There were few things in this world that brought a genuine disgusted look to Jade’s face. Places that didn’t allow smoking, being told to wait until certain things could be achieved and the sight of dirty pigs who she just knew were crooked.

All of these things Jade hates to her core happened in succession as she waited in line to receive her visitor's badge at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Concord.

It was nearly a year from now when Jade first heard the name of this prison. She was at her uncle’s sentence hearing. Just a month before that, when her hellish junior year had ended and summer officially started, where most were looking forward to which beach they would party at, Jade came home to her Uncle Charlie in handcuffs. Later that night, she found out that he was busted on multiple counts of weapons-related charges. He claimed innocence and Jade believed he was.

Didn’t matter to the Boston District Attorney nor his so-called lawyer, because he was found guilty. His saving grace was a forgiving judge. Or at least, that’s what his PD said. Truth was, Jade knew the woman who oversaw his case. To most, she was Judge Wendy Knox, but she knew her as one of her Uncle’s friends. And she knew that he was be sent to a decent prison with a fifth of the time served that the DA was shooting for.

Instead of twenty-five years, Charlie Taylor was sentenced to five years, with the possibility of parole after half of that.

Two and a half years and he could be home. All because of her uncle’s fuck buddy did him a favor.

Still, making the journey -- a journey that was close to two hours from Edenridge to the prison and back -- had given her plenty of time to think, plenty of time to figure out what she was going to talk about when she got there. Having her uncle out of her life on the day-to-day, though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, much less him, took its toll. And not just mentally, but ever since she barely graduated, Jade had been struggling to make ends meet.

“Yeah, don’t even go there.” She had to firmly remind herself. If nothing else, wasting time entertaining her financial woes wouldn’t do her any good, especially since her time with her uncle was limited to thirty minutes per visit.

“I.D. please!” A man’s voice called to her, devoid of any emotion.

Jade stepped forward, reaching into her red and black clutch. She pulled it out and handed it to him.

“Very good. Here’s your pass. Next!”

Without saying anything, Jade just stepped through the gate, surprised she didn’t trigger the metal detector considering she was giving every corrections officer that had a lingering gaze on her the dagger death stare, which seemed to do the trick because their unwanted eyes left her immediately.

So what if Jade didn’t dress conservatively for this prison visit? That doesn’t mean you can stare at her ass.

“Fucking perverts,” Jade scoffed under a breath.

As she was led through a series of halls, she was led into a room where tables that reminded her of the ones at her high school were scattered about. And, of course, she caught the glances of the inmates already in there with their families. Their wives...or whoever was sitting across from them, flicked them in the forehead in unison.

She found some joy in that and she took a seat.

It would be only about five minutes, but in those five minutes, she was the subject of glances, whistles, and she felt her blood boiling. Over and over again, she had to deal with this shit. Whether it was the pigs at the club, the pigs on the street, her sleazy landlord who made multiple shameless offers to pay her rent in exchange for...favors, and just about every fucking type of advance that could be made, she felt like she was going to snap.

I swear to god..

“Look at my niece again like that and a murder charge will be the least of your worries. Got me, Clarence?

Suddenly, the entire weight building from her severely-in-need-of-a-tan legs to her golden locks was lifted from her when she heard Charlie’s heavy Boston accent and she turned her blue-green eyes on the scene between him and Clarence standing inches from each other. Charlie was tall, but he wasn’t very muscular, or at least in comparison to Clarance who had arms that could kill a man.

And he probably did. Talk about yikes.

But Jade just smiled as Clarence took the road less traveled and sat back down and stood up as Charlie practically came running and he lifted her into a hug. It must have been weird for everyone else, but Jade didn’t care. She absolutely loved when he hugged her like that. He always did it ever since he became her guardian. Sometimes he’d do it just for the hell of it, but most of the time, whether she knew it or not, he did it because he could sense something was wrong.

But that was not why he did it.

“God, it’s been nearly three months since they’ve let me have any kind of visitor.” Charlie would admit as he let his niece down. “It’s just so great to see you, kid.”

“I’ve missed you too, Uncle Charlie,” she said, smiling and taking a seat opposite of him. “I see you’ve been trying out a new look.” She laughed, pointing to his six-inch beard and the mop of a mustache and poorly-managed sideburns to go along with it.

He matched her laugh and stroked his chin in the way Jade fondly remembered and he knew that.. “Yeah, well they don’t offer much facial hair treatments in solitary confinement.”

Most might raise an eyebrow, but Jade knew her uncle better than she knew herself. She knew his sense of humor and how, even though he probably added another year on to his sentence, at the end of the day, she knew he always would find humor in grim situations. That’s just the kind of guy Charlie Taylor was.

“But enough about me.” Jade laughed as Charlie quickly decided to switch the subject, his cheery tone making her continue to smile and chuckle. “How are things for you?”

Well, I’m behind on rent, cable and internet got canned, and I’m pretty sure my landlord wants to fuck me over more than he has already. Jade’s masochistic brain entertained all of the things in her life that wasn’t the anniversary of the shooting for a short minute, finding a delightfully grim appreciation for it. And then she shrugged it off. “Things are okay. Work sucks, but that’s to be expected given it’s a gentleman’s club.”

Jade remembered the look on Charlie’s face when she told him she started working at Edge of Sin. He wasn’t thrilled but she could vividly recall how he recognized she was an adult. Something they both agreed on, however, was how they both didn’t want her doing anything more than stripping. But given how the bills are stacking up…

“Shit Jade, I’m sorry. I’m sure if you hit up the MC, they would help you out. I mean, they owe me.”

She shrugged. “I might do that.” Especially to help deal with a certain sleazeball.


After catching up on what they had, Jade and Charlie spent the rest of the time talking about life before he was sent to prison. They chatted about their frantic schedules back then, the way Charlie always screwed up what was supposed to be the family signature strudel, and how Jade always found herself in trouble.

Yeah, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

But Jade was grateful for the thirty minutes she got to spend with her uncle. Especially with how things in her life had been falling apart. And it wasn’t just her landlord or the foreboding feeling she had every time her boss suggested she become a “VIP employee”. It wasn't even the fact that she would occasionally see Rod around town. None of that came close to the event coming to its one-year anniversary.

“Charlie Decker.” She uttered his name with a bittersweet note left in the back of her throat.

It was bittersweet because she still cared for him. Despite everyone he hurt, despite killing her kinda-sort-of best friend’s brother, injuring Rod, and hurting countless others, she couldn’t turn off her feelings about how. There was no way in hell Willow Jade Taylor could turn off the part of her heart that had always considered Charles Decker a friend. And no amount of horrible things done by him almost one year ago has changed that.

“Bet nobody else can say that.” She said with a slow, almost eerie laugh as she slid her helmet on and revved up her uncle’s red Shorttail Cruiser out of the prison parking lot.

The cruiser purred down the freeway, singing a bittersweet song as the humid, Boston summer wind hit Jade’s exposed body and she would make her way back to the trap that she called home.

It was another beautiful summer morning in South Boston, and the blond-haired beauty named Elaine Lancaster was driving down the familiar roads that lead to Edenridge. When she had made the decision to leave town after her gut-wrenching breakup with Roddy Callahan the previous year, Lanie had hoped that the move would mark the beginning of her complete disassociation with the cursed town. Roddy had been making big and steady steps in his recovery journey, and she had hoped that by this point in time he would be strong and healthy enough to drive himself to her new home to spend time with their baby. This, of course, had been foolish thinking on the young woman’s part. Fast forward, and she was still making the wretched drive back to the place that had almost ruined her life-- just like she had consistently been doing three out of four weekends a month for the last damn year.

The entire situation made the normally sweet, outgoing and cheerful girl silently seethe with anger and bitterness. It wasn't that she regretted having her daughter-- quite the opposite, actually. Rylie's arrival had been a true eye-opener for Lanie. It gave her a new purpose, a new outlook in life, and taught her that good things can come out of the darkest moments. It also wasn't that Roddy was a bad father. From the moment he had found out about their incoming child, he'd been nothing sort of supportive, taking complete responsibility for his actions, fulfilling and excelling his role as much as he could under their special circumstances. What was truly upsetting Lanie was the fact that she only had her own damn, stupid self to blame for putting herself in these sticky situations.

Maybe if she had focused a lot more of her high school life on schooling and cheerleading rather than being the savior of the shaggy-haired broken boys of Edenridge, then perhaps she would’ve saved herself a lot of pain and heartache. She didn’t have to fall in love with Decky to help him and his brother out of that dark place they were at. Just like she didn’t have to let herself get knocked up by Roddy after bonding over shared trauma and failed relationships, and helping him stay caught up with his schoolwork. But no: her weak heart had decided that these were the two young men she was destined to give every last part of her to.. Only for them to discard her without so much as a look back.

How fucking pathetic.

Lost as she was in these bitter thoughts, Elaine failed to notice a growling red motorcycle getting hot on her trail as they approached a curve. Without warning, the rider darted right past and cut in front of the blonde’s red Kia Sportage, causing her to abruptly slam on the brakes with just enough time to avoid colliding with the metal bike.

“Fucking asshole!” Lanie yelled out to the disappearing figure of the mysterious rider, slamming the horn of her steering wheel in frustration. The sudden, violent stop of the car and her mother’s high-pitched screeching seemed to have startled the sleeping baby in the backseat. After a few wobbles of her tiny lower lip, Rylie Callahan’s cries filled the car, and not long after she was joined by the sound of her mother’s own overwhelmed sobs.

Someday, like today, it all felt like it was too much.

Elaine allowed herself to let out all of the poisonous, negative feelings she'd been carrying for a few long minutes before pulling herself back together, soothing her infant daughter, and getting back on the road again.

A short fifteen minutes later, and the young mom was pulling into one of the parking spots in front of Beau's Café: the place where she and Roddy would start off their “shared custody” days at. Lanie's comfort and gentle demeanor had put Rylie back in her regular, easygoing good spirits, and she was all smiles and giggles as her mother released her from her car seat and hoisted her up in her arms. Less than a minute later, the tinkling of the small bell atop the café’s door signaled the two ladies’ arrival. It only took about ten seconds for the blonde’s green eyes to spot Roddy, and after letting out a resigned sigh, Elaine made a beeline straight for his stool at the end of the room.

“Hey,” she greeted him coolly as soon as she was within earshot, wasting no time in passing him the infant that had been letting out small giggles and squeals of excitement as soon as her blue eyes had fallen upon her dearly beloved daddy. Once her hands were freed, Lanie took off her shades and placed them in one of the available side pockets of her mommy backpack. Hopefully her eyes weren’t still bloodshot or swollen from her little meltdown earlier. “Sorry I’m a little bit late today. Some asshole on a red motorcycle cut in front of me when I was making the turn after the highway exit, so I had to slam on the brakes so hard it woke my poor baby up,” she explained, pouting at her daughter and giving her a few little kisses on her chubby cheek. “I had to stop on the side of the road to calm her down before I could finish up the drive here. But, hey, at least she looks like she’s a lot more happy now...” the blonde finished, shooting Roddy a disinterested look before shifting her attention to the establishment’s owner.

“Hey, Mr. Beau!” she called out to the dark-skinned older man, happily waving her hand at him. The difference between how sweetly she handled her daughter, how cheerfully she’d addressed their former English teacher and her standoffish manner with her ex-boyfriend was obvious. Clearly, there were still many open wounds and raw feelings in Lanie’s heart to be cordial at best with the father of her child. “I’ll have a French Vanilla Latte, a banana nut muffin, and a tiny cup of sugar-free whipped cream for Miss Thing here,” she told him, turning back to her baby with an adoring smile on her face.

Smoking weed was Keisha Carter's source of relaxation and temporary happiness. In her mind, she believed that getting high would take all of her fears and problems away — and it did... for a brief moment, at least. For those few short hours, Keisha's perfectly pearled joint would ease all of her worries, cure her heartache, and comfort her when she was feeling lonely. It became her peace of mind. Nowadays she spent more time getting high than anything; whether she was at work, in class, or simply chilling in her bedroom, she always had a joint tucked away somewhere, ready to be put to good use.

The only problem Keisha had with getting high was when it all started to wear off. It was then that she would be able to think clearly again. Reality would start to set back in, and the euphoric feeling she once felt would slowly start to slip away. Keisha woke up at around eight o'clock that morning, and despite having cotton-mouth from smoking the night before, she was stone-cold sober. "Wake and fucking bake," she muttered under her breath as she lazily swiped her arm to the left, her hand searching the nightstand. Her eyes remained shut thanks to the blinding sunrays that beamed light through her window, but she found what she was looking for with ease. And without even moving from her spot on the bed, Keisha lit the end of her joint and took a hit. It was only after she heard footsteps outside of her bedroom door that she came to her senses, opened her eyes, and scrambled to hide the rest of her stash.

"Keisha Nicole Carter. I know damn well you're not smoking that stuff in my house again," her mother's shrill voice suddenly said as her door began to be pushed open. "And don't even try to lie. I was your age once upon a time, and I know what it smells like."

Keisha couldn't help but roll her eyes as her mother's figure appeared in the doorframe. And as the woman came in and began to pull open her curtains, she couldn't help but let out a loud groan. "I guess knocking before entering isn't a thing anymore," the young woman said sarcastically as she grabbed one of her pillows and plopped it over her face.

"Not in my house it isn't."

"Aren't you supposed to be at work right now? Tending to your plants or... something?"

"I took today off, thank you very much," the woman said matter-of-factly as she began to pick up a few random articles of clothing that had been carelessly tossed around the room by her daughter. "I figured I'd take a few flowers from the shop and go visit Ty this morning... maybe sit and have a little chat with him. Catch him up on everything that's been going on recently."

"It's not like he can actually hear you," Keisha responded bluntly, her voice muffled thanks to the pillow. The silence that followed, however, instantly made her regret what she said. She removed the pillow to see that her mother was still absently tidying up her messy room, but the somber expression on her face said it all. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that," She said in an attempt to backtrack, but they both knew that she was lying through her teeth.

"It's alright," Keisha's mother said, forcing a smile as she took one last glance around. "Anyway, you're more than welcome to come if you'd like. You haven't been to visit since... well, since the funeral. It'd be nice." And as soon as those words had left her mother's mouth, Keisha let out another groan and rolled over on her side, facing her wall.

There was so much that she wanted to say in that very moment... so much about how she sometimes still pretended that Ty was alive and just away on a trip or something. Or about how she dreamed that he had just left a few days ago and was only a phone call or quick bus ride away, and that visiting his gravesite would do nothing but force her to face reality. But instead, just like every other time her mother attempted to drag her along, she simply said: "A cemetery? No thanks. Place gives me the creeps." And just like each other time, her mother shot her a sad, knowing look before leaving her to her own devices. Within the next couple of minutes, Keisha heard the front door open and close, and that was when she knew she was in the clear.

Soon after, Keisha was smoking again, but this time in the seat next to her window. She'd even decided to put her record player to use while she did so. She stared out into the front yard as she took a hit, her eyes following the mailman as he tossed a couple of envelopes into their mailbox. But before she could even think about going to check if she'd received another one of Charlie's journal entries, her high had finally started to settle in. She didn't want anything to blow it.