You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison (KELLIC) (boyxboy)

Chapter 3

[a/n I've never published anything so frequently but I'm so psyched about this story]

Song of the Chapter: "Product of a Murderer" by Of Mice & Men

"Look alive, sunshines! It's already 70 degrees outside in the shade and you dogs are on trash duty today!" Officer Carlile shouted in the  morning, startling me from the heavy fog of sleep. I peered onto the bottom bunk where Kellin was running his fingers through his messy hair. I cursed myself for thinking about how cute he looked.

"Trash duty?" I questioned him quietly.

"Typical chain gang-style crap. We all go out and pick up garbage from the sides of the roads just outside the city," he stated, pulling his greys off to change into the orange jumpsuit. I blushed and looked away instinctively, quickly changing into my own orange attire. Cellblock D used the facility to quickly brush our teeth, and then we were escorted to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"What exactly should I be expecting today?" I asked the group when we sat down to eat.

"We get sharp sticks and trash bags. We walk around the road in ridiculous heat in these stupid long-sleeved suits. We stay out for a few hours, get thoroughly sunburnt, and then come back," Beau explained, shoveling the soupy eggs we were given for breakfast into his mouth.

"They give us sack lunches though, which is usually considerably better than the shit they serve here," Oli put in, eyeing the eggs disdainfully.

"How long will we be out for?" Craig asked, his voice raspy. His jitters were gone and he now looked completely exhausted. He wasn't touching his food.

"I guess usually seven hours or so with an hour long break for lunch," Jesse replied. I noticed that Jeremy wasn't wearing his orange suit.

"Are you not coming?" I asked. Jeremy glowered at me.

"No. It's my punishment for acting out yesterday; no trash privileges," he mumbled. I smiled tensely.

"Well, it doesn't sound like much of a privilege to me," I joked awkwardly. All the inmates looked at me coldly except for Craig who was studying the cracks on the concrete floor. Caleb spoke first.

"Collecting trash is a privilege. We get to go outside for more than the half hour we get a couple times a week. When the warden's in a bad mood, sometimes picking up trash is the only outside time we get. Sometimes civilians will even stop and chat with the guards when we're closer to the city and we can hear some news. It's the only time we aren't trapped behind those goddamn walls," Caleb said harshly. I didn't say anything more, looking down at my plate to avoid eye contact. The eggs were congealing in their own juice.

"I mean, to anyone who hasn't done it, it doesn't really sound like a good thing," Kellin piped up, defending me. The other guys slowly nodded and the tension was broken. I smiled gratefully at Kellin and he shyly smiled back.

"Cellblock D, I'm taking you all today," a small red-haired man announced. He was thinner than any of the guards, with a very delicate bone structure.

"That's Warden Ashby," Kellin whispered to me. The warden looked nothing like how I pictured him.

"Come on, Officer Carlile will be coming with us also. As much as the guards brag on the good behavior of this block, I thought I ought to determine for myself if a reward is in order," Warden Ashby announced. The guys murmured excitedly.

"Like what?" I asked quietly. Josh quickly answered as we lined up to head for the bus.

"The last time we got a reward, we had television privileges twice a week instead of once. They gave us Cellblock B's slot when two of their guys got in a fight. Before that, we all got double rations of dessert at dinner. One time we got an extra fifteen minutes outside in the courtyard... it's never anything big, but it's good enough to keep us well-behaved. We've never once been the worst behaved cell, the one that misses dessert or rec time," Josh explained to me. I nodded, and our group lapsed into an obedient silence in hopes of getting the reward.