Three Word Topic: Four Teenagers, Park Bench, Arriving Home Late

One night, in Nashville, Tennessee, Jeffrey Collins, a sixteen-year old boy, was on his way to a party with his best friend, Xavier Kirkland, aged 17, and their girlfriends, Emma Morgan, 16, and Samantha Kerrigan, 16. They decided to stop by a local park, Cumberland Park, near where the party was located. They took a stroll around the park, got some ice cream, and found a park bench to sit down on. “So, Emma, are you going to try any drugs or alcohol at the party?” asked Samantha. “Well, I’m not sure about all that. I told my parents that we were just going to the party and that we would be back by 11:00 tonight.” Emma replied. “Hey, what are y’all talking about?” inquired Jeff. “Your girlfriend over here doesn’t want to drink or smoke tonight. She’s scared of her parents.” replied the annoyed Samantha. “I don’t want to come home drunk!” cried Emma. She ducked her head, fighting tears. She didn’t want to be the girl who messed everything up for everyone else. “Oh, Em, it will be alright.” said Jeff, as he cradled her face in his hands, wiping the few tears that had escaped from her cheeks. He quickly kissed her, and said, “What if I just stayed here with you and let Sammy and X go on to the party? We can talk for a while if you want, and I am not going to make you drink or smoke if you don’t want to.” “Alright, that sounds good, thanks, babe.” said Emma. Jeff pulled Xavier aside and said, “Listen, man you and Sammy go on to the party. Em and I need some alone time for a little bit. We will just walk the couple of blocks down to the party in about an hour, or whenever she is ready.” Sam groaned. “Come on! She acts like such a baby sometimes! I hate it when she pulls her stupid stunts like this.” “ At least her parents care about her.” retorted Jeff. Samantha’s parents had put her up for adoption when she was 12, and she never forgot it. Her foster parents didn’t care about her, either.This comment caused Xavier to lash out and try to throw a punch at his best friend. Jeff blocked it, and went to sit back down on the bench, next to Emma.

        “Hey, if you don’t want to go to the party, we don’t have to. You know I love you, and will do anything for you.” whispered Jeff in her ear. This caused her to smile, and she whispered back, “Well, let’s go then.” She walked down the sidewalk towards the way to the party. Jeff came up behind her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead to remind her how much he cared about her. When they got to the party, they immediately spotted Sam and Xavier, who accepted Jeff’s apology right away. They already had beers in their hands, which to everyone’s surprise, Emma accepted. When they were finished with their beers, they went to light up. Emma also accepted this. She just wanted to have a little fun, as she explained to Jeff later. They ended up partying much longer than Emma was comfortable with, until about 1 am. When she returned home, her parents were waiting for her. She ended up getting grounded for three weeks, but it was definitely worth it, according to her and her friends.