Unconditional

Reneé sat silently and listened for Carrie’s footsteps. She was just below her now, in their bedroom. She knew that if she moved, it would mean big trouble, and fast.

“Why are you hiding? You have nothing to be afraid of. I just want to cut your fucking head off, that’s all!” Carrie spat as she tipped around AJ’s and Reneé’s bedroom. Once she was sure that no one was in there, she crept out and continued to look around the second floor.

Reneé then remembered that there was another door up to the studio, where she was, and she panicked. Not wanting to be cornered should Carrie find it and come up. So she built up her courage and snuck down the stairs to the first floor where Carrie searched.

Carrie was in the guestroom now. So Reneé went into her bedroom and got AJ’s baseball bat out of the closet. She made sure Carrie was still in the guestroom before she went into the hall, and when she did, she hid in a corner and waited like a spider for Carrie to walk by.

“Come on, Reneé. I’m sick of these games. Come out and face me. Show me what the fuck you’re made of.” Carrie shouted. And out of nowhere, Reneé jumped out and raised the bat into the air.

“I’ll show you what I’m made of, bitch!” She brought the bat down on Carrie’s head with all of her strength, and Carrie was knocked out of consciousness. Reneé quickly snatched the knife out of Carrie’s grip and tossed it out of the way. With the bat in one hand (she felt more comfortable with a bat that a knife because she didn’t want any blood shed) and Carrie’s foot in the other, she dragged with limp girl down the stairs and to the kitchen.

Once downstairs, Reneé let JD out of the basement and then went into the garage to get some extension cords. When she came back, she sat Carrie up in a chair and tied her arms behind the chair, and tied her ankles to the legs of the chair.

Just to be mean, she went into the kitchen, quickly heated some water in the microwave, and tossed it on Carrie’s face.

“AHH!” Carrie screamed as she came to, her face burning from the nearly boiling water.

“What the fuck! Let me go, you bitch!” Carried shouted. Reneé just laughed. By then the police sirens were sounding. Flashes of red and blue lights could be seen through the windows of the house. Carrie panicked and tried to get herself out of the binding, but it was no use. She was tied too tightly.

Reneé opened the door for the police. Detective Stevens walked in first and looked around the place. She immediately called from someone to get some flashlights. Then she went over to Carrie, who was sitting motionless in the chair.

“Pitiful. Serves you right.” She said, getting another officer to untie Carrie and replace the extension cords with handcuffs.

“So, please tell us what happened, Miss Bostic.” Detective Stevens asked. Reneé, who was sitting on the sofa with Jennifer, began to explain how Carrie had broken in and tried to attack her with the knife. It was enough to put Carrie in prison, exactly what Carrie did not want. But also exactly what she needed.

~*~*~*~*~*~


“McLean, you have a visitor.” A CO said. AJ got up and went as fast as he could to visiting quarters. He was overjoyed to see Reneé on the other side of the glass. So happy that he thought he might cry.

He sat down and put the phone to his ear in almost one movement.

“Are you okay? Mom called me and told me what happened.” He puffed excitedly.

“I’m fine. I couldn’t be better. Carrie isn’t so hot though. I gave her quite a bump with your baseball bat. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of Sosa’s signature isn’t on Carrie’s scalp.” Reneé joked. AJ gleamed with pride. And couldn’t have been more welcoming of the news that Reneé had been responsible for getting Carrie in jail.

“So, she’ll be in jail until the trial against her?” He asked, eyebrows high like a little child unwrapping a Christmas gift.

“Yep. Even if the jury doesn’t charge her for what she did to you… which won’t happen… she will be locked away for a while. And Morgan… the detective on this case, told me that they’re analyzing her sanity as we speak. They think she’s off her rocker, in more ways than one. Turns out she cuts herself, she’s tried to kill herself 11 times, she’s been pregnant before, and she’s pulled this stunt before. The kid she tried to trap moved away just to get away from her. Carrie has quite a terrible history that was covered up to protect her innocence. But it’s all out in the open now. And you’ll soon be out too. Just 3 more weeks, and 3 days.” She put her hand to the glass. “I can’t wait to hold you again, Alex.” She whispered into the phone.

“Reneé… I am so blessed to have you in my life. I’ve gotten us both into so much. Any other woman might have left me without even thinking twice. Let’s face it, I deserve to be left. But you’ve stood by me throughout this entire ordeal, and I’m lucky to have you as my fiancé. I promise you that as soon as I get out of here, you are having the biggest and most beautiful wedding I can give you. And we’ll be so happy together. We’re going to leave all of this behind us. And we’re going to start over. We’ll start a family. And we’ll grow old together. And I promise that I will never again taint our love. I will never stain out relationship. I will devote all that I am to you. No one else but you. You have my word on that.” AJ stated. Tears welled up in Reneé’s eyes and she felt as though she could burst through the glass and take AJ away from that place so that they could start their new life together.

~*~*~*~*~*~


A nurse in colorful scrubs was securing the bandage around Carrie’s head when two officers entered the hospital room. The nurse gave them the ok and the two officers handcuffed Carrie, leading her out of the hospital.

She wanted badly to just go home and sleep off the throbbing pain in her head. She also had the incredible urge to slice her skin in expression of the anger she felt for failing at her mission to get Reneé out of the way.

Almost six hours had passed, and when the doctors and resident nurses at the hospital were sure that Carrie was stable, they released her into police custody. They dressed her in an orange jumpsuit, which Carrie detested.

“Why the hell am I wearing this shit? Where are my clothes?” She asked, not speaking too loudly as to not start a ringing in her bruised temple.

“Don’t worry about that now, Miss Newton. You’ve got much more to keep your mind occupied on the way.” One of the officers said in a condescending fashion. She rolled her eyes and tried to get comfortable. The back seat of the patrol car was spacious, but the officers had their front seats pushed all the way back and Carrie had very little room for her long legs.

Her mind wandered back to how Reneé had beaten her over the head with the baseball bat. Every time the car hit a bump in the street, her head throbbed with pain, and it made her hate Reneé even more. But there was one person she hated now more than her... and that was AJ. When she was in the hospital, she heard the officers talking about how AJ had played a big part in catching her red handed. She heard how her visit was planned and all the things he said was feigned. She felt sick to her stomach thinking of how he betrayed her. All she ever wanted was for them to be together. She was sure that no one could make him as happy as she could, no one! But he threw it all away. He gave her up for Reneé.

Carrie was threw playing little love games. She was tired of being mocked and belittled. She was tired of being the hopeless romantic who never got what she deserved, which was to be loved back by the one man who had captured her heart. She was tired altogether. Emotionally drained. But physically, physically she was ready and geared to give back every single bit of pain and suffering AJ had given to her. Carrie went through the standard admission process for incoming inmates. The same uncomfortable process AJ had to go through his first day in prison. The only difference was Carrie was in a juvenile facility for seriously troubled teenagers who were millimeters away from long years in the penitentiary. After Carrie was showered and dressed, she heard a CO call a young Hispanic girl over.

“Hey, Rodriguez! Get over here!” The girl looked up and gave the CO a look signifying that she wasn’t in the mood to do anything she was told to do. But being that she had no choice, she hopped off of the ledge she was sitting on and came over.

“This here is Carrie Newton... you’re new cell mate.” The girl just rolled her eyes as if the sheer sight of Carrie sickened her to her stomach. Carrie returned the sour expression and proceeded to follow the ill-tempered girl to the cell that they’d be sharing. When they got there, Carrie put her stuff on the bottom bunk. Just as soon as her mesh sack of belongings hit the thin mattress, the girl knocked it off onto the cement floor.

“Why the fuck did you do that?” Carried shouted, stepping up the girl so that their faces were but an inch apart.

“Cause the bottom bunk is mind, bitch! I fucking hate heights.” The girl then kneeled down, picked up the mesh sack and threw it forcefully on the top bunk. Carrie was about to take a swing at the girl, but the girl caught Carrie’s wrist in my air and squeezed it so tightly that Carrie’s perfect pink skin started turning a nasty purple.

“Don’t you fucking try it... you’re not out in the streets. You’re in here now. And in here, you’re on my territory. Under my fucking jurisdiction. Nod if you understand me, you dirty little cunt!” The girl, still squeezing Carrie’s wrist, blew a bubble gum bubble as if she wasn’t even trying very hard to hurt Carrie.

Carrie looked at her wrist and saw that the girl’s fingers were digging deep into her skin. Any deeper and her fingernails just might tear the flesh. She was started to lose feeling in her fingers. She had to give in. She nodded, and as she did so, she began to cry. Not just because her hand hurt like hell, but also because she had been put in her place. And she hated admitting to defeat. She hated being weak.

The girl left the room with a smirk on her face, and Carrie stood in the drafty cell by herself. Not knowing what to do or where to go. Not knowing anything. She looked at the pictures and drawings taped to the wall near the bunks. She came closer to look at them more. One was a picture of the girl with a guy a little taller than her with his arm around her. Under that picture, which was a Polaroid, were the words “Maria + Brandon Forever” in a neat, feminine handwriting. Carrie admired the boy, she was intrigued by his rough bad-boy appearance. He was sexy, he reminded her of the same qualities she loved in AJ... physically. There were more pictures of him, one of him sleeping on a sofa with his shirt off. He had tattoos just like AJ, probably the same amount. Another was a raunchier picture of Maria (this girl) on his lap with no shirt on. She was facing him, and the picture only showed her bare back. Her head was slightly turned, and her lips were gently pressed against his cheek. Carrie wondered who could have taken the picture at such an intimate time.

The drawings were pencil sketches of female superheroes. Most of them resembled Maria. And most were doing criminal things. Carrie concluded that they must not be superheroes at all. Maria returned to the cell as it was time for all of the inmates to do so. There was only 5 minutes until “lights out.” Maria grabbed Carrie’s shoulder and shoved her away from the pictures.

“Stay the fuck away from my shit, you got that?” Maria spat. Carrie just backed away and watched the other girls scatter to their cells. She felt out of place among them. They all looked so rough and mean--- so blatantly violent and aggressive. For some reason she felt superior to them, even though many of them could kick her ass in under a minute. But somehow, she felt as though skill overrode aggression. She put serious thought into the schemes she pulled on AJ and Reneé. But these girls... these girls were just open drug addicts, thieves, prostitutes, gang hoes, and murderers.

“He’s good-looking. Why the hell did you get yourself locked up in here, so far away from him?” Carrie asked, stepping out onto a very, very thin limb.

“Cause I stabbed a bitch who looked at him too fucking long. And I wouldn’t hesitate to stab a bitch looking at his picture too long either.” Maria looked at Carrie long and hard.

“I’m in here for something similar... remotely... but similar nonetheless----“ Carrie would have continued, but Maria cut her off.

“I’m sorry, do I give you the impression that I give a shit? Crazy bitch, I know why the fuck you’re here. Trying to trap that boyband motherfucker in shit he didn’t do. They should have your ass in a straight jacket in a padded room somewheres, but no! I gotta put up with you suburban punk ass.” Maria said back, in a series of words that stabbed Carried like a thousand knives, all coming at her at once.

“You don’t know shit about what happened, ok!” Carrie shouted back. A CO walked by to make sure everyone was in their bunks. When she heard Carrie shouting, she banged the metal bars with her nightstick and startled Carrie into jumping back away from the cell door. Maria only chuckled and rolled onto her back, filing her nails.

“You know, I think I could learn to like you. You’re stupid. And I get along with stupid people. And the best thing about you is, you don’t even know how stupid you really are.” Maria hissed. Carrie rolled her eyes and jumped up onto the top bunk.

“I’m not stupid.” Carrie responded, settled into the uncomfortable mattress. Maria positioned her foot under Carrie’s butt and gave the underside of the mattress a swift kick, knocking Carrie off of the bunk and down to the floor with a loud thud. Carrie screamed on her way down in such a way that Maria almost started to cry from laughing so hard. The same CO returned to the cell and looked inside.

“Shut the hell up in there and get to sleep! And Rodriguez, cut the bullshit!” Carrie stood up and rubbed her backside, being that her butt is what broke her fall. She then kicked Maria’s bed and climbed slowly back to the top bunk.

~*~*~*~*~*~


The next day, Maria let Carrie walk around with her and associate with her friends. She referred to Carrie as her bitch, of course. And Carrie had to accept that, for fear that she would get the beating of her life if she protested her treatment. She had heard of new and young inmates getting picked on and objectified. But she really never cared until she was the one it was happening to.

One day, while she and Maria were mopping the cafeteria floor, Maria started talking about how her older brother was in the same prison AJ was in. It was then that Carrie got an idea, and she hoped with all that was within her that Maria would go along with it.

“Do you think you could get your brother to off my beloved?” Carrie whispered. Maria stopped mopping and stood up straight. She turned to her side and stared at Carrie.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Maria asked, her eyebrows high.

“Hell yeah, I’m serious. You just finished telling me how you two would do anything for each other. Well, tell him to get rid of AJ. I don’t care how, I just want him to feel all the pain he caused me. I want to pay him back for all the shit he put me through.” Carrie explained in a whisper so that her plans would no echo.

“You truly are a crazy ass bitch, you know that?” Maria replied, going back to her mopping.

“Please, come on! If you ask him, he’ll do it!” Carrie persisted.

“And why should I ask my brother to risk himself to kill someone he probably doesn’t know just to please your tired ass?” Maria asked, not bothering to stop mopping. Carrie dropped her mop and it made Maria look up.

“I can think of a reason...” Carrie whispered in a sultry voice. She backed her way into the supply closet and summoned for Maria to follow her. Maria did so, it had been a year since she first came into the juvenile correctional facility. Which meant it had been a year since she saw and had been intimate with Brandon. And being surrounded by nothing but girls for a year had expanded her horizons slightly. Not emotionally, but purely physically. And Carrie figured this.

Maria went into the supply closet with Carrie and they shut the door, securing it with a broomstick. Carrie got down on her knees and yanked down Maria’s sweatpants.

“After this, you let me know if you’ve changed your mind.” Carrie cooed, then she smiled and went on to do what she felt that she had to do to get her way. Even if it meant stepping into the shoes of a lesbian for as long as it took to get Maria to coerce her brother into ending AJ’s young life.


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