The car filled with silence, I didn't know what to say. I didn't understand. If he was an inmate why did he come to my school? How was that possible?

Keean started the engine, turned the vehicle around and headed back in the direction we had come. He didn't take me home but took me to the beach like he said he was going too. He stopped the truck and stared out at the sea.

I was so confused. I couldn't sit in this silence not understanding why he had brought me here. Why he had told me this thing about himself. This thing no other student at our school knew. I felt angry. I didn't get it.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Keean turned and looked at me, shook his head in dismay and laughed quietly. "You're one strange girl."

I don't know if it was anger or fear or not understanding but I yelled at him.

"What do you mean I'm strange? You've hardly spoken to me in all of the time you've been at school. Then suddenly you act like you did yesterday throwing me completely off balance and turn up on my doorstep today. You bring me down here to tell me you're a criminal! How can you go to school if you're a prisoner and what is it to me if you are? Unless you're planning to kill me or something... and you tell me I'm strange? I don't get you... so tell me the real reason you brought me here!"

He was still smiling. It made me angrier. I opened the door to his truck, climbed out, slammed it hard and stormed toward the road. Keean was in front of me in a flash holding his hands up.

"Stop, hey, Charlie, stop...please!"

I took a deep breath, stopped and crossed my arms in front of me. "I don't understand why you brought me here."

"I'm sorry. I needed you to know."

"Why...? I persisted. Then I took another big gulp of air. It made no sense to me. "Keean you don't like me." I almost shouted it but tried to remain calm.

"You never talk to me unless you have too. You scowl at me whenever you look at me. I don't get it. Why would you bring the person you hate most in the world here and tell them what must be your biggest secret?"

Keean frowned at me. "I thought you might have got it yesterday. I don't hate you. I always thought you hated me so I never tried to talk to you because..." He lifted his arms above his head, took a deep breath and placed his hands behind his head. "Because...I've tried not to like you. I don't think I ever scowled at you. If I did I was probably scowling at myself because...shit...I tried not to look at you but...fuck...sorry...yesterday I realised I was wasting my time...wasting my time trying to fight it." He paused and took another deep breath. His eyes melted into me. I could feel my legs weaken and my heart beating faster.

He exhaled loudly and gave me a look of resignation. "I wanted to kill Harrison yesterday, the way he was pawing you. The way you looked drove me insane. I've never wanted to touch someone so much. Fuck. I like you. The way you act and I liked the way you felt against me on the bus and when we fell playing basketball. I like the feel of you very much." He paused, took another breath. "I need you to know who I am. Why I'm here. Why I'm like I am. Why I stick to myself."

I stood there. I had no clue what to say. I kept thinking did he just say what I thought he said. The hottest guy in school has just told me he likes me. The guy every girl wants...has just told me...Charlie Johnson...that he likes me. I'm not sure how long I stood there but his voice called me back to the present.

"Do you want to sit on the beach?"

I breathed in and nodded. Keean took my hand and led the way. He pulled me down to sit on the sand. He sat with his legs up and his forearms resting on his knees with one hand holding the fingers of the other.

It was an overcast day. I looked out at the sea. My emotions crashing wildly within me. Unlike the water which was very flat and calm. It shimmered like silver where streaks of dull sunlight rained down on it in saintly streams through gaps in the grey clouds. I put my cheek against my up raised knees and thought how beautiful it was. In the distance I could see men casting nets. Pelicans and gulls hung around in the hopes of scoring a meal. Keean started talking. I sat up straighter and focused on him.

"Eighteen months ago I got mixed up with some guys. They seemed nice enough...ordinary. They always had lots of money. After I'd known them for a while I asked them about it. I thought they must have had jobs somewhere."

He paused and looked at me to make sure I was following the story. When I nodded he continued.

"They were dealing." I frowned and he added. "Drugs."

I bit down on my lip.

Keean reached his hand out and touched me there. "Don't do that. Please," he whispered.

It wasn't the first time he'd said this to me. It seemed like a strange request but I stopped.

"They told me how easy it was and asked me if I wanted in. They said the supplier needed a runner, someone to deliver messages and packages to the dealers. Stupidly I said yes." He shuffled in the sand. "About nine months ago I got caught. We all got caught. I turned up to collect the next batch. I had it on me when the Feds turned up. It took two months for the case to go to court. I was nearly seventeen. Still a juvenile. This was my first offence and it was deemed I knew what I was doing. I've always been a good student. I was half way through year twelve. My principal at the time vouched for me in court. The judge gave me twelve months with an eight month none parole period here."

I looked at him questioningly. "What does that mean?"

He took another deep breath. "I have to serve eight months. After that I can apply for early release. I'll have a hearing, like an appeal and if they think I've learnt my lesson they'll let me out and put me on parole for the last four months. If I do the wrong thing they'll send me back here or another centre to finish the time." He sighed. "I spent the first five months locked in. I wasn't allowed outside the compound. It's a minimum-security facility. I've done all the right things and I'm clever at school. I want to be a doctor one day. That's why I said yes to them...to make some money to get me through Uni. Hopefully I haven't completely fucked that up. Sorry...I don't want to swear in front of you." When he looked up at me I was laughing to myself. He frowned.

"That's nothing!" I grinned at him. "You should hear Katie swear. Every second word is the 'f' word."

Keean smiled at me his eyes scanning my face. We didn't say anything for a minute but I knew he wanted me to.

"How do you manage to come to school?" I asked.

"The school here isn't great. Most of the guys that are here only need to appear to be getting an education. The correctional department don't give a shit whether you're smart or not, it's not their job. My Youth Worker knows I'm not some big time criminal. She's real nice and wants to help me get my life back. You saw her at the meeting with Mr. Logan. She's like a parole officer, keeps tabs on me and I have to report to her."

Now I knew why they didn't look anything alike.

Keean continued. "Like I said this is minimum security and most of the guys like me who have done the right thing get passes. For work and stuff. I have one for school so I can study. Louise organised it so I could repeat year twelve and hopefully get my life back on track. I have to abide by the curfew. My Dad supplied the truck. As long as I stick to my curfew and Louise is happy with me I get to go to school to finish year twelve."

"So the teachers know?" I asked. Keean nodded. I continued. "Is that why Mr. Cristaudo hates you?" He nodded again.

It all seemed to make sense now. I looked at him and saw him differently. He wasn't the stuck up broody good-looking guy who thought he was too good for everyone else. I understood now why he was broody and only hung with a couple of others in lunch hour. Why he never said yes to all the party invitations he had received. I realised why he was like he was. Keean had a secret he had to keep and the only way to do that was to push people away. Now I knew his secret, I understood him a little better. It didn't change the way I felt about him. I smiled at him as another question came to mind.

"What about today? Are you normally allowed out Saturday Mornings...allowed to hang out with girls on the beach?"

Keean laughed and shook his head. "I'm supposed to be at the library searching for material for my History assignment."

"What if they see you?" I gasped and looked around.

He grinned and became serious again. "Then I'm in deep shit. But I had to see you. Explain to you. Because I was a real dickhead yesterday."

I nodded in agreement and started to get up. "You better take me back."

"Yeah I better."

Copyright © 2017 by Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved.

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you're enjoying the story.