Tyler's Jacket

Chapter 20

I wiped my clammy hands over my jeans, glancing out the window as I did so. The Pinesville forest flew by in a blur, making me feel nauseous and forcing me to fix my eyes in the hem of my AC/DC t-shirt instead. Ty was driving us to Emu Planes Correctional Centre for Women. Or, better know as the EPCCW. We hadn't talked much during the three hour drive, instead just sitting in a comfortable silence with the radio swimming through the air.
"Are you nervous?" Ty suddenly asked, sparing me a small smile. I nodded my head sheepishly, but then realised he was focusing on the road and couldn't see me.

"Yeah, sorta. I know she's not the greatest parent in the world, but she's the only one you've got and I just wanna make a good impression on her." I admitted, fiddling with the golden necklace Tyler gave me for my birthday a few months ago.

"I have to warn you, she's not very... welcoming. She's kind of closed off and a bit aggressive. So don't beat yourself up if she's a bitch to you, she's a bitch to everyone." He rolled his eyes but intertwined his fingers with mine, letting our hands rest on my thigh. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and a smile to go with it before the trip fell back into complete silence.

~ ~ ~

"Please remove any belongings you have from your pockets, aside from spare change to purchase something from the vending machines." The old lady asked. Her eyes were a sparkling azure and her hair was a greyish white. From her name tag, I found out her name was Gillian. I smiled in return and did as she said, followed by Ty. She nodded her head in approval and after showing some ID and filling out a form, we were allowed to enter.

Just before we walked through the set of doors into the visiting room, yet another officer got us to stop. He was young, maybe mid-twenties, yet had the personality of a scrotum. He pat us down, half awake while doing so and finally, we were buzzed inside.

I clung to Tyler's hand, glancing up at him. His eyes were analysing his surroundings, probably looking for his mother. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, but I knew how anxious he was. I have his hand a squeeze and as if he had only just realised I was still here, he looked down at me, surprised for a split second. He physically stood taller, more confident and threw me a lopsided smile.

"I'm glad you're here." He whispered, levelling his mouth with my ear. His breath tickled my skin and I shuddered.

"Me too."

"Tyler..." we both snapped our heads up at the sound of Ty's name, being ripped out of the perfect little bubble we had created. There, sporting an orange prison uniform, stood Penelope Cooper. Her eyes were a deep Mediterranean blue, with huge bags underneath them. Her hair was brown and thick, tied into a low pony tail. Her skin tone was quite light compared to Ty's and she had age lines all over her face, probably the result of all she's been through. You could certainly see the family resemblance, her smile was almost identical to Tyler's and their noses were the same too.

"Hey mom" Ty's voice sounded shy, all of his previous help confidence disappearing in an instant. We all sat at the closest table, in a very awkward silence.

"Who's this?" She finally asked, giving me a once over. Her smile was polite, but you could see the sadness in her eyes. Ty glanced over at me and smiled genuinely, consequently causing my stomach to erupt the same way it always did when he smiled at me.
Get it together, Riley!

"This is my girlfriend, Riley." He was so proud and rested a hand in my thigh, caressing it and making my thoughts blur together just from the simple gesture. A wave of realisation washed over his mom, and a slight twinkle that reminded me of Ty flashed in her eye.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" I said confidently, holding a hand out for her to shake. I probably would've hugged her, but it was against the rules.

"Wow" she breathed, looking at her son in astonishment, "she's beautiful. What'd you do to get her?" She chucked jokingly but I blushed as red as a tomato and attempted to hide it with my hair.

"She sure is" I smiled shyly, before getting up to go to the vending machine to get some snacks for us.

While the packet of crips fell, I turned toward our table to see what was happening. They looked like they were having a heated argument and Ty was visibly getting extremely angry. I could tell he was trying his best to control himself but Penelope was about to blow her top. Until, she did.

All of a sudden we was dragging me toward the door by a livid Tyler while his mom was being dragged away by guards. I dropped the food and used one hand to cover my gaping mouth, allowing myself to be dragged away from the scene.

"You're mom just hit you."