jailbird ☍ cth

☍ three

Time was going by fast.

I had already called this place home four times, woken up in the middle of the night reaching for my cell phone to order some 6 AM pizza which always left me sad twice, and considered getting head from another inmate. I needed to get out of here... fast.

Ham and I had been devising an impractical escape plan. It involved stealing one of the guard's guns, distracting Casey Benjamin using a donut and a sledgehammer, and some poison gas. All in all it was foolproof. Speaking of, I had made great friends with Ham and Jameson particularly, and it was just nice to have someone there. Someone to talk to, someone to laugh with despite the dreary surrounding, someone to share supplies with. I was almost starting to like it at Silverwater Correctional Complex. That's why I needed out.

There was no getting used to the inch of light you'd see from the barred window in my bunk, or having to shower with your body exposed to every other man in the facility, or waking up every morning unsure if you're going to make it the rest of your time.

"Hood, face-to-face."

One of the many hopeless terms, face-to-face meant someone was here in a room. I didn't get many of these, only one, actually. It was my mum. Our visit was short, ten minutes at most. But I was allowed to hug them and touch them and actually have physical contact with someone who doesn't reek of prison.

I was excited because I actually didn't know who was here. On the walk there, I felt guilty considering some people here hadn't seen the face of someone in their lives in years, or ever. Then again, there was some bad people in here who, in my opinion, didn't deserve to see the light of day, let alone their loved ones' faces. That was not my call, though.

In the waiting room was Luke, Michael, and Ashton. I was overwhelmed by the pounding of my heart as I stopped in my tracks as I took it in. The sight was so nostalgic that I was beginning to feel almost light-headed. Trying almost too hard not to run, I walked calmly over to them. Upon seeing me, the gang all lit up like a Christmas tree.

The first person I hugged was Michael, because he was closest and already had his arms open and I just craved someone's touch so badly that I all but collapsed into his body. He held me tightly, and the guard who ushered me here cleared his throat after not even fucking ten seconds.

Pissed off but not discouraged, I turned to Ashton and hugged him with as much enthusiasm. Ashton's embrace felt more comforting because he smelled of his and Luke's place and a hint of brandy. Sweet and magical.

Lastly, I pulled Luke in. He was my best friend since primary, and this was the longest I'd ever gone without hugging him or punching him or cuddling him like the big baby I was or even just having the mindset that he's okay. He was my brother. I buried my face into the softness of his sweatjacket -- the one with the white dangly things that the kittens always liked to play with.

Once we were all sat at the table and situated, I clasped my fingers together on the surface of it and beamed at the guys. "Hi," I said cheekily, and Michael laughed, breaking the barrier of our awkwardness.

"How's prison?" Ashton asked, and I shot him two thumbs up.

"Michael has a girlfriend," Luke announced, and Michael glared at him. "What? We can't just leave Cal in the dark. He's part of the fam!"

Michael rolled his eyes. "No one even says fam anymore, Luke, shut up."

I couldn't stop smiling. "What's her name? How big are her boobs?"

This made him grin, despite his previous behavior towards Luke. It was all in a days work. "Her name is Stephanie," he said and casually gestured that they were quite big with his hands, making me bury my face in my fingers as I laughed. "Speaking of girlfriends, Luke doesn't have one."