Pause (Published)

Chapter 9: Joyride

"Oh, you are so lucky I am behind bars!" I yell at her, not in the mood to put up with people like her - Jay's kind of people.

Jay raises an eyebrow at me for not backing down, impressed, but then erupts in laughter again when the woman raises both her middle fingers to me.

"Are all prisoners this unfriendly?" I ask aloud, stupidly.

Jay sends me a flat stare in turn. "No, most are absolute peaches," he says in sarcasm. "They're prisoners, Klutz. What the hell were you expecting? Marshmallows and rainbows?" he mocks my cheery outlook on life.

"No, I was expecting unicorns and rainbows," I correct him. "Idiot," I huff under my breath.

Jay shakes his head at my stubbornness, shoving me aside to grin at the woman behind bars. She drops both middle fingers at the sight of him. I crinkle my nose in confusion when she sends him an ugly smile between the few yellow teeth she has.

"Jay Taylor always comes back for more," she speaks up. "Couldn't stay away from your cell buds, huh?"

Jay grins, "You know me, Jenny, could always use a friend." He stops to spare me a glance, before jutting out his thumb in my direction, "Except for delusional ones like this."

Score!

I throw my fist to the air in victory. "Heck yeah! You accidentally admitted to us being friends," I throw it in his face, though annoyed that he's friends with Jenny, the jail witch.

My arch-nemesis throws her head back and cackles, "Yeah, that princess looks like a handful. How many times a day to you have to groom her or take her shopping? Too high maintenance for you," she agrees with Jay after having observed me thoroughly. 

I grit my teeth in fury. She seems to enjoy tormenting me. Somehow I don't mind it as much when it's Jay.

How has he made cell mates? How many times has he been arrested exactly?

I force Jay away from the bars as I try to squeeze my head through the bars, ready to attack, on the prowl. "Just you wait 'till I get out of here, you butch witch!" I jeer.

I hate being pampered. She doesn't know me. She doesn't know how much milk I put in my cereal.

The woman grits her teeth in frustration and yells aloud at the top of her lungs as she tries to break the bars with her bare hands, reminding me of the Hulk. 

I swallow anxiously.

Uh-oh!

The jailers come running at hearing all the commotion, the other prisoners stirring and becoming rowdy in the process.

"Nice going," Jay reprimands, shaking his head at me.

"She started it!" I defend myself.

Jay ignores me, quickly lifting me up over his shoulder before throwing me down in the corner of the cell to prevent me worsening the situation. "Let me handle this. You had to call her a witch?"

"She called me a princess," I remind him.

He scoffs in disbelief. "We should guillotine her. She called you a princess. How do you go on living when insulted like that?" he asks in sarcasm. 

"I can't. That's the whole point," I glare up at him, displeased. "Oh, and for future reference, ever pick me up again without my consent and I will personally chop your hands off and feed them to you in a jar of home-made butterscotch cookies."

"Why butterscotch?" he arches an eyebrow, not bothering to question my motives.

"Seemed appropriate. I like butterscotch. It takes second place after bubblegum," I nod fervently.