The Convenience of Lies by K.A. Castillo

certainly don't want to sit here and explain it. It's an emotion that I can't put into words.
    “Never mind,” I tell him, right before I drive off. I wonder if it's safe for me to be driving because my vision has suddenly become cloudy as tears build up in my eyes. Finally I can let out that mixture of emotions that have been wreaking havoc on my mind all evening. I had wanted so badly for him to understand my actions. As more tears stream down my cheeks, I try to come up with a simple way that I can explain “the point” to Ramon. I want the explanation to be short and sweet.
    When I get home, I have come up with the perfection explanation and text him, “The music was the picture.”
    “Awww. Mackenzie, the reason is that if we were to get together, we could break up, and then our bond wouldn't be as strong. That's what happened with Kira, and I would rather have you as a good friend, than lose you.”
    I cry even harder.

Chapter Seven
    King is staring at Newbie's Alpine stereo as they sit parked on the side of the freeway. “The way you get away with a crime is you don't tell anyone that you did it,” King says knowingly.
    “
But what if someone asks if you did it?” inquires the Newbie.
    “
You just tell them that you didn't do it. They'll ask 'really' and all you have to say is 'Really, I didn't do it.' Then they will just nod their head, and believe you. They will only ask once or twice, and you just have to get through that, and that's it.” King gets a thrill just talking about it.
    Newbie's eyes widen. “But, that doesn't make it right.”
    “
It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. All that matters is if you can. If you ****can
*
* do something, what difference does it make?” King asks rhetorically.
    “
But what about the person you're stealing from?
”
    “
It doesn't matter. Who cares what they think?!” King spits out vehemently. Newbie is such a push-over, and this is NOT the time to be talking about it.
    Newbie furrows his brows, but nods his head.
    King is getting impatient, “Okay, you ready to get started?”
    Despite the fact he's gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white, Newbie says resolutely, “Yes. I'll be waiting here for you.”
    King gets out of the car, and walks down the nearby off ramp as he puts on his sunglasses and pulls a black, form-fitting mask over his face. Just to the right of the off ramp is a Target, sporting an outdoor Garden section that's right next to the freeway. King walks directly into the Garden section where his other Puppet is working the cash register alone.
    Puppet sees King arrive, checks to see if there's a manager around, and starts opening the register as his hands tremble with nervous excitement. It's the end of the day when the register will have the most cash. Once King gets there, Puppet passes off the money, King takes it, and immediately starts running back out the way he came.
    Puppet starts following emergency procedures used in the case of theft, just as King instructed him to, to cover up Puppet's compliance. “Code Red in Garden, Code Red in Garden,” he calls over the intercom. Then he picks up the telephone and dials 911…
     
    King arrives at Newbie's car parked on the freeway, rips off the mask, out of breath from sprinting. “Get Going. NOW!” he yells.
    Newbie has already started up the engine and starts merging onto the freeway. They disappear into the rest of the rushing traffic. They will be miles away before the police arrive at Target.
    The crime went just as King knew it would.
    Still feeling a rush from his recent endeavor, King goes back to staring at Newbie's Alpine stereo, wondering how much it would sell for on EBay.

Chapter Eight
    I gasp for air as my throat tightens up. My mom and I just got into a fight. I stop running so that I can try to breathe as I wipe a tear off of my face. I feel lonely. I feel like I have nobody in the world who understands me. Just last night I was talking to Ramon at