Bad Choices

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Let’s start off this new year with a look at smoking.
Few teens can resist a dare. Daryl is just like all of his friends, always up for a challenge. Nothing presented to him in the past has made him stop and think of the consequences nor will that happen today. Or so he believes…
The high school he attends has taken on a challenge. Daryl eyes the top prize. Five hundred dollars will go a long way toward making college next year easier financially. Despite his parents putting money away every month, despite his part time job at a local fast food place, he’s still a long way from having a nice financial cushion once he’s in University of Georgia.
The task seems minor. All he has to do is race through an obstacle course and come out first… or so he thinks. Openmouthed, he stares at the teachers lining up along the track. Each one holds a single sheet of paper.
“On your mark, get set, go!” Coach Johnson yells.
Trained as an athlete, fairly good in academics, Daryl runs toward the first teacher.
“What color does red and blue make?”
Way too easy! He grins from ear to ear. “Purple.”
“Two seconds, remember that. Go!”
Pushing himself to the limits, he stops at each individual on the track. They all ask him a question a kid in kindergarten could answer and gives him a time. He’s mentally tallying those times in his head, uncertain of why—just a gut hunch they might be important. As he approaches the last instructor, he’s a little wary. Ms. Janson is about the toughest teacher in his school. He barely passed her class with a strong B+.
“What is the reason for your presence here today?” she asks with a wicked grin.
“To win.” He stares at her in wonder. “To put the winnings away for college.”
“What is your average time on this course?”
His eyes widen in horror. He glances at where the other teachers are standing—Were standing! They’re all gone! Briefly closing his eyes, he takes a guess at how many teachers there were and divides that by the total number of times he was given.
“Three point two,” he says, gasping and hoping he is right.
“Correct.” Ms. Janson points at the bleachers. “Take a seat.”
Once he’s seated, Daryl watches the other students eliminated easily. Some don’t even make it past the first stop. All of them glare at him. Uncertain what’s going on, he waits for the last student to complete course. Guy Jacobs makes it all the way to Ms. Janson and groans before turning and walking away.
Daryl stares at the other students. They’re gathered on the edge of the track, across from him. Sun beats down on his head. Sweat pours down his face. He’s the only one here. Everyone else is… is… he can’t believe his eyes. They’re all getting soft drinks and pizza. Why? None of them finished.
“Daryl.” Coach Johnson stops in front of him, holding out an envelope. “Congratulations. You’re the winner.”
The glares from the people he’s known since kindergarten cause a shiver to run up and down his spine. He’s not sure why they’re angry. He won by knowing the answers.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Sometimes being a winner is more like being a loser.” Coach Johnson drops the envelope on the bench beside Daryl. “All of failed in one way. You didn’t work as a team.”
Daryl opened the envelope. He stared at the check for five hundred dollars. With shaking hands, he takes out the folded piece of paper also in the envelope.
He who wins also loses.
“Yeah. Stupid choice.” He stands and shoves the check and check into the pocket of his shorts. “Really dumb. All of us could have won, if we’d worked together.”
Dumb Decisionallows teens to understand they can make mistakes, if they learn from them.

Blurb


Carla got in a car with a drunk driver. Two other friends in that car were also drunk. She put on her seatbelt. They didn’t. The wreck on their way home left her the lone survivor. Even with a horrific injury, her memory won’t let her forget anything.






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About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

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