Dylan

one

My body crashed into Tim's he peered down at me his face full of frustration.

"Hey Tim,"

"Sinclair,"

"I see you took the car this time, good choice I could tell the running took it out of you last time,"

"For that snarky comment you're on a chess ban," he informed making my face drop.

"Tim I was joking, you're seriously canceling our chess and doughnuts night for that,"

He tightened the cuffs on my wrist being careful not to injure the bruises on my knuckles and wrist further before opening the door for me to get into the back.

He told the guys that had chased me to meet back at the station if they had no emergency calls whilst some were off duty, as I looked back into the car from the window there was a ginger guy in the front seat. He was new, I'd certainly never seen him before.

"Gingersnap when did you move here,"

He looked back at me, "About two days ago freckle face,"

That made me smile, I didn't mind sensitive people sometimes I could be one of them, but I hated when people thought that I was just coming for them when I was joking.

"Your hair is pretty though,"

"Appreciate that freckles,"

The front door slammed shut and Tim sped off towards the station that I hadn't visited in over a week, from how long I'd been away I was suffering withdrawals, I bet some of them thought I was dead.

Pulling up to the station Tim stayed silent as the other guy, whose name I still don't know, walked me in with his hand on my shoulder. He definitely read my file about the time I ran away with handcuffs on me. Tim was being strange though and it wasn't making me feel good, I didn't like it.

"Hey Dylan,"

"Hey Sandra, how are the kids,"

"They're all good, missed seeing your face around Dyl," she said as she was writing in a file.

"I just couldn't stay away,"

She smiled back at me before I entered the interrogation room and sat down on the metal chair opposite Tim and Harold, I swear these seats got more uncomfortable every time I was here.

"Are you in trouble?"

"What do you mean Harry I -"

"Dylan," Tim started, "Vandalism is you but arson isn't, and if it was you'd never let yourself get caught because you know that we'd have to put it in your record."

"Thing one and two,"

"No jokes Dylan, we know you're stubborn but it's late and we need to sort this out and I need to get home soon," Harold said softly as if it would soften the blow, it didn't.

But he was right, not everyone was like me some people had families to get back to, had a warm house and meal waiting for them, I was burdening them just because I didn't have that it was selfish and cruel.

"I need you to put me in a cell for a few nights," they looked at me waiting for me to continue, "the usual one, it's warm and you give me food in the morning I haven't eaten in a week I can't steal from Melissa and Mike it's not my week,"

In my part of town sometimes we'd take turns stealing from the shop the couple there were as nice as they could be but they couldn't just give food away they'd be out of business, they almost were the only thing that kept them going was the number of people that bought alcohol, vapes, and cigarettes.

That's why we came up with this system for delinquent teens we could be quite considerate.

They looked at me with pained eyes and nodded their heads they'd seen a lot of shit so they'd become used to seeing how unfair life could be but every once in a while the reality of some of the kids' lives here did shock them.

"We can do that for you,"

As they took the cuffs off me, they gently applied a cream on the bruises, walking me to the cell they unlocked it and gave me an extra blanket before asking me what I wanted for breakfast.

I kept my tears at bay and told them.

Harold shot me a smile before clocking out but Tim waited and looked back at me.

"Happy birthday Dylan,"

"Thanks Tim,"

The thank you translated to many things but he got that.

- x -

author's note: this is the first time I've wrote and I'm actually kinda proud of it hope you guys like it.