It was hard having to do this all the time.  I wanted to tell my parents, but I knew that I couldn’t. Why couldn’t they just be happy for me and want me to be happy.  It was not like I was doing bad in school.  I got straight A’s and I never missed a day.  I was pretty much a perfect child, besides dating someone five years older than me.  I am only fifteen and Ryan is twenty, that’s not that bad.  I mean I live with two older brothers who never graduated High School.  I’m already on my way to doing better things than them.  They shouldn’t be worried about me.  This should be an award for me, right?  Like, I should be allowed to see Ryan without having to sneak out.  I snapped out of it as soon as my phone rang.

“Lizzy,  I’m here in the spot.” Then the phone hungup.
  

I ran outside my front door and crossed the street to meet Ryan.  He stood there with his crooked smile.  As I got next to him he grabbed my arm and pulled me behind the bush, where it was dark.  I knew that being five years younger than him probably wasn’t a great idea, but I loved him.  He reached inside his pocket and began to pull something out.  A bright light from Ricker’s street shined on us. I stood there like a deer in the headlights before Ryan yanked my arm again.  He pulled me deep into the bush and we sat down in the snow.  The lights began to get closer as our hearts began to speed up.  I didn’t understand what was happening and why Ryan’s whole body was shaking.  I didn’t want to get caught either this late, but I wasn’t terrified or shaking.  We had nothing to hide besides being out late.

“Ryan, are you ok?” I whispered.

He put his finger over his mouth to show me to not talk.  The car came to a stop.  Ryan then reached in his pocket and grabbed something.  He threw it with all of his strength into the bush across from us. 

“What is happening?” I nervously said.

There was silence in the air, then sudden squealing of tires to a halt.  The car door slammed as a light slowly beamed next to us.  I could hear Ryan breathing. 

“Both of you, out now!” The officer yelled.

Ryan pushed me forward, so that the cop would see me first.  I shrugged his hand off of me. 

“What are you two doing here?” The officer asked.

“I, uh I was just..” Ryan elbowed me in the back.

“I mean we were just going for a walk.” I explained.

After the words came out of my mouth my stomach dropped.  It was eleven thirty on a wednesday night, who would possibly be going for a walk.

The station was old and rusty.  It smelled like my old elementary school gym.  The floors creaked underneath us every step we took.  I refused to lift my head up.  I always heard stories about when people went to jail and met a couple people, then when they got out they were eventually killed.  Maybe I am over thinking, but what I do know i’m definitely not overthinking is my dad wanting to kill me when we finds out where I am.  They said I get one call, so maybe i’ll call my grandma.  Yeah,  I will call her and she will come and get me.  The officer came back to search us head to toe to make sure we weren’t hiding anything.  They took me into a different room than Ryan.  Ryan didn’t look or talk all the way to the station.  He never lifted his head up either.  The same officer that took us to the station walked in.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, dear.” The officer said.  “But we have been on the look out for your friend Ryan for a couple months now.”

“Ryan?  My Ryan Williams?  Why?”  I said in shock.

“Unfortunately, I am not allowed to share that with you.”  He said.  “You can take your one call now and get picked up.  You are good to go.”

“Oh… What about Ryan?  Is he able to go too?” I said.

“Not right now.  Since we have him we need to talk to him for a little.”  He commanded.

My grandma came and picked me up.  It was not the happiest I have ever seen her, but she agreed to not say anything to my parents until the morning.  It was already one thirty in the morning, so she said she would just take me back to her place.  No questions were asked, she just kept on saying she was happy that I was ok.  We made it back to her house, but all I could be thinking about is Ryan.  What was it that I didn’t know, but everyone else did?  I know that he would be ok because he always is. 

I woke up at nine thirty the next morning to my phone ringing.  My stomach dropped, it was my dad.

“Lizzy,  where are you?” My dad said.

“Hi dad, I am at grandma’s.” I replied.

“What? Why are you at grandma’s?” He said angrily back.

“I will explain when I get home.” I said nervously.

Grandma drove me back home to my house.  As soon as she pulled into the driveway the front door opened.  My dad and mom both spilled out of the door.  I took a deep breath and opened the car door.  I got out and my mom immediately pointed to the house.  I walked in without lifting my head back up.  Once I got inside I ran upstairs to my room to see if I had enough time to try to get ahold of Ryan.  I grabbed the house phone and dialed his number, it went straight to voicemail.  I dialed it again, straight to voicemail.  I called the police station. 

“Hi, this is Lizzy Jacobs.  Is Ryan Williams still there?”

The phone disconnected and went to a final beep.  I looked up to my mom and dad standing over me. 
“Where were you?” Mom yelled.

“Grandma wouldn’t tell us anything, she said to ask you before she would talk.” Dad answered back.
I looked down at my feet, “I am sorry, I was with Ryan.  I snuck out of the house to see him and a cop came.  He took us to the station, but I didn’t do anything wrong.  They let me go because they said I was ok, but the kept Ryan there.  I am really sor…”
“Hold on, you were at the police station?” Dad screamed, “Why didn’t you call?”
“I didn’t want to worry you guys, I am ok.  It’s just Ryan, he is still at the station.  They wouldn’t let him leave.”  I said.
My mom and dad just looked at each other in shock, totally ignoring that fact that I said Ryan was still stuck at the station.  My dad left my room with the house phone.  I could hear whispering downstairs coming from him.  My mom just paced around my room like she was thinking of some great plan.  My dad came back upstairs ten minutes later. 
“You will stay here for the next three days.  Your mother and I will bring you food, but you don’t leave this room.” Dad said.
“But dad, Ryan is stuck at the station.  They won’t let him go, they have mixed him up with someone else.” I explain back.
“QUIET!” He yelled back.

All I could see was the sun shining into my window.  There were kids playing in the cold snow.  I have never in my life been so bored.  All I wanted to do was know where Ryan was and why he was still there.  They must have the wrong guy.  I need to go tell them that,  they can’t get away with holding him in the station for no reason.  I’ll wait until it gets dark and then I’ll sneak out my window! I will go to the station and talk to them and tell them they have it all wrong. Yeah, that is a perfect idea.

It was the coldest it has been all winter.  I could hear the cold breeze going against my window.  I needed to do this, it was finally dark.  I grabbed the warmest clothes I had and waited until I heard the TV downstairs turn off.  I slowly opened my bedroom window and a gust of wind blew off my hat.  All I wanted to do at this point was crawl back into bed and give up, but I knew Ryan was in trouble.  I climbed out of my window and shut it behind me, leaving a little crack open for when I came back.  Slowly moving across the slippery roof, I saw headlights across the street.  I quickly jump into the big pile of snow, from the snow plower.  Snow got in my boots and shirt.  I’ve never been so cold before, my whole body was shaking.  It reminded me of how Ryan was when the cop was getting closer to us when we were in the bush.  I jumped out of the bush and started making my way towards the station. 

The station was the only building with their lights still on.  I ran across the street so eager to tell them that they have the wrong guy, when a car pulled up next to me.  It was Ryan’s mother.

“Lizzy? Is that you?”  She whispers.

“Mrs, Williams! Yes, it is me.” I replied.

She looked down at her steering wheel, “So I guess you heard?” She said.

“Heard what?” I question.
“About Ryan, and selling drugs?”  She said without looking up.

“Ryan? What? He would never sell drugs! He has never done drugs in his life, he told me.”  I said back choking up.

“Honey, Ryan has been caught doing drugs several times, they have just now found out that he is selling them in the town too.”  She looked up and said, “Now go home and get some rest, he will be ok.”

I have never been so mad.  Why would Ryan lie to me like that.  Is that what he had in his pocket when I met up with him the other night?  Is that what he threw behind the bush?  I was almost home, before I realized that I was right by where we were sitting when the cop found us.  I walked over to the bush that we were in and looked around.  Across from that bush was a little package deep into another bush.  I climbed into the bush and grabbed the little package.  I didn’t know what is was.  It was white and kind of like powder.  Was he hiding this from the cops?  I put it in my pocket and headed back home. 

The next morning someone knocked on my bedroom door.  I told them to come in.  It was my dad, he told me that I had someone waiting at the door for me.  He said to go downstairs how I was and that I didn’t have time to change.  I got straight out of bed and walked downstairs.  There were two police officers standing at the end of the stairs.
“Lizzy Jacobs?” One of them says.
“Um, hi.” I have a hard time getting out.
“Were you with Ryan Tuesday night?” The other one chimes in.
“Yes, yes I was.” I answer.
“Do you mind if we come upstairs and look around?”  The first officer asked.

They walked around my room searching for something.  I was too afraid to ask what they were looking for.  I just wanted this whole thing to be over with.  Ryan already caused so much these past couple days, that I just wanted it to be over with.
“We are clear.” One officer says into his phone.
“Do you mind if we search your clothes right now?” The other officer says.
“Uh, sure.” I replied.

I had to put my hand on the wall as they began to search my back pockets.  I turned so that they searched my front pockets.  The officer pats me down then stops.  He patted my right front pocket again.  He reached into my pocket and grabbed out the little package that I found in the bush last night.  My heart drops.

“Lizzy, what is this?”  The officer says strictly.

“Um, uh, I don’t know.  Uh, it isn’t mine.”  I say back nervously.

The officer grabbed my arm and pulled me around.  He handcuffed my arms together.  I couldn’t help it, but cry.  I didn’t do anything wrong.  Why was this happening to me.  They took me downstairs to my parents talking to another officer.  My mom turns around and starts crying.

“Where are you taking her? What is going on?”  My mom lets out.
“Back to the station with us.” The cop says, “We found this.”  While he holds up the package.  My mom lets out another whimper.  As they take me out to their car I can see my dad holding my mom in his arms. 

The cop car door slams shut behind me. My whole body shakes and I wake up in panic.

“Good morning, Lizzy.” My mom says peacefully, “Are you ok, you’re sweating and you were just screaming in your sleep.”

I grab my mom’s hand and squeeze it. 
“Where is dad? You aren’t mad at me?” I ask quickly.
“Honey, what are you talking about?” She replies.
“You aren’t upset with me? Was I here all night?”  I say
“Lizzy, is everything ok?  What did you just dream about?” My mom asks.
I take a deep breath and hug my mom as tight as possible. 
“I love you, mom.”  I say, “I will always listen to you.”