I remember a time when my friends and I could hang out at the ice cream shop with no worries. Ever since the incident, however, things just haven't been the same.

It all started after the St. Petersburg Sharks, our little league baseball team, had won the regionals and were headed to the state finals. We had just arrived at Macky Boo's, our frequent ice cream stop, to celebrate our victory. While our parents were ordering our treats, Tom Johanson, the owner of the shop, approached our table with an unrecognizable object grasped tightly in his hand. Not one of us were prepared for what he was about to show us. It turned out to be an encased autographed baseball signed by the great Willie Mays. Inside the other hand was a one of a kind Willie Mays baseball card. The whole team, including the parents, was speechless. It was the perfect surprise to finish the day, and had the guys looking forward to the post season.

The next morning, before practice, I was on my way over to my best friend Sam's house when I noticed Officer Lawrence talking with Mr. Johanson. At the time, I disregarded the situation and figured it to be some type of car accident that Mr.Johanson had been a witness to. During the next few days of practice, I noticed that Sam wasn't his usual sharp self. Then on the final practice before the big game, Sam finally cracked. He had actually stole Mr. Johanson's Willie Mays baseball! I stayed up all night debating with myself on whether or not to turn Sam in. On top of it all I was still worried about the big game coming up! Over the next few days I didn't get a wink of sleep. I didn't know what to say to Sam, since he was my best friend and had been for years. It was the day before the game and none of us wanted to hang out at the shop for fear of being accused of the theft. Things just didn't seem right now that we weren't able to hang out at the shop. Sam and I were miserable and we didn't know what to do. On the day of the game, our parents announced we would be eating our pre-game meal at the ice cream shop and fear clutched Sam and me like a glass of ice water had just been poured over our heads. That's when we knew it was time to come clean. It was the hardest thing we had ever had to do. When we brought back the baseball, we included a card which told Mr. Johanson what happened. He was extremely disappointed in us but praised our honesty. Although we lost the state championship game, we eventually won Mr. Johanson's trust back. Sam and I were just happy to have our good 'ol Macky Boo's back.