The young man sat at the front of the room, strumming his guitar and singing to the orange-clad men before him in a gravelly voice. It was clear no one from his audience was very interested in his music, let alone him, and had been perhaps looking for something better than just another young singer/songwriter.

He played with no passion, made no eye contact with his audience. When he was done with his apparently half-hearted performance, he stood up, nodded to the men in the same apathetic manner in which he played, and turned to leave. The guard at the door stopped him before he could.

The man, dep lines under his eyes fro age and wear, stared at the musician harshly. The boy, Cory, stared back at the hulking man, nothing showing in his expression, and made no motion to get his small from past him.

“Boy, what are you doing here tonight? Isn’t it prom night?”

“I’m new here. Besides, I’m not in high school.”

“Not in high school? You can’t be more than seventeen.”

“I’m not. I dropped out.”

The guard’s eyes turned sympathetic. “So why are you here? You got someone in prison?”

“Nah. Just looking for something new.”

The older man sighed, wishing there was some more interesting story to this boy than apathy, and started to open the door. “Just go home, kid.”

Cory walked to his car, then turned back to the older man, still in the doorway. “I am home. I drift.” He stowed the guitar in the backseat and left, going to the highway, and directly opposite, the guard noticed, the local high school. He closed the doors and began herding the bored and bitter prisoners back to their dank cell blocks.

-

A “mix n’ match” exercise from Creative Writing Club. My elements were “young artist at visitor’s room in prison trying to adjust to a new city on prom night.” I was inspired in particular by the second half of Say Anything’s song, “Admit It!!!” I like this character and may expand further on this.

1 April 2009, 15.12