by Katie Bradford
Friday night came quickly and Ali was more then a little nervous about leaving the house while under restriction, but she was tired of missing out on everything too.
It was planned that Ali would sneak out as soon as she could and meet Katie and the boys at Jimmy's house which was just around the corner. From there they would all go to Sam's party which was supposed to be the biggest event of their entire year. Sam's parents weren't going to be there, and booze was going to be everywhere; at least that's what Sam had said. They were all excited about going.
Now, Ali was waiting impatiently for her parents to go to sleep. She'd tried being extra pleasant that evening, which wasn't too hard since her sister was gone. She and her parents had had a nice dinner and even watched a movie together on television. As soon as it was over, however, Ali had feigned being tired and had gone up to her room, hoping her parents would retire to theirs soon. Unfortunately, they were staying up later then usual for some reason. It was ten thirty and they were still down in the living room.
She made a quick call to Katie on the hall phone, making sure her parents didn't know, and told her she was still at home, and if she hadn't come by eleven to go on without her. Alex had retrieved the phone from Katie and told Ali to hurry and get her butt over there because they weren't going without her.
After hanging up the phone, Ali had a thought. Maybe if she made an appearance downstairs like to get water or something from the kitchen, her parents wouldn't feel the need to come up and say goodnight before they went to bed. They hardly ever did that any more, but sometimes they did, and with her luck they would choose that night to do it.
Decked out in her nightshirt, Ali trekked down the stairs, and as she neared the bottom step she yawned loudly and said, "Gee, are you guys still up?"
Looking at his watch, Mr. Nichols replied, "It's only ten thirty five. It's not that late."
Mrs. Nichols closed the book she had been reading and asked, "Are you having trouble sleeping, dear?"
"Nah ... I was just reading," she lied. "I'm getting a drink and then hitting the sack. Reading made me tired."
"Well, your father and I are about to turn in too." Her mother smiled, opening her book back up. "I'm going to finish this chapter first."
"Okay ... well ... I'll see you guys in the morning," Ali said as she walked over and gave them both a kiss on the cheek.
"Night, baby." Her father smiled as he kissed her back. "Have a good sleep. Your restriction is almost up."
Ali blushed at her father's words. Did he sense she was about to do something she shouldn't, or was he just looking on the bright side? Hoping he hadn't noticed the change in her facial color, Ali said goodnight again and headed towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. Now she really did need a drink! That comment worried her slightly. Her father never made light of pronounced punishments.
After drinking two full glasses, Ali headed back towards the stairs and passed her parents who were now finally on their way to bed. Thankfully, their bedroom was on the bottom floor clear across the house from her own.
Goodnight, dear," her mother said again, as Ali started up the stairs.
"Night, Momma."
As she reached her room, she listened for the closing of her parents' bedroom door before closing her own. One thing she knew for a fact was that her parents usually fooled around on Friday nights so they would probably be pretty busy for a while. For years the girls had been told not to bother their parents after bedtime on Friday night. It didn't take a genius to figure out why!
She waited a few more minutes, and when no one came out, Ali figured it was safe to get dressed and head over to Jimmy's.
In the very bottom of her closet was a skirt she'd managed to keep hidden. Her parents would kill her if they ever saw her wearing it. In the past she'd stuff it in her purse and put it on only when she and Katie were well away from the house. Katie had to do the same thing because her father was just as rigid as Ali's.
Pulling the skirt out of its hiding spot, Ali slid it up her legs and buttoned it at the waist. She pulled a matching shirt from its hanger and finished dressing. She didn't spend very long putting on make up because she was sure the others were probably growing impatient. So, after picking out a pair of stud earrings and putting them in, she was ready.
By eleven o'clock she was sliding out her bedroom window and into the hug oak tree that was practically touching the ledge. This wasn't the first time she had snuck out of the house this way. She was glad her secret hadn't been discovered. If her father knew of this escape route he would definitely have at least the tree branches touching her window cut down.
The others were waiting for her when she arrived. They loaded into Jimmy's car and headed to Sam's house, which was located in the rich part of town. Not that Ali and the others lived in the slums; their families all lived in above average homes, but their homes were nothing like Sam's. Sam's house had three storeys and lots of acreage around it. There were no neighbors for half a block on either side. It was a perfect place for a party, and his parents always seemed to be gone, making it even more perfect.
The party was everything they had expected and more. Before they knew it, it was two thirty in the morning! Ali was unconcerned with the time because hopefully her parents were fast asleep, but she knew Katie was in trouble. She was past her one o'clock curfew. How could time pass so quickly?
They were all intoxicated, but they piled into Jimmy's car anyway. Jimmy drove very slowly back to their part of town so they wouldn't be stopped by the police. The last thing any of them needed was to be tested for alcohol. Unfortunately, he was driving too slowly. A cop car that was parked behind a billboard became suspicious and followed them for a while and finally pulled them over a few miles down the road.
He made Jimmy and the others get out of the car and walk a straight line, and when none of them could do it, he hauled them all into the police station on a DWI.
Ali prayed the police officers would just talk to them and let them go. How stupid was that, she thought later as she and Katie sat in Sergeant Philips' office waiting for their fathers to come and pick them up! The sergeant had just finished calling both fathers on the phone and informed the girls that neither father sounded too thrilled.
Katie's mother had died when Katie was very little, so it was just her and her father, and they were pretty close. Ali had often envied the relationship between Katie and her dad. She wondered if she and her father would get along better if she had been an only child. Anyway, Katie's father had been beside himself with worry because Katie was an hour and a half late for curfew, and she was rarely ever late.
And, of course , Ali's father had been in a deep sleep when Sergeant Phillips called. At first he denied the possibility of it being his daughter the sergeant was holding at the station because she was upstairs asleep. But upon checking Ali's room, he told the officer he would be there in ten minutes.
So now, both girls sat waiting on pins and needles.
Jimmy was having the book thrown at him since he was the one driving. Ali felt sorry for him because they hadn't had a wreck or anything, and now he would probably have his license suspended and who knew what his parents were going to do to him? Alex was in another room having his parents called, but he would be released to his parents with just a slap on the wrist.
Katie and Ali were too nervous about what their fathers were going to do to them when they got there to carry on any type of conversation. They sat quietly and brooded while the sergeant worked on filling out papers.
Katie's father was the first to arrive. He was ushered into the sergeant's office by another officer.
Without even talking to the sergeant, Mr. Cohen leaned over into his daughter's face and growled, "What in the hell were you thinking, getting in a car with someone who's been drinking? I tell you what ... if that Jimmy kid was the one driving ... you've had your last date with him!"
A tear rolled down Katie's cheek as she looked at the angry look on her father's face. She hated disappointing him, and she knew she had that night. Having to pick your kid up in the police station had to be one of the worst things a parent could do.
"I'm sorry, Daddy!"
"You'll be sorry when I get you home!" he replied as he straightened up and looked over at the sergeant still sitting behind his desk. Extending his hand he said, "I'm Max Cohen ... Katie's father."
Sergeant Phillips shook Mr. Cohen's hand and pointed to one of the chairs by his desk. "Have a seat sir."
"So what's going to happen?" Mr. Cohen asked as he took the appointed seat.
"Well, since she wasn't driving she won't be charged this time, although the law is about to change. Eventually, even if you are just a passenger in a car with someone who has been drinking, you'll also be prosecuted."
"You're kidding, right?" Mr. Cohen asked.
"Why would I kid about something like that, Sir?" the officer asked.
"That's not really fair, is it?" he asked.
"Hopefully, it'll stop some of the kids from drinking. We've had an awful lot of casualties with teens and alcohol," Sergeant Phillips said.
"So this isn't going to be on her records?"
"No, but I think I would do some pretty tall preaching if I were you. She took the breathalyzer and she scored a .10 which is legally drunk in this state for a teenager."
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