Toxic Bad Boy(23)

With all the drama behind us, being with Gianna would be better than before. Her mom no longer had much of a say in her life. Josh was locked up with other high risk juvenile boys in a facility near Boulder. With the divorce now final we were no longer stepbrother and stepsister, so nobody could act like there was anything weird about us being together.

Out of curiosity, I’d looked up the law a few months ago. In some states, it was illegal for stepsiblings to date if they were underage and lived in the same house. Something about protecting them from coercion. Not an issue anymore for me and Gianna. Though, I would miss living in the same house as my girlfriend. That had been convenient.

Surprisingly, I did fall asleep, waking up a few short hours later ready to begin one of the best days of my life. After showering and going back to my cell to gather my things, the guards took me to see Dr. Adler. The short session with her ended up being one last pep talk, pat on the back and peace out.

Once finished with her, I was taken to the administration offices where my parents were filling out the paperwork for my release. My mom jumped out of her seat up to give me an emotional hug even though I’d just seen her three days ago. My dad looked at me like I’d just accomplished something amazing when really all I’d done was screw up my life and get lucky enough to receive do-over.

My parents so deserved a better son than me. A son like that kid Gianna briefly dated, Seth. Bet the guy was a real boy scout.

By the time we finally got out of there, it was early afternoon. Walking out of the building, I felt as if I was becoming a new person. Or shedding inmate Caleb and returning to my real self. Especially since they let me wear my own clothes home. It was so good to be in clothes that didn’t make me feel like I was wearing pajamas all day long.

This was the absolutely best day of my life. The sun shone brighter than ever and the world was beautiful.

I still felt kind of bad for Ian, but thank god he hadn’t made a scene when I was leaving, holding onto my leg or some embarrassing shit like that. I was sure he’d get all hysterical tonight when he was alone in our cell and it really hit him that I was gone. Maybe I’d be nice and send some girls to pick him up in two months.

It was a short drive to my mom’s apartment in Denver. On the way there, I had my parents drop me off at the 16th Street Mall, assuring my mom I didn’t need her help picking out clothes. I sensed a lot of mothering coming on from her. Knowing her, she’d need to baby me because I suffered through the big bad justice system.

Strutting down 16th Street, I passed by a Hot Topic I figured wouldn’t have anything suitable to go watch ballet in, so I crossed over to Gap. Wow, being in here, it was almost like my mom really was picking out my clothes. Not my usual style, but I wanted to look nice. I was already an embarrassment enough to Gianna, I didn’t want to look like one too.

Some of the clothing in Gap wasn’t bad, even though most of it was lame, like the gingham dress shirts that resembled picnic tablecloths. I paired a short-sleeved black shirt with a pair of light gray pants. On my way up to the register, I snagged a gray fedora.

I pictured Ian in his juvie issued jumpsuit and smiled.

The girl behind the counter did her best to flirt with me and I tried to be polite while she dragged out ringing me up. About to run out of patience, the second she placed the receipt into my bag, I snatched it up and rushed out of there. I didn’t have time for chicks with more tits than brains. Horny as I was after eight months locked up, I was desperate to see my girlfriend. It briefly crossed my mind that if it weren’t for Gianna, I’d probably be planning a date with the Gap girl with the intent of getting laid.

Out on the street again, I hopped on a MallRide shuttle heading in the direction of my mom’s place. At the furthest stop, I only had to walk a few blocks until I reached her apartment, once again my main residence.

Inside the apartment, my mom had the table laid out for dinner and my dad sat on the living room couch watching TV. My mom had changed out of the clothes she wore earlier into something dressier. My dad still wore the polo and khakis.

“What’s up?” I asked, dreading the possibility of my mom crying again.

She bent over to take something out of the oven. “Just thought I’d make a celebratory dinner for us, now that you’re finally home. Go ahead and go get ready, everything is almost done.”

“Are you two going to watch Gianna dance?” It would explain my mom’s change of clothes.

“Oh yeah, we thought we’d go support her,” my dad answered while flipping channels.

“Okay, but I’m driving separately. I miss my car and I want to take Gianna home afterward.”