DOPAMINE [spam!]

iii.

joshler short story in the making?
inspired by "american money" by børns

"i wanna break this joint." josh sat back in his rusty chair, staring at the boy sitting across from him. "i mean, i know everyone wants to, but they're too scared to. i want to actually break out. that shit will last me a year to calm down from." he laughed and stopper quickly when tyler, who sat in front of him everyday from 10-11 am, sent him a worried glance.

"josh, how would you even be able to break out? they've got security in every hall. day and night." he sighed, rubbing his forehead and sweating slightly.
"i could-"
"you wouldn't be able to. remember bryce? the eleven year old kid staying in the children's ward? he went crazy and tried to break out, but they caught him and he stayed an entire three years more before he was able to go home." tyler explained to his friend, exasperated.

"you're bitching and moaning, and not actually doing. tyler, your problem is that you overthink everything. stop worrying about what could happen and thinking about what could happen, you know?"
tyler stared ahead as josh said this, then shook his head slowly.

"not following." he scratched his head and josh sighed, staring at the ceiling.
"basically, stop worrying about the don'ts, and start thinking about the do's." he explained again, grinning from ear to ear.

"and the do...is to break out of here? that's your do?" tyler asked, glancing at the clock behind josh every discreetly. exactly twenty four minutes until they were let back to their bunks and he could get some sleep.

"no one wants to be stuck in a mental ward for another four years. and i know you want to break out too, i see it in your heavy eyes everyday." josh leaned forward and pointed an accusing finger at tyler, who let out a sigh.

"you want something from the vending machine?" tyler asked, who had been eyeing the red snack machine for the entire time josh was talking.

josh shook his head and ignored tyler's attempt to change the subject. "isn't there anyplace you've wanted to visit? in the United States?" he asked, grabbing tyler's attention.

the boy with the fluffy brown hair sat up slightly, looking at josh with a suspicious but interested glint in his eye. "i've always wanted to visit the statue of liberty."

"then we'll visit the statue of liberty." josh put his hands up and smirked, relaxing.
"wait, how? you don't have a car, or any money for taxis or trains or buses, and we can't WALK from california to new york city. we'd reach there when i turn thirty." tyler exclaimed, using his hands as he talked.

"i'll tell you how." josh leaned toward tyler and began whispering his plans. "before i came to this hell hole, my older brother taught me how to hijack cars."

"your criminal brother?" tyler asked and the smirking boy nodded, seeing tyler catch on in his head.

"no, no. no. this is why they put you in here in the first place. we are not breaking out, and we are not hijacking cars." tyler said, before the bell rang and everyone separated into their bunks.