Stuff for Teens

Grayson stared at Carly. Was she telling the truth? Did he still have time to turn this whole horrible episode around? He glanced at the exacto-knife. It would be so easy just to end it all. How was he going to face his mom? Explain to her what he’d done? Why he felt he had to do it?

“I never meant to hurt anyone,” he whispered. “Especially not Angel. I’ve ruined everything. I can’t even image what people must be thinking about me. I’m a monster.”

“No,” said Carly. “You’re a boy who made a bad decision. Now you can be the man who makes it right.”

The officer’s baritone voice penetrated the car once again. “The car is surrounded. Get out of the car, now!”

“What if it doesn’t change?” Grayson felt his eyes pool with tears. “What if these thoughts never go away?”

Carly laid her hand on Grayson’s knee. “I believe it will change, but you have to give it a shot.”

Grayson started laughing as Carly raised an eyebrow. “Nice choice of words… here I’m surrounded by officers ready to blow my head off and you want me to ‘give it a shot’.”

His eyes watered and he laughed harder as Carly snorted and joined in his hysterics. His gut ached, both from the laughter and nerves. He cleared his throat and regained his composure.

“OK, I’ll ‘give it a shot’.” Grayson made air quotes. “On one condition.”

“Name it,” said Carly.

“You’ll be there for my mom.”Grayson shook his head. “She’s going to be devastated. She doesn’t really have any friends and none of our family live close by. I don’t want her to be alone while I’m…” He rubbed his eyes. “While I’m away.”

Carly nodded. “Of course, I’ll be here for your mom. I’m also going to be here for you. You are not alone in all this.”

Grayson dropped the exacto-knife on the floor board and raised his hands out the window so the officers could see he was unarmed.

“Open the door from the outside!” yelled the officer.

“One more thing,” he said, before complying with the officer’s demand. “Tell Angel I’m sorry. I will not bother her again.”

Carly shook her head yes and he could see she was crying as he exited the car.

As he laid face down on the pavement, an officer’s knee in his back, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He choked back a laugh, here he was handcuffed, on his way to jail or some metal hospital, and he never felt so free.

*Life in the Stacks: A Library Drama will be back in September with all new episodes.