ALLY:
It was monday again at Kinloch Park. At least it was my lunch break now. I just grabbed my container of chicken ceasar salad and sat in the teacher's lounge. Kira was sitting there with a subway sandwich, and I could see she was waiting for me. She put her sandwich down on the paper towel, and tied her mid neck long bob in a high ponytail. I said,
"Hey, Kira, thanks for watching my class on Friday."
"You're welcome. How have you been doing?"
"Better. My dad's out of the hospital, but I worry he could hurt himself again. But Katie has been taking good care of him."
Kira took a bite of her sandwich and chewed and swallowed it. She said,
"Well, Ally, if you need anyone to talk to, I'm always an open door. I'm not just the school counselor for the kids here."
Like I said, being a counselor had been Kira's calling. She always was the kind of person who wanted to help others and make you feel better. Besides Trish, she was practically my best friend. The three of us hung out together all the time in middle school and high school. That was how long Trish and I had known her- ever since the sixth grade.
"Thanks, Kira. But one good thing has happened to me in the past week."
"What is it?"
"I got a new neighbor. He's not at all like how my old neighbors were."
My old neighbors were these three guys named Nick Ramirez, Stephen Billman and Dustin Savea. I didn't like them because they were obnoxious and a bunch of idiots. Most of the time when I saw them they were either high on weed, ecstasy or LSD, or they were drunk, they would throw wild parties and they would bring home prostitutes every night. They got kicked out because of their annoying partying and pot smoking. Everytime I asked them to turn their music down, they would say,
"Fuck no bitch partying is life! Don't get your bikini in a twist!"
Asshats.
"I remember them. I didn't like them either."
"They were just about the most obnoxious people I'd ever met. But this new neighbor, I like much better. He's really sweet and funny, he's not a drunk, he doesn't do drugs and he's really cute, too."
Kira asked me,
"Is Ally in love?"
"I think I am. I really like this guy."
"What's his name?"
"His name's Austin."
I showed her Austin's facebook page from my phone. Yes it was his facebook page with his profile picture- the one with him at Supercuts after getting his hair cut. Kira cooed,
"Ooh. He's very attractive. That haircut's a good look for him."
I said,
"I know, right? He's friends with Trish's boyfriend."
"He's friends with Jace?"
"Yup. I know from his Facebook profile. In fact, not only is he friends with Jace, but guess who's his sister?"
Kira grinned her smile.
"Who?"
I asked,
"You remember Cadence Moon?"
Kira laughed.
"How could I forget Cadence Moon? She was the sweetest thing I'd ever met, always happy and always so snuggly and huggable!"
"Cadence Moon is his sister!"
"You're kidding!"
"I'm not kidding! Cadence is his sister!"
I took another bite of my salad and asked,
"So, what happened with you, today?"
Kira said,
"Well, today, I got a visit from Danny Fonda. His grades are some of the worst I've seen all year."
I said,
"Oh I have a rather adversarial relationship with him. Not only is he failing my class, but he is constantly causing mayhem in my class. I had my class write papers on Oliver Twist, and he wrote some of the most despicable things I'd ever seen."
"Did you fail him?"
"Yes. He's in eighth grade, he should know better than to say in an academic paper that I should have oral sex with alcoholic men."
"That belongs more on the resume of a person who wants to work at Good Vibrations than a middle school paper."
I said,
"Fortunately I saw not many bad eggs in terms of papers. But still, grading was the highlight of my weekend. The tedious highlight."
"Yeah you look tired as hell."
Fortunately after work, when I went to check my mailbox, I saw a Victoria's Secret gift card for one hundred dollars and a candle that smelled like cotton candy. Who would have sent me these gifts? I put them in my bag and left for Starbucks, so I could compensate for my unfathomable teacher's salary.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hmmm, I wonder who left Ally those nice gifts…. Austin perhaps? We'll find out ;). OK, this next part is in Austin's POV.
AUSTIN:
I was just in my office. I was analyzing some of the inmate's folders when I heard a knock at the door. I said,
"Come in."
It was Callie. She looked even more sad than she did when I first met her.
"Austin?"
She said to me in a quiet voice.
I asked,
"What's wrong, Callie, are you OK?"
"I… I was picking up trash earlier when I saw Jamie smoking pot. I told him, we're not allowed to have pot here, we're supposed to be picking up trash, and Jamie told me called me the C word and told me if I told anyone he'd rape me in my sleep."
"I'm sorry, Callie. I'll talk with him, OK?"
"OK."
She left. This wasn't the first time the inmates had done bad things when they were already on probation. They bullied other inmates or even drank and smoked on the juvie campus. I often was in charge of doing the breathalyzer test. I called on the PA,
"Jamie Russell to my office. Jamie Russell to my office."
I just took a breathalyzer from one of my desk drawers. Jamie came to my office, nonchalantly. As if he didn't do anything at all. I asked him,
"Do you know why I called you in here?"
He was probably under the influence of marijuana because I could smell it on him. He had eyes that were watering (he wasn't crying though) and then he just burst out laughing. He sounded like modern SpongeBob on stereoids and marijuana.
"It's not funny what you did."
"What's not funny?"
"The fact that you made a rape threat to Callie. We have zero tolerance for bullying here. I want you to tell Callie you're sorry."
Jamie said,
"OK, fine. But it's not my fault the bitch's a fucking tattletale."
"If I hear anything like this again, I'm calling your probation officer and I'm suspending your priveliges. Is that understood?"
I had the number of every inmate's probation officer and I had to call them if they did bad things. His eyes were aimlessly trailing the room as if he had been doing LSD.
"Eyes! Is that understood?"
He said,
"Yeah."
"Good. Now go tell Callie you're sorry, and go finish picking up garbage from the freeway."
So what did you guys think of this chapter? What would you guys like to see happen in the next one? I'm open to suggestions; I always take those into account. I strive to make you all happy!