Third Crack

"So I was thinking. is stealing really wrong?"
"Are you feeling stupid today, Cait?"
"Noooo. It's just, ya know, Robin Hood did it and everything and it was for a good reason. And, if you can justify something, is it not for a good reason? After all, everything can be justified so everything must be right."
"Obviously not. That's why we have right from wrong."
"But does not the moral conscious dictate what is right from wrong? And, supposing you even have a conscious, if you can rationalize it to yourself, is it not right?"
"Makes sense to me."
"Thanks."
"No, it doesn't make sense. What would Jesus do?"
"Ah, Jesus-boy makes a comment. Jesus would never steal."
"But he did disobey his father."
"No he didn't."
"Of course he did! Don't you remember in Sunday school when you learned about the one time he did something wrong? He was thirty and had never done anything wrong until his father told him to stay with him but instead he went off and preached the word of God to some men."
"That never happened."
"Obviously you don't know the Bible, Mike. You didn't even know that Adam married Lilith first and they separated because she was morally corrupt and then married a demon and populated the world."
"Didn't happen. I have read the Bible in its original form."
"Oh, that doesn't even exist anymore."
"Besides, you speak Hebrew?"
"It wasn't in Hebrew, it was Greek, and my friend did."
"Ah, still secondhand information."
"And how does that make sense, the Bible being in Greek? Besides, the first portion of the Bible is in the Torah and that is older; it is so in Hebrew."
"Greek."
"Greek was the first language of scholars. Why did I mention that? I'm just helping him. Fine. Strike that from the record."
"Got it."
"Thank you."
"Anyways, I told you all about the thefts in my neighborhood?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Why do you suppose the person is doing that?"
"Because they are down and out bad, immoral, and going to hell."
"Oh, thanks, Mike. I'll remember that next time I swipe Carol's eraser. Come on. Just because someone steals doesn't necessarily make them a bad person."
"For once I must agree with Mike. I can't see the justification on the cause."
"Oughtta grind them into crackers like the homeless."
"Good idea, Madam Saint. No, come on, let's think about this seriously. Why would someone steal? Could they possibly have a good reason to do so?"
"No."
"I doubt it."
"Why has this got your attention all of a sudden? Don't tell me that you know this person?"
"Why would I associate myself with the degenerates and losers of my neighborhood? I've already explained my utter hatred of them. I just want to know if anyone can think of a plausible reason for someone to take something. Like, what if they needed the money?"
"But didn't you say the major one was vandalism? That's not money, that's senseless destruction."
"Okay, not that one. But all the thefts; maybe the person sold them to get some extra cash flow."
"How could you possibly sell something? Do we even have a black market?"
"I don't know. Okay, fine, the big one: revenge. Is not revenge a noble cause? Read Shakespeare; he so thinks that it is. Read The Count of Monte Cristo. LOTS of revenge there. Gatsby: he died because of Wilson."
"What, Gatsby died?"
"Good going, Cait."
"Oh, she would have figured it out. Now you've got cheating material for your next test. Oh! Cheating! Everyone can justify cheating; most people have done it. I think that I have before."
"On a test?"
"Maybe. I don't really think so. But isn't copying homework cheating? And I KNOW that Melody has done it so many times."
"Look, sometimes you just don't have enough time to get it all done and you get help from friends. It's a big difference."
"And stealing isn't? 'Look: sometimes you just don't have enough money to get it all bought and you get help from people.' Big difference, huh? And, Lindz, you get the revenge don't you? We all have to get back at those who deserve it."
"Take justice into our own hands? Isn't that vigilantism?"
"Vigilantism? Is that even a word?"
"Hey, if it isn't, it is now. If there is one thing I have learned from Mr. Machitalli, it's that you can make up any new word that you want to. Hey, Shakespeare made up over 2,000, we can make up at least two."
"Ah, the pirate teacher. He sounds cool. I wanna take AP just for him."
"Oh, yeah, he's great! Did I tell you -"
"Wait, the bell's going to ring any minute now. We've got to go to fifth now."
"Oh, uh, but -"
"Hey, Lindsey, what's up?"
"Oh, hi, Shirley. What's up?"
"Oh, but, Lindz -"
"The bell, the bell!"
"Hey, wait up, Beccah!"
Feeling idiotic, Caitlin trotted after Beccah and the others. She reminded herself of a dog running after her master; it made her feel bad. So, when a guy ran into her and knocked her down, not even bothering to say he was sorry or even notice her, she didn't feel bad to find his wallet in her hand. And, when she got home later that night, she got a warm, fuzzy feeling to see a few tens in its depths. On the weekend, she torched the sucker in the ditch behind her house, smiling as she saw the kid's face slowly melt away on the plastic.

End heist

Notes: Okay, another short one there. And, obviously, there is something interesting going on with the psyche of Caitlin. I hope that you all can see some development in here and thought that this chapter was helpful in understanding her motives. Yeah, long stretch, right? Whatever. Hope you enjoyed! - Keebs \^-^/