The Runaways

01|

Hawaii 1981: July.
It was hot, boring and lonely. If you were a kid, you were considered innocent At least, that's what Keona thought. He was only fourteen and was on his way to the Juvenile Delinquent center for kids under the age of eighteen in Hawaii. There was only one problem, he was innocent. Yes, he knew that all guilty people had said that but it was true. All he was doing was walking the crowded pathways of his town and all of a sudden the grocery store had just left had been robbed, he payed for his stuff and still got blamed on. The criminal who was guilty pretended to be a shop employee and fooled the elderly customers that Keona was the guilty one. They believed the man because he was older and "more responsible" than Keona was. No one was able to prove his innocence because even if he had parents who would've been able there to help him, he didn't have any. He was abandoned, a orphan and a "misfit."
The bus was hot, with no air conditioning, no food and no company. Great, the first week of summer is already being taken away from him. He felt like a character from Shawshank. He couldn't decide whether he was sad, angry or confused. "Why me" he thought. "It could have been anybody else and yet it happened to me" thoughts like that went over and over his head making him even more angry than he already was. The drive was insanely long and by the time they got to the center for junior delinquents Keona could barely stand. He just hoped he wasn't going to get beaten up or pummeled. He wanted to go back home and eat all the junk food he could think of and stuff his face till he exploded. Suddenly a noise on the intercom of the bus was heard. "Alright. We're here. No funny business or punishments will be given, and it won't just be a slap on your butt like moms do, it'll hurt." Keona heard the announcement and knew that the guards and the warden were not going to be accepting and rough housing. He was in for a lot of suffering. Mentally and physically.
It took exactly fifty five minutes for the new prisoners to get settled in and cleaned. If you can really call it that. The beds were made of wood and some nails weren't completely buried in, the mattress was weak and would probably be covered in bugs, the showers weren't showers more like powdered bombs. He had a jail cell partner but they were doing cell work. He was scared but he couldn't act like it, if you're scared they chew you up. Although this Junior Delinquent center was for boys, he had already heard rumors about a girl who was too tough for the girl center. How could a girl be "too tough" for a prison? Was that even possible? Well, maybe he will find out. As he walked the hallways of the prison he saw teenagers with scars, tattoos, piercings and bruises. Some looked intimidating while others looked distant. Some stayed in groups and others preferred to protect themselves due to trust issues. If you trust the wrong people, your'e dead meat. Keona had come to the conclusion that childhood stories were lies, no one gets a happy ending because no matter how bad or enjoyable your life is, it will end rather sooner than later. No happiness is permanent. People die every second of every day and there's nothing you can do about it.