Patrick Donahue finished his push ups just as the guard came to escort him to the room he would face his reckoning. It wasn't something he was looking forward to but it needed to be done. The guard gave him a once over shaking his head at what he saw. Patrick looked nothing like the 18 year old kid he was when he was arrested. He had developed muscles from the continuous working out he did, hoping to wear himself out enough to not face the endless nightmares that plagued him. It never worked but at least the constant pushing of his body to the brink was enough to make him feel exhaustion. He also had several tattoos. The only ones that mattered were the first three he got, the names of the people whose lives ended too soon because of his carelessness. He used it as a constant reminder so he would never forget what his mistakes cost. He made certain to make himself look like a toughened evil murderer. He'd gotten into enough fights that he had several scars, let himself be beaten to within an inch of his life on several occasions hoping to feel even an ounce of redemption but none of it worked. He shaved off his hair helping to make him look older than the 21 years he actually was. His hazel eyes held a constant anguish and coldness that he never had before that night 3 years ago. If the guard hadn't seen the changes in him over the last three years, he never would have believed it was the same kid. He knew his family wouldn't recognize him, but that didn't matter when the kid wouldn't let them visit. He was surprised about the fact that Patrick was willing to meet someone today but what the guard didn't realize was what Patrick was actually doing.
Patrick felt tremendous guilt, hurt and anguish on a daily basis but he knew it was nothing compared to the pain that Samantha dealt with from losing her family. And he knew it was all his fault. Three years ago, he had been at a party just like he had done several times before. He wasn't an overly popular guy but had several popular friends on the football team including Jake, the quarterback which he had known since kindergarten. It got him invited to several parties and he enjoyed the benefits of being connected to the hot quarterback that everybody wanted to know. Jake and Patrick had formed a quick bond on the playground during recess in kindergarten when Patrick had stood up for Jake from a bully. A first grader had cornered Jake and was trying to force him to give up his ball, Patrick came over and told him no. Patrick had made a big enough scene telling the first grader that he was a mean poop head that a teacher came over which had that first grader running off. Patrick got a talking to about his language, but he left that playground with a new best friend. When people look at them now, most people would think that Jake stood up for Patrick instead of the way it actually happened. Jake is 6' 2" tall and muscular. He has dirty blonde hair and blue eyes with an all American boy look. They had maintained their friendship throughout the years, being there for each other when they faced difficulties. Patrick and his parents were there for Jake when his parents went through their divorce when Jake was 10. Jake would come over for dinner or spend the night when the fighting was unbearable for him. Patrick's parents treated Jake like he was just another one of their children. They had each other's backs when Patrick's mom went through her battle with breast cancer. They were both so relieved when she went into remission. They had been through a lot throughout the years, but they were there for each other which lead to where they stood with their current friendship. Patrick always went to Jake's football games and Jake always brought Patrick to the events after them.
It was a Friday night, Jake, Patrick and the rest of the football and cheerleading teams were all at the head cheerleader's house. It was something they tended to do after all the football games, get together, play stupid games and drink a few beers. These parties is where Patrick had his first kiss well first everything really. They played things like truth or dare and spin the bottle. As they got older, the games got more risque, but the nights usually ended with Patrick feeling slightly buzzed while getting everyone home. This particular Friday, he had just hooked up with Ashley (another pretty blonde cheerleader who was willing to settle for him instead of Jake) and he was waiting for the guys to be ready to head home. He dropped Jake and a couple of the other guys at home like he normally did, after all they had drank far more than he had. His last drop off was Jake, he made sure he got in the house okay before heading towards home. He had his phone on the center console and when he went to change the song on the radio, he accidently knocked his phone on the floor. He reached down to grab it, took his eyes of the road for less than 5 seconds and that is when it happened. His car had moved into the oncoming lane and collided head first with another killing the three people inside. Both cars had massive amounts of damage, Patrick had a few scars from broken bones and a couple of surgeries required to fix them but that didn't make up for what he had caused. His family hired lawyers and tried to fight everything. His parents and Jake pushed for him to plead not guilty and pursue a trial. Patrick on the other hand wanted to be held accountable. His decisions led to the death of three people and he couldn't help but feel tremendous guilt and shame because of it. The least he could do is deal with the consequences of his actions. His lawyer convinced him to take a plea deal with him serving 10 years for manslaughter. Which brought him to where he currently was, in his cell serving his time the best way he could and getting ready to face the meeting he had been putting off for three years.
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