Between the Lines

Thirty-three - Calvin

Court isn’t that fun. It’s just a bunch of people in suits saying big words. I wish I could've seen Oliver in a suit, but security were being pains in the ass. Because this is a case involving two different class members there’s lots of waiting. Oliver underwent his trial first, then I had mine. We weren’t allowed in the same place at the same time, but we faced the same judge and sentence.

After a lot of waiting on the judge to make their decision and finish up on Oliver’s trial, I was called back into the courtroom. No surprise, but I was found guilty, Oliver was too, and now we both face a five-month zone detention.

Five whole months… but I guess it’s better than the other sentences we could have gotten. I definitely wasn't taking jail time, even if it was only for a week, even if the judge was heavily hinting towards that. I guess the one good thing about that would’ve been Oliver would be let off scot-free but my Lawyer didn't like how jail would've looked on my record.

After my court trial, I was allowed to go back to school, although that’s the only place (other than the house) that my parents let me go. They kept everything quiet. They told to the officers that no news coverage can be made out of my case for ‘personal reasons’, even though violation of class regulations never gets coverage anyway. They weren’t about to let anyone know that their son got arrested. They made up some story that we went on a week-long holiday to cover up the fact that I ran away and no one at school (aside from my teachers) suspected a thing.

I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about it.

My mother offered to find me a therapist to talk to but I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I now know Oliver is okay (or better at least), so I don’t have to talk to anyone anymore. He was the only thing I was worried about. His absence was the only thing that was driving me insane. But he’s fine so I’m not worried about that anymore. I just miss him.

However, the real thing that sent me crazy was having to spend days on end stuck with my parents. We weren’t on good terms for the longest time, we still aren’t. At times, they don’t pay attention to what their saying and accidentally let things slip that I can’t help but get mad at. I usually just walk away and hide in my room. I rarely ever start arguments with them because I know it wont get me anywhere.

After two months, they let me go to places other than school and the house, and I finally got the keys back to my Mercedes. I didn’t do much because I knew if my parents got worried, they would take my privileges away again.

The most I did with my freedom was hang out at a park for thirty minutes or so after school. But I took every chance I got to get out of the house, delivering things for my parents, getting the shopping, chaperoning the house-aids.

School was like it always was. Lots of work and stress. Daydreaming in class. I tried making real friends but the increasing amount of time I spent on studying made it pretty difficult to keep up a social life. I made a few different friends in my classes, but we never really talked or did anything outside of class. We were always busy.

Exams and assignments came and went. Finals were horrible, but that’s just because I hate all the stress that comes with them. I can’t deal with stress anymore. But before I knew, I was in my last week in school… ever.

I went to the formal, mainly because my parents wanted me to get out and make me socialise (but it was also an excuse so they could dress up). I really wished Oliver could’ve gone with me, but that would’ve never happened under the current situation, or any situation really.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about Oliver at all. I thought about him at least three times a day. It hurt to think about him at first, but then I got used to the hurt and it gradually became hope because I will see him again after this. I really want to rant about him to people sometimes but I never did, and I never talked to my parents about him. Thinking about him keeps me busy enough, day and night.

The day after formal, I graduated, and school was finally over.

Now I just have to wait on the zone detention to end.