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

Chapter 4

[a/n So, one-shot news: I decided to keep the kinky one a Kellic because it feels more right that way, but I'm currently drafting a new one to be Perrentes like you all asked! It'll be my first Perrentes one-shot!]

Song of the Chapter: "Disbelief" by The Weekend Classic

I woke up to the sound of someone crying.

"Kellin?" I asked groggily, peering over the edge of the bunk bed. Kellin quickly wiped his face, the darkness hiding his tears. He turned to face the other way so I could only see the outline of his thin frame. I almost did nothing, but I still knew Kellin as that sweet, innocent kid I met my first day here. I climbed down from my bunk onto his.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, hesitantly placing a hand on his arm. He cringed, but I didn't take my hand away.

"It's stupid," Kellin grumbled, still not turning back to face me.

"Hey, it's not stupid. You can tell me," I assured him. Kellin sighed and finally rolled over so I could see his haggard face. He looked miserable, and I felt a twinge in my heart.

"It's just... you're the first friend I've had here. The other guys won't even give me a chance. And now I've gone and done something to ruin it already," Kellin explained quietly. I patted his shoulder as comfortingly as I could; in all honesty, I was still a little afraid of him after what Jesse told me earlier.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Kells," I insisted, the nickname rolling off my tongue smoothly. I was instantly struck by the double meaning to my words and wondered if it was the wrong thing to say.

"Then why are you avoiding me? Am I so terrible that no one can put up with me for more than a day?" Kellin demanded, clearly agitated by the situation. I hushed him to keep from waking the others, but hesitated for a few seconds before replying.  I wasn't sure how to broach the subject at hand; it could be dangerous. Kellin's eyes reflected understanding in the faint light of the room.

"They told you."

"Yeah, they did. Why did you lie about it?" I inquired, finally taking my hand away from his arm so I wasn't touching him. I was afraid of where this conversation might go.

"Because I wanted to be friends with you. I wanted you to like me. Do you really think that ever would've happened if you thought from the start that I was a serial killer?" Kellin pointed out sadly. His wording struck a chord with me,

"What do you mean 'thought'?" I asked. Kellin looked at me incredulously.

"Did you think I actually did it?" he questioned in amazement. I paused again before replying.

"Well Jesse told me that-" Kellin cut me off with a sigh.

"Yeah, I can imagine what Jesse told you. I'll tell you the truth now, if you want," Kellin offered casually. I sat up sharply.

"I do," I rushed out. Kellin moved over, patting the area of the bed next to him. I crawled under the covers with him, still trying to avoid touching him but also aware of how nice it felt to be close to him.

"I didn't kill anyone. Kailey, my sister, did. I don't know why and I still don't fully understand how she managed to frame me for it. I've never held a gun in my life, you know I'm not into violence. The problem is that Kailey had an alibi, and I didn't. I don't know how, but she had people vouching for the fact that they were going on a trip with her out of town, and she only came back to get something she forgot. Me? I was on my way to my friends' house. The door was locked when I got there, and I went home to find the place up in flames. I was at the scene of the crime, nearly hysterical, when the police arrived. I had no way of proving I was anywhere else, because I wasn't. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and now I'm paying the price for it. I don't know how the gun had my fingerprints. I don't really know much of anything except that Kailey swore up and down it was me, and I was too dazed to disprove her. The next few days were a whirlwind of cops and lawyers and interrogators who almost had me convinced that I killed them; everything was against me. It was a mess. The only person who believed me was Jordan Fish, my lawyer, and everyone still thinks he's nearly as crazy as I am for believing me. I've been waiting on death row for maybe eight weeks now. Jordan says there's enough doubt about my guilt that they'll put it off as long as I don't incriminate myself and they don't find anything new. So I'm here, acting like an angel and praying that Mr. Fish will find something against Kailey. There has to be something. That's why I call her every chance I get, trying to find out why if nothing else. She's got the whole world riled up against me, and I don't know how to fix it yet. And I don't think I have a lot of time left to figure it out," Kellin concluded, his voice fading to a shaky whisper as he spoke. I was silent, digesting this information. I still couldn't imagine that Kellin was a murderer, no matter what Jesse said, I just couldn't. What I could imagine was Kellin being thrown under the bus by a soul less innocent than his.