Life Realizations

Gang of Misfits: A Collection of Stories from the Yellow Bench
My hands were shaking; sweat was beading above my brows. I carefully maneuvered my hands around the two and a quarter kilo’s of sugar crystal, being tentative to sudden, audible movements that would guarantee my capture. With the crunchy plastic that encased the “goods” firmly in my hands, I darted for an exit. My swift burglary was approaching the finish line. Success was inevitable…
It was 5th Grade. My classmates were no longer children. The innocence of childhood was fading. This is the period when the world became real to me as well as many of my classmates. Many of us became aware of a society full of sex, drugs, and people who do not recycle. Coming from a comfortable Grand Rapids suburb with religious families, being educated by a private Christian school, and having close-knit church communities were universal upbringings my friends and I shared; all being factors that played into the ignorance of issues that were real outside of our safe Christian bubble.
I was a hefty, sweater wearing goody two shoes my whole life, never questioning authority. Things were good. In exchange for following rules, I would get rewards. I received incentives of extra TV time, cookie and cream ice cream, or even a new beanie baby on a rare occasion. The benefits outweighed the restrictions leading up to my 5th grade year. All my friends at the time shared the same obey-eat-sleep lifestyle. We were essentially pets to an unproblematic society that controlled us. I continually repressed the feelings of rebellion that had been building inside me.   A part of me wanted to voice my recent anarchistic feelings, but never knew how to due to my upbringing. My anger was like an unset rattrap, desperately wanting to leave a bad impression on the rat of rules and authority, but requiring to be set up first.
The introduction of criminal activity in the real world was the perfect set up; I was ready to be triggered. The...