and hugged him , forgetting how I wanted to punish him . " You are exceedingly lucky , " he said . " They won 't charge you … this time … but let it happen again … Honey , what were you thinking ? " " It was just a prank . " I stepped back . " Can I go home now ? " Then I saw Mom waiting on the other side of the room . He continued to watch me impassively . " You understand how much trouble you 're in at home ? We 'll discuss your punishment on the way home . Now let 's get your stuff . " I 'm skipping the next few weeks . Samantha found out that being grounded was harder than she expected , but she gritted her teeth and didn 't complain - mainly to keep from upsetting her mother any more . As expected Bill found someone else to go to the movie with , although it wasn 't Lynda . She had moved on . Samantha waited a whole two additional weeks before getting into trouble again . She managed to talk her mother into letting her take the Mustang convertible to a birthday party that was supposed to be over by 9 : 00 pm . She and Renee left shortly after ten , making her late for a curfew she had earned with her overstayed mall visit . Renee was so exuberant that I couldn 't help but smile . I glanced at her . She had removed the scrunchie from her ponytail and her hair was swirling in the warm wind flowing over and around the windshield . As I came to a stop at the four way , I glanced past her and noticed a police car parked by the curb of the cross street . Its lights were off and for some reason the street lamps were off on that side of the road . I would have never noticed it if I hadn 't been looking right at it . I knew I had come to a complete stop . No problem . Then I thought , Hey , those guys are being sneaky . I 'm going to teach them a lesson . " What kind of fun ? " She looked puzzled as I pulled up at the next corner . There wasn 't a stop sign , but I wasn 't taking chances . " You 'll see . " I shut off the car 's lights - the mustang didn 't have running lights when I cut the switch off - and turned onto the cross street . When we turned onto the next street , I hugged the curb and eased forward until I was almost on their bumper . I stopped and simultaneously hit the horn and the passing lights . I turned the lights back on and pulled out into the driving lane . We smiled and waved enthusiastically as we passed the cruiser . Being careful to stop completely at the intersection and signal , I made the turn onto the street we had been on . I had just started the turn when the police car 's bar lit up and the siren chirped . I pulled over to the curb . I fished my brand new license out of my wallet and had Renee pull the registration and insurance card from the glove box . In the side mirror I could see the driver of the police car get out . Tall and thin , he was kind of cute in his police uniform . Then I saw he had drawn his weapon . I turned my head so I could see the other officer . He was short and a little overweight . He stopped at the rear of the car with his pistol drawn . Both he and the cute guy had the angriest expressions I had ever seen . If it wasn 't for the guns , I would have laughed . I smiled brightly at the tall guy as he walked up . " Hi , officer . Beautiful evening isn 't it . " I nodded at his gun . " Surely firearms aren 't necessary , are they ? " He didn 't smile , and his voice was stern . " Out of the car , now . Both of you . " He stepped back , still holding the gun at the ready . My heart had started beating rapidly , and I could feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead . This wasn 't going like I had expected . Actually , I had expected to drive away and have a good laugh on the way home . I did , and he started putting handcuffs on me . I saw that the other officer was doing the identical thing with Renee . Her expression was pure terror , and I was beginning to feel the same way . " What 's going on ? It was a harmless prank . " He picked up my purse and pulled the keys out of the ignition , and the other officer picked up Renee 's purse . " Let 's go . " He pushed me toward the police car , none too gently . The drive to the station was no picnic . They put us in seat belts but left our hands chained together behind our backs . I tried to make peace on the way in . " We 're sorry . It was just a joke . " Neither of them paid attention .