I didn't do it.
It looks like I did it, people think I did it, and, hell, sometimes I WISH I did it. But I didn't. I have no idea who did.
It all started out a few weeks ago. My little sister, Kelly, was about to graduate. She should graduate next week, if I counted right, but I'm not exactly sure what day it even is anymore. They all seem to run together.
Kelly was all I really had, and I was all she had. I protected her. She needed me there, that's the only reason why I stayed as long as I did. If it weren't for her, I would have left the second I'd turned eighteen.
Frank was a dick. I hated Frank. Most people who knew him did. But not mom. No, she loved the bad boy. "No one understands him but me." No, you're the only one who didn't understand him.
When the police came, and I overheard them talking to mom, and they said that Frank was dead, not gonna lie, I was overjoyed. But then they asked her if she'd seen me. They were looking for me.
I won't lie. Kelly and I panicked. She hid me in her room, under her bed. It was such a good hiding place. It was the same place I always sent her. We hollowed out the bottom of her box spring, so if you hold yourself up by stiffening your arms and legs, you can hide IN her bed. It wasn't very comfortable to sleep on, but Frank was worse.
Maybe if I didn't panic so bad, things wouldn't have gotten so far. But I did, and they did.
The cops didn't search her room very well, but they tore mine apart. I stayed in Kelly's room until it got dark. After Mom went to sleep, Kelly and I gathered some clothes and stuff in a backpack. I took all the money I had left from my job, which wasn't much after I bought books for my summer classes, and Kelly gave me everything she had too. At around midnight, I ran away.
I knew they'd be checking my friends' houses first, so I got as far away from the town as possible. I hitched rides whenever I could, and sometimes stowed away on trains. You can usually get at least two stations down on the passenger trains before they look for tickets, and the worst they ever do is kick you out.
So I got as far away from home, and as far away from what's left of Frank as I could.
He wasn't a good guy. Do I know who killed him? Nope. Could've been his bookie, could have been his dealer, could have been one of the whores he cheated on Mom with.
But as much as I would have liked to have been the one with the knife, it wasn't me.
Innocence
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Jessamyn (DELETED 360)
Re: Innocence
Getting as far as I did wasn't easy. Money runs out quick if you're trying to do everything the right way. I paid for a couple of train rides, because I felt bad stealing. And I paid for food, even if it was cheap. I also had to dye my hair so no one would recognize me.
There were a couple of times where I hung out with the Mexicans at the side of the road, looking for day labor. My hair was dyed black, and I spoke enough Spanish to at least earn a couple of bucks, but it wasn't what I was making at the bookstore. But it was cash, and I didn't have to give my name or ID. Too bad it was planting season. If it were a few months later, I could have swiped a couple of tomatoes or something.
I got a couple of offers for some other kinds of work, but no matter how desperate I got, I couldn't do it. Frank made me enough. I'm not giving up what little innocence I have left so cheaply. Not when I know Kelly's safe.
So, I had to resort to stealing. Just little bits here and there. I'd go up and pay for a sandwich and soda, and there would be a granola bar in my pocket for later. When people weren't looking, I'd swipe their change off the table. Nothing really big, but enough to feel bad about.
I even took a little bit from the people who let me stay over. That part was easy enough. It's the end of the semester at, like, every college ever, so there's house parties and basement shows every night. Just show up, pretend you're there for the band (or the frat), act like you got too drunk, and they give you a floor or couch. Thing is, you can't actually drink anything, or else stuff might happen. I had to kick one guy in the face who thought I passed out. That'll teach him.
I knew all along that people were looking for me, so I tried to stick to crowds as much as possible. That also made it easier to take a couple bucks from a person's pocket when I got bumped into them.
Petty thievery, yes, but it's a misdemeanor at best. They don't put you behind bars for pickpocketing three dollars.
There were a couple of times where I hung out with the Mexicans at the side of the road, looking for day labor. My hair was dyed black, and I spoke enough Spanish to at least earn a couple of bucks, but it wasn't what I was making at the bookstore. But it was cash, and I didn't have to give my name or ID. Too bad it was planting season. If it were a few months later, I could have swiped a couple of tomatoes or something.
I got a couple of offers for some other kinds of work, but no matter how desperate I got, I couldn't do it. Frank made me enough. I'm not giving up what little innocence I have left so cheaply. Not when I know Kelly's safe.
So, I had to resort to stealing. Just little bits here and there. I'd go up and pay for a sandwich and soda, and there would be a granola bar in my pocket for later. When people weren't looking, I'd swipe their change off the table. Nothing really big, but enough to feel bad about.
I even took a little bit from the people who let me stay over. That part was easy enough. It's the end of the semester at, like, every college ever, so there's house parties and basement shows every night. Just show up, pretend you're there for the band (or the frat), act like you got too drunk, and they give you a floor or couch. Thing is, you can't actually drink anything, or else stuff might happen. I had to kick one guy in the face who thought I passed out. That'll teach him.
I knew all along that people were looking for me, so I tried to stick to crowds as much as possible. That also made it easier to take a couple bucks from a person's pocket when I got bumped into them.
Petty thievery, yes, but it's a misdemeanor at best. They don't put you behind bars for pickpocketing three dollars.