My eighth-grade year had just ended, and I was looking forward to the summer of a lifetime. The sun was gleaming, and everything had a tint of hope. This summer was meant to be one full of stories and memories. That all changed one Sunday afternoon.

I was looking forward to a day of relaxation because it was raining, and rainy summer days are my favorite. I was texting my friends and discussing plans for the upcoming weeks as we had been off school for a while.

Until I got a text that would dramatically alter my life's course. "

"Give me your phone now." My mom texted me with no context or warning.

Instantly, anxiety ran through my veins, and my breath became heavy. 

I did what she asked. With a heavy heart and a mind swirling with unanswered questions, I trudged to my mom's room.

Where she stood in tense conversation with an unknown person on the phone, silently, she motioned for my phone, her expression unreadable as she dismissed me from her presence.

I retreated to my room, a prisoner in my own home. I returned to my bed and sat there in confusion until she entered my room and demanded I give her all my electronics. 

She unplugged my firestick. She took my Nintendo, AirPods, and Apple watch and left my room 

without explanation.

Days went by, and no explanation was given. I felt like I was being mistreated, but I didn't dare to ask anyone because I was too afraid to find out what I had done; days stretched into a never-ending void, each passing moment thick with the weight of unspoken truths. 

 The tension in the air was palpable, suffocating as if the very walls of our home harbored dark secrets. But it wasn't until a fateful car ride that the truth began to unravel, revealing a web of deceit woven within my life.

"Don't you wanna know why you're in trouble?"

"Why?"

"Do you remember a friend of yours you had met online?"

"No, who?" "

I'm taking you to talk to the FBI. You're under investigation. Be respectful"

I didn't know what to say. I was anxious and confused and regretting every decision I had ever made. 

We made our way to the door of this unfamiliar building and sat in the waiting room. A woman approached my mom and took her to a different room, and they were gone for a while. While they were gone, another woman sat next to me and talked to me about things I liked. 

 I was thrilled to tell her about all my favorite shows. When our conversation was getting good, the same woman who had taken my mom approached me and took me alone to a room.

"Hey, how are you today?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm good, so what grade are you in?" 

"I'm going into 9th."

"Are you excited to start high school?" 

"Yeah, kinda."

"Have you done anything fun this summer?"

"Not yet. We're supposed to go to Maine soon at a rented lake house."

Oh, that sounds fun. Are you excited?"

"Yeah"

"Well, I'm sure you are wondering why you're here."

"Yeah"

I felt too many things for my mind to think straight about anything. To me, I was just there. I wasn't present. The world was moving without me.

"Before we start, look up at that camera. I want you to know that everything you say is being recorded and watched in a separate room. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

She looked at me and started her 1 million questions. 

"How did you meet this friend?"

"Me and him, we met online about a year ago, I would say."

"How long did you and him talk for?"

Memories long buried resurfaced with painful clarity, each word a dagger to the heart as I recounted conversations tinged with the unmistakable scent of deceit.

"Would you say you and him were close?"

"Kind of. We talked every day."

"I would say for a few weeks before I blocked him."

"Why did you block him?"

"I just didn't wanna talk to him anymore. He made me uncomfortable."