Diamond in the Rough

The warm sun gently kisses his face as he slings his sports bag over his shoulder, walking past that gate that had kept him away from the real world for so long. He glances over his shoulder at the barbed wire fences and concrete prison, a shit-eating grin on his face. He'll never go back there and he'll make damn sure of it.

Waltzing back into "The Town" and into society was something he had dreamed of late at night, the thought keeping him sane. Prison had been structured, a safe routine of getting up and showering, eating a shitty breakfast and then back to his cell. For one hour every day he would pump iron in the yard, eye-balling anyone who dared to mess with him. His will had proven to be stronger than others and his volatile temper made most of the inmates fear him. James "Jem" Coughlin's reputation as a ticking time bomb even put fear into the hearts of the guards, knowing his connections from his file.
Jem had been a young man when he was arrested, picked up on the street and huckled into the back of a patrol car, a grin on his face as curious bystanders watched the show. He didn't put up a fight, it was like he was expecting the inevitable, like he knew they were coming for him. Jem's arrest had shocked his few close friends when they heard the charges. Suspicion of murder.
The accusation spread through the Town within half an hour, everybody knowing what was happening to the resident bad-boy.
Some people, mostly the people who only knew of Jem's reputation weren't surprised that he had been arrested and had committed such a serious crime. The people who did know him personally knew there had to be a reason behind his actions.

As expected his close friends and sister, the only living family he had in the town supported him through the trial. Jem had argued it was self-defence,but everyone knew differently. In the end he was sentenced to nine years in Walpole on a manslaughter charge, the district attorney seething that Coughlin could make parole after five years. Nobody knew for certain what had happened between Jem and the stranger, but whatever had happened would never be revealed, not by Jem and certainly not from the stranger.
For the first two years of his sentence, Jem's best buddy and brother from another mother visited him regularly every month. Doug would give him updates on his sister Krista, what was going on in the Town and Jem often got angry when he heard something he didn't like.
All of a sudden the visits from Doug stopped with no explanation. Jim had felt rejected and took his anger out on another inmate, smashing the guys face against a wall and threatened to kill him.
It was then when everyone truly realised that Jem Coughlin's temper always got the better of him. He would eye-ball anyone who gave him a funny look or said something he didn't agree with. Jem's violent mood swings sparked fear in the eyes of the guards who struggled to control him at the best of times.
Everyone knew that prison could make or break a man, change him for the better or for worst and everyone who knew Jem knew he would come out a lot worse.

Jem throws his sports bag into the back of the cab, taking one last look at the concrete prison surrounded with barbed wire and guards in dark green. He would be able to go for a beer when he wanted, take a shower when he felt like it and maybe even cause some chaos he is famous for.
He has no intentions of ever returning to Walpole.