No Matter What

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^*Brian’s POV*^
Once again, Madison and I talked for another whole day. In a way, I hated this day, because it was my last before I would be sent back into my cell. I had really come to like Madison. She was just an awesome person. She was by far the nicest person I had encountered in this place so far, and I liked her. Maybe as just a little more than a friend. Last night, Tripp had asked me what was up with Madison and I talking, and I just told him it was better than sitting around doing nothing. I had asked where Dr. Walkon had gone, but Tripp said he had taken the week off to be with his wife. I woke up the next morning, and a guard was there to take me back to my cell. I didn’t like knowing that I wouldn’t get to talk to Madison again unless I got put back into medical care. But my ribs didn’t hurt as much as they had these past few days, and that was a good thing.

“Welcome home, buddy.” Matt greeted from the top bunk.

“So, what did I miss?” I asked leaning against the wall.

“Oh you’ve missed a lot. Turns out Jimmy’s in the hospital with a bad concussion from the big fight and won’t be back until Friday, and Zacky’s been screaming from his cell for the past three hours, hoping that they’ll get tired of him yelling and put him solitary confinement sometime between now and Friday so he won’t have to put up with Jimmy anymore when he gets back.” Matt answered, looking at me.

“Who wouldn’t want to put up with Jimmy? He’s such an…eccentric person.” I said, trying to figure out how to describe the ball of what seemed to be never-ending energy and uplifting spirit.

“I know, right? You’d think he’d be the fucking prison counselor or something. He always finds the bright side of everything. Or at least tries to by annoying everyone around him and terrorizing the whole prison.” He sighed, and looked back at the ceiling. “Damn guy never shuts the hell up.”

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Lunch rolled around pretty fast, and once Matt and I sat down at our usual table with Zack, we really began to notice how empty the prison was. Over at least half of the inmates were gone, sadly Jimmy was one of them. Zack was his normal, complaining self. It seemed that he wasn’t scathed by the chaos, except for a broken nose.

“This place suddenly seems empty.” I said, and Zack sighed.

“A lot of people have come back; yesterday it was a complete ghost town.” Zack muttered, as Matt and I looked around. I spotted Crunch on the other side of the cafeteria, and he looked right at me and glared.

“Brian, I swear if you get in another fight with that jackass I will not help you get out this time.” Matt said as I glared straight back at Crunch. I hated him; I hated him with a burning fucking passion in my heart.

“You didn’t help get me out of the fight the last time, you just helped me get out of the room.” I said, but just as I was about to get up Matt grabbed my arm in a tight grasp.

“Not today. My leg is still killing me, and I am not in the mood for this shit.” Matt growled, and I sat back down. I was set on kicking Crunch’s ass. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but by the end of the week I will knock his fucking lights out. I wanted to kick Crunch’s ass not just because he was a dick, but I also needed a way to get back in the medical center. I wanted to see Madison again. I’d totally get beat up to see her. …I just realized I pretty much said I was going to lose the fight. That’s a first. I stood back up, and so did Matt. “Brian, I’m fucking serious.”

“Then stop me.” I started walking without looking back, and suddenly someone grabbed my arm, and spun me around.

“Are you trying to get put back in the fucking meds center?” He asked me, holding my shoulders so I couldn’t get away.

“If I said yes would you just go ahead and knock me out?” I asked and he didn’t respond. His arms dropped, and I turned and started walking again.

“Wait!” I heard Matt call, but as soon as I turned around, I felt a fist connect with my cheek, and I was unconscious before my head could hit the floor.

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^*Madison’s POV*^
“What happened!?” I asked Joey as he laid Brian down on the closest stretcher.

“Sanders knocked him out, and he fell right on his face.” Joey sighed. “I swear if this kid gets in one more fight I have a good mind to just let you keep him here.”

“Well,” I said, ripping my eyes away from Brian and looking at Joey. “You’re the head of security. It’s your call.” I said and he sighed again.

“If I see him in here again I won’t let him out.” He said, and then walked out. I looked back at Brian, his already bruised left cheek was even more black now. I could only imagine what in the world he could’ve done for Matt to have hit him. They seemed to actually be getting along pretty well the other day. I had to say, I liked having him around here. I hated seeing him hurt, but I loved talking to him. One may possibly say I may even like him as more than a friend. The phone rang, and I hesitated walking away from him, but I did anyways. I went into the office and picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Madison, it’s Tripp.” I sighed.

“So, why do I have to cover your shift this time?” I asked, already knowing why he was calling.

“My girlfriend is on the verge of dumping me because she says we don’t spend enough quality time together. I was going to take her out tonight.” He said, sounding slightly scared that I would say no.

“You have a girlfriend?” I asked, not exactly believing him. I’ve never heard of this ‘girlfriend’ before.

“Yes! I do, and she’s wonderful, and I don’t want to lose her! Please Madi, I will owe you so many shifts!” He begged and I gave in. Like I do every time.

“Fine, but you better come in tomorrow early.”

“Okay, okay, I will. I promise. Thank you so much!” I rolled my eyes at his frantic words.

“You owe me.” I said, and then hung up. I walked back out and to Brian’s bedside, where I sat down, and sighed. I had nothing to do. For the rest of the night I had nothing to do what so ever. Unless a patient came in. But in a way, I hoped one didn’t. I sat there in that chair next to Brian’s bed for hours until night came.

“Oh god I have a headache from hell…” I heard Brian mutter, and I looked over at him as he brought his arm up over his eyes.

“Nice to see you’re not dead.” I said, standing up, and he looked over at me and smiled.

“Well, I must be dead.” He stated, looking at me, and I gave him a curious expression.

“Why do you think that?” I asked, beginning to worry about brain damage from getting a personal introduction to Matt’s fist, and the floor.

“Because…I’m looking at an angel.” I swear, that was the cheesiest thing I had ever heard. But also the sweetest.

“You have no idea how cheesy that sounded.” I said, not being able to keep from smiling slightly.

“Incredibly?” He guessed, and I nodded.

“Very.”

“It made you blush, so it was worth it.” He smirked, closing his eyes again with a sigh.

“You’re such a jackass.” I said, sitting down on the edge of the stretcher beside him, and he smiled.

“But I’m the lovable kind, right?” He asked, opening his eyes, and I wondered if I should answer that truthfully. He was lovable. He did things to me. He made my heart speed up, and butterflies swarm around my stomach, making it hard to remember how to even breathe.

“There’s a lovable kind of jackass?” I asked jokingly, and he scoffed.

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

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^*Brian’s POV*^
I really wanted her to say that she liked me. I needed her to give me some kind of sign that she was at least attracted to me, because I just got someone who I classify as a friend to knock my lights out so I could see her again. I’m not afraid to admit it, I really liked her.

“Yea,” She said after a second. “You are lovable.” She gave me a small smile and I leaned my head back onto the pillow.

“You know why Matt knocked me out?” I asked her, and she shook her head.

“No, but the next time I see him I’m going to ask him.” She seemed upset that he had hurt me. But I wasn’t that hurt, I just had a really horrible headache.

“You don’t have to. I know exactly why he punched me.” I said, and she looked at me, a showcase of emotions on her face.

“Why?” She asked, and I nearly backed out of telling her, slightly scared she would think I was a creep, or some kind of stalker. After all, I was at least three or four years older than her.

“I wanted to see you again…” I said softly, and a grin crept upon her lips. “What? I got punched in the face for you, and you just sit there with a lunatic grin?” I asked, and she laughed lightly.

“No, I was…I was just thinking last night of some way I could get you back in here, but I sided against my plan because I didn’t think you’d want to see me again.” She said, and I swear, if my head wasn’t killing me, I would have burst out into laughter.

“Why would I not want to see you?” I asked and she shrugged.

“I don’t know. You probably have a girlfriend outside of this place that’s waiting for you, and I’m just an annoying nurse that probably talked your ear off these past two days.” She said, a shy side coming out.

“First, I don’t have a girlfriend, and second, I could listen to you talk for hours and never get annoyed or tired.” I said, and she smiled at me. A smile that lit up my world, and had a grip on my heart. I knew it wasn’t right, with the situation I was in right now, but I do believe I was falling in love with her.

“So you don’t have a girlfriend.” She noted and I shook my head.

“Nope. I’m free.” I said, and she just continued to smile. “What are you smiling about?”

“You have no idea how you make me feel.” She stated, and I cocked an eyebrow, not exactly catching on.

“How do I make you feel?” I asked curiously, propping myself up on one elbow.

“There’s just something about you that…that’s different from all of the other guys I’ve ever met. You make me feel whole, you make it hard for me to remember how to breathe, and you make it really hard to stop smiling.” I wondered if she realized exactly what she had just said, she seemed to be in a daze, caught up in her thoughts. “That didn’t sound creepy, did it?” She asked, earning a chuckle.

“No, not at all. Finding that I make you forget how to breathe isn’t creepy at all.” I said, and she laughed lightly.

“Great, now I’m a creep too.” She said playfully and I sighed.

“You want to know how you make me feel?” I asked the mood going down a notch.

“How?” She asked, her eyes meeting mine.

“You make all of the pain fade away with just a grin, and you make me feel like I’m not locked up in this place.” I revealed, a small smile making its way onto my face as I tore my eyes away from hers, letting my fingers graze gently over her arm. “When I’m around you, I’m not in a correctional institution; I’m not even on earth. I’m in a completely different universe.” I whispered, my voice soft as I looked back into her eyes through the dim light of the room, moonlight pouring in through the windows close to the ceiling. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but once my lips met hers, it was like the end of the world, but the greatest ending I had ever seen.