Two years.

That was how long she had to wait.

Two years, & for such a stupid, stupid reason.

All to prove that he was a 'bad boy?'

Yet all it proved was that he was bad at making decisions.

She knew deep, deep down in her heart that he had a heart of gold, even if he refused to admit it. If only he didn't feel like he had to 'live up to the expectation' that he was bad, to conform to his stereotype.

If only McLean didn't tease him for being good.

If only they didn't laugh at him.

If only they had encouraged his kindness from the start.

Maybe he would still be here to hold her in his arms, to flash her his adorable little smile that he didn't show anyone else, to compliment her & give her his own little gifts that were just so... Duncan.

But no, that couldn't happen, all because he made a bad decision. A stupid, stupid decision. & they encouraged it. Even if it seemed like they didn't, she knew they did.

She wanted to do something for him. Who knows what horrors went on in... jail? She heard it was... not great.

She knew it wouldn't be a good idea to try sending any gifts to him... it may seem suspicious, but she had to do something for him! Something to give him out of visiting hours, so that he could remember that she'd wait for him. She'd wait as long as she needed.

What about... a letter!

Zoey stared at the blank piece of paper, tapping the pencil in her hand against her head, she bit her fingernails & creased her brow, trying to figure what to write. She didn't even know how to start.

I mean, this was supposed to be a heartfelt letter for her sort-of boyfriend who was currently in JAIL, what was she supposed to say? 'Hey Duncan, I know you're probably suffering in solitary confinement & rotting away for two years, but I just want to tell you that I miss you, XOXO'?

Zoey shook her head in frustration. No, it had to be perfect. It had to come straight from the heart, so she could tell Duncan how much he truly meant to her, how much she wished she could help him out of his situation, & how much she wanted him back! But there just wasn't anything she could say to truly emphasize all of those thoughts she had. At least not anything that could fit on this one piece of paper.

Dammit, she thought. What else can I do?

Frustration arose inside of her once more, as she bit the eraser of her pencil, deep in thought. It shouldn't be this difficult to write a letter to someone!

Desperate for an answer, a thought crept into her mind, What if I... draw something for him!

The idea seemed stupid at first, until Zoey remembered just how much Duncan seemed to like her drawings. She wasn't the most talented of artists, like Gwen, but just the way she drew such cute & simple stuff was intriguing to him.

Whenever the contestants had free time in All-Stars, Duncan would continuously ask Zoey what she was drawing if she ever caught his eye, & whatever she answered, he'd just continue to watch her draw, sometimes even complimenting it now & again. He'd, however, immediately take it back when he said it, insisting that it just wasn't 'one of the worst things he'd ever seen', but that always just made Zoey's smile widen more. It was especially cute to see how flustered he'd get when Zoey thanked him & encouraged his kind behavior, & how he constantly tried to deny it.

Even if she did wish he had just embraced it instead.

She'd even return the favor, whenever she'd see him whittling something. Even if it was usually something 'weird,' like skulls, bones, blades, & whatnot, she always admired his craftsmanship, & how effortlessly he made it seem. She'd always shower him with compliments for his expertise, though he was never quick to accept it. But she could always see how it made his little heartbeat go faster whenever she'd say how much she liked it.

Zoey sighed happily from the memories, giggling softly to herself. Maybe the idea to draw wasn't so stupid after all.

With some new inspiration, Zoey swiftly took out her sketchpad from her drawer. It still looked practically pristine, despite her taking it with her to the island on All-Stars. She rarely ever used the thing, since she never really had the motivation to draw unless she had nothing else to do.

She flipped it to a clean page, wondering what she should draw for Duncan. But as soon as her pencil hit the paper,

It hit her.

...

The recreation area was pretty much Hell on Earth for Duncan. Witnessing other inmates constantly being beat down by bigger & stronger ones, seeing how aggressive & tense everyone was, & just how many guards were keeping watch.

Usually, this wouldn't bother him. He's practically lived at Juvie, this sort of stuff was normal. But when he was younger, smaller, & weaker than a lot of the inmates, he was actually feeling something other than amusement.

He was scared.

He's already been targeted a few times before, & he's still pretty sure he got brain damage from getting his head slammed into the wall by a 40 year old, 6'3 ex-wrestler with massive anger issues & sadistic tendencies. & he'd rather be gunned down by his own police officer parents in front of his ex-girlfriends than have to go through that torture again.

At least his death would be quick & mostly painless if he was shot.

God, he wished he could be shot right now.

It didn't help that he was basically a 'micro-celebrity,' & had ALL of his privacy invaded on international TV, thanks to Total Drama. Even his most vulnerable moments, where he wasn't acting like his 'bad boy' stereotype. That probably made it way worse for him.

Thanks Chris.

Duncan sat in the corner, pressed against the gate & the wall, as he waited for the time to be over, so he could just go back to his cell & pray to God that he wouldn't get his face smashed against the bars again just because he breathed too comfortably.

He closed his eyes, hoping to force himself to sleep so it could pass the time easier. Until, he heard one of the guards calling his name.

He wanted to ignore them, but these guards were tougher, meaner, less easy to coerce or manipulate than the ones at Juvie. They'd probably just yank him up by the shirt & drag him to wherever the hell they wanted him.

Yeah, his dignity's been destroyed enough.

He begrudgingly stood up & trudged towards the guard who called for him, giving her a glare.

The guard rolled her eyes, clearly not giving a damn about Duncan's threatening nature. "Y'got a little something. Told to say it's from a girl named... 'Rosie?'"

Rosie?

The guard continued, "Better not be some shitty escape plan, cuz you know what'll happen-"

"My entire family are cops, Barbara. I'm not a fucking idiot." Duncan snapped back, snatching the piece of paper from her hands. The guard simply scoffed & walked off, rolling her eyes as she muttered some rant about how much she hated kids, & how her name wasn't even Barbara.

Duncan walked back to his corner, & sat down, although it was embarrassing to admit out loud, he was excited to see what Zoey got for him. His heart was practically jumping for joy when the guard said it was from 'Rosie,' his special nickname for the girl.

He opened the paper, & his eyes widened upon seeing the drawing.

A detailed, cracked human skull with a rose growing out of one of the eye sockets.

For the first time since he's been in jail, Duncan smiled. Finally, genuinely smiling.

"That's so Zoey." He murmured, holding the paper close to him.

Suddenly, being shot didn't sound like such a fun time after all.