Heyo! Rongirl here once again! Here's chapter one of another one of my stories. I hope you enjoy it!
"Jessica Lowe, how many times must we meet in this courthouse?" The judge asked in an irritated tone. I crossed my arms and shrugged, staring at him straight in the eye.
"I don't know, until you retire next month?" I guessed with a smirk. Judge Turby wasn't that old, but I liked to push his buttons. He was only about fifty-three. Judge Turby cleared his throat and scowled.
"Very funny," he said dryly.
"It was," I chuckled. He glowered at me and I silenced.
"But we're not here to discuss my age, miss Lowe," he started. "We are here to discuss what to do with you. This is the thirteenth time you've been arrested just this year. Public profanity, beating the neighbors' mailboxes, stealing candy from Walmart, the list just goes on and on! It's time to put a stop to all this foolishness and teach you a lesson!"
"What, are you gonna put me in jail for a month again? Big deal. That place has grown on me."
"No," he shook his head. "Putting you in jail is way too easy, surprisingly. No, this time you're going somewhere far away where you'll hopefully change your behavior."
"Aw, you're not sending me to a whacky-shack, are you?" I whined, uncrossing my arms. "Or some lame arts-and-crafts summer camp?"
"Although some would say you belong in a...'wacky-shack'-me being one of them," he started, muttering the last part under his breath. I rolled my eyes and he continued. "You are being sent to live on Waffle Island for a year. The people there re nice and respectful, so maybe they'll rub on your dirty, rule-breaking hands."
"Gross, I don't want strangers rubbing my hands," I joked, a smirk creeping on my lips again. The judge just sighed and motioned towards the door.
"You may leave, miss Lowe," Judge Turby mumbled. "A ship will take you to Waffle Island first thing tomorrow. Be prepared by then. And don't even think about bringing any weapons."
"Kay, whatever," I replied in a bored tone. I dug a strip of gum out of my pocket and popped it in my mouth. I threw away the wrapper on my way to the door. "See ya in a year, Judge T. Hope ya don't retire before then." Then I strode out of the courthouse before he could reply, and headed back to the apartment.
"Oh, I'm gonna miss you so much," Gina said, petting my hair as I packed my clothes. Gina was my mom's best friend when she was in high school, and I lived in a cramped apartment with her, her husband, Mike, and the baby in her belly. I should probably explain my backstory so you'll understand. My mom got pregnant with me at sixteen, and my dad left her and said he wanted no part of me or her. So she was stuck alone at my grandparents'.
She fell incredibly ill during her last month of pregnancy, and died while giving birth to me. My grandparents raised me until I was three, when my grandpa retired and they could no longer afford to pay for me. so my uncle adopted me. He was strict and mean, and forced me to stay inside and study all day while the other kids played outside. But he supplied me with a home, clothes, and food. Finally, I got sick of him and ran away when I was fourteen.
Alone on the streets, I joined a gang of other kids just like me. We lived in an abandoned orphanage, and stole food and water from the grocery store. We never got caught, believe it or not. And when we weren't stealing food or sleeping, we were pulling pranks all over the city. Some were harmful, and we got arrested for them, but we never got put in jail for too long. Only for about a day or two. A week at the most.
After one big mishap including drugs when I was sixteen, the other members of the gang ran away while I was put in jail for a couple months. When I was finally let out, Gina found me and recongnized me immediatley by my eyes. The eyes of her old best friend. She took pity on me and let me live with her and her husband. That happened two years ago. Now I was eighteen, and Gina was expecting a baby girl. But they weren't the richest people on the planet. They often had to take other part-time jobs as well as their full-time ones to pay the bills.
And even though she took me in, I still continued to do bad things. They got worse over time, and I got arrested more often. I only pulled misdemeanors, but I still did them. I don't know why, but I kinda like it when I do these bad things. They make me feel strong and in control; as if I was challenging the poloce. I would never do anythin horrid, though, like murdering or kidnapping anyone.
I stuffed a blue T-shirt in one of my suitcases and sighed. Gina still loved me as if I was her own child. Even when I did these bad things.
"Don't worry," I told her, zipping up one suitcase and piling things into another. "It'll be like I'm not even here. And you won't get any late-night calls saying you have to bail me out of jail." I picked up my slingshot and examined it for a moment. I was about to put it in my backpack when Gina grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
"You're not supposed to bring any weapons, Jessica," she reminded.
"It's not a weapon," I pointed out. "It's a toy."
"A toy that can be dangerous, and Judge Turny told you not to bring anything dangerous."
"No, he said not to bring a weapon, which it isn't. It's a toy." I held up the slingshot and smirked. Gina gave me a serious look, and I sighed and dropped the wooden toy. "Fine, I won't bring it."
Gina smiled to herself and patted my head. Gina and her husband were the only people I didn't give attitude to...well, not much attitude. Gina was a sweet woman who enjoyed a nice conversation and always treated others with kindness. She had short, cinnamon hair with bangs on the left side that always fell in her face. Her eyes were bluer than the sea, and were surrounded by sun-crinkles from always smiling. Her skin was kinda pale, but it suited her. Then she had that bulging belly carrying a baby that could come out at any second.
Her husband was a guy who was serious about his work, but always had time for his wife. He was a little awkward sometimes, and didn't talk much to strangers. But he loosened up a bit when Gina was around. His face was square-ish, and he had smooth black hair laying on top of it. His eyes were a deep shade of green and almond-shaped. He had a nicely built body that was also square-ish, too. He was practically a box with hands and feet.
Gina rubbed her stomach and looked at me with sad eyes. "I really am going to miss you," she said quietly. "And who knows? You might like it there and decide to stay."
I crossed my arms and turned to face her, then raised my eyebrows. "Why on Earth would I want to stay on an island named after a breakfast food? I've read about that place, and it doesn't sound nice. There's barely any technology, there are no cars, there aren't any Walmarts or Kohls, and there's barely anyone living there."
"Well you might surprise yourself. The scenery's magnificent, the food's exquisite, there are no car horns or yelling people waking you up in the middle of the night... and you might meet a nice guy. You are a very pretty girl, Jessica, so it won't be that hard for you to find someone who likes you."
I rolled my eyes and resumed packing. I admit, I was pretty good-looking, but my appearance wasn't the most important thing to me. I had light blonde hair that went just a little below my chin with bangs that reached my eyes, but didn't cover them. My eyes were round, and a warm brown color. I had a fair complexion, too. Smooth skin and not a zit or blackhead in sight. I was pretty tall for my age, and very slim, too. But I was also very tough and could easily lift heavy objects or beat anyone up or run really fast.
"Just...please remember to write," Gina added. I slumped my shoulders, then slowly slowly nodded my head. She started to cheer, but it turned into a painful groan as the baby kicked. "I'll order some pizza. Make sure you finish packing." Then she waddled out of the room, leaving me alone to fill my many suitcases with all my belongings. When I finished stuffing everything into five large suitcases and a backpack, I plopped back on my bed and sighed. Tomorrow's my first day in hell.
So there's chapter one. Hope you guys liked it! Thanks for reading and remember to review! PEACE! xD