Here's an embarrassing tale of what happened to me at 16 years old when I went to the movies:

Settling back into the movie, dreading why I even picked the movie, I decided it was time to make my first attempted to sneak into another movie. “The Haunted House” movie was going on right across from my movie, so how hard could it be to sneak across? My heart was pounding and I was extremely nervous but staying in my current movie would too boring. I ran across and sat in "The Haunted House" feeling accomplished, when a bright light came up the stairs toward where I was sitting. Looking closer it was a police carrying a flashlight coming in my direction! He pointed to me and asked me to come outside. This is when my greatest fear became true, getting caught and getting in trouble.

It all started when I arrived at Randolph cinema. I looked around and hopped into a line, deciphering on what movie to see. Usually on a Thursday night there are not many people at the movies, but to my surprise it was packed. My two favorite types of movies are romance, comedy, and horror. As the line moved up there were two movies that seemed enjoyable to my liking: “Silver Lining Playbook” by David O. Russell and “A Haunted House” by Michael Tiddes. After seeing both of the trailers on my phone I decided to see “Silver Lining Playbook” because it had high ratings, and a seemingly good plot. “A Haunted House” seemed funny and entertaining but had very low rating which made me pick “Silver Lining Playbook.”

Walking into the theater, the whole place was filled; every seat was occupied except for the first two rows. These rows were the ones where your neck is stretched so far back; you get an ache in your neck by the end of the movie. Another issue with the first two seats is that the characters look 30 feet tall and you feel like a very short person trying to look up at someone tall, and you can’t see the full screen because you are not on the same level as the screen.

While I was sitting in the uncomfortable position I tried paying attention, it did not catch my attention. I was daydreaming and was pretty much falling asleep. The trailer seemed fascinating but the movie itself lacked a plot. I then realized that this was the kind of movie that shows all the best parts in the trailer and makes you want to watch it, but then when you do see it, it’s boring.

After 20 minutes of not enjoying the movie I decided to go buy some food. Movie food is extremely expensive as we all know but I had about five dollars in my wallet; I figured I could afford at least one thing to eat. I scanned the menu and saw the only thing I could afford would be small popcorn. I was ready to buy it when I realized that is a waste of money because I could probably get so much more food if I stopped by the convenience store near my house, before I arrived at the movie.

Settling back into the movie, dreading why I even picked the movie, I decided it was time to make my first attempted to sneak into another movie. “The Haunted house” movie was going on right across from my movie, so how hard could it be to sneak across? It may have been about half way into the movie but I didn’t care. My conscience was telling me not to do it but as always I never listen to myself. My heart was pounding and I was extremely nervous but staying in my current movie would too boring. I ran across and sat in "The Haunted House" feeling accomplished, when a bright light came up the stairs toward where I was sitting. Looking closer it was a security guard carrying a flashlight coming in my direction! He pointed to me and asked me to come outside. Going down the stairs all the people of the theater were turning to each other and whispering, probably thinking “What did SHE do?”

I was standing there with my heart pounding and extremely nervous, but also trying to keep a poker face, so when the security guard ask me why I sneaked out the theater, I didn’t look so guilty. Just like I assumed, the first question was “Why did you sneak out of the theater?” I responded and said “I didn’t sneak out,” so he asked me for my ticket. I managed to say “I didn’t have it,” but then he asked me for my age, and I immediately said “18 years old.” HE then proceeded and asked for a license and I said “I don’t have my license yet, my mother dropped me off.” Then he asked what year was I born in and I just froze. My mind went blank and said “I don’t know” (I was 16 and thinking back on this now I don’t understand why I couldn’t subtract two years.).

I thought was I might be banned from the movie theater. This theater is the closest and the most convenient to me. It has the best food doesn’t have assigned seats unlike Braintree theater. Braintree theater smells like feet and has terrible food; although it is cheaper, I would rather spend the extra money at Randolph then come to Braintree.

I was thinking “Maybe I could make a run for it,” I looked around the theater thinking of a way to escape but we were on the bottom floor. This would be extremely hard because I would have to run up three flights of stairs and out the door without the security guard catching me. If I could think of a distraction maybe it would be possible, but then again I’m not in shape at all so regardless I would have gotten caught and in even bigger trouble.

I was expecting the worst, thinking of the worst case scenario. Then the officer was nice enough to not give me any punishment, but simply asked for me to return to my movie. I was extremely grateful but decided I couldn’t take another minute of the “Silver Linings Playbook” so I decided to wait for my ride.

I decided I couldn’t stay inside because it would be too embarrassing for me to stay there. It was mid-winter and it was really cold I would rather be outside than in the same room as the officer. He could easily change his mind, make me come back to the theater then ban me, so the best thing to do was to stay outside.

While I was standing outside I called my friend Christie over the phone. I explained her my situation and she laughed hysterically, but she also gave me good advice. She told me why I didn’t just tell the truth. I began thinking back at all the times that I’ve gotten caught while lying and making up excuses. I came to the realization that she was right and lying just isn’t worth it; it’s better to tell the truth from the start. By saying the truth from the start it takes away the anxiety if trying to cover up one lie after the other.

Telling the truth up front and not lying can lead to better outcomes in life. If the officer was ruthless I could have been banned from the movie theatre, or even get into more trouble for lying to a police officer. Looking back at this, I can apply this to my life right now, and remember to always tell the truth no matter how bad the situation is, because lying can make it even worse.