Institute for Criminal Youths.

I swung back into my room, happy that I'd had a cigarette, happy that for once, something seemed to be going right. Victoria was still there, sat on my bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. She looked deep in thought.

"Yo, Vicky. You there?" I asked, walking up to her with a smile on my face.

She jumped when I spoke, lifting her head up to look at me, clearly surprised that I was here...in my room. She tried to cover it up with a small smile and a pat on the patch of bed beside her but I shook my head.

"What's up." I sighed, somehow knowing something was off with her even if I had only known her for a short amount of time.

"Nothing." she said quickly. "Nothing at all. I was just thinking that erm...I don't mind going to class without you there. I realised how immature I was sounding..."

I sucked in a breath and studied her. Her shoulders were hunched up, she avoided any eye contact with me, she was playing with the zip on her jumpsuit. She was definitely keeping something from me.

I waited to reply, debating over what I should say. Whatever she was hiding, she wanted it to remain that way. I had to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, finally. I thought you were never going to come over to the idea." I told her, pulling up the corner of my mouth in a half hearted smile. I didn't like going along with her but I suppose I had to try. "So, do you just wanna hand around here all day or are you going to class after all?"

I didn't want her to say she wanted to stay here. I didn't...I didn't...who the hell was I kidding? I wanted her to stay here. I didn't want her to go to class.

"I think I'm ready to go to lesson." she said quietly, standing up clumsily from my bed and stepping towards the door. "You don't mind, do you?"

Yes. Of course I mind, why wouldn't I? Why the hell did you change your mind all of a sudden?

"No, I don't mind. Go ahead, get to know the others." I said, still trying to get my smile to seem real enough. Dammit, it was like the muscles in my mouth were rejecting me to appear happy. My mouth remained in a flat line.

Victoria saw it. Like I could tell when she was lying to me, she could tell when I was lying to her. I saw her pause when she reached the doorway, turning around a little to look at me with a grim expression on her face. She went to say something, her mouth open slightly...but she closed it and walked away. I watched her go, growing ever more confused at what the heck went through a girls mind.

I thought I heard a faint 'Goodbye' before she turned away again.

"Bye." I mumbled, stomping over to my bedside table to pick up my sunglasses. Guess if she was going to her class, I could go to mine. I wasn't going to sit around here and wallow all day, just because some girl decided to go to her lesson...which is what I tried encouraging her to do in the first place...which is where she should be anyway.

God, I needed something to punch. I threw myself from my cell and took long strides in the direction of my music class, following the sounds of strings being strummed and symbols being bashed.

I slipped into the room, avoiding the teachers complaints at my lateness and making a bee line for the acoustic guitar that waited for me. My guitar. Thing is, I'd lied to Victoria when I told her I didn't actually do anything in music class. This was the only thing I looked forward to in my days at the Institute.

My fingers plucked strings at random, the tune soft and relaxing. On their own accord, my eyelids fell shut and I continued to play the music until a voice interrupted me.

"Sup, Jay."

I opened my eyes to glare at Cain, my fingers flat against the guitar strings as I greeted him.

"Hey. You alright?" I asked out of politeness, desperately itching for the conversation to be over with so I could carry on playing.

"Yeah, I am. Cheers mate. How're you?"

Ugh. Shut up already! "I'm fine, Cain. You mind going now? I want to carry on-"

"D'ya mind passing Austins bass?" he said, cutting across me. "It's why I came over here...didn't want to bother you for no reason."

My hand went behind me to grab the bass, stopping just as my fingers closed around the neck. I looked to Cain, who was watching me with his hand outstretched, waiting for the instrument.

"Why do you want Austins bass for?" I said, looking around the class to try and pinpoint Austin himself. He wouldn't like it if Cain walked off with his instrument, probably throw a fit or something.

"Didn't you hear? Austin transferred to Art earlier. What he doesn't need, I can have, right?" Cain checked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah..." I mumbled, still looking around for Austin even though Cain had just given me a reason for his absence. Austin wasn't an art student of any kind. No, he preferred showing off his skills in this class, to purposefully try and get at me.

I passed over the bass to Cain, who grumbled a thanks to me and walked off. Why would Austin want to go to art for? He doesn't even-

"No!" I shouted out loud.

Everyone in the room turned to look at me, the teacher watching me with wide eyes. He wasn't going to say anything to me though, probably too scared in case I hurt him or something.

I ignored them and stood up swiftly to walk over to the door. I left my guitar on the table, telling a random boy to put it away for me.

The teacher chose now to speak up. "Jamie! Where are you going? You can't leave in the middle of a class!"

I spun around and sighed loudly. "I'll be back. Relax. I'm not going to try and break out or anything."

"I can't let you leave, Jamie. I'm under strict orders." the teacher insisted. "Stay or I get the guards and this will get ugly."

I cursed out loud and slammed a fist into the wall. God, why does he have to go all 'I'm-in-charge-not-you' now for?

"Fine, I'll stay." I hissed through clenched teeth. I pushed past a boy, who spat at me and screamed insults at me. I impressively managed to block out his irritating voice and picked up my guitar again, eyes on the clock to wait for dinner.

I was going to have a word with Austin. He had to be going after Victoria...maybe that was why she had a change of heart earlier about going to class. He must've talked to her.

'He must have been in my room!' I thought, pulling a disgusted face at the thought of it.

And I couldn't do anything about it if he was talking to Victoria now.