Free as a Jailbird

Chapter 1

I nod. I love the fact that he hates me so much. I sometimes sing loudly to myself when he's on duty because I'm a horrible singer and he can't stand it. It amuses me.

"Thanks Sarge." I stick my hands in the pockets of my tired black jeans and wave as I stroll away.

"I'll see you soon," he says.

Outside, Alice is waiting with the engine running. I skip down the station steps and wrap my coat tighter around me. The air is chilly and I'm thankful I have a place to stay tonight. Sleeping outside in this shit-hole of a city when the winter air is this cold definitely sucks beyond the telling of it. Trust me, I know.

"Hey Ali, thanks for bailing me out again." I give her a quick hug and she swings the car off the curb and into the right lane. She doesn't say a word,her thin lips pursed and her green eyes fixed on the road. She turns the dial on the radio and we listen in silence.

I don't feel the need to explain myself, because this time it wasn't my fault. Okay,maybe half of it was, but I wasn't the idiot who attracted the police. I'm more careful than that.

But I don't feel like re-living it just yet. Not now when I'm finally warm and comfortable. I'll have to explain in the morning to both Alice and Shane, so I might as well wait until then.

I recognize the song and lean back on the headrest. The tune is slow and mellow, the way I like it. Just because I'm a punk criminal, doesn't mean I rock out to the ear splitting heavy metal that's so stereotypically related to emos and outcasts. I'm not like the rest of them.

As the song is hitting its climax, it ends abruptly. My eyes fly open and I stare with my mouth hanging agape at Alice, who is wearing a hard look. Her lips are pursed even more than they were and her wide eyes are cold.Something has her pissed.

"I'm not gonna do it anymore Jess," she says simply.

"Do what?"

"Bail you out. Do you know how much it's costing me? And what for, what do you gain from it?"

I slump back in the seat. We've had this conversation on numerous occasions. I know how it ends. "Yeah, okay, I didn't get paid this time, and I wasn't supposed to get caught again, but there's more to it than just the money. It's-"

"What, the thrill?"She keeps her eyes focused on the road, but I can almost see her glaring at me. "You can't keep doing this just because you're bored."

"It's not because I'm bored."

She sighs. "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"This has to stop,"she says firmly. "You have to consider the consequences and grow up."

Wow, slap in the face.Consider the consequences? Doesn't she know that I consider the'consequences' every single time I agree to these gigs? I may have done my fair share of time, but only for small things that have never caused anyone harm. I swore the day I signed up for this that I'd never hurt anyone. Hits and assassinations are for blood-lust junkies and those wanting the big bucks. Petty crimes are for the cautious ones, and people like me who have nothing else to do with their lives or who became trapped in the world of bikers at an early age. It's what I'm good at. I know the consequences because I live them. Every day.

"Alice, I'm forever grateful to you for letting me crash with you. If it weren't for you, honestly, I don't know what kind of trouble I'd be in. You save my life on a daily basis."

At that, Alice bites her lip and pulls into her driveway.

"I don't expect you to bail me out anymore," I continue. "I get that you have to take care of yourself. And you've done more than enough for me. But I'm not going to change. Not for you, not for the authorities ... not for anyone. I know it sucks shit, but this is who I am."

I pull on the handle of the door and step out of her car. The night is bitter and Alice's house is so inviting. The living room light is on and I can see the shadow of Shane through the cotton, orange curtains. It all looks so warm, so much like home to me now. It would break my heart to leave and not come back.

But I don't want to be a burden on Alice. I snatch my pack from the floor of the car and head back down the driveway.

"Jess," Alice moans and I turn slowly. "I didn't cook burritos for nothing, did I?"

Smiling, I tread backup the steep driveway. Alice wraps her skinny arm around my shoulder.

"I'll try not to get caught next time," I say with my head leaning in the crook of her neck. Her beautiful, blond hair smells like lemons and antique furniture.

"It's okay," she says. "I'm here for you. It's a struggle, but I'm not about to let you go homeless, okay? Well ... more homeless than you already are. What do they call that? Part-time homeless? Half-blood homeless?Seeing-other-homes homeless?"

She continues on a tangent I am all too happy to listen too, smiling as we walk up to the house.