Choices

This is not a rhyme or anything like it but the purpose of both are the same (At least for me). To spread "The Message".

Well, this is a story of a guy named "Ryan" who will tell everything in his letter.

My name is Ryan. I am serving five years in federal prison for manslaughter. I hope that by helping Katy with her programme, I can influence the youth to make better choices than I did.
I grew up in a small town of Squamish. Like most teenagers in secondary school I was concerned about meeting new friends and fitting in. During my early years I was picked on, bullied and pushed around. I didn't tell my parents and thought I could deal with the problem myself. Eventually I made friends, and the drinking and partying began. My school grades suffered, And I barely graduated. I was in three alcohol-related car accidents, and also lost a friend on a grad night in a tragic car accident. Instead of grieving, I became angry and started looking for answers in all the wrong places- I was 19, and my life was spiralling out of control.
On a New Year's Eve, a friend was having a party; the house was unsupervised since his father was out of town. Around 150 guests attended, most of them teens. Drugs and alcohol were everywhere. I was heavily intoxicated and listening to music upstairs. An unidentified guest came up, suggesting we leave the house. My buddy was arguing with him, then punched him. As the stranger fell to the ground, I kicked him. (Four times, I was later told). Chaos erupted. An ambulance arrived, followed by the police. To avoid confrontation, I left with my buddies and moved on to another party, not knowing I had just made the most fatal mistake of my life. Next morning I learned that the man dies from injuries. I didn't know what to do, it seemed like a bad dream. I couldn't believe that I was responsible. What would my family think of me? I was scared - so the silence began. I was haunted by nightmares. After four years I began falling apart and finally broke my silence to an undercover police officer. They now had enough evidence to charge me. My family was devastated.
Because of my poor actions a precious life has been lost. A father was taken from his children, a husband from his wife and a man from his friends. The biggest question I ask myself is: Why did I do this? That question may never be answered. However, I do know that doing that jail time is easy compared to the guilt I have to live for the rest of my life!