The Rocks
The year was 2012, and a young Joe Bevere III was in sixth grade. It was a fall Friday afternoon when a couple of friends and I walked downtown like we usually did. We would always meet up with a bunch of kids from the other middle school in front of Zinga, a frozen yogurt place. This was the place to be on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. My friends and I stayed pretty late because we planned on going to the school dance later that night but that all changed when the rock hit.
My friends and I crossed the street to Rite Aid to grab snacks for later and my friend Jared decided to steal a big bag of Sour Patch Kids. We then crossed back, and walked into an alleyway in between Zinga and a hair salon. We were in the back of the alleyway near a parking lot, and the other end lead out to the street. So as bored sixth graders, we start picking up rocks and throwing them up to the roof. It started getting competitive and we were all trying to throw the rocks as high as we could. After one of the throws, we heard a thump but thought nothing about it so we kept on going. Then these two guys walked by the end of the alleyway towards the street and then all of a sudden they turned back, and started yelling and running towards me and my friends. I remember it like yesterday, the guy turning the corner and saying “You guys just broke a fucking window.” Of course my friends and I turn on the jets and start running the other way. Nick, Anthony, and I turned left and started running. Michael and Jared turned right and started running or so we thought. Nick, Anthony and I were flying with adrenaline pumping in our veins. We ran past the train station and kept running. I remember telling my friends we needed to get as far away from Zinga as possible and we couldn’t stop until we reached Joshua Eaton Middle School. Once we got to Joshua Eaton, we start realizing what just happened and started to laugh about it because we got away. Then we call Michael to see where he and Jared are at and Michael said he wasn’t with Jared. At that moment we knew we had a problem. We eventually met back up with Michael and got picked up by Anthony’s parents. We got into the car like nothing had ever happened. Then in the car dropping people off, my phone rings and it’s my Dad. I answered the phone to a pissed off voice, and at that moment my heart dropped. My Dad said there is a police officer at the house right now and you need to get home ASAP. When I finally arrived home, I remember walking into disappointed and confused parents. My Dad who is a police officer started playing 21 questions with me about what happened. He told me that the Jared got caught by the police hiding in a trash can and they called his parents down. His parents made him give up our names to the police. Then my Dad and I go down to the alley way so I can show him what took place. When we first walked into the alleyway, right in the middle was the big bag of Sour Patch Kids which gave me a laugh. Then I reenacted the situation and we headed home.
My parents were most certainly disappointed and pissed that this even happened because now someone had to pay for the window but we actually never had to pay for. For my punishment, I wasn’t allowed to go to the school dance that night which was a huge blow at the time. Overall this experience was my first time getting in real trouble and it was tough seeing the disappointment it brought to my parents. Now as I look back on it, I still laugh but I realize that you need to be ready for the backlash of your questionable actions even if you think you’ve gotten away with it.
