HOW I BECAME A THIEF

Chapter 1: The Heart Above All Else

                                                                            How I Became a Thief

                                                                          Written by Casey Jacobs

                                                                                          Chapter 1

LIFE!

Life happens to you.

You have a past,

a present,

And an unthinkable future, but life, in a nutshell, is dealing with you.

DAILY!

Waking up and being in the middle of it. Realizing that your life may have started but life itself has been proactive.

When did it change?

When did I become aware?

I have always known myself or thought I did. 

The people and things I love and did not love to a certain degree. I knew what to watch and what I loved to eat. My essay letters in school spoke of what I wanted to be one day.

I knew which kids to play with and which to stay away from; it was just that simple.

At the age of seventeen, I became the leader of a group or a gang. Who can ever tell the difference? Do not ask me how it happened. I just woke up one day and everybody said I am the leader of the group.

Or it can be what happened the previous night or how I lived my life.

The misconception of being raised by instruction only led to everything. Only when you grow older will the difference between instruction and decision-making start to make sense.

A cold sleepless night had led me to the door of a stranger, a well-researched and observed stranger. Realizing what I was about to do. The planning had me filled with anxiety. Busy breaking the door open and rushing into the house as they tipped me off. There would be no one. As I scout in the darkness, my mission is a television. No time to listen to my heartbeat.

Upon entering, a rush of blood came streaming through my veins. Limited time to prove myself.

It was the first time I stole something from someone else's house; I do not know how I got here.

My name is Simon Anderson, and I am a 17-year-old thief.

My life has never been simple.

All my choices were do-or-die scenarios, never a second chance on a choice.

So, I learned to procrastinate on decisions small and big because they have an impact.

I only remember one year of school, and it was the year I met the girl that would change my life forever.

Her name, Shareen Boughan.

From here on, life is like walking past a child asking for food or money on the street and then going home and reposting missing children on social media. Artificial mercy.

I wish this was the reason I became a thief, but sadly not.

The answer is much worse.

She was clearly above average in my eyes; on a scale I was not quite familiar with. She had glowing black hair with big brown eyes that did not even need sunshine to see how brown they were.

She was exactly the right height, not taller than me, thank heavens. Have you ever met someone and just knew you were going to find out everything about this individual before they have even said a word to you? If you understand what I mean, multiply that feeling by ten and you have found me at the point of meeting her for the first time.

We attended the same school, and it was just another day of attending compulsory education.

I got kicked out for being myself on this day, and although I got punished for following a rule, I gradually heard on assembly every Monday, from our principal encouraging us to be ourselves and developing us for a better future. The same teacher who kicked me out was the one who wrote excellently on all my report cards.

School is one of the weirdest places, but it is also the place where you sometimes find yourself or find someone that makes it worth attending. While sitting on the soccer field awaiting my next classes, two periods with my mind again, joining me was a girl who introduced herself as Shareen Boughan, who was also kicked out of another class. Her sudden introduction had caught me off guard, bypassing all my defenses and allowing me into her life the moment she started speaking to me. At least there was no one around. Or I would have frozen up at the sight of her.

"Hey, what brings you to this place? My name is Shareen Boughan and at least I have company today, otherwise, it would be me and my thoughts again"?

"Excuse me, hey, my name is Simon Anderson. Nice to meet you. I would like to think the one that is found here asks the questions."

"No problem. You may ask because I know how to answer."

"So what brings you to my world"?

"Still busy figuring that out, but I have two theories either I lack concentration or listening skills."

"Sounds familiar to me. Well, I find myself in the same predicament."

We kept talking until the bell silenced us. That meant the end of that encounter, where a quiet place became a busy place once again.

We said our goodbyes like we knew we would find each other here again. The rest of my day was blank with my mind constantly analysing what more I could have said. I enjoyed every moment of the conversation as if I craved another encounter with her. A moment of being put out of class had turned out to be a defining moment in my life or just a fond memory to last me through this life.

On my way home after school, I was still thinking about my responses to her like a typical overthinker, trying to improve on the memory in my mind.

One topic that had me thinking was discussing dreams you have daily and do they have meaning. I haven't met a person who discusses how they interpret their dreams and if the dreams match their daily lives. I was completely hooked on her way of thinking.

Thank you for reading.

Please tell me where you reading from.