Savage No More
Reid Wilson
Ms. Wilson
English IVA
28 October 2015
I have read
and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High
School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page
of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the
process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or
plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the
possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the
paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course.
Reid Wilson
Mrs. Wilson
English IV Bell 5
22 October 2015
I was alone and I didn’t know
why. All 6 members of the “Savage” group chat were gone without an explanation.
Charlie left the group message. Sai left the group message. Paraj left the
group message. The chat that had been buzzing the entire summer was dead. I
felt something was off about the whole situation, but I ignored it. Half the
day went by without any messages from the other guys as to why they left. As I
got to the lunchroom, I made eye contact with Charlie and I knew something was
really wrong. Charlie said, “Oscar got arrested last night and we are in some
serious trouble.”
My best friend was
arrested for an inappropriate text message. I started to panic. Was I an
accomplice? Was I going to be arrested too? I knew eventually I would have to
talk to a principal, but what should I say? Should I tell the truth? Before I
knew it I was sitting in a conference room face-to-face with three
administrators. I could tell by the looks in their eyes that no matter what I
said or showed them, nothing was going change. Oscar was going to jail and I
might be next.
Since I was one of
the few people who saw the text messages, I had incriminating evidence. If I
kept it secret I would for sure be considered an accomplice, but if I turned it
in, I would betray my best friend since 8th grade. I knew eventually
the school would find out about the text messages since high school administrators
have become Internet watchdogs, waiting in the dark to bust kids for a joke
made in anger or sarcasm, even if it is harmless. The very next day I went to
the principal’s office to turn in the texts I had, but before I gave them up, I
made one thing clear.
“He’s a good kid Mr. Rice, he
didn’t mean anything he said and I hope this doesn’t get him into any more
trouble than he already is.”
The principal
merely nod at me, solidifying the idea that no matter what I said, nothing was
going to change. I tried and tried to convince him that Oscar was joking, but
since I was a student and his best friend, they weren’t going to believe me.
It had been over
40 days since I last saw Oscar and I couldn’t wait to see him, but technically
he wasn’t allowed to have visitors, so I had to stay outside or else police
would rush to his house and put him back in jail for a year; no exceptions. It
was a huge risk for both of us but we didn’t care. Nothing was going to stop us
from seeing each other. As I pulled up and he walked out onto his front porch I
noticed something different about him. He was way skinner than when he went to
jail and had a large black ankle bracelet strapped to his leg. If he stepped of
the porch, the ankle bracelet would go off and he would be taken away again. It
was going to be a long time before things were going to be normal again but we
didn’t care. I finally had my best friend back and I couldn’t be happier.
Thinking back on
this day, there are very few things that I would change about the whole situation.
Even though my friend had to go to jail for me to learn something, I feel like
I am a better person today because of it. I learned that you have to watch what
you say on the Internet or in your messages because you never know who might be
watching. Every decision that I made before and after Oscar got arrested are
decisions that I would make again. It’s only a mistake if you don’t learn from
it and that’s why I’m thankful that I got to learn these lessons before
something more tragic happened.
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