Deal With It

fifty

Chapter 50

"It's just around the corner."

"Thank you," I told the officer as he held open the door, leading me to the jail cell. He smiled and nodded, exiting from where we entered and I continued along the small corridor. It was dimly lit, the ancient wall-lights flickering on and off, making me wonder how long it had been since they were changed. A couple of officers were positioned in different spots, silently waiting, and probably hoping by the looks of boredom on their faces, for some sort of trouble to stir between the cellmates.

I reached my destination, slowly approaching the chipped black bars but still maintaining a safe distance from the man I came to meet. He was spread across his bed, eyes closed and an arm folded beneath his head as he hummed a tune. I contemplated whether I should leave whilst I could, but it took me a lot of courage to come here so I couldn't walk away now. I cleared my throat loudly which caught his attention and he abruptly sat up, a small grin forming on his face when he saw me.

"Are my eyes deceiving me or do I really see Arissa Noels?" He asked.

I took a step forward. "Can you see better now?"

He laughed, "to what do I owe this pleasure? You know, it's been a while since a beautiful girl came to see me."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," I crossed my arms, a stern look on my face.

"False," he pointed a finger at me. "When I was a legally working man, it got me to my boss' bed," he smiled.

"Well, you're no longer working," I pointed at his state, my finger moving from his head to toe, "and I am not your boss, so your words won't impress me," I stated.

He sighed, looking down and shaking his head. A few seconds later, he stood up and walked over to me, wrapping his fingers around the metal bars. It was strange being so close to him again after what he did. But I was safe this time; my captor was imprisoned himself today and it felt like the biggest relief.

The sound of him snapping his fingers brought me out of my trance and he smiled, looking me up and down. A sudden rush of uneasiness filled me until a voice in my head told me to be stronger. Don't be weak. Don't give him what he wants, don't give him what he preys on.

He slipped a few fingers between the bars, trying to reach for me but I backed away. "Unless you're here to help me plan a prison break, you can leave," he said. I glared at him, knowing it was time for him to feel intimidated and weak. It was my whole reason for coming here.

"You're being moved today, aren't you? To a much bigger place," I smiled, enjoying the newfound control I had. I turned around, pacing back and forth menacingly slow as I planned my next words. "Your experience here has been a luxury, today you'll enter Hell," I emphasised, my anger surging through as I faced him again. "I came here to see how you felt being locked up, helpless, weak. At least I had people who cared. You're all alone, Jake, and it feels good to see you suffer like this."

He laughed, angering me since that wasn't the reaction I wanted. "Whoa, not the words I was expecting. What happened to you being all innocent and timid?" He asked, then quickly answered his own question. "Ah, it must be that idiot you call a boyfriend! He really is a bad influence on you."

"Tyler never changed me, you just never knew me."

"Right," he lay back down on his mattress. "If that's what you like to tell yourself, so be it."

"You can stop with this façade, you know? Acting like this doesn't bother you, being locked up in here!" I pointed at his jail cell. All he did was sigh once, allowing absolute silence to take over.