Dog Pound

•Epilogue•

A/N: surprise!!
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Turns out freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure the boys were all free, but what good would that do them? Freedom can't clothe them, it can't feed them, it can't provide shelter, and it definitely can't hide them. There was no doubt that the police was searching for them, their faces were probably plastered all over the news by now.

Patrick imagines that his mother is probably shouting frantically at his father that her little boy is on the news and works herself up with so much worry that she cries. Tyler has a similar thought but pushes it aside soon after, believing his family wouldn't pay enough attention to notice he's missing anyway. Josh, well he just had a cat that he loved a lot and hoped his parents didn't give it away in his absence. And Pete... eh, he couldn't care less. His family stopped visiting him months ago so they're probably happy he's gone. These juvenile delinquents cared about him more than his relatives it seemed.

The four of them walked together through dense woods and muddy fields, trying their best to stay out of sight until they could ditch their bright orange jumpsuits. It was blazing hot, the sun beating down on them almost painfully and not a single drop of water for miles.

Freedom has never seemed so bleak.

The boys decided to stop and rest when the sun began to set. They camped out deep in the woods, resting between a few trees and making sure to stay close to each other. Tyler set up a fire, starting it with a couple of rocks and twigs, saying something about being a boy scout in his childhood. They all gathered around and watched the sky until it faded into darkness, then shared stories to pass the time.

Between childhood memories and unforgettable moments with old friends, there was only one thing everyone really wanted to know: how on earth did they end up in juvy? For the most part they all seemed bright-eyed and innocent, but even the craziest people can appear to be friendly. The boys were all just itching to know.

Although Pete already knew what Patrick had done and vice versa, Tyler and Josh were still a mystery.

"So how'd you get put away?" Pete asked, turning toward Tyler who sat against a tree. "You don't look very menacing."

"I can be menacing if I want to be." Tyler defends, glancing around at the other's curious yet skeptical faces. He let out a sigh then awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck. "I got busted for truancy." He muttered.

"Are you serious?" Pete asked incredulously. "You got locked up for skipping school?"

Tyler nodded, cheeks flushing pink in slight embarrassment. "It wasn't my fault! If it wasn't for Josh I-"

"Oh, you're back to blaming me again?" Josh retorted, this seemed to be a hot button issue between the two. But it also meant that they were both locked away for the same thing at the same time. Who would've guessed? "You chose to ditch school with me. I didn't make you."

"No, but you persuaded me."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did! 'Come on Tyler, it'll be fun and we can make out behind Micky D's.'"

"I never said that!"

"Well you might as well have."

"Whoa, okay guys," Patrick interrupted, the pair glaring at each other then reluctantly shutting their mouths. "Doesn't matter who's fault it is, we all ended up in the same place either way."