In life, a person will have many different choices to make depending on the situation. These choices can drastically affect their future in a positive or negative way and result in consequences and newfound experiences. However, making the right choice can prevent these disasters. This essay will talk about the choices that were made by Matt, who chose to help his friend, Andy, who chose to join a gang, Jimmy, who chose to think for himself and the consequences that will follow and affect them in the future due to those choices.

            Matt Hunter, in the story The Innocent, had a choice between helping and not helping his friend, Duff. It resulted with him having consequences in his future. Matt had chosen to help Duff, not knowing that this choice would change his life for a long time. Matt joined the fight between Duff and the red windbreaker person, and ended up holding Stephen McGrath’s neck, the red windbreaker’s friend, while he held Matt’s. Matt and Stephen fell on the sidewalk curb not know why he did. “You land with a thud. The back of Stephen McGrath’s skull hits the sidewalk curb.” (Caben. 62). Matt knew that something horrible had happened. The choice that Matt had made resulted in a physical and emotion effect because Matt had killed someone. In addition, there would be emotional moments because of Stephen death. Clearly, Matt’s choice about helping Duff, had lead to him killing a person. This will had a drastic change on his future. There can be different changes to your life even if it was a choice that you made was in the past.

            Consequences can even affect you if it was a choice you made in the past. In the story On the Sidewalk Bleeding Andy, the protagonist, had chose to join the Royals gang, which would affect his future in the worst possible way. In a dark alley, a couple of Guardian members, a rivalling gang, ganged up on Andy. This soon led to a fight. Since Andy was outnumbered, he ended up being stabbed and was left on the alley floor. While Andy was on the floor, he started to recall why the Guardians had stabbed him. After a while, he knew that if he had ‘not been wearing the jacket, he would not have been stabbed.” (Hunter. 103). Andy knew that his choice about joining the Royals and wearing their jacket had caused him to be killed in the end; however, it was too late for him to change that choice. Andy’s choice had a physical effect on him because the Guardians had stabbed him. Not all choices made have extremely horrible consequences.

            The choices that a person makes do not have to have a drastic consequence like in the two short stories before which were On the Sidewalk Bleeding and The Innocent. In The Nest Jimmy’s choice about going on the hike and bringing Paul to his house resulted in Jimmy making his own choices without the influence of his parents. Jimmy knew that Paul was a good person; however, his parents did not agree with that fact and advised him not to go on the hike. Jimmy refused and went to the hike because he knew that Paul needed it. He brought Paul to his home for dinner after the hike, so that his parents would see that Paul was not a bad person. After the dinner, the parents got to know Paul and the mother said to Jimmy “I’m proud of you, Jimmy. You did the right thing at the right time.” (Zacks.   ). The mother knew that her son could make his own choices. This was somewhat bad for Jimmy because he would not have to help of his parents when he was making hard decisions.