The halfway point of this story is here! It feels incredible, but I'm afraid of rushing to the end since it's downhill from here. If you all think it was dramatic in juvie, you haven't seen anything yet! The plans I have in store...

This chapter has two parts, this is the first. It'll go fast in some places, and slow in others, but only when it's important. The next will be the second half, which is the part everyone's waiting for.

Read On!

Passing a pair of dark shades between his hands, TJ waited for his ride home to arrive. He sat on the ground outside of the gates of Duval next to a box that held the few things he wanted to take home with him (books he's read, journals, the clothes he wore when he arrived at Duval for the first time, including his hat) and the box that Duracell called home. Said rabbit was resting in his lap, instead of inside the box. TJ has been waiting for only ten minutes and knew that he would have to wait a lot long for his ride to arrive. He was informed by another letter taped to his door that his parents were informed about his release and were told to pick him up. The wait seemed to last forever, as the idea of seeing his parents for the first time in four years made him feel a mixture of anger and fear.

Knowing that today would be the day that he would leave, he had spent the night before after lockdown talking to JoJo. They spent the night talking about their time in Duval, doing the occasional drug, beating up whoever crossed them, planning and breaking out of Duval, then travelling across the state in one night. Those were the best memories that had in juvie.

~*~FLASHBACK~*~

"I gotta hand it to you though, Freckles," JoJo said as he sat on his bed, exhausted. Leaning over the edge, he scooped Duracell out of her box and placed her on his bed. "No one else had the balls try and break us out. And you did it. I respect you for that."

"Thanks. I think it could've been better though," Said TJ. He was on his knees, looking under his bed. "It was only for one day. I was ready to stay out there for as long as I could."

"Yeah, but we would've got in more trouble than it was worth. Least now you're out legally and you can't get in trouble."

"Yes I can. They have a three strike rule here," TJ said as he got back on his feet. He held in his hands a large blue book. "If I get in trouble three times with the law, for small stuff like stealing or getting into fights, they'll throw me in jail and I can't get back out on parole again. Sucks, huh?"

"Of course that sucks. It's complete shit, but you better not be planning on getting in trouble anyways," JoJo said. "You got a little brother to protect. You better not get in trouble."

"I'm not, I'm not. Geez, doing you think I know that? I'm staying out of trouble."

"Good."

"I got something for you," Said TJ. He handed over the large blue book. "I know I'm going away, but I still wanted to get it."

"What's this?" JoJo asked, taking the book. He looked over the cover and read the title. "The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?"

"I heard that book is hilarious," TJ told him. "Thought you'd like it."

"Thanks, Freckles," JoJo said. "And I didn't get you anything…..mmm….here." TJ watched and saw something he never thought he would see. Right in front of him, JoJo took off his black shades. JoJo blinked a few times before opening his eyes. A pair of bright green eyes were staring back at TJ. "Take 'em."

"…you never take those things off," TJ said with a nervous smile. "You're giving them to me?"

"That's what I'm doing," JoJo said. "Take 'em." Still surprised, TJ took the shades from JoJo and looked at them.

"A-are you sure?" TJ asked again, take back by the bright green eyes his roommate had. "I know how much they mean to you."

"It's fine, Freckles," JoJo said as he ran his fingers through his dreadlocks. He brushed them across his face until they were in front of his eyes, replacing his shades. "That's my going away gift. Don't break 'em; they're good luck. Oh, hold on…" JoJo turned a reached to his shelf, taking off a small white unlabeled box. "Here. This is from Veronica. She wanted me to give this to you." Taking it, TJ opened it and looked inside. There were contact lenses, pairs of every color of the rainbow, including the blue he wore for a month.

"…Tell her I said thanks," TJ said as he took them out the box. "I think I'll need these."

~*~END FLASHBACK~*~

TJ carefully placed the shades in the box. He wanted to keep his promise and not break them. The book he gave away was different. After reading books for years, he knew that books were supposed to be worn in. it meant that it was a good book. The shades were a precious item and he was going to make sure he didn't break them.

A small gust of wind made him cover Duracell protectively until it stopped. Checking his watch, he saw that it was ten minutes since the last time he checked. A pinch on his fingers told him that Duracell was getting hungry. He reached inside the box, taking out a few pieces of timothy hay. As soon as he placed it in Duracell's reach, she started to eat. Have to get her some more of this stuff. He had her wrapped around in several of his t-shirt because it was January, and even though the winter was unusually warm, he didn't want her to get cold. He didn't have a jacket for himself, but he wasn't going to start bitching about it.

The sound of wheels driving over the dirt road ahead of him caught is attention. Carefully holding Duracell, he stood up and looked to get a better view of the black car pulling up. The car stopped in front of him, and the driver's door opened.

A woman in her early twenties stepped out of the car. Her dark brown hair was up in a high ponytail. She wore a pair of dark jeans with a blue coat. TJ had to blink a few times to make sure he was looking at who he thought he was.

"Becky?" He asked, still unsure.

"Don't you recognize me? I know it's been four years since we last saw each other, but I was hoping that I still looked familiar," She said with a smile. "Of course I'm your sister! Who else would I be?" TJ stood as his sister came over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Don't rush to hug me back…." She joked.

"I couldn't," Said TJ. "I'm holding something and I can't drop her." Becky looked down and saw the small bunny in his arms.

"Where'd you get the rabbit?" She asked. "Never mind, we can talk about it in the car! C'mon, you must be freezing out here with no jacket."

"Can you hold her for a minute? I have a box and I can carry both," TJ said, handing her Duracell. As she held her, he carried his box and placed it in the back seat. After he was done, he took his pet back and joined his sister in the car. The car roared back to life and the two of them were riding down the road away from Duval.

"So how are you? It's been four years! When I found you were locked away until you were 21, I thought I wouldn't see you until then," Said Becky. "What have you been up to?"

"I got in trouble for something I didn't do," He said. "Someone lit the school on fire, and I got the blame."

"So you're not the one who set the elementary school on fire?" She asked, surprised. "Mom and Dad said you were the one who set it on fire."

"They lied," He told her. "I didn't do it. But of course, they're not here confronting me about it. Why aren't they the one's picking me up?"

"Oh, you don't want me to drive you home?" She joked. "No, um, there's a reason why I'm here and they aren't. But I should start from the beginning. Are you ready?"

"I spent the last four years of my life in juvie, seeing things I thought I never would. I think I'm ready for anything, Becky," He said. "What is it?"

"We have a little brother," She said, keeping her eyes one the road. "He was born about a year after you were put away. He's three now. He's shy, but he's really sweet. Mom and dad had to take him to the doctor and couldn't reschedule, and they asked me to pick you up instead."

"Hmm...Becky, can I tell you a secret?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"I called home and he picked up the phone," TJ said. "We've been talking for the last couple months and mom and dad don't know about it. Only for ten minutes at a time, though. And he doesn't know who I am; I'm just Mr. Stranger to him."

"Wow, really? And mom and dad know nothing about this?" He shook his head. "That's amazing!"

"He's a smart kid. Can't wait to see him. Still," He said, looking out the window. "One of them could've went to the doctors and the other could've gotten me. I haven't seen them in four years, either. They haven't answered my phone calls, letters, or anything. Bet they won't recognize me when they see me again."

"I almost didn't recognize you," She said looking over at him. "Last time I checked, you had brown hair, not blonde. What happened?"

"A friend of mine in Duval bleached it without me knowing," He said. "It grew on me and I wanted to keep it. So I did. But I doubt that the blonde hair is the most important thing. Since you're my sister, I'm gonna ask you to excuse my language, but I've been through some shit."

"Tell me about it. We've got two and a half hours left in this car ride. We've got time."

"I tried to kill myself."

"Wait, WHAT?" Shocked, Becky stopped the car in the middle of the road. Their car was the only one on the road, and they weren't stopping traffic. "You tried to kill yourself? Please tell me I heard you wrong."

"You heard right. I tried to kill myself," He repeated. I traced the scars left on his wrists from the incident. "I slit my wrists. It didn't work, obviously; I woke up in the hospital. I didn't try to do it again though."

"And mom and dad don't know about this?"

"No. They didn't visit me when I was in the hospital. My old principal did," He said. "He visited me when I was cut over my left eye and was blinded from it too. They don't know about that, either."

"Damn. Now I'm mad at them for that! They said they didn't want you to get home sick and that not visiting you would help you adjust faster, but this is ridiculous! I mean, you tried to kill yourself!" She said, pulling his into a hug. "Are you okay? You're not thinking about doing again, right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. And no, I'm not going to do it again, promise," He said, hugging her back. "C'mon, we're in the middle of the road. A car is gonna come along some time…."

"Oh, right. Sorry," She said, starting to drive again. "Don't ever do that again. There ARE people out here who care about you. I'm one of them, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Thanks."

"Guess what? Dad gave me his credit card," She said, pulling it out of her pocket. "He and mom told me to take you shopping and get you some new clothes since your old ones are too small. If it makes you feel any better we can max out his card."

"Mmm…maybe. I have my own money though," TJ said taking out a debt cad. All the money he had on his card in Duval was transferred onto it.

"And how did you make money? What job do you have?"

"Drug dealing." He ignored the look on his sister's face and continued. "I had to make money in there somehow. I'm not going to keep doing it now that I'm out, okay?"

"Okay. Just how much did you make?"

"….about….ah…$70,000."

"Damn, what kind of drugs where YOU dealing?"

"Good ones. I needed to make money. What'd you expect?" He asked. "Before we go clothes shopping, can we stop by the pet store? I need to get Duracell a cage. I don't want her to sleep in a box anymore."

"Duracell? Is that your rabbit's name?" He nodded. "How'd you get her in the first place? I don't think they let you keep pets…"

"She followed me inside. My friends wanted me to keep her and she won't leave me alone. I'm used to her now," He said. "But she needs a cage."

"Yeah okay, we'll do that," Said Becky. "You probably, want to stop home and set it up for her too, right? We can do that. No problem."

~*~V~*~

Closing the cage, TJ grabbed the last piece of trash on the floor and put in the box that the cage came in. He and his sister had gone to the pet store, and bought Duracell a new cage. TJ picked out the biggest one they had, and put it together against the wall of his room. His room was now Becky's old room, and Becky had moved out into her own apartment across town. It was the same size as his old room, making the adjustment easier. Boxes were stacked against the wall, filled with his old things. A full-sized bed was also against the wall. His parents had yet to arrive home, not giving him the chance to see them or his little brother. He watched for a few minutes as his pet hopped around in her cage, digging, and going in and out of the hutch he placed inside.

"She's looks happy," Becky said, standing in the doorway. "Ready to get some new clothes and out of that hideous uniform?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'm ready," TJ said walking towards the door. Before he left his new room he stopped in front of his sister and pulled her into a hug. "For earlier, when I couldn't hug back." He said. "Let's go."

~*~V~*~

"I think this would look good on you. What do you think?"

"I think….I think I have enough shirts."

Upon arriving at the mall, TJ had to keep up with his sister as they travelled from store to store. Although he had only worn a uniform for the last few years, he wasn't in a rush to change that. he had gotten used to wearing the blue and then orange uniforms. However, he did understand that he needed new clothes. The points and stares he was receiving as he walked through the mall was enough to convince him, though Becky has doing most of the shopping for him.

Currently, he has holding four bags filled with newly purchased shirts, jeans, socks, boxers, and hoodies, as well as the five Becky had just picked out for him.

"Can we buy something else? Like shoes? We haven't bought me any shoes," He suggested. "I could use a comfortable pair right now…"

"Right, shoes. Got to get you shoes," Becky said, tossing the shirt into the pile he was holding. "Okay, let's buy theses last shirts and we'll go get you some shoes." The two paid for the shirts, and moved on to the next store, where Becky proceeded to pick out the shoes she thought would look best of her brother. Unlike the shopping done before, TJ was interested in shoes. Shoes were the only part of his wardrobe he had control over. First pair he had gotten where a pair of girls shoes, and all subsequent pairs he had gotten when he outgrew the last where girls shoes. Though they were comfortable, he wanted to get some boys shoes.

"Can I get these five in a size ten?" He asked one of the salesmen in the store. The salesman nodded and headed to the back of the store, taking the shoes with him. While he waited for him to return, TJ sat down next to his sister on of the benches. "Are we anywhere close to done?"

"That depends," She said. "What else do you need?"

"What else….I saw a book store somewhere. I want to look in there. And a music store too. Do you know some place that I could get a hat?" He asked.

"I think so. There should be a place in here, somewhere. We'll get it done," Said Becky. "What's on your mind?"

"Why'd you ask that?"

"Because you look like you're thinking about something," She said. "Something important."

"It's nothing, really. I just….really need to go to the doctor….and the dentist…there's something wrong with my blind eye. I used to be able to move it like normal when I moved my right eye, but it won't move. Something's irritating it too. I think it's infected…it's been like this for a while. And I have like, five cavities and my wisdom teeth hurt like a bitch. They don't give you medical care in juvie….," He told her. "I need to see a doctor soon, as in I need to see one two years ago."

"Then tell mom. She's get you an appointment. Then you'll be in top shape. Well, more than you already are," She said, squeezing his arm. "That chubby little kid turned into a muscular man. Work out, huh?"

"Yeah I work out. I had too. If I had to fight I, I had to make sure I could win," He laughed. "Chubby? I wasn't chubby!"

"Oh you were chubby. You were definitely chubby, TJ. Did you forget already?" She joked. "You had a lot of baby fat."

"But I wasn't chubby!"

"Yes you were! You can't tell now, but you were! Or do you prefer I call it something else, like pudgy?"

"Okay, okay. I admit, I was a little chubby," He said, defeated. "It was cute at that age. But yeah, I started working out. Didn't expect it to give me these muscles though." The salesman came back with the five boxes of the shoes TJ asked for. His conversation paused long enough for him to try on the shoes and pick out three more pairs. After paying for the shoes, they moved on to the next store.

~*~V~*~

"Hurry up, TJ! I want to see how it looks!"

"How fast do you except me to change clothes?" TJ asked her. He stepped out of the men's bathroom at the mall with his new clothes on and his uniform in the shopping bag. Becky refused to let his leave without changing into something besides his uniform, and he found himself being pushed into the bathroom. He stepped out with a pair of dark blue jeans, a dark gray shirt with a cartoon-style lightning bolt, a white hoodie with a fire design on the back, black and grey shoes, and a black visor beanie with his blonde hair tucked underneath. "I can only move so fast. How do I look? Not that I care, but I'm sure you do."

"You look great! Much better than that hideous uniform."

"If you say so. Can we go home now? I want to put all this stuff away before tomorrow."

"Okay, we can go home now."
~*~V~*~

As he stepped inside the house, TJ struggled to carry the bags of clothes. He was strong, but the number of bags he had was at least twice as much as he expected to get. When they puled up to the house, they saw another car in the driveway, and knew that their parents where home. TJ didn't want to see them right way, and planned to go into his room before they has the opportunity to talk to him.

"Mom? Dad? We're home!" Becky called out. She didn't have the same plans. He walked up the stairs, though struggling with the bags, and head to his room. He could hear Becky talking to their parents as he walked down the hallway. He used his arm to push open the door. he expected to only be met with a happy bunny in her cage. And he was.

He was also met with a very small boy with a mop of black hair sitting next to Duracell's cage.

Dun Dun Dun! Cliffhanger! I'm just so evil, aren't I? Don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon, I promise!

Donna Nnov: I know! Time flew by so fast for him! And now he's 17 years old. I can't believe it and I'm the one who's writing this.

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