Tales from the Darkness

Making Trouble

Sloane had just turned 11, and he started acting out at school. He would always get in fights, even make teachers cry, and fight back to even the principal. After Sean got home from work, he used to sit by the phone and wait for the school to call him because it had become so regular for Sloane to get in trouble at school. Sloane had gotten out of control with all the trouble he would cause.

On one such day, he got in trouble and was sent to the principal's office. The principal got frustrated with him because he kept giving him attitude, so he grabbed his shoulders really hard. Sloane, feeling angry that the principal was now putting his hands on him, declared in a calm but angry tone, "You better get your hands off me." The rage swirled in Sloane's eyes. The principal, instead of heeding Sloane's words, thought who does this little brat think he is to talk to me like that and have such an attitude with me. So, instead of releasing Sloane, he let his anger and frustration fuel him to grip Sloane even tighter with a now bruising grip digging his fingers into Sloane's shoulders he hotly responded, "You should show some respect to your elders! You shouldn't be talking to me like that. I'm the principal." At this, Sloane just got even more angered by the principal's words and actions, so he punched the principal. The principal was so enraged by now that he stormed off and came back with zipties. He restrained Sloane and said, "There that should hold you until the police and your parents come. I've notified both. You just wait! you're in a lot of trouble. I'll make you regret ever acting out against me!" Sloane was still furious but had nothing more to say to the principal, so he just sat there silently raging.

When the cops showed up, they briefly talked with the principal before they took Sloane out in the parking lot and said he had to leave the premises and couldn't come back for the rest of the school year.

So, being expelled from school and not allowed on school property, they sent Sloane to a building that had a door with a slot he would have to come every week and receive the homework he was supposed to do through the slot and return the work he did through the same slot.

This didn't deter Sloane in any way to get his act together. If anything, it just made things worse. Erin thought maybe it was time for a change she decided she was going to start going to church and take Sloane and Mandy with her. For Erin, it was a good change in her life and seemed to help Sloane at first, but soon Sloane felt like what was the use because all the preacher talked about was hell and damnation. Sloane thought well if I'm doomed to go to hell anyways, then what's the point?

For Easter that year, Erin thought maybe having a pet would help Sloane, so she bought him and Mandy both some ducks. The problem with that was since they were still living with Erin's parents, they had dogs, so while they were at church, there were no more ducklings the dogs had eaten them.

The next school year, Sloane had to go to a different school. The school didn't allow him to come back after the last incident. Things didn't improve in the new school, though either. Sloane just got into more trouble than before.

Sloane not only kept getting in fights at school and being disrespectful to teachers but also started associating with gangs. He got involved with drugs since the gangs were involved with drugs. Before too long, he was selling drugs.

One day, a guy named Hugo was over at the apartments that were close to where Sloane's dad lived, and he was staying over with his dad at the time. Sloane was good friends with a girl named Claire who lived over in the apartments, and that is whom Hugo was going to see. Claire had already tried to tell Hugo to leave, but he wouldn't go away and kept pestering her. Claire knew Sloane was close by, so she called Sloane's home phone. Sloane, of course, was more than willing to go help her out. He walked over and told Hugo, "Leave Claire alone. She's already told you multiple times that she wants you to leave." Sloane was giving Hugo a chance to do the decent thing and just leave, but Hugo wasn't having it. He was infuriated that Sloane was involving himself in the situation he sharply countered, "Why don't you mind your own business and leave? This has nothing to do with you!" At this point Sloane was done with dealing nicely with Hugo he punched him and knocked him to the ground and kept throwing punches. When Hugo was good and bloody Sloane stopped and voiced, "Come around here again and you'll get more of that." Hugo embarrassed that Sloane could beat him so easily and completely enraged snarled, "You don't know who you are messing with!" He glared at Sloane for a minute before retreating angrily.

The next day at school, Hugo and a few other boys approached Sloane, and Hugo thought that since he was in a gang that they would back him up. Little did Hugo know Sloane sold drugs to them and they of course didn't want to hurt that relationship. Hugo said to Sloane with confidence, "What do you got now?" Sloane pushed Hugo away and said," Just turn around and leave before you get yourself hurt again." Hugo was confused by Sloane's reaction he thought for sure that Sloane would be intimidated by being outnumbered and back down. Hugo turned around to the other guys with him and declared, "You saw and heard how he treated me just now. Are you going to let him just do that to me?" The other boys backed up and replied, "Look Hugo whatever you got going on is between you two we don't want any part in this." Completely furious from the turn out Hugo stormed off and found some other gang members to try and back him up.

The other members agreed to go with him but to only do something if Sloane actually raised a hand to Hugo. So after school Sloane and his cousin Finn were walking home when Finn noticed Hugo and a bunch of the gang walking up to them. He got Sloane's attention and said, "Here comes Hugo and some of his boys and they definitely don't look happy." Finn was feeling nervous but he looked at Sloane patiently waiting for a response from Sloane. Finally after calculating for a minute Sloane responded to Finn saying, "Hugo is going to try and fight me and if I do something to him all these other guys are probably going to come after us. So when I say run, you run as fast as you can and don't look back." By this time Hugo had almost caught up with Sloane and Finn. Finn hid behind Sloane even though he was bigger and older than Sloane. Hugo provoked Sloane saying, "You aren't so tough now are you? I can do whatever I want and there's nothing you can do about it." Sloane knew Hugo was just trying to bait him into punching him but he didn't care. He wanted to prove a point that he wasn't going to allow Hugo to get away with anything so he gave Hugo a big punch in the face and told Finn, "Run!" Finn just grabbed onto the back of Sloane's shirt and anxiously stated, "They're all running towards us!" Sloane seeing they were approaching quickly managed to get out of Finn's grasp and yelled, "You i***t I said to run! Now Run!" Startled Finn finally took off running with Sloane right behind him and the gang right on their heels. They had gone several blocks before Sloane finally realized he didn't hear them anymore so he slowed down and glanced back only to see their retreating figures. He relaxed but wondered what they would do the next time they saw him.

They next day one of the gang members approached him and said, "Look none of us have anything against you but Hugo is apart of our gang and a bunch of us don't even like him. Since he came to us yesterday about the situation we had to back him up. If we would have caught up to you we would have had to beat you up but we're cool." Sloane was relieved hearing this. He replied, "Thanks, I respect that."

Hugo gave up on getting back at Sloane because it kept backfiring on him. Sloane however felt like this was just the beginning of a newly formed friendship between him and the other guys. Sloane didn't even realize the dark path he was heading towards.