Return the phone.

You have a choice - you can tell everyone you bought it, and lie to them, or when people ask where you got it, you can say "I found it on the bus and didn't return it." Sure, you can say "I found it on the bus and nobody claimed it and blah blah blah" but you're lying and that's a lie, too. And now there's this divide between who you are and who you say you are and even if the people around you can't put their finger on it, they'll intuit the discrepancy.

Or you can just straight up be that guy that takes people's shit. That's fine, too. That means that people will default to not trusting your ass. If you are unaware as to the fundamental crimp that will put in your relationships and the way you conduct your life, have no fear because you're about to find out. Pay really close attention, though. Because the opportunities you'll miss won't be visible to you unless you really think about it. You might not wonder why you aren't watching your buddy's house while he's away unless you think "maybe it's 'cuz of that phone I stole." You might not think about why you weren't part of the pool that bought Phil a new pipe when his old one vanished unless you consider "maybe it's 'cuz my friends know I steal shit and they think I stole the pipe."

i don't care what fucking phone it is. Take the price and knock 50% off it 'cuz that's what it's worth used. Now take that number and knock it by half again because there you are, "half-excitement and half-guilt." Maybe it's a fully loaded 6S plus. That's what? $900 unlocked? Congrats. You just invited this bad karma into your life for $225.

I couldn't tell you how many phones I've returned. More than a dozen. The hole you put in someone's life when their phone disappears is formidable. Everything you have is suddenly unsafe. All your data is out there. My wife had her phone lifted off the sidewalk within 30 seconds and she had the data for 3 A-list celebrities in there. So she had to call publicists and say "guess what, your data might be out there" even though she had to scramble and wipe it remotely. Fortunately I kept the guy busy by offering him $200 cash no questions asked if he just met me at the airport, where he claimed he was going anyway. $200 for a 3-year-old base-model iPhone, mind you.

But the kind of people who steal iPhones? They're too busy dealing with the guilt of "oh shit maybe this time they'll bust me" than think about the fact that they just made an easy $200 by eventually doing the right fucking thing.

Right now, you're on the path to being one of those bottom-feeders that steals phones. You're well on your way to being the guy who thinks he's going to jail for pocketing an iPhone. That's because the people who steal phones? Fuckin' A - they're out of friends.

Because friendship is trust, and from this point forth, you're going to have to square what you did with who you know and every bit of sanding and buffing and polishing is going to make you smaller.

Return the phone.

BTW - know what I got in my kitchen? Powered down and unused? A Nexus 6 Plus. Know why? 'cuz a friend gave me his spare when I bricked my OnePlus. I used it for a while, then went back to the OPO, 'cuz the Nexus is too big. But it's still there. See, when you're the kind of guy who returns phones, the universe sort of arranges for you to have phones. I'd send it to you, but...

No, I wouldn't. You're the kind of guy who steals phones.

Return the phone.

I have a lot of nice things in my life. If you look through my submission history, you'll see some posts I've made of some of the antiques I own. Every single one of them is very special to me. They're more than just things to me, they're a way to help me feel connected with the world. More importantly though, each one also represents hours upon hours of hard work on my part. Every time I buy something, I'm paying for it with money that I've literally given up a piece of my life to obtain.

I feel a strong, emotional attachment to almost everything I own, from my antiques to my comics to the clothing I wear. That's not to say I'm a hoarder or anything, because just as much as I love collecting, I also love giving. I give people gifts off my own bookshelf and from my closet all the time. I'd be hard pressed to think of anything else that I do that makes me happier. If I went looking though, for something I own that I sincerely love, to discover that it's missing, I'd be so devastated. It's hard for me to think of another way someone could wrong me more without resorting to physical violence.

I'm not trying to make you feel even more guilty here. You're young and you've made a mistake. That's okay. Hell, I make mistakes all the time. In fact, if you look at my early comment history on Hubski you'll find instances of me being very unfriendly to another user and the guilt of that actually eats at me a bit.

You're still learning and you're gonna make mistakes sometimes. But please, in the future consider two things. Even if you don't think it matters, the decisions you make can have a very strong impact on others, even if you're not there to witness it. More importantly though, that sense of guilt you're feeling? How bad it feels? That's you, motivating your future self to do the right thing next time. Listen to that guilt, it's there to help guide you.

So feel a bit guilty, it's okay. Work hard though, in the future, to think a bit more before you act. You might save both yourself and others a mess of heartache.

Try to be awesome. :)

After reading all this, I went outside, I walked-and walked-and thought... I thought more deeply than I ever had before.

My biggest thought was that as long as a had that phone, I would always be sinning. always

And then I went inside, got the phone, and went outside.

I turned it on, and it said "Notification: sent from your dad: How was school?"

Dammit... Thats when I decided... The owner has a life And I was stealing their phone...

My dreams are going to haunt the fuck out of me tonight.

I'm going to give it to the bus driver tommorow, and say I found it on the bus yesterday, but I forgot to give it to you.

Dammit, Yes. I'm going to lie... It's the only way to fix this.

Thank you guys... The advice was what actually got me to think

You should be feeling all guilt.

Here's the deal. You are now a thief. Doesn't matter if nobody in the world ever finds out. YOU know. And we are our own worst critics.

So from now on, in your head, everything you do will be subtly colored by the inner dialog that says, "but I'm a liar and a thief and so I don't deserve this."

That will get ingrained into your cells. You already feel it. That's why you posted about it. So you already know it is wrong to keep it, and it makes you less of a good person if you do keep it.

Now imagine every single accomplishment you ever make... and then adding, "Wow! Look at me! I achieved a thing! .... ..... pretty good for a.......... thief."

Dont be an idiot. The internet will call you a thief or you may feel bad about it but the deed is done and there is no such thing as bad karma. Pop the SIM, flash the phone by entering the password wrong 10 times and sell it on ebay for 200-300 as a "bad IME phone" that's the ebay code word for phones that aren't legit. The IME gets blocked state side when the phone is reported lost/stolen but can be used anywhere else. Do not keep the phone on in your place of residence, thats just asking for trouble since sometimes they have GPS tracker apps and if the original owner is savy and vindictive they could try to get it back.

Returning the phone could have all sorts of nasty consequences for you. Especialy since you already admited on the internet that you "Stole it" even though it dosen't sound like you really did. If the person is grateful it will be fine but the person could be a real ass and try to press charges or make your life hell. The value of the phone is large enough that you can get hit with some serious charges and have your life ruined for "doing the right thing". Not to mention the pucker factor of having to return it.

Take is as a life lesson not to do it again and move on with your life. Don't take any more risks with getting caught and getting a criminal record.