My best friend was staying at a family friend's house while her mom was on vacation and I went to sleep over there. It was really awkward at first but I kind of got used to it. Well we were going through this huge old storage box of old broken jewelry that was all tangled and I found a cute necklace. I announced that I was "stealing it" jokingly, and I didn't think it was a big deal if I took it because it was old and nobody had even seen that stuff in a long time. I put it in my bag and my friend didn't say anything and I thought they all knew. The family has a daughter year younger than me and my friend and my overnight bag was in her room while my friend and I slept in the living room. When my phone rang early that morning, she went through my bag to turn it off. She saw the necklace and told her mom I was stealing it. The mom told everyone including the neighbors and my mom and her husband who is a police man. She then searched my bag. Everyone is making a huge deal about it and the girl that found it is friends with this really cute guy I like and my dance friends who she will no doubt tell and it will be really embarrassing. I apologized and wrote a really good apology letter to mail to the lady. She is really religious and keeps talking about how I should go to church and repent for my sins even though I'm Jewish. I didn't mean to steal and I don't want everyone to make a big deal out of this. I've never stolen before. My mom hates me though and I don't know what to do if this gets around school or town or my dance studio. Its so embarrassing and I don't know what to do. How do I regain my parent's trust and rebuild my image in front of the people that matter, like my friends and the guy I like? I am 15, a female, and I live in California.

You stole it and you said you didn't think it was a big deal. That is a problem. It did not belong to you. It does not matter if it was old or no one had seen it. It did not belong to you.
I would susupect and hope that you will think before you do something like that again.
There isn't anything you can do. In time this may blow over.

Trust and respect have to be built. In other words, live your life as you know you should, and don't press this issue with anyone. You have to show others with actions and deeds that you are a good person. Just using words is not always enough. I am sure that in time, you will be admired by all concerned, but it will take a while. Good luck.

Obviously you shouldn't have stolen it in the first place and you say you wrote letters... but if I was you I would go and see the people you hurt and apologise face to face... dont take the cowards way out... goog luck anyway... message if need more help

This sounds like more of a blunder/misunderstanding in my opinion. It does not sound like you were being intentionally dishonest. You apologized, and you know you won't do it again. This will all blow over, even though people love to make drama last. :P

The fact that it started as a joke was a misunderstanding, (although she did not put it back) but thinking it was no big deal because it was old and no one had seen it in a while was not a blunder. It was not respecting the fact that it belonged to someone else. That is problematic thinking. I'm sure she learned her lesson and hope she has more respect for other people's property, old or not.