Making Friends

Christopher

“How do you know I’m not the bad influence?” Olin retorted.

I shrugged. “I guess I don’t know that, but I do know you’re smart and you know the difference between right and wrong. That will always lead you to make better choices than those who choose to ignore common sense and what they know to be right.”

He rolled his eyes. “Can I go or not?”

“Will there be parents there to supervise?”

He groaned. “No, dad! I’m sixteen, not six.”

“Olin, teenagers are probably worse than toddlers when left alone,” I told him.

“We’re not going to stick our fingers in light sockets. We’re not toddlers.”

“No, but teens, especially teens together, can get into some pretty ridiculous situations.”

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head with disgust. “So, no. I can’t go because you think I’m a child.”

“You can go, but listen, I need you to make me a promise.”

He nodded. “What?”

“If you see something that isn’t okay or you find yourself in a position that makes it unsafe for you to get into a car wi