The Minor

Tuesday (early afternoon)

He was pleading with someone. I hurried to wake him.

"Jacob," I whispered, closing the door behind me. "Jacob, wake up. Come on, Jake." He stirred, but didn't open his eyes. I placed my hand on his shoulder as gently as I could and rocked him back and forth. "Jake, it's Crystal. You're at the juvenile detention facility. You're okay," I repeated over and over.

Finally, his eyes opened with a start. He was still panting, but he lowered his hands. I wasn't sure what to do. Every boy handled nightmares differently. Some liked to be left alone because they were embarrassed, others wanted a friend to stay and talk to them. With the younger boys, I stayed and hugged them, rubbing their backs in circles to calm them down. The older boys could be finicky, sometimes wanting me to leave, sometimes wanting me to stay.

I was nearly positive that Jake would want me to leave.

Once I was sure that he was awake and oriented, I began to get off my knees, assuming that he would want to be alone. My hand was on the doorbell when I heard him.

"Wait," he called urgently. I turned slightly.

"Do you need something?"

"No," he started to say. Then, he hesitated. "Maybe."

I turned to face him. It took him ages to speak again, but I waited patiently.

"Could you just... could you get me a blanket?" He looked conflicted. I wanted to call him out on his BS. There was something he wasn't saying.

"You're not allowed to have blankets in the room anymore, Jacob. Remember? You tore the last set of sheets into strips of fabric."

Jake nodded, as though he understood. "Maybe... Maybe they'd let me have a blanket if you stayed? Just to make sure I don't do anything stupid?"

Then I understood. He wanted me to stay in the room with him while he slept. He just didn't know how to ask. He didn't want to ask. But asking for a blanket was easier.

I tipped my head and hustled into the hallway, running directly into a new guard. "Where can I find blankets?"

"Sethsday isn't allowed to-"

"I know, I know. Just tell me already."

When I had figured out the logistics of getting a blanket to Jacob Sethsday, I came back with the softest one I could find. He was propped up against the wall, nodding off. When I swung open the door, he woke quickly. I had startled him.

He realized that it was me and calmed down. He lay down again, grimacing. I remembered what Alex had said about all the bruising on his back and chest. When he got comfortable, I lay the blanket over him and returned to my corner. He lay awake for a few minutes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I offered softly. He looked down before locking eyes with me.

"I can't."

"What do you mean?" I was totally confused.

"I can't get into more trouble," he answered quietly. "I can't get anyone else into trouble."

I waited. After a few minutes, he closed his eyes. I prayed that he would sleep well. No nightmares. No dreams. Just sleep.

For about an hour, that was exactly what happened. Then, he began trembling. I hurried over before it got worse. "Jacob, come back. Wake up, Jake, you're safe here. Wake up!" I shook him a little when he didn't wake up right away. He quickly opened his eyes after that.

I pulled away and sat in front of him. He stayed on the floor, breathing heavily. No wonder he couldn't sleep. Nightmares plagued the poor boy.

"I used to have really bad insomnia," I told him, breaking the ice. He didn't seem like he was listening. "Like, really bad. I didn't sleep for weeks. It gave me super bad anxiety, too. I was a wreck. I hated everybody & pretty much almost flunked all of my classes. It took a long time to recover."