How To Save A Life

Chapter Thirteen

I held a hand up. "I'm pretty sure I know where my locker is."

Young sighed as he pulled out a folded piece of paper from his polo pocket and began reading off it. "Colin Christian Cortes. Senior. Born December twenty-first. Eighteen-years-old. 341 Baker Lane. Taking regents classes. Locker number 108." He pointed down the hall. "Which is that way."

I shook my head. "If you already knew my locker number, why did you call us out of class?"

"So, I don't have to go looking for you." He turned both Matt and I around and pushed us forward. "Lead the way."

Matt and I walked anxiously in front of Young and McPhee. The adrenaline of getting caught is insane. Matt and I exchanged unknown looks with each other as we walked cautiously.

We soon stopped in front of a row of lockers. The deputy placed his hands on his belt and looked at me. "Point out your locker, son."

I turned and pointed at the locker across from mine. "That one."

Principle Young grabbed my shoulder and turned me around to face the direction my locker was really in. "No. It's over there."

I chuckled and crossed my arms. "I'm pretty sure I know where my locker is."

Young scowled and walked towards my real locker. "It's over here." My locker stood out. Not only in the condition of it but because in the center of my locker I etched rebel in big, capital letters. There was no denying that that was my locker. I thought they were going to ask me for my locker combination but instead Young pulled out a pair of keys and stuck it in the key lock of the locker. I know that key can fit in any locker in this school. I watched as principle Young turned the key and opened my locker. I tried not to act suspicious which was easy for me anyway. Principle Young shook his head at the sight of the inside of my locker. My locker is pretty messy. I have flannels and hoodies lying on the bottom of my locker that I keep forgetting to take home. Empty cigarette boxes invading the cubby. The whiteboard for my locker my mom got me was filthy and had a drawing of a bomb sketched on it. My locker was full of doodles drawn in permanent marker. Principle Young sighed as he began digging through my locker. He shook his head at the cigarette boxes but didn't say anything. My heart began to race when he bent down and lifted up one of my flannels. He had a blank expression on his face when he looked up at the deputy with a nod. My heart basically stopped when principle Young stood up, holding a paint can in his hand. When he turned to us he had an unknown expression on his face. I couldn't tell if he was angry or what. "I think we found our culprits."

I couldn't say anything when Matt pulled my arm to make me look at him. "You put the spray can in your locker?" He whispered angrily. "How big of an idiot are you?"

I shrugged his arm off. "I thought we wouldn't get caught." I whispered back.

Matt rolled his eyes. "Well, looks like that didn't go as planned."

I slapped Matt's arm. "Shut up."

"You boys know that vandalizing private property is strictly against the law?" Deputy McPhee stated.

I held my hand up. "America is the land of the free. And, as I recall, freedom of speech is in the constitution." Matt slapped my arm in annoyance at that.

Principle Young rubbed the bridge of his nose while deputy McPhee pulled out a notepad and pen. "Principle, what are their parents phone numbers?"

"Please, don't call my mom," Matt pleaded. "I'll be in loads of trouble."

Principle Young rolled his eyes and gave deputy McPhee both of our parents cellphone numbers. After the deputy was done writing them down, principle Young turned and eyed both Matt and I. "As for you two. One week of in-school suspension and you are going to be spending the next couple weekends cleaning up that graffiti mess you made on the school."