Boycotting Blue

24/Blue

Blue

 

Mierda, I thought, staring at the gray roof above me. If I looked across from me, I could see the skinny white kid shaking. Apparently he had stolen a car. His mom had been in, screaming at his asshole dad about why he didn’t watch him better. In the cell with him was a big assed guy. The kid was the type of gringo who believed in all the jail rumors.

    But I didn’t give a damn about the kid. I was too royally fucked on my own to worry about someone else. My probation officer was coming in a few minutes. As if I needed his kind words to be added onto my already sour mood.

   Think about Lou.

   Ah, si. That would make it better. I needed to call her. I already knew everything was buzzing around the school—but I had to know if she thought less of me. I couldn’t handle it, couldn’t sleep a single second, unless I knew what Lou thought of it.

  And if it’s bad? My mind wondered.

   Well, then, it’d have to be bed. Anything better than not knowing.

   I stood, pacing. The guard a few cells down snored away, his keys jingling at his side. If this was a movie, I could easily grab them from him and make an escape, ending back wherever to rescue my love. Except, this wasn’t a movie, and I wouldn’t know where to escape even if I could.

   The small cell was tinier than me. The top of the roof almost scraped my head. The small area was only big enough for me to take two small steps forward and two small steps backwards. You wanted to be back in Florida, I reminded myself. Yeah, I didn’t expect for it to be like this anyway.

   Suddenly, the security guard snored himself awake. He jumped up, looking around, and then his eyes spotted on me. “What’re you doing?” he asked, spitting tobacco into a cup. I thought tobacco wasn’t allowed here. I guess officers didn’t have to listen to rules like prisoners did.

    There it was. Me easily referring to myself as a ‘prisoner’ again. The thought almost made me shudder. I was through with that time in my life. I had to change—if I wanted Lou to give me any kind of chance, I had to change. It wasn’t her rule, that much I had figured out on the ride her. It had nothing to do with me knowing her mom, and more about me being the fuck-up I was. I could change the fuck-up part, though.

   “You heard me, boy? I asked what’re you doing?” He raised that taser.

   I held my hands up in surrender—something the old Blue wouldn’t have done. If this had been three years ago, I would’ve mouthed out, finding myself on the ground. Instead, I kept my mouth shut and shrugged. “Exercising.” I tried to keep the smart ass out of my tone, but it was constantly present.

   He eyed me like he was supposed to be scary. He lowered the taser down to his waist, shaking his head. “You know, I don’t like you.”

   “Fine by me,” I snapped. I didn’t really care.

      He said something, but my attention was already elsewhere, focusing on the opening of the door that led to these six cells. Tio strode in, his eyes narrowed dangerously—but in my direction. “Let’em out,” he snapped, shoving some papers at the security guard, who didn’t look none too happy to be commanded to do something.

     “Damn border jumpers,” he muttered, swaying over to us.

     I opened by mouth to retort, but Tio gave el pendejo a look so dark, the man’s face turned red he visibly shook. Tio glared on still. “I asked you to open the damn door and let my nephew out. I didn’t ask for you to speak to me.” His voice was a low warning I knew too well.