Paying for College - The Novel Read online

  ***

  I just lay there for several hours while I felt my face pulsated and throbbed with heat and pain. Brothers, I would rather meet Steve and his friends again. Their beating paled in comparison.

  I have no idea how long I lay on the floor in this dark, windowless cell. After an eternity, I dragged myself to the sink and washed my face and hands.

  Although the cold water stung when I washed my face, it helped sooth the throbbing a little. Then I collapsed in the center of the cell while lying on my back.

  When I awakened again. I glanced over to the concrete bench and saw three tough looking thugs huddled together. I turned my head to the other side of the room and saw someone who looked like a college kid sitting in a corner.

  I put my head down again, looked at the ceiling and closed my eyes.

  “What’ya in for man?” a voice said from the group of thugs.

  “I forgot to return a book to the library.”

  Everyone in the cell laughed.

  The voice continued, “It looks like you got the shit beat out of you.”

  “You know. I bumped my head against the table several times in the interrogation room when the police were talking politely to me. I can be a little clumsy.”

  “You’ve must of done something really wrong. They don’t waste their time on trifling matters.”

  I closed my eyes.

  That voice asked again, “So, what did you do?”

  “The police think I robbed the university.”

  “Oh damn. That’s been in the news all day. Everyone is going batshit over that. Police have roadblocks everywhere, checking all the cars.”

  I raised my head and looked at the three huddled together on the bench. “Really?”

  “They got away with over fifty thousand dollars. So where did you hide the money?”

  I lowered my head again and closed my eyes, “I didn’t do it.”

  “Yeah right.”

  “Sweet, man,” the college kid said.

  The leader of the pack said, “Nobody was talking to you.”

  I rolled to my side and propped myself up into a sitting position. Then I scooted towards the wall between the thugs and college student.

  The college student just stared at the three thugs while the three thugs stared back.

  The leader thug continued, “I’m going to go over there and slap that smile off your face, boy.”

  “Just try it,” the college boy said.

  The three thugs hopped off the bench while the college kid slowly rose to his feet.

  I interjected and defused the situation. “Guys, come on. We’re here together.”

  Everyone’s head turned to look at me.

  “It should be us against them. Not us against us. Our enemy has imprisoned us in this cell. Look at what they did to me. I refused to confess to crimes I didn’t do, so they beat the shit out of me.”

  I pointed to my face for emphasis. “We should stand together. It’s us against them.”

  Everyone in the cell sat down again. No one talked for a while.

  I slid down the wall until I was lying on the concrete floor again and fell asleep.