-J.R.R. Tolkien
JUNE
eight months down, 12 hours to go…
CALEB
My last night here and I knew I wasn’t getting to sleep. Ian either. “Dude, I feel sorry about leaving you in here all by yourself.”
The springs of his mattress squeaked as he shifted up on the top bunk. “Really, my heart is bleeding. I won’t be able to go on without you,” he said sarcastically. “Two more months and I’ll be out of here, also. Besides, you’ve been holding me back this whole time.”
From what? Winning the inmate of the month award? Mr. Congeniality?
“So after you get out too...” I trailed off, feeling like a girl for even bringing it up.
“Caleb, are trying to ask me to be your bestie in the real world?”
“Not my best friend,” I joked. “Remember, I’ve got Dante for that. But I suppose you can be my second best friend.”
“You are such a loser,” he drawled condescendingly.
“I hope your next cellmate is deaf. I’m so happy to be getting away from you. At this point, capital punishment would be preferable to staying here in the same cell.”
“Quit being a whiner, Caleb. You’re the one who got early release. If I’d sat around the last eight months with a paintbrush up my ass, painting my feelings, I’d probably be getting out of here tomorrow.”
“More like, if you hadn’t gotten into so many altercations, you’d be getting out of here like me.”
“Whatever. What do they expect a bunch of delinquents to do when they cage them together? Act like boy scouts? We have to entertain ourselves somehow. Not all of us can be the next Salvador Dali.”
“Dali was gay.”
‘Precisely.”
“And painted in a different style than me.”
“Irrelevant.”
“I dislike you intensely, Ian”
“I’ll miss you too, bro,” he choked out with fake sobs.
What an ass. From where I lay on the bottom bunk, I kicked at the underside of his mattress. To my disappointment, it didn’t cause him to roll off the top bunk.
“Hey, could you do that again, Caleb? But this time, a little more to the right?” Springs squeaked as Ian shifted up there.
“Only one more night that you have to refrain from killing him,” I muttered loudly enough for him to hear.
He ignored my remark. “When you come to visit every Saturday, will you sneak porn in for me?”
“I refuse to buy gay porn for you, Ian. Ask that Gage guy you’re paying.”
“Hmm, gay porn, something with girl on girl action.”
“Go. The Fuck. To Sleep,” I ground out between clenched teeth.
“Yeah, you’re right. Good night, buddy.” Minutes later the bastard was asleep.
Just hours from now, I was out of here. I was so freaking keyed up right now, no way could I sleep.
A few days ago, I’d had my hearing before the judge and the lawyer was worth every penny my parents had paid him. He’d made me sound like the altar boy I wasn’t, even brining up the bright future before me in the art world. The judge hadn’t been completely enthusiastic in his decision to release me two months early, but I took his warnings and threats happily.
The best part was Gianna didn’t know yet. It would be a total surprise. It had taken all my control not to blurt out about my hearing the last time she’d come to see me. Especially when she’d showed me pictures from prom night. Not that I cared about the actual prom itself. What I hated missing was experiencing it with my girl. There was always senior year, and I planned to make it awesome.
She hadn’t commented on my deep examination of the pictures with her and Gage together, looking for any signs I needed to beat him when I gained my freedom.
I might have missed prom, but at least I’d be home in time to make it to the last night of her ballet performance. Tomorrow morning, my parents were picking me up, when they had to fill out all the necessary paperwork for my release.
After that, I planned to buy something new to wear for our reunion tomorrow night. I’d use my mom’s apartment to shower and change before heading to the auditorium downtown where the performance was being held. Once I was ready, I’d have just enough time to pick up a giant bouquet of roses on my way there. I’d never been to see ballet, but in movies the ballerinas were always given roses after dancing.
I was absolutely thrilled about being a day away from seeing my girl as a free man.
In the fall, I’d be attending her new high school. It’d be a twenty minute drive each day from my mom’s apartment downtown, but totally worth it. My mom had taken care of all the paperwork already, so I was all set to start classes in August.