Page 4 of Freedom Ride

I raised my middle finger. “Screw you, man. You’re just jealous that your sister likes me better than she does you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nolan grumbled. “Just don’t be a dick to her, man, and you have my complete blessing to continue to keep her off my back.”

I grabbed my pen and crossed off today on the calendar. “Well, after today, I’ll try to do that in seven days.”

Nolan whistled and shook his head. “Freedom, man. God damn, jealous. Hopefully, I’ll get sprung early if I can keep my ass from getting into trouble after you leave.”

“Be thankful you didn’t get flat-time like I did. The chance of parole would have been great, but ol’ Judge Foster decided I just needed to rot here for six years.”

“Thank fuck that ol’ coot retired before I royally fucked up.” Nolan chuckled. “I can only imagine what he would have thrown at me.”

“Flat-time. He threw it at everyone he could.” It sucked, but I looked at it as at least knowing exactly when I would be out of here as long as I didn’t fuck up.

“Again, thank fuck I didn’t fuck up sooner.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. I glanced at the small clock on the desk. “Ready to eat?”

Nolan chuckled and shook his head. “Never ready for that shit, but if I don’t choke it down, I’ll be dead before my time is up.”

Shit was the right word for what they fed us. “Only fourteen more meals for me, and then I’m back with Meg cooking for me.”

“Cruel, man,” Nolan grumbled. “Think of me when you’re chowing down on food that isn’t sludge, beige, and lukewarm.”

I smiled wide. “Will do. And I promise when you get out of here, Meg will throw down in the kitchen for you as she does for me.”

“Yeah,” Nolan cheered. “I knew it was going to be great when they made us cellies.”

Nolan had helped make the past years go by fast when we had been bunked up together. “Just keep your nose clean after I leave, and you’ll be out of here before you know it.”

Nolan stood and stretched his arms over his head. “Nothing is going to get me into trouble. I’m willing to pay my time for the stupid shit I did, and I’m not going to stay a second longer.”

I slapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “Good. Now let’s go to the chow hall so you can mark off a shitty meal from the next three hundred six thousand you still have left.”

“Dick,” Nolan laughed.

“Maybe, but you know you wouldn’t have made it this far without me.”

“Right back at you, Snapper. We both would have been fucked without each other.”

We made our way to the chow hall, and I couldn’t help but be amazed by the fact I had formed an actual friendship while being locked up.

Life had handed me some pretty fucked up cards, but things always seemed to work their way out in the end.

I just hoped they kept going that way.

*

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