According to Depression

TWO• Beginning

CRESTWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT: 12:05 pm, 10 years later delinquency

Phones rang and police officers hurried around addressing situation after situation. Some casually dressed citizens sat with their hands behind their backs in handcuffs, others talked worriedly to officers.

Smack!

The teen glared at the papers that were thrown down in front of him.

"Nathan, this is your third offense! I can only do so much to keep you out of trouble if I want to keep my job!" Officer Jacks snapped at the boy.

The teen narrowed his eyes at the older man, "You think I don't know this, Brent?"

"Oh I'm sure you know, you know how I have jeopardized my damn career for you!" The officer stared at the boy, fuming.

"I never asked you to risk your job for me!" The teen glowered at the man and his fists clenched angrily.

"As the kids say, you practically did, I know you don't want to go to juvie," The man said, sitting down at his desk across from the teenager and ran his palm over his aging face.

"You don't know anything!" The boy screamed at him, causing an unsettling silence between them. The youth realized how cliché that had sound but he was too irritated to care.

The man raised up in his seat and leaned over the desk, looking Nathan right in the eyes.

"Son, I know a lot," Jacks spoke calmly, but his eyes were daring the boy to interrupt him,"I know how you hate being told what to do. I know how you steal and vandalize just because you feel like there's nothing else for you to do. I know how angry you are at your mom for cheating on your dad and leaving you both. I know how frustrated you are with your dad because he's always drunk off his ass."

A short silence followed the officer's speech.

"Stop patronizing me." The delinquent spit through gritted teeth.

"This?-" He gestured between them, "This is telling the truth."

"You," Nathan jabbed a finger a him, "Need to stop acting like my parent."

"You," Officer Jacks mimicked pointing a finger at the younger guy, "Need to accept that I'm here for you."

"I don't want you to be," The teen hissed.

"That changes nothing!" Brent said exasperated.

Nathan sat quietly, refusing to look at the cop and instead staring at his lap. He glanced up once, seeing Brent pinch the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed.

"Okay.... okay, I'll take your handcuffs off," The police grasped his keys and the teenager stood up putting his back to the man, allowing him to take off the restraints.

After being released, Nathan rubbed his wrists and boldly sneaked a look at the man. For the first time he noticed white hairs scattered throughout Brent's black mustache. He noticed the wrinkles on his forehead and beside his mouth. And Nathan realized something; his friend was getting old.

"Stop starin' at me boy and get in the car," The man ordered gruffly, and for some reason this made the man seem older.

Without saying a word the adolescent hauled his scrawny frame into the marked police car.

"Are you taking me home?" The teen asked, trying to hold onto his resentment. He wanted to be mad at Brent.

"Yeah," The cop sighed, "Or do you want to go somewhere else?"