Life Designed (Life Plan Series Book 1) by Eliza Taye (mini ebook reader TXT) 📕

your procrastination in writing your Life Plan. Your teachers, Opal, your father and I have all tried to guide you as best as we could, but now you have gone too far. Have you been going to the Undecided sector when you’ve told me you were in the library working on your Life Plan?”

Knowing his mother could spot a lie from a mile away, Garrett remained silent.

Exhaling in exaggeration, Mrs. Gibbons set her face and turned to the guard. “I deeply apologize for what my son has done. Any punishment the council representative demands for his behavior, my husband and I will willingly accept and agree with.”

The guard nodded slowly, then addressed Garrett. “Is your Declaration Day going to be in four days?”

Garrett nodded.

Uncrossing his folded arms and reaching for a pair of scissors on his belt to cut the ties on Garrett’s wrist, the guard said, “In light of the fact that his Declaration Day is so close and he will either be enacting his Life Plan or placed with the Undecided, I suppose that whatever punishment you see fit, Mr. and Mrs. Gibbons, will suffice. You come across as parents who do not condone such behavior as was exhibited by your son.”

“We most certainly do not.” Mrs. Gibbons grabbed Garrett by the arm. “Let’s go home. We will discuss your punishment there.”

Chapter 14

A knock sounded on the door and Garrett lifted his head. “Come in.”

“Hey, Garrett,” Opal walked in and closed the door, standing quietly in the center of his room.

“Go ahead. Say your part. Both my parents have already chewed me out for what I did. I know you’re next.”

“Garrett, I may often be hard on you, but I’m still your best friend first and foremost. I can understand why you did it. I don’t agree with it, but I understand why you felt compelled to break into City Hall.”

Shocked, Garrett slingshot his surprised gaze toward Opal. “You do?”

Nodding, Opal kneeled beside the desk chair Garrett slumped in. “Yes, I do. I can only imagine how frustrating it would be to try to write a Life Plan without any guidance as to which choices are the correct ones to obtain approval.”

In that moment, Opal’s compassion for him almost convinced Garrett to reveal his real reason for the break-in—to investigate The Council. But he stopped himself. He knew her well enough to keep his mouth shut. She was understanding now, but if he admitted to pursuing a conspiracy theory mere days before Submission Day, Opal would not be happy.

“So how were you permitted entry into my fortress of penance? My parents told me I can’t have any friends over.”

“Well,” Opal winced. “Apparently, your mom trusts me enough to appoint me as your own personal restriction guard.”

“My restriction guard?”

“Yes, I am supposed to ensure that you only go to academy and back home each day. I’m to ride the transport with you to and fro until Submission Day has passed to prevent you from getting into any more trouble.”

“Wow, so my mother has essentially made you my keeper.”

“Well,” Opal hung her head and grew quiet, “in a sense, yes.”

Sighing, Garrett leaned back in his chair so only the back legs connected with the ground. “I guess I should have seen that coming. My mother thinks you’re the perfect child anyway.”

“Garrett,” began Opal.

“No, it’s true. You literally can’t do anything wrong in her eyes. You could get away with anything when it comes to her.”

“Hey, that’s not fair.”

“It might not be fair, but it’s definitely the truth. When has my mom ever been mad at you? Name one time.”

“Well, there was that one…” Opal bit her lip in thought, “well, um…”

“Exactly! You never do anything to upset her. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if we’d be better off switching families. Yours doesn’t care what you do and you’re so driven and hard on yourself. I swear I was meant to be born into your family and you mine. I think we were switched at birth.”

Opal couldn’t help but laugh, even though she’d considered the same thought herself once or twice before. “I highly doubt that, Garrett. I’m sure someone would have noticed that you were a boy and I a girl.”

“Well, maybe the switch occurred before we were ever born, I don’t know.” Garrett folded his arms.

“Come on, Garrett. We’re going to be late to class if we don’t head off to the transport station.”

Avoiding his parents, Garrett rushed out the front door and waited for Opal to say her goodbyes to them.

Together, they walked to the transport station and rode mostly in silence until Opal asked, “So did you at least get to see the council representative?”

“Yeah, she was really curt about what she wanted done to me.” Garrett mimicked her voice, “Get him out of here.”

“She was? What did she look like? Was there anything special about her that may have identified how or why she was chosen as a council representative?”

“No, Opal, I didn’t get a chance to check her out as I was thrown to the ground.”

Hearing the annoyed tone of his voice, Opal let it go. She decided not to speak until they got to class. They walked together in companionable silence until they reached the classroom.

Garrett expected everyone to be talking about him or barrage him with questions when he entered the classroom. They had to have known what he’d done the night before. Instead, it was work as usual. Everyone poured over their Life Plans or assisted others with theirs.

Opal set to helping others as soon as she went inside. Garrett felt a pang of guilt rise into his gut about pushing her away. It wasn’t her fault that she was stuck being his keeper. She was just the only person qualified for the job and