That Yesterday Rain - Chapter Eight - Just a Really Bad Day

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"Please, Your Honor, I've just been going through a really rough time and--"

"You think that's a good excuse for your actions?"

"No, believe me, if I had known this is where I would wind up, I would have locked myself in an empty room until I learned how to handle this. I was just so lost, I wasn't in my right mind. You gotta understand, I'm not a bad person, I don't do these sorts of things. I've never gotten in big trouble before."

The judge looked down at him for a few seconds, stroking his beard. "Do you mind me asking why you're representing yourself?"

"Well, my mom's in New Zealand right now, we don't exactly have a lot of money, and it's a long story with my dad...well, actually it's pretty short, but I don't really want to get into it right now."

Flashback

"God, Lucas! Why'd you have to do that? You know he's not going to help you out now. You practically trashed his liquor cabinet, you called him a bitch, and you pushed him."

"I know! God, I know, Nathan!" Lucas yelled, jumping to his feet and running his hands through his hair. "What am I supposed to do now? I don't have money for a lawyer!"

"You gotta call your mom, man."

"No, I'm not calling her. I'm not calling her until this is over. She already came back once and I practically pushed her on the plane back to New Zealand myself. Plus, after all the plane tickets, she wouldn't have enough money anyway."

"Well then, I'd say you're pretty screwed."

End Flashback

"Son, you broke a bank window, resisted arrest, evaded arrest, broke a few ribs on a police officer, and from the look of yourself, it looks like you've been in a fight or two recently. Now, you look like an honest kid, and as much as I hate throwing you guys in, I think it could do you some good. You're going in, one month in the county juvinile detention center," he rapped his gavel and Lucas was escorted by two officers -- that had been standing at his side the whole time -- through a door next to the witness stand.

Lucas glanced back at Nathan, Haley, and Brooke -- all of whom shared the same devistated look -- before the door shut. They walked him through several small rooms, a few long hallways, and then out a back door where he was led to a police car.

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One month. One month was a lot of time. A lot of time to spend with strangers, away from family and friends, thrown into a tiny room, forced to be in close contact with someone he had never met before.

Lucas stared out of the juvinile transport bus as it rolled down the lonely road, a road not traveled by many, traveled by even fewer free men. He stared up at the treetops with a look of such desperation that they would bend down and stop the bus from going any further.

To him, it didn't seem fair, none of it. Just because some judge thought that this could possibly be good for him? That he could learn from this? He had been prepared to argue with the old man, but didn't see much point in it. Maybe if he was good they'd let him go early.

The bus finally pulled up to a set of 20 foot tall iron gates lined with barbed wire at the top. A solid brick fence ran out from both sides of the gate and seemed to go forever. Just how big is this place? Lucas thought.

A police officer walked down the bus isle and pulled a key ring off his belt, bending down to unlock the handcuffs around his ankle that tied him to the seat.

Lucas was roughly crabbed by the back of his shirt colar and forced out of his seat towards the door. He stumbled a few feet as he was pushed from the bus and into the arms of another gaurd. "Name?" he asked gruffly.

"Lucas Scott," he replied quietly. The guard glanced down at a clipboard in his hand and another guard looked him up and down, almost sizing him up.

"Let's go," the first guard said, grabbing Lucas by the arm and dragging him through the now opened gates.

There was a short sidewalk, lined by open grass areas on both sides, that led up to a three story stone building. The guard slid a card though a slot on the door and soon he was being pushed towards a counter. Two pairs of dark navy blue pants and two baby blue shirts were pushed through and the handcuffs were taken off his hands.

"Give me any loose items you have in your pockets or on you. Wallet, watch, rings, necklaces, any spare change, cell phone, keys, etc." a short balding man said though an iron cage over the open area in the wall.

Lucas began pulling everything he had out of his pockets, which wasn't much. Other than his wallet and cell phone, he didn't have anything with him.

"Go undress in that room, put these on, and bring me your clothes. You got four minutes," the man said.

Lucas quicly grabbed the clothes and headed for the room.

He came back out three minutes later and plopped his clothes down on the counter.

"You'll get these back when you're released," the man stuffed all of Lucas's belongings in a clear plastic bag and labled it with a number. Lucas glanced down at his chest and found the same number sewed on to his shirt.

"Great, I'm already a nobody," Lucas mumbled.

"What was that?" one of the guards asked.

"Nothing."

"Let's go," the guard said, once again grabbing Luke by the arm and pushing him along. They walked through a few sets of high security doors before they walked into a large two-story area. Cells lined the walls, upper and lower, and some sort of balcony ran around the upper half of the room.

He was led up the stairs and down the balcony a little ways, just past the middle of the room.

"Home sweet home," the second gaurd chuckled before pushing Lucas into the cell and slamming the door behind him.

Luke gave him a quick glare before turning and giving the room a once over. There were two cots fastened to the left wall, one above the other, a small sink, a toilet, and a small metal table. Before Lucas had a chance to observe any more, a bell tolled and prisoners marched into the big room. All the cell doors opened at once and a guy about Lucas's height walked into his cell.

"Hey, you must be Lucas, I'm Sam," he greeted in a thick southern accent. He had a bulky, muscular -- but fairly chubby-- body of a football player, and bright blue eyes with a buzzed head of dark sandy brown hair.

"Yea, I'm Lucas, nice to meet you," Lucas responded quietly.

"So it looks like we gon' be livin' together, how 'bout we get to know each other a bit?" Sam said as he plopped down on the lower bunk and threw an arm behind his head. "You go first"

"Ok, um, I play basketball, I live in Tree Hill, North Carolina, I'm 17, um...I don't know, I guess there's not much to me. What do you want to know?"

"Oh, there's plenty to ya, and I want to know as much as you'll tell me. What'cho in for?"

"That's kind of a long story."

"Well, we got all the time in the world, but we can save that for later. You got a girlfriend?"

"No, not really."

"Ok, ok. How long you in for?"

"Just a month."

"Hey! Me too! Well, I mean, I got about a month left."

"Oh yea? What are you in for?"

"Me and my brothers were out drinking one night, took it a bit too far, wound up stealing a car, and, being the slow one, I got caught. They tried to cover for me but I didn't want them to get into any trouble, they're in college, it would have looked really bad for them."

"But...it won't for you?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, no, it will, but it doesn't really ruin anything for me. I wasn't planning on going to college or anything."

"Are you still in high school?"

"Well, I was before this happened. I guess I should go back after I get outta here. But I don't really have anywhere to go back to. My mom died when I was a real little kid and my dad's not much of a dad, if you know what I mean," Sam said, rolling a button on his shirt.

"Yea, I know somethin' like it. You know what? Once we get out of this place, you're welcome to come stay with me."

Sam smiled up at him from his place on the bed and nodded his head slightly.

It was going to be an interesting month.

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To Be Continued...

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God, people, it's been so long. I totally didn't mean for it to be this long in between updates, but (like always) I've been insanely busy lately and (once again) it's not going to get any slower. I want to go back to June! Summer! When there was nothing to do!

Well, I don't have much to say really. I have absolutely no idea when the next chaper will be up, but don't worry, I'll finish this story by the end of the year. Just a few more chapters. Not much happened in this one, sorry.

Thanks for readying anyway, please review!-McB