About a month and a half ago the bell rang signifying the end of school. As I made my way to my car, I noticed a rectangular yellow slip neatly waiting for me under the windshield. A parking ticket.

To say that I was parked illegally is bullshit. Not only is that space taken every day, but there is nothing saying not to park there or any indication that it is in fact not a real spot. This ticket was bullshit, but we paid it anyway because we didn't have the time nor the money to get a lawyer and fight it in court.

Fast forward to last night.

It was 2 in the morning and I was driving home from a night out with friends. I'm not supposed to be driving that late, because I have my provisional license, which in the state of New Jersey means that until you are 18 you can't drive past midnight and you can't have more than one person in your car with the exception of family at any given time. While I was cruising down the desolate roads I had this feeling that tonight would be the first night I would get pulled over. I'm really good at predicting things.

I first saw him behind me when I was about three minutes away from my home. I was careful not to do even a mile over the speed limit. I was doing nothing wrong. I could see my street and I knew I was in the clear. I was about to turn onto it when Bam, the lights begin to flail wildy behind me. Fuck.

He shined his abrasive light in my eyes and asked if I had been drinking. I hadn't. He noticed my eyes were red, and he didn't say anything directly about them but I knew what he was thinking. I had been wearing eyeliner for a long time and it was beginning to irritate my eyes, not to mention it was 2 in the morning and I was tired. I didn't realize it then, but he never actually told me why he was pulling me over, which I think is illegal or something. You have the right to be informed of why you are being held. Man. I am so becoming a lawyer so I don't have to put up with this crap. Anyway, he started shining his light in the back of my car, mostly on the floor where there are bits of leaves that I am too lazy to vaccuum. To me he said, "You've got some interesting vegitation back there." Yes, I keep my stash on the floor in the back so I can sniff it when I'm bored. Was he serious? Leaves are on the ground. You step on the ground when you get inside a car. I couldn't believe it. This guy actually thought he was going to make a drug bust. He told me my backseat was pretty messy, WHICH IT WASN'T. I had a shirt and my Shoprite vest back there, not the Salvation Army. Then another officer appeared out of nowhere with an equally offensive flashlight. Together they studied the floor of my car and mumbled inaudible things. I know they were dying to open the doors and go leafing around, but even I knew I was protected against that in the 4th amendment. Finally, I heard the second one say in referrence to the leaves, "It's a negative." You bet your toned ass it is. The first cop came back over to the window where I caught a glimpse of his shiny golden nametag. Officer Sanders. Sanders. Where had I heard that name? Then I realized. It was the same name on the bullshit parking ticket I had received a month ago. That tool. He only pulled me over because he knew my car, because everyone knows my car, because it's a 93 Chevy Cavalier in robin's egg blue WHICH NOBODY ELSE HAS. Which would explain why he didn't tell me why I was being pulled over, because there WAS no reason, he just wanted to finish the job he had started. I hate him. I'm glad I'm taking law classes in college so the next time one of those asswipes pulls this crap I can defend myself.

And that is why I hate policemen.