I'm one of those people who are just naturally prone to having bad luck. I always get stuck thinking to myself, Of course this would happen to me..and it has to be right here, right now. Perfect. I can't even count how many times I've gotten stuck in these type of situations because it literally happens all of the time. Some of them are more intense than others, and, in fact, lately, I've been able to get past them the majority of the time, which is a big plus for me!

This one particular time, though, I honestly didn't even want to imagine what my consequence would be. I knew it would be so bad to where I didn't want to think about anything at all. It was the summer of 2011, and I'd just finished my sophomore year. I was so excited for July to come, because that's when I turned sixteen and would be getting my license! I was already getting my dad's old car, a 2004 Maroon Hyundai Sonata, and even though it wasn't exactly what I desired, it was still a car that functioned. I was getting tired of having a permit, and driving around with my parents all of the time. Plus, they worked all day long in the summer, and I was just stuck at home the majority of the time, unless my friends were nice enough to come pick me up. My best friend, Carry, who lives down the street from me, already had her license and a car, and usually would ask if I wanted to take a ride to wherever she was going. On Tuesdays, we would go across the lake to a frozen yogurt place called Todd's, because everything was "buy-one-get-one-free" with a coupon, and we had tons of coupons. Every time we went, we would get a frozen latte, and it wasn't just any frozen latte... It was the best frozen latte you could think of, times ten, and what made it better was the fact that it was sugar-free and fat-free, so we could basically drink as many as we wanted.
Each day, my parents rode together to work, so my "soon-to-be-car" was left at home with me. Well, I had this theory, that I could take the car across the lake to Eastside Mall, to get Todd's during the day while my parents were at work, and get away with it. Carry and I had been talking about doing this for a while now, and it was the perfect opportunity. So we planned it out one Tuesday morning.

I got the keys, turned on the car, and saw that it had a quarter of a tank of gas left. I knew we needed to stop and get gas for the sixty miles we'd be traveling there and back, so that the gas needle would be back to where it was when we left it. I gathered my wallet and Todd's coupons, and made sure everything was ready to go. I locked all of the doors, and headed out the door.

I remember being scared that my parents had cameras outside of the house, so I made Carry drive the car out of the neighborhood to the gas station, just incase we got caught, and I could say that she drove. When we got to the gas station, I handed Carry seven dollars, and asked if she could go tell the cashier to put seven dollars worth in our gas machine feeder. As soon as the screen lit up, I put the nozzle in the tank, and started pumping. I remember it filling up exactly two gallons, which is ironic, because that's the exact amount that we wanted, and it was literally two gallons on the dot.

Finally, everything was good to go. I got in the driver's seat, started the car, and we were on our way to Eastside. We cranked up the music and jammed out to our favorite songs, like foolish teenage girls who once called that "fun". It took about twenty minutes to cross the bridge, and about thirty-five to forty total to get all the way there. When we got there I remember screaming, "WE DID IT!!!" as if I'd just win the Olympics or something. We parked, got out of the car with smiles on our faces, and opened the crystal clear glass doors of the mall entrance. Todd's is literally twenty steps from the entrance, which makes it very convenient to run in and run out in a matter of minutes. So we walked up to the counter, and immediately saw the guy who we always ordered from.

"Large frozen lattes?" he asked with a grin as he placed his hand on the large cups. We were regulars, and he knew our usual order. To this day, I still don't know his name, but he always asks me how I am and we tend to have short little conversations.

"Yep! Six each please," we said with excitement in our voices. We each got out $ 25.95, the exact amount for three frozen lattes, (since we had our buy-one-get-one coupons) and handed them both to the guy. We thanked him, said "Good-Bye" and grabbed our lattes. It was a pain bringing all six of them to the car, because they were each in their own paper bag, so we had to keep them upright making sure they didn't leak. Plus, we still had to walk a little ways since we couldn't find a close parking spot.

We finally reached the car, placed our lattes carefully in the backseat, to where they wouldn't spill, and each grabbed one to drink for the way home. We left, satisfied with our frozen latte fix, and got home with exactly how much gas we started with: a quarter of a tank. I can't believe we did it... I thought. Carry went home soon after, and I just spent the rest of the day relaxing and killing time.

Five-forty-five came around, which was when my parents got home. They went through the usual routine, asking me how my day was and such. I told them it was boring as always, and that I got a little bit of summer reading done. Everything seemed normal, which gave me a small sense of relief that they weren't acting weird or in a bad mood, because it reassured me that they didn't know anything.

A little while later, Carry and her friend Kayla came over, and we took a ride on my golf cart around the neighborhood, which took a good, solid thirty minutes. We had no idea what we were about to come home to... We pulled in the driveway, and parked the golf cart in the garage. We walked inside, and hung out for a few minutes.

Then, out of nowhere, my dad calls me into the office. "Carson, come in the office for a second," he said with a firm tone. I slowly made my way to the office, and Carry and Kayla followed behind me. "Alone." They stopped. My heartbeat started racing faster and faster, and I could feel my body heat rising as I walked in.

My dad was sitting in the rolling computer chair with a straight face. "Close the door," he demanded. My hands were shaking and I hurried and closed the door.

I remember to this day the very first thing he said: "Did you take the car somewhere today?" Immediately, I felt an adrenaline rush run from my chest up to my head, like fire running down the fuse of a firework.

"N-n-no why?" I stuttered. I could hear my voice tremble.

"Tell me the truth. Did you take the car somewhere today?" He said it as if he wouldn't accept "no" for an answer.

I didn't say anything. I just looked down at the floor, and I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. I started breathing heavily, as if I'd gotten the air knocked out of me. I was scared. He knew. How though? Finally I mumbled, "Yes, but Carry drove."

"Where did y'all go?" he asked, with his eyebrows raised. The creases on his forehead, and the vein that always pops out when he gets mad, were showing, and I knew that meant he was super mad.

"Just to the little strip mall that Victoria's Secret's in, in Mandeville," I said, trying to be calm about it and lighten the mood.

"No. There's sixty more miles on it than there was this morning. Tell me where y'all went. And don't lie to me, Carson," he said, making himself as clear.

Shoot, he checked the miles... I thought. I didn't know what to do. I had that "lump-in-my-throat" feeling. Finally, I just said it. "Okay... We went to Eastside to get Todd's Tuesday, but we came straight back. I promise."

"Did Carry really drive? Do not lie to me, Carson. Tell me now," he ordered.

"No.. I did," I stated, as my voice shook. I felt like I was in a courtroom under oath, obligated to tell the truth. At that point, I honestly didn't know what was going to happen to me. I couldn't believe this was happening. I wouldn't have been surprised if they sent me to boarding school or somewhere overseas, because this... This was just taking it too far.
"Bring Carry in here," he commanded.

I wiped my tears, opened the door, and looked at Carrie, gesturing my hand to come into the office. She came in with a "deer-in-the-headlights" look, not expecting this. My dad basically questioned us and told us this was wrong. He said that there would be major consequences for me, and he would call Carry's dad to let him know exactly what we did that day.

I don't think I'd ever gone into shock, but I'm pretty sure I did at that moment. It felt as if all anxiety was rushing all around my body, like a roller coaster going round and round. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.

"Go to your room, and give me your phone," my dad demanded as he held out his hand. I handed him my phone and looked at Carry like I was about to go into the death chambers, as if it might've been the last time we'd see each other. I finally went up to my room, and cried for what felt like hours on end.

My sister, Kristen, had opened my room door to check up on me and see how I was doing. I remember having the shortest conversation with her and ending it with "I love you." That was the first time, I think, in years, that I remember us both saying that to each other. It was a desperate time, and I needed to hear at least some words of comfort.

I waited for what felt like an hour, phone-less, alone, and shaken up like I've never been before, until I heard my door open and someone running up the stairs. It was my mom, and it looked like she'd been crying for as long as I'd been.

Before she screamed at me, she gave me the meanest look, as if she hated me with a passion. I've never seen her look at me like that, so it was really intimidating and hurtful to catch it from her for the first time.

"How could you?!" she cried, as if I'd killed someone or something. I just looked at her, with a shameful face, thinking, What have I done... I've never seen my mom like this. I didn't know what to say, and all I could think of was "Sorry," but I know that wasn't anything near what I owed to them.

"Sorry? You really think that makes everything better by saying sorry?! Don't even speak right now, Carson. I don't want to hear what you have to say, because there's absolutely nothing you can say that will make this situation better! I can't believe you right now. You know, you're gonna have to be supervised, or come to work with us every day. You can't be left alone. You'll have to gain our trust back, but right now, there is zero. I don't even wanna think about that right now. I think we're gonna sign you up as a teen volunteer at University Hospital and you'll ride with us to work everyday. You can't stay home by yourself. You're not trusted. And just a heads up, no more Eastshore for you. We're sending you back to PHS." I could tell by her tone that she was very traumatized, and still deciding how to handle the situation.

I started tearing up because I knew I shouldn't have done this, and it could have all been prevented if I'd made the right decision in the first place. "Mom, no. Please. I'm so sorry! I don't know what I was thinking!" I repeated, sobbing my eyes out. Now, all because of a stupid frozen latte, I was switching schools, and probably wouldn't have a life for a while. I doubted I'd be getting my license that next month. I'd probably still be on lockdown, and if I was lucky enough, I'd maybe... just maybe gain their trust back by the time school started, and be able to drive me and my sister.

She didn't consider or probably even listen to my apology, but honestly, I didn't blame her. I would be livid, too, if I found out my unlicensed daughter took my car across the lake. She finally stormed down the stairs, and slammed the door behind her. I laid there, in my bed, and cried myself to sleep.

The next morning I woke up to my dad shouting, "Hey, pack clothes and stuff for Nana's. We're dropping you off on the way to work."

I remember getting up, realizing none of this was a dream, and then it began to really hit me when I got in the car to leave. I cried the whole way to my grandma's, trying to hide my tears, but I'm pretty sure the sniffling gave it away. We pulled up to my Nana's, and she was standing right outside of her doorstep. I remember running out of the car and into her arms. She hugged me tight and brushed her fingers through my hair, which calmed me down a little bit. She made it seem like everything was going to be okay, with her hopeful words, and natural grandmother comforting presence. That day was pretty depressing, but my grandma brought me with her everywhere she went—Church, the thrift store, SAMs, and the bank— which made it better knowing the fact that at least she still loved me.

When the week was over, my parents picked me up after work on Friday, and brought me home.
I slept in my sister's bed with her that night, because I just needed someone by my side when I woke up in the morning. I was still scared of what was going to happen and how long this was going to last. My parents hadn't talked to me since that Tuesday night, and it really brought my confidence down, making me feel like a failure.

The next Monday I started the teen volunteer program at a University Hospital, which consisted of making packets, and doing busy work for certain departments. In other words, simply put, it was just plain misery. I did this for several weeks during the summer, and stopped midway through July, by slowly asking to skip certain days, which finally turned into everyday.

One Saturday morning, I opened my eyes to my mom laying next to me, face-to-face, looking me straight in the eyes. I just continued to stare back in surprise, having no idea what was going on.

Seconds later, she finally talked in a mellow voice. "Hey, Boo-Boo." She paused. "I know this has been a chaotic time, but I just wanted to talk to you about a few things. Your father and I have talked about some stuff, and we've decided that we're gonna let you drive you and your sister to school when the year starts."

A sense of excitement showed in my facial expression, as I raised my eyebrows. Was this for real?

"We're gonna allow you to get your license on your birthday and get the Sonata, but there's gonna be some rules. You can only drive your sister, and Carry, and absolutely no one else. You can't have more than two people in the car, until you've been driving long enough to where we feel you are more experienced to drive more people. You already know you're going back to PHS, and that's final, but we feel what we're allowing you to do is fair. Okay?" She sounded pretty comfortable with her decision, and definitely took me by surprise when she gave me some of the privileges I thought I'd never get back.

"Okay." I tried to sound cool about it. "Sounds good, and I'm truly sorry again. And... I don't want to push it, but am I gonna get my phone back?"

"We haven't discussed that yet, but you're not getting your iPhone back. We'll probably end up getting you a simple phone that strictly texts and calls. There's no reason to need all that extra data stuff for the money it costs," she said.

I shook my head, hugged my mom, and told her I loved her. She said, "I love you," back, and then, left the room.

This is where everything finally started to pick back up again where it left off, and everything played out as I thought it would. I got my license on my birthday, and everything was back to normal by then! Today, I look back at it and laugh, but no one dared to laugh during the time that it happened. I honestly have to say that I don't have any regrets, because I wouldn't be where I am now, at Phs, with my friend group that I've grown so close with, and everyone else I've met over the past two years. I know that I've learned and experienced so much that I wouldn't have if I were still at my old school! I definitely think that I am happier now than I would've been if I hadn't of gotten in trouble, and remained there. I'm so happy to be where I am now, and I can't see my life any better than it is today!