She Belongs to Me (Rewritten Version)

Chapter Thirty

Vincent:

The judge sentenced me to two years in the county jail with no opportunity to bail myself out. My life was put on hold; my money was frozen at the bank, I was expelled from college, and my dreams of being a father were becoming more and more fleeting with each passing day.  Everything was ruined, and I had absolutely nothing to live for.

Seven long months have passed since I was locked behind these bars, seven months with nothing to look forward to but the occasional snack cake and cigarette. I had never smoked in my life before I was stuck in here with the creeps I shared my cell with, but now it was the only thing that kept me sane.

Stepping outside for that cigarette was the only time I was able to be alone.  When I wasn't cramped up with two other men in my cell, I was forced to take a shower with them, or play basketball with them.

There were times when I thought I would take my own life.  One of my cell mates even busted me tying my jumpsuit into a noose.  He took it away and told me to hang in there, a rather poor choice of words for someone about to hang himself, really.

It wasn't because he cared about me. That creepy little bastard always stared at me while I ate my meals. I asked him about it once, and all he said to me was, "I like to watch that pretty mouth of yours chew on this nasty food."

Needless to say, I tried my best to avoid him.

"Yo, Vincent," Gerald said from his bunk.  "Do you gotta another cigarette I can smoke?"

"No, I gave you my last one yesterday.  Now I have to wait for the guard to bring me another pack."

"I think you're full of shit.  I'll bet you have a pack stashed in your asshole."

"Now why on earth would I do that?"

"Beats me, man.  You obviously have weird tastes."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about.  Are you still going to deny that you kidnapped that little bitch?"

"First of all, we've been over this a thousand times, and it's none of your fucking business.  Secondly, if you ever call her a bitch again, I'll kill you."

"Oooooh!  That's tough talk coming from a guy who nearly lost your butthole virginity in the shower."

"You shoved me against the wall when no one was around, you sick fuck. You stuck a nasty ass bar of soap in my mouth so I couldn't yell for help."

"Yeah, that was a fun day. It's just too bad Jude came along when he did, or else I could have had a lot more fun with you."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I like you, Vincent." He blew a kiss at me, causing me to shudder. "You're the prettiest man here."

"Would you two shut the hell up?"  Our other cell mate, Keith, the creepy asshole who stares at me while I'm eating, growled.  "I'm trying to read."

It was the same thing day after day. Gerald and I would argue over stupid shit, Keith would tell us to shut up, and then they would annoy the hell out of me all throughout the day. Wash, rinse, repeat.

"That's it!" I slammed my fist against the hard wall, causing pain to surge all through my arm. "I can't fucking take it anymore! I want out of here!"

"Pull yourself together," Keith said, "You haven't had trouble with the guards this entire time. If they think you're having some kind of breakdown, you won't get your smoke breaks anymore."