Jaylen's beginning.

Chapter nineteen

Lovely Bailey-

First day-

"My name is Jamie, what's your name?"

I looked at my roommate. He's about my height, long hair, that stops in the middle of his back, pulled into a puffy ponytail. I can tell that he's Puerto Rican, his looks and his accent gave it away. He's very pretty.

"My name is Bailey," Jamie stared at me a little longer like he was expecting me to keep talking, "Nice to meet you, Jamie."

"Nice to meet you too, Bailey," he smiled and held his hand out for me to shake it, "I never had a roommate, I'm glad I have one now though, it's gets lonely in here, y'know?" I nodded my head and hummed. I sat on my bed and crossed my legs. It's night maybe ten or nine. I lost track of time and blanked out after the tenth piece of paper they forced me to read and sign.

"Oh, you must be tired, I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine."
———

One month in-

"We've gotten close, we told each other almost everything else, but is it too much to ask why you're in here?"

I lifted my head up from my pillow and looked at Jamie. Even from across the room and in the dark, I could still see his swollen eye. I was lucky enough leave the room with no marks. We had a circle today with everyone in the program, in it they asked the question, Have you ever had intercourse with someone of the same sex, I answered no, which is the truth, Jamie answered yes, which is also his truth, they told us it's a safe place, but after the circle people who answered yes had their punishment.

"You should go to sleep, Jamie."

"I'm not tired though."

"Well make yourself tired."

Jamie huffed and laid down on his back with his arms behind his head. I started to drift off to sleep until Jamie started to talk again, "Do you think this is going to work?" This program isn't going to be affective, their just trying to scare us "straight".

"I don't know, Jamie."

"I hope we ain't getting beat for nothing, that would be annoying." Jamie laughed. Within the short month of me being in this program I've realized that Jamie isn't as happy and giddy as he seems. He just a sad teenage boy who joined this program after his family disowned him because he chose to keep seeing his boyfriend just for him to cheat.

"Do you want to change?"

Jamie sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "I think even if I went back and did everything over, I would still end up where I am now, Y'know? It's not that I want to change myself in general, I just wish I could delete the negativity around me. Why are people so mean, Bailey?"

"I don't know."

"There's a lot of things we don't know isn't it crazy? Why do we get in trouble for telling the truth, but also get in trouble for not telling the truth?"

"You just have to play their game, Jamie. I told you to just lie."

"I don't like lying, Bailey. You're a truthful person, why can't I be one?"

"Go to sleep, Jamie."

"I'm not tired."

"Lay on your stomach and close your eyes."
———
6 months in-

"My date got pushed back again, I'm not leaving anytime soon." Jamie plopped on his bed and rolled his eyes. This program isn't supposed to take this long, we should've been out months ago. Turns out that parents are allowed to make their children stay in here for however long they want as long as it's not over a year. I know it's Mrs. Isley doing mine.