21Sep

Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

Almost 10 years ago, 3 friends and I, skipped the second half of our school day to go home and listen to music and play some Xbox. As it would turn out, this would be the biggest mistake of our life.

A friend of ours, Stephen, on the way home mentioned he needed to stop our friend Davids to pick up his Xbox he had left there that past weekend. We thought nothing out of the ordinary at the time. He took about 3 or 4 minutes and returned Xbox in hand and smile on his face.

Three or four months later we were all arrested on Breaking and Entering and Larceny Charges and had our worlds turned upside down by the Legal System. All at the age of 17. We all received probation and were “Scared Straight” and thought we could continue to watch our lives play out like they should. 10 years later I can now say honestly this is not true at all.

Stephen has since died of a brain tumor and the rest of us are left to be the bearers of a crime we did not commit. We all understand the “Guilty by Association” clause and fully understand we are solely responsible for our actions that day. Now all in our late 20’s, we cannot rent, we do not stand a chance in today’s job market and are now looking for alternatives to move forward. This is our last chance.