Yeah I was in Juvie. Get over it.

Chapter 26

Eliza let out a breath as she made a left turn.

She was driving me home.

Something about how hitchhiking wasn't safe, especially as it got later.

"I still can't believe you hitchhiked to the state penitentiary."

I huffed, "Yeah, well, when you don't have a car, no money for public transportation, and it's an hour away, it seems like a  pretty good idea."

"Well, if you ever need to do something like that again, call me, please."

She had forced me to let her put her number in my phone, just as someone to talk to.

Which I thought I had done right after breaking down into a fucking mess. Once I had calmed down and turned off the water faucet of tears, I had tried to tell Eliza what I knew. And after some looks of disbelief, and my voice cracking at some parts, and the hugs that she gave, I told her everything.

I just looked at her for a second, blinking, "Okay, I'm being serious, like this is a real question, why the fuck do you care so much? Any other probation officer would act like I'm one of the worst people on earth, much less want me to actually talk to them. So why? You don't have to be."

She nodded, taking a breath, "There was this boy-"

"Ooh, story time." I said a little mockingly before she smiled.

"Someone's feeling better."

I shook my head, "Still feel like shit, but part of my coping mechanism is to make jokes."

She nodded, "Yeah, makes sense. So, like I was saying, there was this boy, and he was caught stealing, so they sent him to juvie, and when he got out, he couldn't get back on his feet, he didn't have a family, and couldn't get a job, so he went back to stealing, eventually ended right back in a cell. The cycle continued, until one day, he snapped, and killed himself. He didn't feel like he had anything or anyone to live for, because his life was so screwed up. 

"And see, because of this story, it made me want to start caring more. I heard the story from his probation officer, kept saying how much of a criminal he was. The PO didn't give a damn what happened to him, and didn't give a damn that the guy was homeless. Ultimately, it all came down to, in my eyes, the fact that no one showed him that people cared about him. The system tried to tell him he was a worthless piece of junk, and he believed it. So, for me, showing kids that there's someone who cares about them is exactly what they need, which is why I care so much."

I laughed a little, "Well, I'm impressed Ms. Sunshine, and here I thought you were just overly sympathetic to the poor little juvie kids out there."

She smiled as we pulled up to Allison's house.

"Nope, sorry to disappoint."

I unbuckled the seat belt and grabbed my backpack that I had been holding onto and had managed to shove all of Rex's shit in it. I had forgotten it at the penitentiary in the aftermath of seeing Rex. So Eliza had offered to drive us back, get it, and then drive home. 

I opened the car door and got out, but turned around, "Thanks for the ride, Ms. Sunshine. And uh, thanks for letting me kinda have a breakdown."

I looked at the ground, because I instantly remembered why I was even in her car.

"Yeah, no problem Carmen. Uh, you know, typically after something like this happens, kids take a mental health day from school, I'll text Allison and tell her to call you in sick if you want to not go tomorrow."

I smiled sadly, "Hate to say this Ms. Sunshine, but the world doesn't stop because something shitty happens. I can't just not do something, that would be admitting that there's something wrong. See ya."