The Man teaches freshman lesson

Sydney Ray is a journalism freshman and freshman columnist for the Mustang Daily.

When I came to college, I knew the day when I would have my first direct encounter with the police was just around the corner — and I was right.

It all started last weekend. I decided I wanted to go out and party, but unfortunately my friends were already at an off-campus apartment. They told me they couldn’t pick me up, so I chose to make the journey across campus and into town alone. As if this situation wasn’t dangerous enough, I was dressed in a costume for a themed party — but I was determined to make it to my friends.

I started my journey with a phone call to another friend. “Would you mind talking to me while I walk across campus? I am alone,” I asked. Luckily, my friend agreed to keep me company, so we chatted about how our days had been as I walked the streets of San Luis Obispo, updating my friend on my whereabouts regularly.

Adding to my embarrassment, two boys in a sedan even felt the need to ask if I wanted a ride. I could not decide if the offer was more creepy or thoughtful, so I declined, remembering what my mother had always taught me about not getting into a car with a stranger.

It turned out the eventful walk was only the beginning of an even more eventful evening. After getting lost and finding my way again, I eventually arrived safely at the apartment complex where my friends were.

I was relieved to finally be in their company and still in one piece. We gathered our things and began walking to the costume party. Along the way, we all came to realize we were in somewhat of a pickle — it was specified that the party was only for girl attendees, with the exception of the boys throwing the party and their close friends.

My friend’s cousin — a guy from out of town — was with us. We wondered how we would get him into the party but decided to keep going anyways. After another very long walk in the bitter weather, we approached the party. It was evident we neared the event because we could hear loud music from down the street.

My friends and I headed to the door where a bouncer greeted us. A friend and I strategically distracted the bouncer while our male friend snuck in through the gate.

The party was definitely fun. After dancing and hanging out for a couple hours, we decided it was time to go home. Although details from the night are a bit hazy, at some point I had been hit in the head by a high-heeled shoe, inducing pain and tears. So we left the party.

I was again shoeless, as my own stilettos became too uncomfortable, so a friend offered to hold them for me. We walked down the street at a brisk pace, when all of a sudden my friend whispered to me that we needed to pull it together — there were two police cars trailing closely behind us.

Before I had time to figure out exactly what was going on, I was being told to sit on the curb by an officer. Still in tears from the previous shoe incident, I followed the instructions in a terrified manner. “Please, please don’t let me go to jail tonight,” I fretted.

The officer asked where my shoes were, at which point I remember pointing to my friend’s hands and explaining how my feet had become uncomfortable. Due to my apparent distress, the officer asked what was wrong. In between heavy breaths and deep sobs, and I relayed the story about the shoe and my head, all the while mustering up all the respect for the cop that I could.

I was convinced I would be spending the rest of that night in the slammer. However, to my astonishment, the officer agreed to let me walk home on one condition: my friends would take me home immediately. After sighing with relief, I got up off the curb and proceeded to walk straight home.

Although I am not happy about having such a nerve-wracking close-call with the authorities, I am thankful the officer was understanding of my condition. I am also glad to have my first experience of this sort over with. Running into the cops at the worst possible moment seems to be destined to happen to nearly everyone and now I can honestly say I’ve had my turn. Hopefully I will be able to avoid incidents like this in the future, as I might not be quite so lucky next time.

It was truly a judicial learning experience.