Near the entrance to the cell block we passed by a glass door with an inmate on the other side. The kid had threatened suicide to the psychiatrist yesterday and got put on what was labeled Close Watch, which was essentially a softer way of saying suicide watch. In his special cell the kid was given a mattress and nothing else, not even bedding. Food was brought to him and he’d remain confined until the psychiatrist decided the suicide threat was over.
“The thing I hate second most about this place is not eating whenever I want,” Ian muttered.
“What’s first?” I asked in a bored tone. Ian’s complaints had been numerous since arriving here. Life here must be especially torturous for someone like him, having come from a wealthy background.
“Not getting laid.”
His words brought X-rated images to mind, all featuring a certain beautiful blonde. The thin navy jumpsuit we were given to wear would do nothing to hide a hard-on. I quickly moved my thoughts to non sexual subjects. Picturing Julie, my hateful stepmother, solved the problem.
It was interesting that Julie rhymed with juvie. Both were hateful and oppressive.
Entering the cafeteria for breakfast, Ian listed off all the places he’d rather be. Grabbing a tray and accepting what the facility so generously offered us delinquents, I sat down with Ian at a table. The scrambled eggs and sausage were still warm. I scarfed down the meal and finished my orange juice.
The female inmates, or residents as they liked to call us, were seated with their trays across the room. Their jumpsuits were green and their cells on the opposite side of the building. Although the girls and boys were together in class and at other times, we weren’t allowed to interact with each other. Not that I wanted to talk to those chicks.
I scanned the guards stationed at the doorways, three males and a female. We were always being watched, except for when locked in our cells at night or showering. The guards escorted us everywhere like preschoolers, usually in groups of five or more. After a couple days into my sentence, I didn’t need to be reminded what to do and where to go. Everything was routine down to when we went to bed each night.
Ian and I hadn’t socialized much with the other prisoners. Besides a guy named Ricky Moreno, we’d made no friends. Ricky claimed to be in here for hacking into a government website. The kid was obviously full of crap, wanting to make himself seem cooler than the average delinquent.
After breakfast we were led to a classroom with other fifteen to seventeen-year-olds. Teachers from the local school district were brought in to instruct us in all the core subjects based on our grade level. After lunch it was time for our electives. The offerings were less varied than at a normal school, but I’d signed up for art class.
The classrooms we spent our mornings in were equipped with desks, bookshelves filled with textbooks, computers and all the other tools of learning. The science room had a lab setup so those of us taking chemistry were supervised by a guard as we followed the teacher’s instructions during labs.
It happened while I was doing my trigonometry problems midmorning. Ian, sitting at a desk next to mine, passed me a note with my name on it. Narrowing my eyes, I held the folded piece of binder paper. I hadn’t taken Ian for the note-writing type. Unfolding it in my lap, I scanned the scribbled words and counted numerous misspellings.
Two sentences in, I realized the note wasn’t from the snickering Ian next to me, but from a girl across the room named Genesis. Apparently, Genesis thought I was so hot and wanted me to sneak off with her at the soonest opportunity.
Who the hell was Genesis?
My eyes roving the room, they landed on a skinny girl with bleached hair and a good two inches of dark roots. Winking at me, her tongue licked a thin upper lip. Cringing, I averted my gaze from the unpleasant image I didn’t want to carry with me throughout the day.
“Lucky guy,” Ian teased, his shoulders shaking.
“Good thing there’s a guard to protect me,” I whispered back.
Ian barked out a laugh and I elbowed him to shut him up. The guard at the front of the room glowered at us as the math teacher assisted a kid in the back.
I’d steer clear of that Genesis girl. The male and female inmates weren’t allowed to speak to each other and I didn’t want to get in trouble over some chick hard up for attention. Even if I were single I wouldn’t touch that teen pregnancy waiting to happen.
Nine more months and I was out of here, never to come back again. No way would I do anything to mess up and be separated from Gianna for longer than my required sentence.
Nine more miserable months and I’d have my girl back. Closing my eyes, I imagined the feel of her in my arms, the taste of her lips against mine. Pure heaven.