Q: What should I say when question about selling Xanax (“benzos”) pills in school? I sold some in school and parents now know as does my mom. They were her pills and I took and sold about 15 to people I know in school. No authority figure at my school knows yet but I am afraid someone is going to tell. If I get questioned by my principal and police, what should I say? Nobody from school has caught me yet and I have a good track record regarding behavior.

A: It seems that no authority figure knew about this at least until now, with you posting it on the internet. Unfortunately, what you did was a serious crime, enough to have a juvenile delinquency petition filed against you which will bring you into juvenile court. You may also be expelled or suspended from school depending on how your school code is written. As to whether to confess or not to police and school authorities, generally the answer is no. However, have mom get you an experienced criminal defense attorney with juvenile court expertise who can give you real specific guidance on this tricky issue. If you have a defense, the attorney may advise you not to speak with anyone. If you have no defense, he may advise you to cooperate in order to mitigate your sentence. Generally, juvenile court encourages children to be honest as to their criminal misadventures as supposed to denying what happened and taking the 5th amendment as many adult criminals do. An attorney can help you balance all of these considerations after a thorough review of the facts. At worst, you want to obtain a consent decree so you have no criminal record from this. You and your mom need some guidance here. Whatever you do, do not get arrested again. Keep away from drugs and remove yourself from being around others who possess them.