Hey, guys.

Life threw me an ugly curveball, and I don't play baseball. I was originally going to update this story on Tuesday since I had no homework, but I had to go to Urgent Care because I was covered in itchy blotches and my lips were swelling really fast and really bad. But I'm okay now. It was just an allergic reaction to something. Don't know what it is but It's something….just gotta take these pills and update on the weekend.

60,000 words! I'd never thought I would type that many words! Just 40,000 more to 100,000! Can't wait for that. Wish I could put this much focus into writing this book I have in mind. Oh well; its all good.

For all of you who pay attention to the title and are probably going 'OMG' right now, stop. :) The title doesn't refer to the main character in the story. It just is. It's going to be explained in here….promise. Then we get to the real fun next chapter! :)

Go Forth…and Read!

"How long are they gonna keep me I here? My whole sentence?" Pacing back and forth on the uneven floor, TJ was trying to figure out how long it's been since he was first placed in this room. Walking wasn't an easy task since the floor was made up of the same soft and fluffy material the walls were made up of. It was probably like that to keep the inmates from hurting themselves as that was all they could do in these rooms. Sitting down in a corner, he decided that it would be best seeing that after getting used to walking on the floor in here, he had lost his footing multiple times when the guards led him out to eat or bathe.

The unnerving silence was both a blessing and a curse. TJ was now away from all the screams and yelling of the dorms, but at the same time, the silence allowed the last person he wanted to see slip into the room for the sole purpose of making his time there not worth it at all. And the strange thing was, Alex wasn't always like this. When he first came out of thin air, he was cool. He didn't taunt him for days on end, or made him feel like he does now. No, Alex was a friend, maybe a little less than friend, but for simplicity's sake, he would've called him a friend. Now the little demon bastard was a thorn in his side that needed to be remove with surgery and he didn't have any medical insurance.

"Look at the little broken defect."

Since the last few times Alex chose to visit him, TJ learned that the only way to get him go away was to ignore him at any cost. It was hard, what with all his comments and ruthless attempts to make him pay attention to what was being said. If it worked, TJ made sure not to show it; that would only encourage Alex to stay longer.

"All huddled in his little corner of the world trying to escape what he knows is true. It's not going to work, little defect. You can stay in that corner all you want, but you still did what you did and you know it."

Closing his eyes, TJ tried to imagine being anywhere but in that room. The playground, at home, the park, anywhere but there would be paradise.

"It's not gonna work. No matter how hard you try to imagine, you'll still be here; the land of broken kids. There's something wrong with you, get it? But who cares? You're here now, where you're no longer a problem." Turning onto his side, TJ faced the wall and continued to try and ignore him, but it was starting to falter. Feeling the sting of the tears coming to his eyes he closed them tighter in an attempt to stop them from falling but they always found a way to despite his efforts. "Little monster, I want to hear you say it. Say you're broken and you can't be fixed. Say you're a defect. Say you're a burden on everyone around you! Say there's something wrong with you!"

'Just don't say anything to him and he'll go away,' TJ assured himself. 'He'll just go away like always. Just don't say anything…'

"SAY IT! I want to hear you say it! I'll stay here forever until you say it!"

"…..I'm broken and I can't be fixed," He managed to choke out. "There's something wrong with me. I'm a defect and I'm a burden on everyone around me."

"And you know what the worst part of it is?" Alex taunted. "Even though you know this, you know you're still going to act the same way. You know you can't stop yourself. You know that once your sentence is over, you're going to start all over again. Maybe you'll set an orphanage on fire next time. Or push a kid into a freezing lake." Hearing the familiar whoosh that signaled Alex departure, TJ knew that Alex had left, but didn't want to move from his position on the floor. Alex made him repeat those phrases on a daily basis and it still hurt to say them like the first time. Each time it sunk in deeper, and each time it took him longer to convince himself that it's not true. But one day there wasn't anything he could do to convince himself, and he started to believe it. Whether it was true there was something wrong with him, or he was some sort of defect didn't matter. It was painful either way. All he wanted now was someone to talk to about it.

TJ was sure that it had been at least a week since he was put in a white room. He hadn't seen the sun since he was first put there, but the guards would always announce what day it was when everyone was led out to breakfast. He hoped that his parents would've visited, but at the same time knew that wasn't likely. Then he noticed that Principal Prickly hadn't visited either. He would've believed that the man had given up on him as well if another inmate hadn't given him advice. He was told that inmates in the white rooms don't get visitors; they get letters written by those who would visit them if they weren't in the white rooms. So he wouldn't know if he had any visitors until the guards cared enough to give him a letter.

So until then, or least until Alex showed back up, he allowed his mind to wonder. What was life like at Third Street now? Probably a lot quieter without him there to raise hell. He knew that if he was acquitted of the charges he would take revenge on the students each and every opportunity he had. The nerve of those guys to say they thought he started that fire! Some punishment was due but it would never come. By the time he turned 21, he would've forgotten why he was there in the first place.

He could see the look on his former friends faces. He would bet on all he had that they were grinning ear to ear. Did he blame them? No. They had to right to be happen that the torment from him was gone and no longer a problem. What about his parents? They haven't as far as he knows visited him again, even though they said they would.

'Wouldn't it be funny if they adopted another kid just to replace me,' TJ thought. 'They probably would too. I wouldn't put it past them. Get another opportunity to raise the son they always wanted after screwing me up. Then again an adoption agency would be crazy to give them a kid with their background.' The sound of the tumbler to the metal door interrupted his thoughts. Sitting up he watched the door open and saw two guards standing outside. Since the only time the door was ever opened was when it was time to eat or bathe, he assumed that was the case.

"Detweiler, you're out," Said one of the guards. "We need this room from someone else so you're going back to the dorms." After walking over to the door he went through the standard procedure; handcuffed behind his back, and told to stand within the red line on the floor. Taking a single step outside that line would equal getting tackled and clubbed by the guard closest to you; it was considered to be an act of aggression. Reaching the end of the hall he was told to stop as a guard looked through a large stack of envelopes on a table before taking one. They continued until he reached the dorms. Before the guards left to go back to their post they took the handcuffs off gave him the one envelope from the desk.

"It's about time," TJ said to himself. He stretched and took a deep breath. Even though the air in the dorms was stale, it was a world of difference from the unventilated white rooms. "Thought they were gonna keep me in there forever. Looking over the envelope he saw that it had no name or address, it just had the purpose of containing the letter. But it was open. Unfolding the letter inside it didn't take him a full sentence to figure out who it was from.

Detweiler,

'Ah, it's from Principal Prickly,' He thought. 'Only he would call me by my last name. Okay, what else does it say…'

I came to visit you on Saturday, but the people there told me that I couldn't and to just write this letter instead. I could've stayed home if I was just going to write a letter, but anyway, would you like to tell me why I can't see you? Are you under some form of punishment where you're not able to see visitors?

When you're able to, and that better be soon, mail me a letter back. I left my address at the bottom of the page.

Rushing down to the bottom of the letter he saw that there was an address just like it said. Now the only problem was finding a envelope and stamp. Even he manage to accomplish that, where was he going to find a mailbox in this place?

'You would think the least they would let us do is write letters…' He thought. He started to head back to his dorm when his attention was pulled to a large and red for letter word painted on the wall. Underneath it was a small metal slide. The word read: MAIL. 'Isn't that just convenient? Okay, I gotta go get some stuff from the commissary…'

While he stood in the long and growing line for the commissary, TJ thought about the letter he held in his hand. It was nice to know that SOMEONE in this world took time out of their day to come down here to visit, get told they couldn't visit, and then write a letter to replace the face-to face visit. It really was. It was even nicer that that same person thought so highly of them that they would quit-no, RETIRE, over a verdict in his case when the evidence pointed only to him. He was really grateful for that. People like that in your life are few and far between. Hell, some people don't meet other like that in their entire life time. Still, there was one daunting fact on his mind.

Where was the letter from his parents?

They said they would visit again soon, but it's been a good week since they first came. Even though he criticized their actions that didn't relinquish them of their duties. Yeah he talked bad about them to their face and when they're not around, but he was criticizing their techniques in controlling him. He was just that kind of person; one who criticize those in charge in such a way it would make them one to give up, when it's really just a push for them to do better. TJ thought that if his principal was able to get over it when he did that to him, then his parents should get over it, and fast; they still have five more years to go with him.

'I swear, Prickly's doing a better job at raising me then my own parents….' He thought to himself. Thinking about his parents at home had gotten him to think about the others; specifically, his old friends. What were they up to? The school year would be over in a few months, them they would be headed to high school to start their freshman year. What would that be like? Being on the bottom of the social food chain again? They would be okay since they have each other. But that didn't mean he wasn't curious. He wanted to know what they thought of him being here. TJ was sure that I mostly consisted of bad opinions, but he truly did want to know. And after spending time alone with Alex, he wanted to say he was sorry and for them to….well, forgive him, though that the chances of them doing that were slim to none. Still, he wouldn't know unless he tried. After purchasing five envelops, a roll of stamps, a few pens and paper, some candy, and soda that were on stock (he didn't need to lose another eye to Tommy Gun) he sat at a free table in the corner and started to think about what he wanted to say.

TJ didn't want to ask for their friendship back; that idea was dead on arrival. But if wasn't going to ask that, then what WAS he going to say? Hi, life sucks in juvie, what's it like in normal world? They would throw it away when they saw his name on it too, and he didn't want to waste envelopes and stamps on something that would be promptly thrown in the trash. Even with that possibility he wouldn't know unless he tried, he was certain of that. But what would he even say to them?

He wasn't going to ask to be their friend again, that's for damn sure. After they shared their opinions about who they thought started the fire the chance for their friendship ever being restored was shot, brought back to life, and shot again just for the fun of pondering the thought. It's not like wanted to be friends with them again anyways. If they were willing to testify against him in court and get him sent to juvie, they were on his list of people to get rid of and destroy in every possible way. Not that he was goingto get rid of and destroy one day…

But forgiveness was another story. The only good thing to come out of Alex visiting him was that he now understood the severity of his actions since half way throughout fifth grade and how it affected those around him. He was shocked by the techniques he used and what it did to everyone. Simply put, he was sorry—something he hadn't felt for a while and he wanted to do away with. And the only way to have that burdened lifted of his shoulders was to ask them to forgive him for what he did (not the fire, he insisted he was in juvie on false charges and a shitty lawyer). Sharping the pencil he was in the handheld sharpener he cracked his knuckles and began to write on the piece of paper in front of him.

Dear

Erasing the first word he written down, TJ scolded himself. 'Dear' was used for people how cared about. He didn't care about those guys, just wanted their forgiveness, if that made any sense at all (and he sure it didn't to anyone else but him). Bring the tip of the pencil to the paper he started over.

Hey Guys,

Look, I know I did a lot of bad things since halfway throughout fifth grade like poison the whole school with laxatives, took apart Old Rusty, bombed the playground with itching and sneezing powder, broke into you rooms and break everything my an aluminum baseball bat, took all your most prized things and broke them then left the remains on the playground, slowly broke Galileo in front of Gretchen, melted Vince's favorite trophy to make a gold replica of my hat, burned Mikey's journal of poems to melt marshmallows for my s'mores, busted Gus's favorite airplane after stealing it and throwing it into traffic 'cause he wouldn't let me play with it, showed the entire playground those pink frilly panties Spinelli wears 'cause I thought she needed to be reminded that she's a girl, gave everyone pinkeye, chickenpox, broke the arm of that one kid, busted the jaw of another, hung that little girl over the school, killed the Third Graders class pet, gave everyone the measles, and took the kindergartners and gave it to everyone else making them go on vicious rampage for two weeks, then giving them a shitload of candy making them go on a sugar rush that lasted a month.

I know I did all those things and I know they were bad now. I understand that I made your lives unbearable with everything that I did and I wrote this to say that I'm sorry and to ask you all to forgive me for what I did.

I'm not asking you to take me back or anything like that. I'm just asking you to forgive me for what I did. Hope you write back.

-TJ

"I sound like such a loser in this letter," TJ said as he put the address to Spinelli's house on the envelope. It was addressed to 'My former friends, so that when it was seen, she would know immediately who t was from and decide whether or not it was even worth reading. After he placed a stamp in the corner he dropped it into the chute and sat back down to work on his second letter to Principal Prickly, but since he used most of his brain power to write the last one, he decided to write it later. Standing up he was headed to his room when the sight of another inmate who appeared to be talking to himself caught his eye. Looking closer he could see that the inmate was not talking to himself, but was on a payphone that he failed to notice before.

'I really need to look around this place for stuff I haven't seen yet,' He thought to himself. When the other inmate got off the phone, TJ contemplated making a call himself. Did it cost anything to use? Probably. And the now, $87.34 on his card was precious to him, so he wanted to make sure the call was worth it. If he did decide to make a call, who would it be too? It wouldn't be his friends; he already mailed a letter and didn't want to be bothered with that much more. Maybe his parents? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

The phone had a sign that read 25 cents per call along with a machine where the card that the inmates have to hold their money was swiped. A few seconds later he held the phone in his hands and was dialing the number to his house. He patiently waited for the other end to pick up as the phone rang. It rung once, then twice, three times, and a fourth time before it was directed to the answering machine. Sighing, he swiped his card again, wanting to give it another try. Again the phone rang fourth times before the answering machine came on. He hung up, not wanting to spend any more time on the endeavor to get his parents to talk to him.

'Maybe they're both a work,' He wondered. He looked the nearby clock that hung on the wall and saw that it was the usual time for them to both be at home. Unless something had happened they should've picked up the phone. 'Either that or they saw the number and didn't pick up.' He thought. With a sigh he turned away from the pay phone and headed up the stairs to his room. If they weren't going to pick up, there was no reason for him to try calling.

Entering his room he saw JoJo sitting on his top bunk. Instead of finding him reading a book with a title he couldn't pronounce, JoJo held a small pipe with a rounded tip at the end that wasn't touching his lips while holding a lighter with a flame underneath. Every few seconds he would take a deep breath and release the fumes from his lungs only to start the process all over again.

"What are you doing?" TJ asked his roommate.

"Gettin' high as a motha fucka," JoJo told him, keeping his attention on the pipe. "You wanna hit this?" Thinking about his past with drinking alcohol and smoking, TJ thought about saying no. It seemed to be the smarter of the two options what with being in juvie and all. Why would he risk getting caught and getting in trouble? Then again he was here until he turned eighteen; might as well enjoy it.

"How do you do it?" Asked TJ.

"Just hold the pip in your mouth and put the light underneath," JoJo instructed. "And breathe. BBRREEEAATTTHHEEEEE." After handing him the pipe and lighter JoJo laid back down and stared at the ceiling. TJ sat on his own bed and followed the instructions JoJo had given him. The first breath he took burned his throat as he was sent into a fit of coughing. After a few minute when he finally was able to stop coughing he dared to take another breath, much easier than the last. A few breaths later and he was lying on his back as well, watching the flood of color mix right before his eyes. At some point JoJo had reached down a took his pipe and lighter back, but TJ was to engulfed to notice. He could've sworn he was flying as fast as a jet across a sky that didn't look too good being the color purple. That flight didn't last long as he felt himself falling through the sky and landing firmly on his bed, blacking out.

~*~DREAM SEQUENCE~*~

"There was a bunch of color a second ago. What happened?" TJ asked himself as he walked around a void of whiteness. He missed the vivid colors he was seeing in front of him a while ago; some of those colors he hadn't ever seen before. But he was here now, and he was sure he was dreaming. Hearing what sounded like laughter in the distance, he quickened his pace to find the source. All he found was a window. It was clear enough for him to look through a see what was on the side. What he saw was the playground at Third Street three years ago. Looking closer he could see himself, abet ten years old, as well as his now former friends playing a game. He smiles at the scene in front of him, not from reminiscing, but for missing being able to do what he wanted when he wanted to do it. Just as he was about to walk away from the window, TJ spotted his younger self approaching the window, and because his dream didn't appear as if it was going to end anytime soon, opened the window.

"Is this it?" His younger self ask him. "Is this what I turn into when I get older?"

"Pretty much," He said to his younger self.

"…..I don't like it," Said his younger self.

"Me neither, kid."

"Why did this happen?"

"I dunno," He said. "It just did."

Before the conversation could go any further the window disappeared, and TJ was left by himself again. He laid on his back and closed his eyes, waiting for himself to wake up.

~*~END DREAM SEQUENCE~*~

Jolting up in bed in a cold sweat, TJ panted for his breath while trying to slow his racing pulse. Quickly looking around he saw that it was well into the night, and that he must've been asleep for at least five hours. Once he was calmed down his thoughts drifted back to the dream he had.

Did he miss being ten years old and hanging around his former friends? Sometimes. But he questioned whether or not it was because he missed his friends or the freedom he had. If he wasn't here in juvie would he even be questioning whether he missed them at all? Probably not. But what did that really mean? He thought that maybe it meant he was just selfish for asking his former friends to forgive him and that he wasn't truly sorry, just wanted the burden off of his shoulders so he could start doing what he did to make them hate him in the first place and if that was true, then he was more messed up than he thought.

Feeling a headache that resembled a punch to the head, he slowly laid back down in his uncomfortable bed and closed his eyes, promising to deal with the dilemma tomorrow.

Don't you people DARE feel bad for him yet. I'm not done with him! You can feel bad in like, two chapters. I feel like this chapter is somewhat uneventful.

I also need to clarify a question I asked earlier. Two chapters ago I asked who do you guys think would visit him in juvie. That was kind of a vague question. What I meant to ask was, if anyone in the gang, for any reason, would visit him, ever, who would it most likely be? That, and how do you guys think they would react to the letter he's sending them?

RandallXSpinelli: he-he, Trust me, he's not the anti-Christ, Alex just happens to look like the devil. :) For the live-action movie, they would have to go EXACTLY how they had it in the cartoon. EXACTLY. Even with all the jokes and everything. And that's where I think it would fail. They would try to 'modernize' it like they always do. I think if they stuck to the originality of the show it could be good. But I'm not going to lie, if I heard tomorrow that they were going to make a live-action Recess, or if I went to the movies and saw a trailer for it, I'd shit my pants ;) I would just be so happy 'cause I love the show so much. Then five days later I'd be like 'It's going to suck..' But I would still go see it. A big bonus of a live-action Recess would be that Disney would start airing marathons of the cartoon again as part of the advertising.

Donna Nnov: Ah, Alex. I can't tell you he is…yet. ;) Mr. Simmons will in the next chapter which will be up soon since it's the weekend.

MaxGoof1996: Don't give him that hug yet! D: Not yet! It'll be too soon….

Reviews are Appreciated!