Jay is his parent’s pride and joy. He brings home straight A’s, he’s the captain of the varsity football team, and he’s in his 7th year of being a committed altar server. As a 17-year-old junior in high school, who gets straight A’s as easy as picking a blade of grass and has multiple scholarship offers, Jay has little to no worries in life. However, tonight is a different night.
Tonight, Jay is walking home after sneaking out for the first time and going to a friend’s house party. His parents refused to let him go because Carl, this friend of Jay’s, has been deemed a bad influence. You see Carl isn’t the promising boy that Jay is. Carl likes to explore abandoned buildings. Carl likes to flirt with random girls. Carl likes to “live like there’s no tomorrow!” Jay’s parents forbid him from going to Carl’s party and, in a moment like no other, Jay rebelled.
Jay gets into his neighborhood and sees his house on the other end. The fun is over. Now he sees the price ahead. He starts to think about the moments that occurred just moments ago. The laughs. The smiles. The girl. Jay’s smile quickly fades as he looks up again. He’s now two houses away from the inevitable price he must pay. “After everything I do,” he says to himself. “I have a 4.0 GPA, I practice and win games all week, I study, I’m an altar server at church. Why couldn’t I have this one night? Why didn’t I deserve it?”
Here he is. Jay stares at the front door as he stands slumped over on his porch. “Maybe I can get away with this,” he thinks to himself. “My room isn’t that far from the door.” “Now where have you been?” the house quietly says to Jay. “Have they woken up yet?” Jay asks. “No. Not yet at least.” That’s when Jay suddenly remembers. “No, please. Just give me a pass this one time. I promise I won’t do it again.” “You know I must Jay,” the house regretfully says,” It’s coded in me.” Jay drops his head. He kicks himself for having any sort of hope that he could succeed. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a ten-second head start.” Jay slowly looks up as he contemplates the possibility. He thinks about how far his room is. He wonders if he can make it. “Deal,” he says.
“1” Jay slowly opens the door. The sound of silence empties the weight on his heart.
“2” `He slowly locks the door and carefully turns on the wooden floor to find his room. “
3” Jay enters the hallway. His room is at the end of what seems to be an endless tunnel. His parent’s room is on his path as well.
“4” He slips off his shoes, each one making him cringe with the noise they make, and starts walking.
“5” Jay gets to his parents’ room. He slows down so he can be extra careful. The house may be silent, but a wrong step can still make some type of noise.
“6” Jay starts to pass his parent’s room. He stops for a second to make sure they’re still asleep.
“7” He sees his room. This hallway isn’t endless after all.
“8” He gets a few more steps in but the counting seems to get faster.
“9” He’s almost there. He opens the door as it sounds like it was drenched in WD-40. His right foot enters the room and steps on the floor.
“10. Amplify sound to 500%.”
Suddenly, every movement sounds like a middle-aged father opening up a plastic cake container at midnight.
Jay stops in his tracks as if he just stepped on a landmine. His right foot is fully on the ground with most of his weight on his. The heel of his left foot is off the ground in the hallway as he was caught mid-step. Jay holds the door frame so as to not shift any of his weight at all. Jay is staring at his bed as he’s heartbroken at how close he was. He slowly started to lift his left foot.
Crrreeaaaakkkkk
Jay cringes knowing that he’s gonna be busted. He waits with his left foot in the air beside his right. His parents are still asleep. He slowly puts his foot down and shifts half of his weight back to the left.
Crrrreeeaaakkkk
Jay stands there in jeans and a t-shirt. The door is still open and his shoes are still in his hand. Jay takes the risk of a lifetime. He throws his shoes on the bed.
Creak
They land, but one lands on the edge. It sways back and forth as it holds Jay’s life in its hands. Jay watches in fear, knowing what will happen if the shoe falls. The shoe sits still. Jay is spared for a few more seconds. However, he knows what must come next. Jay carefully reaches his hand back and slowly feels for the door handle. His knuckles accidentally hit the door.
Knock
He freezes as time stops. He waits for his death sentence. Nothing, his parents are still asleep. As he sighs, Jay finds the door handle. He starts to close the door.
Creeaakkkkk…..Creak...Cr...Crrrreeaaakkkk
Jay stops halfway. He shakes more and more every time he hears that loud noise. He knows if he continues, his parents are bound to wake up. Once he works up the courage, he goes again.
Creakkkkk...Cre....Creaakkkkk
He’s at the end.
Click
Suddenly, courage fills his soul. The hard part is over. All he has to do is get out of his clothes and get into bed. He slowly strips to his underwear, keeping his feet on the ground and still holding the door frame.
Cre...Crea...Creak
He stands with his shirt on the floor and his pants at his ankles. He knows that the only strategy would be to try and get to his bed in one step. He shifts all his weight backward to the door frame as he slowly picks up his right foot.
Creaakkkk
As he’s leaning on the door frame with his right foot in the air, he slowly shifts his weight forward inch by inch and plans his landing spot for his foot. He stretches as far as he can and plants it.
Thump
Jay hears a noise outside the room. He painfully holds his split as he listens carefully. He looks back to see an ant stomping its way underneath the door. The coast is clear. Jay shifts his weight back to his right foot.
Creeeak
His hands move to the bed. He lifts his left foot.
Creeeaakk
He’s so close to the endzone. He lifts his left knee and places it on the bed. He plans out how he’s going to mount the bed.
Then, he mutters, “Fuck it.”
In one swift motion, he spins onto the bed.
Creak
He lies on his back waiting for his doom. He waits. He waits. He thinks he hears something every five seconds. After 10 minutes, he calms down. He’s too afraid to move anymore so he’s forced to sleep on his back. It’s over. He won.
Jay wakes to the smell of bacon and eggs. It’s Saturday. He has football practice today. He gets out of bed. He looks at the floor. There’s his shirt and pants. He then remembers that night. A night of a different boy. The night of a man. He smiles as he thinks about the laughs. The smiles. The girl. He gets dressed and heads to the kitchen.
“Why are you so happy this morning?” His mom asks.
“I don’t know,” Jay says, “I just had a good sleep.” Jay walks over to the table and sits next to his dad reading the newspaper.
“Well ok then,” says his mom, “and I’m sorry about last night honey, but you shouldn’t be going to parties at this time of your life. Especially not with that Carl character.”
Jay’s smile doesn’t budge. “It’s ok mom, I understand.” Jay looks at his mom across the kitchen cooking up breakfast. He sat there basking in his victory. He succeeded. Life again has no worries.
Jay’s dad suddenly put down the newspaper and leaned over to Jake. He whispered, “Try not to be so loud coming in next time. You’re not the only one with plans today.” Jay looked at his father in horror as his mother put down his plate. Is this a trap? Are they both cornering him into the ripping of a lifetime?
“Alright, boys, I’m off to work,” said Jay’s mother.
“Goodbye mom!” Jay said, almost excited to see her leave.
“Did you sleep ok?” His dad said, still reading the newspaper.
Jay looked at him trying to put on his best poker face as if it were life and death. “Ummm…” Jay said. “I slept ok.”
Jay’s dad looked up at him without the slightest movement of his face. Piercing suspicion through Jay’s countenance. Searching for evidence of the bluff in Jay’s hand. Finally, he looked back down and gave the smirk of good sportsmanship.
“That’s good, son.” He said, closing the newspaper and walking out the door.
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