To Do or Not to DO

Why isn’t my life as interesting as those people on social media? They get to travel and experience life while all I get to do is watch movies and lay on my bed. What a waste of life.

Enough feeling sad for myself. I have the power to change that so why don’t I?

I left the house with the intention of taking a walk around my block. I took a route that I’ve never been on before just for the sake of a new adventure. Then... I came across a mysterious little black notebook. It was on the grass, with a few leaves around it. I picked it up and felt energy pulse through my body. It was a weird but refreshing sensation. I opened the notebook and looked through it. There were only five thick pages. The first page had a title that said “Task #1” and under it was the task. The rest of the pages were empty.

The first task was to wear a wedding dress and go to the park. What a weird task. I put the little notebook in my pocket and headed to the nearest thrift store, looking for a wedding dress. I would be very lucky if I found a wedding dress at a thrift store.

I didn’t find one at the first store I went to, so I took the bus to other stores. Eventually, I ended up finding a wedding dress for a decent price. By the time I found it, it was too late to go to a park, so I waited until the next day.

...

After I came back from school, I put on the wedding dress. But I was hesitant... I was scared of what people might think of me. I was glad that my parents weren’t home to see this, else they would ask many questions that I wouldn’t know how to answer. I ended up forcing myself to leave the front door and walk down the street to the park. The more I walked, the less I cared what people thought of me.

I felt brave!

When I made it to the park, I got lots of stares and people were asking me if I was Okay. But did I care? Absolutely not.

When I got home, I went to my room to check the black notebook. When I opened it, there was a checkmark under the task. I was confused how that checkmark got there. But that was not the only thing that shocked me about this notebook. When I turned to the next page, another task appeared. “Take a parent’s car and drive around the block.” How were these words appearing? Is this a magical book? My eyes were wide open as I saw the words form right before me.

How was this happening? Why does the book want me to do these tasks? I had many questions. Should I tell anyone about this? There was no harm done with the first task, or this next task, except… I do not have my drivers license. In order to do this task, my parents would not have to know. I do not usually go against them or do anything to anger them. But I do want to live my life…

In order to do this task, I had to wait until my parents were asleep to sneak out a car. It is true that I cannot drive but you can learn anything on the Internet now. All I had to do was search for a video on how to drive, and the Internet did not disappoint.

I made sure that my parents were asleep and then I went out the front door to see which one of their cars was parked outside of the garage so I could take it. My mom’s car was outside, so I went back in to take her keys that were hanging by the front door.

Everything I was doing was nerve-racking. Never have I ever done anything like this, which is why I felt that I was not living my teenage years to the fullest. When I got in the car, I was shaking with fear. What if my parents find out? Then I would get grounded. So what? My grounding would end eventually. What if I get in an accident and end up in juvenile detention? Then I guess my parents would bail me out. All children make mistakes. After going over all the scenarios that could happen in my head, I was ready. I turned the car on and drove backwards.

I managed to be on the road. It was a very exciting new experience. I did not drive fast to not get in any accidents. Because it was nighttime, I was thankful that no one was walking on the streets and no cars were passing around me. Otherwise I would panic and not know what to do.

After driving around the block, I went back to my house. When I parked the car, I looked over at the window that leads to our living room and saw my parents standing there... looking worried. Oh no!

Where did you go?! Why would you do this? This is not like you... That is the point, I don’t want to be like me. I want to live my life, but I guess living my life has its consequences. They grounded me for two weeks. I was not surprised, I already imagined this scenario in my head.

...

I opened the notebook and saw a checkmark under the second task. I’ve completed it! I turned to the next page, and words started appearing. “Get a tattoo.” The truth is, I have always wanted to get a tattoo, but when I got older. This is not something that goes against what I want, It was just not the right time. It is also not something I could get without my parents permission, because I was under age. But I wanted to know what would happen when I finished the tasks.

I started searching for places that would give tattoos without a parent’s permission. Luckily, I found one!

Since I was grounded, I couldn’t go after school. So I decided to skip school. I couldn’t wait until my grounding was up.

My mom dropped me off at school. When she left, so did I. I took the bus to the tattoo shop that I found online. It was in a sketchy looking area. To be truthful, I did not feel too safe.

The inside of the shop had a dark aesthetic. When I talked to one of the artists, he asked me what tattoo I wanted and if I had a design. This is when I realized that I didn’t... So I had to come up with one or choose from what they had. I also wanted to get it somewhere where my parents couldn’t see it. So I ended up deciding on a tiny ocean wave tattoo on the side of my right ring finger.

After a few minutes he was done. So I paid and left the shop.

Was getting the tattoo worth it? I didn’t even put much thought in what I wanted to get. Whatever, it’s done now.

...

When I opened the notebook, I saw a checkmark under the third task. I flipped the page and the next task was to steal... I didn’t know if I could do that. Could I? I mean, I did get an illegal tattoo without my parents knowing. Also, I could steal something small that barely has any value. It doesn’t say how big or expensive the item has to be. I just need to steal something...anything.

Later that day, my mom came up to my room and asked me where I was. The school called to let her know that I was absent for the whole day. I could tell the truth or I could lie...

“I wasn’t feeling okay, so I came back home because I got a stomach ache. Sorry, I didn’t want to alarm you. It wasn’t anything serious.”

I have never lied to my parents before, and here I am now doing it easily. I should feel ashamed, but I don’t. Is this what I’ve turned to?

My mom believed me. Now I had to plan my next task. Which store was I going to steal from? What do I steal? And when? I didn’t want to skip another school day because that would be too suspicious. But I could go to a store near my school at lunch time.

...

It was lunch time. When I got to the store, I looked around for something small. I ended up deciding to steal a fruit. So I took one cherry and slipped it in my pocket while making sure no one was looking. I also decided to buy a bag of chips to not look suspicious. The closer I got to the cashier, the faster my heart was beating. They’re definitely going to catch me and I’ll end up in jail. I was sweating and I was pretty sure my face was flushed. Even the cashier had to ask me if I was okay. I paid and left the store. I did not get caught!

I walked back to school and finished my school day.

When I got home, I ran straight to my room to check the notebook. I was not sure if what I did was stealing. So I opened the notebook and looked under the fourth task to find that there was a checkmark there. I’ve completed it! That made me happy because I’ve completed the task without stealing something of great value.

I turned to the last page, I thought it was the last task because it was the only page left.

Words appeared. But I did not like what I saw. I was also confused. The last task was to “break in.” I did not know where to break in. Do I break Into a house? A store? A zoo? I had to think long about this task. And come up with something that’s not harmful to anyone. A peaceful break in.

There is a pool area at my park. They close the fence at a certain time so that means no one should trespass otherwise it’s a break In.

So again, I decided to wait until night time when my parents were asleep so I could sneak out.

...

I snuck out and walked to the park. Walking at night alone is scary. I was wearing a black hoodie and had my hood on just In case there were cameras around. When I got to the park, no one was there. Of course no one was there silly, it was one in the morning. I went closer to the fences of the pool. I made sure no one was around then I started climbing. This was easier in my head. I was shocked how I didn’t even think twice before I started to climb.

I got to the top of the fence and then I climbed down to the other side so that I was inside. Once I was in, I decided to take off my shoes, cuff my pants and dangle my feet in the water.

I didn’t stay too long. Five minutes later I climbed the fence to the other side and walked back to my house.

I opened the little black notebook and turned to the last page where the fifth task was. I looked under the task and bam! There it was, a checkmark. I completed the task!

I turned the page and stared at the back cover. Is that it? A second later… a large sum of money in cash appeared out of thin air. Oh my! As I picked up the money, my heart was racing. Words started forming in the back cover.

I realized what I had actually done...