**Dylans POV
I walk into the familiar building. The pale walls always seem to have a glint if despair in them, yet the biggest ball of humor is behind some poorly locked doors.
Stealth is in my blood line, my grandfather, a robber. Got away with everything until his fiancé at the time ratted him out. He was an easy going man. Very intimidating, but also very small at the same time. He was a strange man.
"Yo kid. What's up?" I hear Zeros' voice echo through the eerie hallway.
"How did you know it was me?" I ask, half way to the flight of stairs.
"Foot steps." He says like his explanation is self explanatory.
"Oh, so the funniest thing happened at school today..." I say, rehearsing what I'm planning to say over and over in my head. I trace my thumb over my bruise on my face.
"Oooo, tell me. I'm just dying to hear all about your freedom!" He says in a high pitched voice.
"It's not my fault you trashed a corner store."
"Check mate. I just lost the game."
"That's- that's not how it works Zero."
"Eh. Fine then. Touch down."
"Zero just be quiet."
I reach the end of the stairwell and head up. My heals sounding like taping shoes on the cheep metal floor.
"Well anyways... it was after gym class-" I trail off seeing his face. His surprised and confused face.
"What happened to your face?" He asks, reaching out of the bars to try and touch my face. It's a very strange thing to do but surprisingly, it's reassuring.
"I'll tell you the story, just be patient. So anyways, I was in the locker room after gym class and I was in the furthest corner. And I'll tell you now, I've never been bullied before, so this was super shocking. These two boys came up to me and ridiculed me about my body. I felt super insecure but then they started hitting me and-"
"Dylan, Dylan, Dylan. What am I going to do with you?" He has his arms crossed, shaking his head in disappointment.
"What?" I'm pretty sure he's caught on.
"You are such a bad liar."
Crap.
"What lie?" I let out a nervous chuckle. "I've never told a lie in my entire life!"
"Kiddo. You really suck at lying a four year old with a crayon in his hand and blaming the dog for drawing on the wall is a better liar than you" he says with a sadistic smirk.
"Thats oddly specific.."
"Ok all jokes aside, what really happened to your face?"
"I ran into a door..." my answer sounds more like a question.
He looks me dead in the eyes and says "Dylan. Don't play games with me. How did you get the bruise?"
"Its-it's none of your business Zero" I pause for a second. "If that is even your real name..." I mumble.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." I say with a content smile on my face.
"Yeaaaa. Sure." He says sarcastically.
We sit in silence for some time. Not like the awkward silence a few days ago, but one where it's all content. We just stare at each other. It feels so natural. I crack a smile. A true, blue, smile. One I haven't felt in along time. Zeros is like a curse. But a good curse. Like a blessing more or less. One that surrounds him. Aura. That suits it better. An aura. It's perfect. His aura is just humor and happiness. It's pretty much bliss being around him.
He looks away from my eyes. The smile fades for a second but then cracks back up, a bigger one this time, but I stop immediately because it pushes the bruise on my and pinches it between two pieces of skin. I let out a small yelp and reach for my face.
"Ouch!"
"God kid what did ya do this time?"
"Nothing. Just my bruise. I smiled to big and it hurt it."
"Then tone down the smiles then. I know I'm beautiful but I don't want my beauty to cause you pain!" He looks away, dramatically whipping his head around. He lets out a loud sniff like he's in the verge of crying. "Go! For I only cause you pain!"
"Wait-wait no it's not your fault!"
He turns around slowly, his eyebrows all scrunched up and confusion lays on his face.
"What?"
"I-I was saying it-it wasn't your fault."
His scrunched up faces goes from confusion, to confused laughing. "What?" He chokes out, more enthused this time.
"I was saying it was-"
"Kiddo I know what you mean. But I was only kidding dumbass!" He chuckles at his own words.
"Oh..." dang it! I did it again.
"Kid, you really aren't that bright are ya?"
"In my defense, I'm top of all my classes and I've won the national spelling bee!"
"... well uhh, I've won... a participation award... god. I can't even remember winning something from school. It's been so long since I went."
"What? You don't go to school?!"
"No bricks for brains, this is a prison with a very low budget."
"That would explain the lock..." I mumble.
"What?"
"Oh nothing. So tomorrow, I'll bring some books and paper so you can learn!"
"Oh god no. Kid, don't do this to me!"
"Too late! I'll be on my way so I have enough time to do the lesson plan~" I say in a sing-songy voice. I make my way down the isle.
"Get back here you bastard!"
"See ya tomorrow Zero!"
I hear a few growls from his cell and I let out a chuckle.
-.-
God why did Karen's car have to break down! It gets way to cold in Maine to walk anywhere unless you're asking for a cold. But I'm second though, Christmas is coming up here soon. I wonder what to get Zero- I hear a dog barking in the distance. A small but fluffy dog comes up to me and lets out two barks. His tail wags back and forth. I'm pretty sure he's a Pomeranian.
"Hey there little guy. Where's your owner?" I lean down and stroke his fur. He's decently dirty and he has no collar.
He seems to like me! That's pretty cool. "Oh, I guess you have no owner. I'm sorry about that bud." I pick my hand up and then to leave. I hear small little paws tapping the sidewalk behind me. "Oh I'm sorry little one. You can't come home with me." I pat his head and turn around again. A few more minutes of walking. I still hear his little paws in the ground.
-.-
"Hey Karen?" My step-mom sits at the table, her head in her hands and she looks like a mess.
"What is it sweetheart?" She raises her head from her hands.
"I found a Pomeranian while I was walking home. Can we keep him?"
"I don't know Dylan, your dad might not react nicely." She says, sounding defeated.
"Please?" I whine. "I'll make sure to hide him. He doesn't make a lot of noise!"
"... if you're dad finds him, you know he'll probably kill you and that dog. You know that right?" She says.
"Yea.. I do."
"Alright then son, it's your own life."
I give her a quick hug and take him upstairs. I wonder what I should name him?
YOU ARE READING
Jail Birds
Humor*short story with many plot holes!* Dylan Yukilis, a prep-school kid and the son of the deputy. After a snow day in late November, he's off school for a day and his dad, who is not the nicest person ever, thinks it's a good idea to bing his son to a...
