I love the weekends. Four more weeks of school. Just keep counting down until the last day. Love it.

Before the chapter starts, I give credit to Carl Solomon for his poem "Howl." I read this poem and thought that it was PERFECT for this story, or at least a few passages. It's incredibly long, but I'm only going to quote a few passages here and there throughout this chapter and the story as a whole.

Lastly, I'm sorry that any of you who have this story on alert got about three or four e-mails alerting you that I posted the last chapter. Something was up with the website and I wasn't sure if the chapter actually showed up.

Go forth and Read!

Journal,

Why do things like this keep happening to me?

I can't get a break. Fuck this, I'm taking charge.

~*~TJ's POV~*~

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by

madness, starving hysterical naked,

dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn

looking for an angry fix…

Not to sound like one of those people who over-analyze poems just for the hell of it, but I can completely related to this poem by this Solomon guy. He's brilliant. Not as good as Poe, but still good. I like this poem a lot. I feel like this sometimes.

I went to the library again and checked out another book filled with a bunch of random short stories and poems. Dammit JoJo; I blame you for getting me hooked on this. All it took was one good author to get me hooked. Shit. Anyhow….

I got my report card today in the mail. An 'A' in Math, English, Gym, and 'B's' in Science and History. I don't blame that on me actually studying, just having nothing else better to do with my time. I'm still proud of myself for these grades though. A 3.6 grade point average; better than what I ever expected. M parents would be proud, if they bothered to visit or send a letter or pick up when I call. But enough about that. I'm gonna treat myself tonight to something special.

Wonder if I can get one of the girls in here to strip for me…I am becoming a 'man' after all.

Turning sixteen is supposed to be a special occasion. My birthday was a few days before it rained inside the dorm. Birthdays don't mean anything like they used to, so I didn't do anything to celebrate. But this report card…THAT'S a reason to celebrate.

Yawning, I squinted my eyes while I looked up at the sky for any sign of the sun. The rain had stopped, but it rained all night. The roofs off all the buildings are flat so water was caught up there and was pouring into the dorms. We have the option of staying in our room or going outside. I'm outside. I need some air. Told Francis and Spinelli that they were coming out too. I'm not leaving them alone in my room with all my stuff.

It's cloudy today, and the sun isn't shining through. I like weather like this.

…..Something's tickling my leg. Brushing it away I went back to reading.

Who wandered around and around at midnight in the

Railroad yard wondering where to go, and went,

Leaving no broken hearts,

Who lit cigarettes in boxcars boxcars boxcars racketing

Through snow toward lonesome farms in grand-

Father night,

Who studied Plotinus Poe St. John of the Cross telep-

Athy and bop kabbalah because the cosmos in-

Stinctively vibrated at their feet in Kansas,

What the hell is tickling me? It's at my side now. I brushed it away again, but this time it came right back. What. The. Hell. I bet it's Tommy Gun. It sounds like something he would do just to get my attention. Looking to my side I see there's no one there. But the tickling is and it's coming from my pocket. Something furry digging in my pocket.

…..

…..

Is that a bunny?

Using both hands I gently grabbed it and pulled it out of my pocket. Holding it in front of me I see that I was right. It's a bunny. It's probably hungry…well there's plenty of grass outside the fence, so I set it down close to a small hole I think it climbed through to get in and picked my book back up. Where did I stop?

…

….I'm being tickled again. By that same bunny. What does it want? I don't have anything.

I pulled it out of my pocket and sat it down again near the fence. I stood up and started to walk towards the others to get some peace. Wonder what they're up to.

"What are you guys up to?" I asked as I got closer to them. "Something good I hope."

"You can start drug dealing again tomorrow," Specs told me. "If you want. I have enough and know how to make more when we need to."

"Looks like someone has a little ankle biter," Veronica laughed. "What's with the rabbit?"

Turning around I saw that the same bunny that was bothering me had followed me over here. What's its problem?

"Go away," I said kicking my foot in its direction. "Shoo!" It just sat there sniffing the air. The fuck….? "SHOO! Go somewhere!"

"It can't speak English, Freckles," Veronica said. "Just go put it by the fence and it'll go away."

"Don't you think I already tried that? It won't go away! Watch," Again, I picked the rabbit up and walked over to where it started bothering me with the other following behind. This time I placed it on the other side of the fence through the hole. It just sat there looking at us. "See?"

"Let's go inside," Bandit said. "It can't follow us if we go inside." Nodding, I lead the way inside. It was starting to get a little too warm out here for my taste. It's almost lunch time anyways.

~*~END TJ's POV~*~

Dear Pookie,

"Yep, this is definitely from my mom," Spinelli mumbled as she read from the letter she was holding.

Me and your father are so sorry for not visiting you last weekend. There was a family emergency and we had to get there tight away. Your brother Vito had gotten in a car accident, but don't worry, he's okay. Just a broken leg and a few stitches. Next weekend we promise to come and visit you. We'll be the first there and the last to leave.

Please write us back! We want to know how you are doing. Are you eating every day? Brushing your teeth? Keeping your room clean? Making any friends? You better be staying out of trouble, young lady! No more picking fights! You don't want your sentence extended, do you? Just write us back, we're just worried that our little pookie is in place full of hoodlums!

Love Mom and Dad

"Sound like your parents miss you," Francis said while looking inside a small shoe box in his lap. "Pookie. Heh-heh."

"Hey, shut-up, alright?" Spinelli said as she folded the letter and put it in her pocket. "Don't your parents call you embarrassing names?"

"Yeah, but you don't know what they are," He joked. "Pookie? Seriously?"

"Seriously. But if you so much as think about calling me that I'll knock out your two front teeth! Got it?"

"Got it. Geez, I was just joking…," He mumbled, leaning against the wire fence.

"What's in the box?" She asked. "You've been looking in that thing all day. What, do it has some sort of miracle that gets us out of here faster?"

"No, but it might make life more comfortable for us," Francis told her. "You know that guy who came to visit me yesterday? He gave me this."

"And what is 'this'?"

"This box has opium in it, and I'm gonna sell it."

"Still drug dealing? Really Francis?"

"Yes, really!" He said. "Look, places like this have a hierarchy, and we need to start making our way to the top. Anywhere but the bottom like we are now! Think about it. We're getting treated like trash around here because no one respecting us. If we do this, we'll get respect. We might not get any high up the chain than Detweiler is, but at least it'll be an improvement. And what's wrong with making a little money while we're here?"

"You know what? You're actually making sense in a strange way," Spinelli told him. "If we weren't here, I'd call you crazy, kick you in the nuts and walk away, but since we are, I won't. But I'm not gonna be a drug dealer. Not after what happened to my brother Joey."

"It's only temporary, but that's okay. I understand," He said. "If you ever wanna join me, there's a spot for you."

"Thanks," Spinelli said. She paused only to get on her feet. "But no thanks. I'm heading inside. My mom's gonna blow a gasket if she doesn't get a letter back from me. You coming will me?"

"….yeah I'll come."

~*~V~*~

"Dear Mom and Dad, I'm fine," Spinelli said as she began to write her letter. "…..I'm stuck. What else do they want? That's all I think I have to say…." Irritated, she lead against the wall under the stair case and looked around the dorms. The middle was still covered in water, so anyone inside was either in their dorms, around the stairs or outside. She could see Francis across the area talking to another inmate while gesturing towards the shoe box.

'That's like the fifth sale he made today,' she thought as she watched him take money from who he was talking too. 'He's gonna get in trouble if he keeps it up. I need to get back to finishing this letter. Yes, I've been eating, brushing my teeth, all of that….."

~*~V~*~

If there was anything in the world that Francis would love to do for the rest of his life, it would be hustling. There was nothing quite like the thrill of someone coming up to him, aksing for something, then scamming them by selling it at prices that they considered to be cheap, but were truly marked up at least 200 percent. The profits were ridiculous, and compared to most jobs available out there, this one was more stable and earned him more. He could easily make a living on it. While everyone was discussing their future plans of attending college, he scoffed at them. College was the biggest scam of them all, and he wasn't about to be a sucker and fall for it. Sure, for some people college was good, but the way he saw it, he thought that it was a waste. Plenty of people became filthy rich and THEY didn't go to college.

So why couldn't that be his story?

Knowing his parents, they were going to force him to college. That was all they ever talked about around him. College, college, college. Day in and day out, college! As long as he didn't have to pay, he didn't have a problem with it, but believed it was a waste of his time. If he had to go, he would major in economics, finance, or mathematics. Something that would help him get ahead in what he loved most.

Right now however, he just wanted to make a sale.

"How 'bout this. I'll give you three pills for…$45?" Francis offered the boy in from of him.

"I'm still not sure," Said the green goggled inmate. "Where'd you get this anyway?"

"I have my connections," Said the hustler. " Nothing you need to worry about. Are you gonna buy anything? I'm offering a really low price."

"Who do you work for?"

"I don't work for anyone," He told him. "That way, you don't have to go through the middle man and pay crazy prices for a few pills!

"Hmmm….I'm still not convinced," Said his costumer. "Sorry, I'm not going to buy anything."

"Whatever dude," Said Francis as he walked away. "I've got plenty of other customers." Brushing off his loss, he turned to face another inmate willing to buy what he was selling."

~*~V~*~

"What does it want?" TJ whined as he sat in his bed staring down at the long eared rodent on the floor. His last attempt to get away from the furry nuisance failed as it followed him inside the building. He wanted nothing to do with it and wanted it to leave him alone, but it had other plans. The other's joined him in his room to come up with a solution to his dilemma. "I don't have anything for it!"

"How about you just take it back outside and close the door before it can get inside?" Bandit suggested. "There's no other way for it to get in."

"You can't take it outside now! It's starting to rain," Googly protested. "It'll get sick."

"I don't even care!" TJ yelled. "It's a rabbit. It lives outside. I'm sure it's used to the rain."

"Well I care! Can you really leave a cute little face like this out in the rain?" She picked up the rabbit and held it up for TJ to see. "Can you leave this outside in the cold, harsh world?"

"Yes," TJ told her. "I could. It's fucking rabbit! I want it to leave me alone!"

"Then you're gonna have to wait until the rain stops," She said. "If you even think about leaving this little bunny outside while it's raining, I'm telling JoJo when he get's back!"

"Then tell him! The hell is he gonna do?"

"A lot," Veronica spoke. "JoJo has a soft spot for anything weak, animals included. He won't kill you or nothin', but he might beat you up."

"God! Fine! I'll keep it in here until it stops raining! Happy now?" He asked, looking at the small animal.

"Good. Here you hold it," Googly said, giving him the bunny. "We're gonna go get a box."

"A box? For what?"

"For it to sleep in, duh! It's going to rain all night, so it's staying here until the morning. Keep an eye on him. The rest of us have to get everything for it."

'I bet no one else has to deal with this kind of problem,' he thought as he placed the bunny on his bed. 'Rabbits don't follow them around. Only me. Yep, that makes sense….' Looking at the animal on his bed, he watched as it looked at him. He didn't understand it. Weren't rabbits supposed to be timid and afraid of their own shadow? Not this one. No, this one had balls of steel to follow him around. It didn't show any signs of being afraid of him or running away at all. It just wanted to stay and it was winning.

Now that it wasn't moving he was able to see the markings on it. It was white, with tan fur on the tips of its droopy ears and feet, nose, and in a rectangle shape on its back. Moving the right, TJ tried to create some distance from the bunny, but it just moved closer to him.

"…what the…..I don't even…"

"Hey dude," Specs said entering the room. TJ faced him, turning his attention away from the bothersome creature. "There's some guy our here selling opium. It's that new guy, one of the two who you said you knew. I was going to beat him up, but it thought that since he's already afraid of you, that you might want to handle it. It's okay if you don't want to, just wondering."

"I'll handle it," He said walking out the door. "Watch the rabbit for me…."

It didn't take him long to find Francis talking to a small group inmates with a hoe box in one hand and a wad of money in the other. This couldn't happen, and he wouldn't let it happen. He couldn't have anyone else entering the drug trade. He had enough competition as it was. And now this chump and the nerve to think that he was going to get in on the market? No way. They're new. Fresh. Haven't even gotten used to life in here yet, and they never will because they're only in here for a month. On the bright side, TJ didn't see Spinelli close by so he knew that one punch would be enough to handle him.

TJ took humor in the fact that once he approached, the customers that Francis was facing run once they saw him. Once he was right behind his target, he tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. He watched as al the blood drained from Francis' face when he saw that he was behind him.

"Oh….hey, man…" Francis said nervously. He backed away to try and get some distance if he had to run. "W-what's up?"

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, deathly calm.

"I, um,….selling some stuff—"

"What kind of stuff?"

"..d-drugs.." Said Francis. "Why? Do you want som—" He was cut off by a fast and powerful fist. Dropping to the ground, he lost the box he was holding and the contents inside scattered over the floor.

"Why would I want anything from you?" He asked holding the hustler by the collar of his shirt. "Listen, because this is the last time I'm warning you of anything. You are not going to sell any of your shit to anyone in here! You don't have the right. And if you dare try to sell anything again, i'll break your face. Got it?" Francis nodded. "Good." He was sent to the floor again by another punch to the side of his face. Dazed, he didn't have the strength to get up on his own.

Something pulled him off the ground and to his feet. He looked to see who it was and saw that it was Spinelli.

"I saw the whole thing," She said. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," He said. "So much for that…"

~*~V~*~

"Freckles, what are you gonna name it? We can't keep calling it an 'it'."

"I'm not naming it anything," TJ said to Veronica. "I'm calling it an IT for as long as it's here."

"Aww, c'mon!"

"No! Look, I've had a long day, alright? I woke up this morning and had to wait two hours to take a bath because there's so many people in here, when I did get to take a bath Tommy Gun came in and started groping and fondling me, it took me forever to dye my hair and cover up my scar, then I go outside to read and that thing won't leave me alone, follows me inside, then you guys want me to keep it, one of those scrubs trys to get in on the drug business so I had to let him know whose boss, and now you want me to name that rodent? No. I'm not doing it."

"It's a she, not an it," Googly said, ignoring his tired speech. "It's a female mini lop bunny."

"Who cares!"

"We do!" They all said together. Turning away from TJ they all looked into the temporary makeshift home they made for the creature. A box lined with two of his t-shirts at the bottom, and sawdust on top of it, a bowl of food, water and small ball and the actual rabbit huddled in the corner sleeping.

"You'd be amazed at what you can buy at the commissary," Specs said. "C'mon, let's let it sleep."

~*~TJ's POV~*~

I still don't see what the big deal is. It's just a rabbit. Not a dog or something that can actually defend itself. I can understand why the girls would like it so much, but the guys? You've got to kidding me…..

It's just sleeping in that box and they're getting a kick out of watching it sleep. And now they're asking me to name it. If they like it so much why don't they take it with them?

It'll probably escape and find me again.

I'll give it an ugly name so I won't become like one of them, fawning over the thing. Like Abner. Abner's an ugly name. That should be good enough…

…..

…

…Duracell.

I'm naming it Duracell. Would name it Energizer but Duracell is easier to say. There, that's it. Duracell.

Shit, it even has a AA battery size mark on its back. Done. I'm done with this.

I need a cigarette…..

I promise that the next chapter will be more eventual and dramatic, much more than this one.

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