Shift Key | Teen Ink

Shift Key

July 30, 2008
By Anonymous

3:38 pm

"Screw experience" a man said in mid argument with a group of men in their mid 20's. Tables are visible in the background with food upon them with men talking about their lives, daily activities and all. "Clinton opposes violent video games, I mean it's just another form of media, what the ***?" the man said. "I highly doubt that with all the problems in the world, she is going to go straight for some stupid game man" another man at the table said. "That's not the point, it's the fact she opposes it that bothers me, the fact that..." the bell rang. The participants in the argument walk out of the cafeteria, the summer is hot, the grass is clean cut on the campus, and the bushes don't have one stray leaf. A sign reads on the campus, "L.A Police Academy".



7:38 pm



Big dark room, the place hasn't been cleaned in months. "This aint no 'bing bada boom', not some family honor , do you see any Italians here?" a man said in mid argument. "This is not a place steeped in family morals, we aint even a family, don't give me that look, I can feel your look". Light takes over the room, the jump from black and white film to colored film. A large man walks in the room, the men fall silent. His footsteps are all that can be heard, tap, tap, tap, tap. He stands in front of the table the men are sitting at. "Let's go" he said.



A fairly nice looking black muscle car is being driven down the street during the night, the men from the room are in the car, the large man is driving, techno music blares. Three Windows are down, elbows out, cigarettes in, sunglasses on. "This is your first robbery, am I correct?" the large man asked. Three answered "Yea.", one answered "Well once when I was a teenager, I was in this store and...", "Look this is aint no adolescent brush with the law, ok?" the large man interrupted, the other man did not answer. "As I was about to say" the large man continued "this is going to be a quick in and out deal, k? Look, over there." he pointed at a light blue house in the dark night with its windows lit up with light "theirs a good house".



4:38 pm



The men in their mid twenties are in one of the many L.A Police Academy's classes. The instructor talks about the entry of the bullet into the head, the men listen and take notes willingly. "...and that basically sums up today's lesson, if you want to learn more on the subject there is a great book on it called..." the bell interrupts, the men leave. "You guys gonna be there tonight right, 6 o' clock?" one man asked the group whilst walking down the Police Academy's hallways, the other men nod.



8:38 pm



The group bust down the doors of the light blue house, their car is parked sloppily on the front lawn. One man goes directly for the woman, throws her on to her a chair, duct tapes her mouth, meanwhile rest of the men begin to tear up the house looking for valuables. The man sits in a chair across from her in the middle of the room staring at her, keeping an eye out while the others tear up the place. He notices a guitar behind her, he smiles at her, gets up from his chair goes for her steel string acoustic guitar and walks back to his chair. He begins to play a famous song, a Bob Dylan song. The strings vibrate, "Yonder stands your orphan with his gun, crying like a fire in the sun. Look out the saints are comin' through and it's all over now, baby blue...." The man sings. The house is now almost completely torn up, the woman's shocked eyes widen to the point where the distance between her eyes and the duct tape seems very small. "Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you. Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you. The vagabond who's rapping at your door is standing in the clothes that you once wore. Strike another match, go start anew...and it's all over now, baby blue." The house is now completely torn up; the men walk out with boxes and bags of materials not quite visible. The woman muffled screams beneath the duct tape are hardly noticeable.



6:00 pm



The men from the Police academy one by one arrive at an abandoned warehouse. It's 6:38 pm, all men have arrived, they sit at a table in a big dark room. At 7 pm they enter debate on morals, "this aint no bing bada boom..." can be heard in the midst of this heated debate. It's 7:38 pm; a large man enters the room...



2 Years after



The summer sun is hot today. Large amounts of metallic chairs are on the clean cut grass of the police academy, many men and women sit upon them, wearing baby blue police uniforms. The chairs face a stage, names are being called, diplomas and badges are being handed out on the stage. One of the men of the group, the infamous small group of men of the story, was called to the stage. One hand upon a bible, one hand holding his newly acquired diploma and badge bundled together, "Do you promise to uphold the law, protect the innocent, and never fall to the lows of the criminal life?" the announcer asked him as he did everyone else. "Yes. I'm a good guy alright." he replied with a smile upon his face.



"He that has eyes to see and ears to hear may convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore." -Sigmund Frued


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