embargo

A/N: Okay, I guess this is kinda my fantasy sorta life. I'm hoping to go to Oregon, where I used to live, this summer, and some of this story is some stuff I wish this guy that I'm, um, interested in, to say the least, would do. So, that's the story behind the story. You may think it's weird, telling you about my fantasy life, but, then again, I think most of the stuff on this site is a fantasy, or something that really happen to the author, and they want to share, but don't know how, and that is what this is. Well, I hope you like it!

Most of the story will be in Vanessa POV, except for the flash backs, those will be in third person. There will be some stuff in Jeff's POV, and that will be in italics.
Disclaimer: I DO own something. The plot. And all the characters I made up, which are a lot. I guess this is something very special to me. I really want to keep it that way.

OH! If I got any of the facts wrong, PLEASE to me! I want this to be good. So really, tell me! I want this to be as close to a masterpiece as possible! So, if you can help in anyway, do it! Flames are welcome, just to let you know.

I sat at my computer in my bedroom. I no longer share a bedroom, now, its all mine. Finally, at 17, I, Vanessa Pike, have my own room. Mallory moved out a year ago, so she could go to college to be an author. And, ever since then the house as been a LOT quieter. No, Mallory isn't the only reason, she was relatively quiet, but all my brothers all moved out too.

The triplets, Bryon, Adam, and Jordan, plus Nicky, got in trouble with the law. Yes, the LAW. Even though it was almost a year ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.

FLASHBACK
It was November, one of Vanessa's favorite months. She always liked the way the trees looked. She loved the colors. All the reds, oranges, and yellows. In her mind, it was the prettiest time if the year. Before snow, after rain. Not to hot, but not to cold. It was beautiful and comfortable; you could wear a light jacket and be fine.

She was walking home from school one day, slowly, taking her time to admire the trees. Even though she was 16, she didn't have a car yet. Didn't have enough money to get one. She didn't have a job yet. She wanted one, a job, but her parents said she had to get a car first, so she didn't have to rely in them to drive her. The only thing was, she needed a job to get enough money for a car.

So she walked to and from school. Sometimes, she could get Mallory to give her a ride, but she was always dong stuff with her group of friends that she's had since middle school, the Baby-Sitters Club. Sometimes, Vanessa was jealous, saying that she never had a click of friends like that. Her and Charlotte Johnanssen hung out some times, along with Haley Braddrock, and sometimes Rebecca Ramsey (she changed from Becca to Rebecca in the summer between fifth and sixth grade. She said it was because of middle school. "It's a new chapter in life, why not have a new, and more sophisticated name?") But whenever they all tried to hang out at the Braddock's' was that Rebecca would end up making out with Matt, who she had been dating for a few years now. She really didn't have any very close friends, unlike Mallory, who couldn't walk into the grocery store without seeing someone she was friends with, but she tried not to let it get to her.

Back to that afternoon.

To get back to the Pike household, you have to go by this really nice gas station. How a gas station is nice, makes no sense to her, the only thing Vanessa could think of is everyone that worked there was nice, but other then that, nothing.

She walk by this 'nice' gas station and what she saw scared her in a way that she'd never been scared before.

Four figures, all dressed in black, from head to toe, stocking caps and all, were standing there with guns, pointing them at the police. The cops, Sergeant Johnson being one of them, were pointing back at them, with their firearms. Off behind the station, were a group of kids, looking about Vanessa's age, laughing uncontrollably.

Vanessa did the only thing she could think of, she ran. She ran as fast as she could, all the way back to the Pike house.

"The gas station was robed!" She yelled as soon as she walked though the door.

"What?" Mrs. Pike said, in disbelieve.

"Four people, guns, I ran." Vanessa said, completely out of breath.

"Oh no." Mr. Pike said, in a worried voice.

"What?" Vanessa asked, wandering what her dad was thinking.

"I think those are our boys," he said, sadly, "I heard them talking about something. I wasn't sure what it was, but they said they didn't want to do it. Then Nicky said 'But we have to, on Friday. That's the dead line.'"

"Then what are we waiting for!" Mrs. Pike yelled, "My babys are in trouble!"

Just as Mrs. Pike was about to run out the door, the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Said both Claire and Margo.

Claire got to it first. "Hello?" She said.

"Yea, hold on." She said and gave the phone to her dad.

"Hello?" He said, trying to sound cheerful. Slowly, his forehead wrinkled. He was clearly upset. "Hhhmmm . . . . Yes, she was . . . . .okay . . . . .sure, we'll be right down, thank you for calling." He said and hung up the phone.

"It was them." He said in disbelieve, worry, and anger. "That was Sergeant Johnson, he said that the boys robed the store, talking beer, cigarettes, and all the money in the register. One of them pointed a gun at Mr. Brown."(the owner)"The only reason that the cops got there was because of the alarm system. He saw you," Gesturing towards Vanessa, "and wants you to come down to the station with us."

"As a witness?" She asked. That didn't sound like much fun.

"Yes." Said Mr. pike, simply, and walked toward the door.

Mrs. Pike told the younger girls to stay home and wait for Mallory to get back from baby-sitting at the Dewitt-Barrett family.

The ride to the police station wasn't long enough. Vanessa wanted it to go on forever. But, as she knew they would, they did get there, way too soon, that was for sure.

When Mr. Pike, Mrs. Pike and Vanessa walked in to the police station, Sergeant Johnson was waiting for them. He ushered them into his office, where the boys were sitting.

All four of them smiled, trying to suck up. It was way too obvious. Those stupid, cheesy grins, Vanessa remembered them way too well. She remembered how much she hated them.

"Don't be such a suck up, you idiots!" Was the only thing she could think of saying. She was very unset. She didn't want to be here, and she couldn't believe that were so stupid. I mean, she knew they weren't that smart, but she thought they were smarter than that.

And she never once regretted what she said, especially after the pathetic looks she got from all of them.

"He's pressing charges." Said Sergeant Johnson, and that was all he needed to say.

"So we need a lawyer. And we're not about to be the ones who are going to pay for one." Mr. Pike said, looking at the boys.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" Mrs. Pike ask, in a very bitter tone.

The boys all looked at Adam. He cleared his throat and began talking.

"Well, those boys, um, the Boyz, with a Z, said that if we robbed that gas station that they would let us hang out with them. They" he said, gesturing towards the rest of the boys, "didn't want to do it. But I . . . I . . ." his voice began to trail and he became very flustered.

"Yes, Adam." Sergeant Johnson said, telling him to go on, not asking a question at all.

"I . . ." Adam began, again, "I . . ."

"He made us," Bryon said for him, "We didn't want to, but he wanted to be cool. He said, if we did it with him, he'd give us money. So we said yes, but he didn't really give us any choice."

"And why didn't you have a choice?" Mrs. Pike asked.

"Because, he, well, he threatened us." Bryon said quietly.

"Shut up" Adam said, warningly.

"No, Adam, YOU shut up. And, remember what you say, can and will be used against you in the court of law." Said Sergeant Johnson. "Go on, Bryon. How did he threaten you?"

"He said he'd tell the school stuff," Nicky spoke up.

"What kind of stuff," Mr. pike cut in, very unhappy, sort of in a warning tone.

"Stuff we don't want anybody to know." Jordan said, VERY uncomfortably.

Sergeant Johnson looking a little confused and frustrated, said "would you mind telling us what this 'stuff' would be?" Giving emphasis on 'stuff'.

"Stuff we don't want anybody to know!" Said Jordan, standing up and yelling. Then, sat back down looking uncomfortable again.

The conversation went on about like this for the next 45 minutes to an hour. Lots of yelling and looking uncomfortable. Then Sergeant Johnson took Vanessa into another room and started asking her questions. She really didn't want to be asked anything about that afternoon. It was a very scary thing for her, and confusing. She really had to re-live it. She hated it, but soon found out that she would have to get used to re-living that horrible afternoon.

After about an hour and a few tears, she asked to leave, and was let to go.

In the end, the charges were dropped and all that was legally done was that the boys had to pay for the damages and a pretty big fine for breaking the law. But Mrs. and Mr. Pike decided to punish the boys by sending them to military school for two years, and that's were they are now.

END FLASHBACK
I thought about how stupid my brothers were for awhile, then, started Instant Messaging my boyfriend Shea Rodoskey.