In the late May of 2015, I was arrested for the theft of several realistic looking airsoft guns alongside my friend S!#$. Our operation involved stealing whatever a drug dealer asked of us in exchange for drugs which we would then sell or use. S!#$ had his personal taste, for me anything with the word oxy in front of it or other painkillers would get swallowed or shoved up my nose.

I'm not sure why our dealer wanted these guns or the ammo and CO2 associated with them but S!#$ and I got them for him. After acquiring the goods, we got into my Saab 9-3 convertible. The two of us went to our local park to load the guns and test them out. After doing so I dropped S!#$ off at his house where he stashed half the loot, the other half was to be stashed at my house. After I hid the products in my closet I used the bathroom. Stepping out of the bathroom I looked out of my window to see a cop car.

I figured it was time to bite the shit sandwich and I walked out to meet the cop. To my surprise, the cop was not only female but attractive. After my attempt to flirt my way out failed due to her being unaffected by my charming southern accent and the fact that I'm fat the cop accused me of stealing, in an attempt to minimize punishment, I admitted to everything and allowed her to enter my home. Inside she took all the stolen goods and placed me in handcuffs. Taking me outside she placed me in the back of the cop car and collected all the evidence. Shortly thereafter my father pulled up to the house. Accepting that this officer wasn't going to be having any bondage sex with me I kept my mouth shut. The cop explained the situation to my father and took me to the local jail.

S!#$ was already sitting on the bench when I got there. After a few hours of everyone else in the jail thinking the two of us were brothers S!#$ got bailed out by his mother. With my night in jail, I met S!#$ step farther and everyone in the jail agrees I tripped and he had nothing to do with my black eye not that I can blame him in his shoes I would have done the same thing.

When I was bailed out the next day I had a felony and two misdemeanor counts of larceny the same as S!#$. Two weeks later I graduated high school. After that, I accepted my life was over and partied more than usual. I met a woman with a fondness for cocaine. I blew up the Saab's engine going a hundred twenty down the highway in a race with her. I started a relationship with her despite my distaste for stimulants. One night she was able to stop the bleeding after I slit my wrists the relationship didn't last much longer after that I came to dislike her for saving my life.

Sometime after that, I decided it was time to make some changes. I had always been interested in Buddhism but after that, I began to follow its teachings. I got a job working at the factory that my mom is an assistant to the CEO of. I had been balled headed and clean shaven. I let my hair grow out and quit shaving. It helps with being a different person not to mention it looks better and covers up some scars my father gave me allowing for more closure.

Working I was able to make enough money to pay for a lawyer who got the felony reduced to a misdemeanor. Due to this the prosecutor also reduced S!#$'s felony despite his public defender. Both S!#$ and I pled guilty to misdemeanor larceny meaning in the commonwealth of Virginia I can't hold public office or vote in any elections be it local, state, or national. We both also had to pay 2000 dollars in fines and live with one year of unsupervised parole.

S!#$ is currently full time at a local community college and part time employed at a movie theater. I go part time to the same college and still work in the same factory, I often work upward of sixty hours a week and hate every second of it but truly I'm lucky to have something to keep my life stable. Working out I've lost a substantial amount of body fat and both myself and S!#$ have gained a fair amount of muscle mass both of us have been lucky enough to grow sick beards as well.

I was born fairly poor while others in this country had less than me most had and have more. I was angry at the rich and found shoplifting not only feed my drug habit but also got me a small degree revenge. Justified or not my anger was no excuse for my action's their sins do not justify my own. I have a lot of criticism for the American "justice" system, if my skin was a few shades darker I may not have survived my conversation with the cop but in my case, I have come from the ordeal stronger. S!#$ and myself occasionally smoke weed and get drunk still but our substance abuse is nowhere near what it once was and personally I find getting intoxicated and playing video games not really that awful. I may have done some bad things I may be a bad person but I like to think can came out of this run in with the law stronger and better.