"Nellie Johnson, please rise." The judge gazed down at me from the podium. "The jury has found you guilty for your theft and arsen crimes. Have you anything to say for yourself?"
Do you really want me to embarras myself even further? I stole a car. So? My mom was in an accident, and I needed it to get to the hospital, you pretentious jerk!
"No, your honor."
"Very well. I could send you to jail, and I would not lose one bit of sleep over it. But, I don't know what good that will do. There is currently a vacancy at Camp Green Lake. They help troubled youth build character. It's either Camp Green Lake...or jail."
"I love camp," I grinned.
"Eighteen months, Camp Green Lake." The judge thwacked the gavel down. "Case dismissed!"
I stood up immediately and straightened my dress. Deep breath, Nellie. You've been to camp before. It's great. I smiled to myself. Good for you, kid. You got off easy! I walked quickly out of the courtroom with my dad following quickly behind me
"You got lucky!" My dad scolded me as we got into the car. "You got so damn lucky!" He slammed the door.
"I know," I huffed, and rolled down the window as my dad made our way out of the parking lot. "At least it's not jail."
My dad exhaled deeply and rolled his window down, too. "The next time you think about doing something stupid, keep the consequences-"
I tuned my dad out after ten minutes of him lecturing me. I couldn't wait until we reached the house. My father was calm by then. He unlocked the door, then gave me a hug. "I love you."
"Love you, too."
"Get packed. You leave tomorrow. "