The Runaways

By Ann Westmoreland

When Zach and Johnathan decided to run away and be on their own. Mike offered to help them, but he was not going.

Carrying almost six hundred dollars, Mikes tent, and some groceries, they left their homes, leaving Mike to spread rumors as to where they were supposed to have gone. Actually, they camped out in the woods behind Mikes house at night and slipped through the door Mike left unlocked to eat and watch television during the day.

Find out what adventures they had during the week they were gone, and how the police finally caught them. Did they gain the freedom they longed for?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496929136

Ann Westmoreland

Ann Westmoreland lives near a small town west of Atlanta, Georgia. She grew up in Northern Illinois, graduated from Rockford College with a master’s degree in elementary education, and taught elementary school in Illinois, then moved to Georgia, and taught until she retired. She is married with four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandsons.

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© 2014 Ann Westmoreland. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/12/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2912-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2913-6 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Meet the Author

This book is dedicated to my son, Glynn Westmoreland, who was Mike, and his two friends Jerrod and Jeremy, who actually did most of the things portrayed in the book.

The Runaways

by

Ann Westmoreland

Chapter One

Man, I’m sick of my parents, Zach complained, sitting on the recliner, his legs dangling over the armrest. Nag, nag, nag. They think they own me.

Do they tell you to do something and want it done right that minute? Mike asked.

Yeah. They don’t give me any slack.

All my mom does is nag about my grades, Johnathan added. No matter what I do, it’s not good enough.

My step-dad said that I’ll never get in college with my grades, Zach told them. I don’t want to go to college, anyway. College is for geeks.

Yeah, Johnathan said, putting his feet up on the coffee table. My parents want me to be a doctor or a lawyer, or something like that, to make them proud. What about me? I want to do what I want to do and not have someone always telling me what to do. I want to be my own man. If I want to sing with a rock group, I should be able to do that, not just do what they want.

Yeah! We’re practically grown, Zach said. We know what we want, more than any old parents. What do they know, anyway? They’re so old. They grew up in the Dark Ages, even before computers.

Yeah, Mike put in. My mom is always asking me how to do even simple things on our computer. Yesterday, I had to show her how to log onto the Internet.

Everyone knows how to do that. Johnathan’s tone was dismissive.

My dad doesn’t, Zach told them. I had to help him Monday.

My parents are pretty good with computers. They both work with them at their offices. We have a pretty good set-up at home.

We don’t, Mike said. We’ve got just the basic stuff; nothing much.

I can’t wait till I get out of the house, Zach sighed. Then I won’t have to listen to my parents. I can do what I want, go to bed when I want, go out when I want, eat when I want…

Yeah, Mike agreed. But, you have to have money to do that.

I can get a job, Zach replied. Doing what? Mike asked.

I could work in a grocery store like Jeremy does.

Jeremy bags groceries. He only makes minimum wage.

It’ll only be temporary. When our band gets some gigs, I can quit.

If your band gets some gigs, Mike laughed.

You haven’t heard us lately. We’re getting good.

Yeah, right. Mike grinned.

We are! Nathan can sing better now, and Tony can really tear up the keyboard, now that he’s had some more lessons.

C’mon. It hasn’t been that long since I’ve heard you.

We could practice more, if our parents weren’t always on our backs, Zach replied. I’d have more time, if I didn’t have to go to my tutor. She doesn’t help me much, anyway.

We could have more time, Johnathan suggested.

How? Zach asked.

Well, we could run away.

Run away! Mike shouted. That’s crazy, man!

No, it’s not. Besides, it wouldn’t be forever, just long enough to get our parents worried. When we got back, they’d be so happy to see us that they wouldn’t make us do all the things we did before. We could do what we wanted without them bothering us.

I don’t know, Mike told Johnathan. My parents aren’t like that. They’d never let me forget it.

Mine would, Zach smiled. I can just see it now; the hugging, and them telling me that they were so worried. I wouldn’t have to take the garbage out for a month.

You’d need money, Mike suggested.

I’ve got some, Zach told them.

How much? Johnathan asked. Four hundred and sixty-two dollars.

Wow! Four hundred and sixty-two dollars! Mike shouted. How’d you get that much?

I’ve been mowing lawns for three neighbors. I saved most of it.

I wouldn’t have saved any, Mike replied. That’s probably why I don’t have any money now.

I’ve got some money, but not as much as you, Johnathan told Zach.

How much?

A hundred and thirty-five dollars.

That’s not too shabby, Zach replied. If we combined our money, we’d have almost six hundred dollars.

You aren’t really serious about running away, are you? Mike asked.

Sure, Johnathan answered. I’m tired of not being able to do what I want to do. I’ve got no freedom. It’s always, ‘do this, do that!’"

Where would you go?

Well, we could say one thing and do another.

What do you mean? Mike looked confused.

We could let our parents think we went really far away, but we could stay around here and watch the fun.

I get it. You’d make them think you went to Los Angeles or something, and actually stay around the neighborhood and watch to see what they’d do.

Right! Now you’re catching on.

The man’s got a plan, Zach said, smiling. I like it.

I don’t, Mike frowned. I’d never get away with it. My parents can always tell when I’m not telling the truth.

If we did it, would you tell on us? Johnathan asked.

"Naw! You know me better than that. Besides, it’d be fun watching everyone get upset. Your mom would probably call