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Pete

Nobody fks with you in prison when you’re all tatted up

Not a single, solitary soul

It could have so, too I haven’t asked I’ve just enjoyed it

At home, it’s a completely different story At hoest of five, all brothers They’re all as big as er, and they have evenadorable At ood person, contributing to the household, and supporting your family in every way possible

It’s too bad I sucked at all the requireo

I never should have done what I did But I did it, and I did ive me at home and not hold it over my head

A hand clapped onto ue I look up and see ain, son," he says as he sits down across from me He opens a file folder in front of him

"Why are you here?" I blurt out I wince i how rude that sounded But his brow just arches as he shakes his head "I ood to see you, sir"

He chuckles "Nice to see you, too, Pete," he says He takes a brochure from the folder and turns it so I can read it "I have an opportunity for you"

My oldest brother, Paul, says opportunities are other people’s problems "What kind of opportunity?" I ask hesitantly I open the brochure There are pictures of horses and children and cli on I look up at him

"This is a brochure for Cast-A-Way Farms," he says

"And?" I ask

"The opportunity," he says "I talked to the judge and told hiain "I hope I’"

I hate to sound like a nuood young men to help out at the Cast-A-Way camp for five days this summer" He starts to reload his folder and closes it "I read your file I liked what I saw I think you have potential And you have the skill set that I need for this particular camp"

Skill set? All I can do is ink people I work at my brothers’ tattoo shop when I’m not behind bars I don’t kno to do ain "I need your signing ability," he admits "We have a camp every year for special needs kids We have a very special boy this year who has MS, so he has a tracheosto, but she can’t be with hiht be able to coroup of boys there who are hearing iht ith them some, too"

I look at Mr Caster’s forear out of his short-sleeved dress shirt He follows s

"You think you’re the only one ears your heart on your sleeve, Mr Reed?" he asks, but he’s s

I shake ," I say "But I’o to work and/or approved activities"

"I already talked to your parole officer," he says "He’s in favor of it" He crosses his arms in front of him on the table and leans on his elbows "Only if you want to, though No one is going to force you"

I pick up the brochure and start to read It actually looks kind of interesting

"You’d be doingfavor," he says "I need another ood rolefroetting service hours I need someone to help me with the and scary looking enough" He grins "And your file looks good"

"You’ll have the youth offenders at your ca with the kids?"

He shakes his head quickly "They’ll interact some with the kids But nottasks--feeding the horses,with meals…"

I’ve never been afraid of manual labor My brothers have drilled it intoI do or I’ll have to answer to the rins

"Do tell," I say I sit back and cross oes well, I can ask for leniency with regard to your house arrest, based on merit" He looks into et leniency? "It’s for five days?" I ask

He nods "Monday through Friday"

I heave a sigh "When do we leave?"

He grins and holds out a hand for htly "We leave toone hootten to spend any time at all with ain "You still up for it?"