29
Raine
Having no money, no food, and no shelter, I acquired various labels—a neanderthal, a hobo, a mutt, a bum, and a loser. Even with all those derogatory nicknames, I never thought I would end up trapped here in the middle of four cement walls.
They brought me to a minimum-security prison that has a cafeteria, a common area, and a bathroom. It's not as big as I figured most prisons are, but the one thing I am sure of is that the man who put me on this earth isn't located here too. That was my one fear while being transported to the prison after receiving my sentence.
My cell has a small window and enough space for two beds and two small lockers. My roommate is an older man, imprisoned for breaking into a house and stealing ten thousand dollars’ worth of crap—another thief in this shitty place. Rocco doesn't say much, but he talks in his sleep, mostly about his kids and how sorry he is for missing out on his grandkids' first years.
I haven't said much of anything since I've been here either, though. My mind has done nothing but spin in circles, trying to understand why Haven would lie about such a stupid thing. She looked surprised, as if she didn't realize what we were doing was so wrong. I never would have let things go so far if I had known the truth. However, none of this can change how I felt about her.
Now, I'm just angry, pissed, furious—I don't know exactly what I'm feeling. Technically, this is all Haven's fault, but I know Mayor Leigh was just waiting for me to slip up, and it was my own stupid fault for giving him exactly what he was hoping for. Haven was the bait. That's why he agreed to employ me. At least, that's what I'm thinking. What kind of father uses his daughter like that?
A ten-year sentence with the possibility of early release for good behavior, but a minimum of seven years; that's how long they want me to sit in this room and rot, thinking about the girl who lied to me, and her father who wanted to take away more from me than he had already taken.
Sitting here thinking about this will surely make me crazy. I had no defense in court. It was like the whole town turned on me at the say so of Mayor Leigh. He's working hard at making every resident his puppet, and he's doing a damn good job so far. It was like the judge took one long look at me and made his decision based on what I was wearing. If he only knew what Mayor Leigh did to my life, things would have been different. But I had no proof, no time to find evidence, and no one to stand in front of me and fight. Mayor Leigh knew all of this.
I hoped Haven would come to the hearing and admit to the truth, but she didn't show, and that's something else I want to blame her for. I'm trying hard to convince myself she doesn't have the same rotten DNA lacing her body that Mayor Leigh does, but if there’s one lie...who knows many others there were. She said she loved me… Was that a lie?
Itried to sleep, but having Haven in my arms is a feeling I need to hold onto. After going through waves of anger, resentment, and heartache while in prison, I felt like a lunatic by the time I was released. I was confused. I didn't know how to feel about her. I didn't know if I was still angry or if it was just her father I hated more than anything. Then, the next minute, I thought I was out of my mind for even considering forgiveness. Now here I am, back where we started, back before I felt any resentment, before I had to fight against hating her.
It's about nine in the morning when Haven finally stirs out of a deep sleep. She does what I would do if I woke up in her arms: Her eyes open, and she looks around, piecing events together, remembering how she ended up naked and why she's in this bed, curled up under my arm. Then a smile tickles her lips. It wasn't a dream like she thought for a split second.
"Good morning," she murmurs through apparent happiness, her morning hoarseness making her sound adorable.
"Hey," I say with a smile, running my fingers through her messy auburn waves.
"I want to stay here all day," she says through a yawn, as she snuggles closer to me.
"Well, checkout is in an hour, so I'm afraid that's not a possibility."
"Shit! What time is it?" she snaps, jerking upright.
"What's wrong?" I ask, sitting up alongside her.
"I ran into my mother yesterday on the way out of their house. She told me to meet them for breakfast this morning, so they could discuss something with me."
At the mention of her mother’s name, the reverie is broken. "What time were you supposed to be there?"
"Now," she groans before plastering her hand over her face.
I’m confused by her worry about showing up on time for breakfast with them, when the extent of her anger toward them has been so evident this past week.
"Well, they can't do much to you for not showing up," I tell her. "You're an adult now."
She runs her hands through her hair, yanking it with frustration. "Yeah, but she was asking me odd questions and—"
"You're afraid of what they know," I confirm.
"Hence the Sex on the Beaches last night," she expels through a long exhale.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to worry you until I heard what they actually knew."
Thoughts race through my head like wildfire. I'm good at doing things out of anger rather than thinking everything through carefully. So, to calm myself, I place my hand around hers and bring her knuckles up to my lips. "I'm coming with you, then."This is probably a horrible idea.
A breath hitches in her throat, and she chokes out a "What?" before adding, "Are you crazy?"
