I knew I shouldn't have gone with Willie ...

For quite a while now, I had suspected that he was up to no good: he always acted very secretive, and he was always talking big, talking about getting into trouble, or copping an attitude whenever people tried to find out his business.

Willie and I had been friends since we were little kids, but when he turned into a teenager, the change in his personality was nothing short of startling.  He no longer wanted to hang out with the rest of us.  He suddenly wanted to spend time alone, or if he did go somewhere, he was always bribing people to go with him.

Willie has been arrested by the cops numerous times; he is getting a track record of criminal behavior that continues to grow longer and longer by the day.  Well, yesteday, he wheedled me into going with him to the store ... "to pick up some cigarettes and a few other little odds and ends" is what he told me.  I couldn't say no to his puppy-dog expression on his face, so I relented, and I went along with him.

The trip started out innocently enough.  Nothing too unusual.  Then he went into a convenience store and it seemed that he wasn't in there five minutes before he returned to the car, his arms loaded down with goodies.  He then told me to floor it and we then squealed out of the parking lot.  The owner of the convenience store came rushing out, waviing his fists in the air and shouting in some foreign language at the top of his lungs.  I didn't understand a thing he said, but he did NOT look at all happy.

Willie kept grinning as he offered me some snacks.  I noticed that there were no receipts for the loot.  That's when I asked Willie if he'd paid for the stuff.  He just grinned and said, "I'll pay for 'em later".  

Willie had apparently stolen the goods (snacks, sodas, cigarettes, lighters, even two cases of beer).

I lit into him like white on rice.  I told him that if he didn't quit his ways, he was gonna end up in jail.  I told him that I didn't want to be arrested for aiding and abetting criminal activity.  I had my reputation as a "clean preacher's kid" to maintain.  If my parents (particularly my father) ever found out about Willie, they'd ground me for the rest of my days.  

When we got home, I was startled to find a parked police car in our driveway.  My heart sank and Willie's dark skin turned ashen.  We knew that we were both in a whole world of hurt, and it wasn't gonna get any easier.

This wasn't the first time that Willie had gotten into trouble with the law ...

~To be continued.~