Pretty Boy is sitting on the other side of the room bandaged up with casts on almost every limb. Yeah, I did a number on him, but that motherfucker deserved everything he got and more. It’s just a shame his dad is one of the biggest prosecutors in the town and has every judge in his pocket. Not that it really matters. Even if I had known that, I wouldn’t have been able to stop. He got what he deserved and should’ve gotten more.
I don’t listen as they talk about what happened. I was there, I know what I did. My lawyer advised me to make a plea deal, but it’s not happening. I plead guilty because I am. I just wish I’d finished the job. Pretty Boy was on life support for a week, so I got close. If the cops hadn’t been called I’d probably be in line for the death penalty, so I guess there are some small miracles.
The whole proceeding doesn’t take ten minutes before I hear the smack of the gavel and my lawyer is telling me to stand up. The bailiff comes over to collect me and walk me in front of the judge, where he tells me my sentence is five years with a possibility of parole.
Five years for kicking that bitch’s ass. I wish I could do it again when I glance over my shoulder and see him sitting there with a smug look on his face. That better be all he does right now or I’ll be all over him again.
There’s one place in the courtroom I refuse to look and it’s because I don’t want to see her. I’m sure I scared her when I got him off of her and then almost killed him. I was walking down the street and I felt something that made me stop. I looked into the shadowed alcove and that’s when I saw her pinned to the wall. I knew I had to stop it, but once I got my hands on him I lost control. That’s when I heard her scream. I never meant to scare her, only save her. But that’s all too late now.
I know she’s here without even having to check. I can feel her presence near me. It’s the same as the moment I walked by her and knew I had to save her. I don’t regret what happened, only that she had to witness it, because she’ll never want to look at me again. I might have saved her, but in that moment I became a monster in her eyes.
It’s not like she would have wanted anything to do with me before that moment though. She’s a beautiful girl. Soft and clean. I’m dirty and rough with nothing to lose. Why would she ever take a second look at me? But I guess that doesn’t matter now.
I feel the cool steel of the cuffs come around my wrists and click into place. There’s a buzz in the courtroom behind me as the judge tells them to take me away.
I hear people behind me, but I don’t turn around. If I see her there it will be an image I can’t erase for the next five years. She’ll either have a look of horror as she watches them take me away, or it will be one that wonders what the hell she did wrong. She looked so sweet and innocent she might even blame herself. I can’t stand the thought of it and I know that no matter what I see it won’t do me any favors on the inside.
“Is there anyone you want to say goodbye to?” the officer asks before he leads me away.
The image of her horrified expression when the cops pulled me off Pretty Boy flashes in my mind.
“No,” I answer as I walk out of the courtroom and behind bars.
It’s not the first time I’ve been in jail, which may be the reason it was so easy for the judge to throw the book at me. But really all he needed was a slight nudge.
I guess things could be worse. It’s not like I had a lot going for me on the outside. I’ve some money socked away from working construction. I made good money doing it and had plans to open my own company. I guess there’s still time and that’s all I’ve got ahead of me. I can use the solitude to plan it out and decide what to do next.
I’m transported to a minimum-security facility three hours from the city. It’s in the middle of nowhere, so even if someone could escape, good luck trying to find your way to civilization on foot.
When I get there I’m strip-searched and told the rules before I’m given my cell. This is a single-seater lockdown, so I get a room to myself. That’s the only positive thing about it though as I step in and look around. It’s so small, that’s why there’s not room for two, but at least I don’t have someone with me trying to show me where I rank in the prison. The worst part about being on the inside is having to watch your back. I plan on keeping my nose clean and getting parole early for good behavior. The only problem is I’ve never been well behaved.