Deleted Scenes - A Rude Awakening III

“See, Jubal here is kind of the station pet,” the first guard I talked to explained. “He was about to do his third fall when his lawyer did a change-of-venue. Got him released on bail, of all things.” He tsked-tsked dramatically. “I guess the system doesn’t always work. Anyhoo, Jubal’s done some pretty bad stuff in his time. We picked him up just before he did it again.” He looked up over my shoulder. “What do you say, Jubal? Does the system work?”

Jubal was a white guy, slightly built but taller and stronger than me at 14. He had a lazy eye and thick glasses. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, he was standing that close. “Jubal likes kids like you,” the gorilla said. I was nauseated with fear, my bladder was close to letting go. These guys were taking my blood without my consent and now I was about to be thrown into a locked cell with a pederast. My blood was thrumming past my ears and I was breathing like I had just run a 10K uphill.

A small sob came out of me, unbidden. I heard Jubal behind me draw kind of a surprised, excited breath. “Don’t cry, son,” the med said. “That just makes him excited.”

We stood like that for maybe 10 seconds, when the gorilla locked eyes with me. “Are we done?” he asked.

I couldn’t speak – I just nodded. Two of the guards stepped away and two others led me obediently back to the drunk tank. Jubal eyes followed me like a cat watching a mouse; he never said a word. In the interim, someone had taken my bed and I dropped to the floor with my back to the wall. I was shaking, wanting to cry but so shocked and frightened that I didn’t want them to take that from me as well.