It was Aron's first day in prison. His heart was racing and he could feel the eyes on him. He barely fit into the jumpsuit they had given him and his fat, wobbly ass made the onlookers yell all sorts of nasty things. Aron wished he could go back and stop himself from stealing all those things, but it was too late. Now he could only hope that his cellmate wouldn't make his new life hell

He ignored his cellmate's greeting and lay down on the bed, trying to pretend like he didn't exist. He was better than this loser; he should never have been put in here with the likes of him. Aron wished there was some way out of this prison, but it seemed like an impossible dream.

He turned away from Zer and stared at the dirty walls, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Why did he ever think stealing would solve anything? Now look where it got him... locked up with people worse than himself. Aron buried his face in his pillow, silently praying for a way out of this nightmare.

Ignoring the cellmate's question, Aron turned even further away and curled up tighter in a ball. He didn't need anyone's pity; he could take care of himself. The only thing that mattered now was getting out of here, back to where he belonged. A thousand schemes raced through his head, but none seemed plausible enough to work. All he could do now was wait and hope that one day his luck would change.

Desperately, he tried to block out the sound of Zer's voice, refusing to acknowledge him as a real person. If only there were some way for Aron to show this cellmate who's boss... But for now, all he could do was focus on surviving another day in this prison hellhole.

Aron gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in frustration as he heard the cellmate's taunt. He wanted nothing more than to prove himself, to show that he didn't belong here with these losers. The need for companionship and belonging burned inside him like a fire, making it nearly impossible to ignore Zer any longer. Maybe if he tried talking to his cellmate...

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "Look," he said slowly, hesitantly, "I don't know who you think you are, but I don't need your help or your insults. Just leave me alone."

Aron frowned as he saw the slightest hint of a smile tug at Zer's lips. He didn't know why he bothered talking to this guy in the first place, but something about him just got under his skin. Before he could respond, however, their door suddenly swung open and two guards entered the cell.

"Time for chow," one of them grunted as they shoved each prisoner roughly into a sitting position on their bunks. "Move it, you lazy fucks." As Aron reluctantly stood up, he shot Zer a dirty look before following the guards out of the cell and down the hall to the cafeteria.

The food wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. He sat at an empty table, hunching over his tray as he methodically shoveled spaghetti into his mouth. His mind drifted back to

Aron glared at the cellmate as he sat down across from him. "What do you want now?" he growled through a mouthful of food.

"Nothing much," Zer replied casually, folding his hands on the tabletop. "Just thought maybe we could chat or something."

Aron snorted derisively and went back to eating in silence. He didn't trust this guy; there had to be an ulterior motive behind everything he said. But as the minutes ticked by and Zer continued to act civil, Aron found himself beginning to wonder...

Aron shrugged, pushing his tray aside. "Shoplifting," he mumbled. He didn't want to talk about it; the shame of being caught still burned too freshly in his heart. But for some reason, the curiosity in Zer's eyes made him continue.

"I needed money... my parents can barely afford food as it is, let alone extra stuff." He scowled at his orange-stained hands, feeling even more pathetic now than before. "It was stupid of me; I know that now."

Aron snorted derisively. "Yeah, well, that's the justice system for you. I guess it's my fault for being stupid enough to get caught." He crossed his arms over his chest, a defiant expression on his face. But deep down, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease. Maybe there was something to what Zer was saying...

"So," Zer said after a moment, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "what are you in for?" It was Aron's turn to ask the question. The truth was, he didn't really care what his cellmate had done; all that mattered was getting out of here and going back to his life. But perhaps knowing more about him could give Aron some insight into how to survive in prison.

"Oh, this and that," Zer replied nonchalantly as he leaned back in

Aron's face went pale as he listened to Zer confess so casually to murder. He couldn't believe it; this guy was a killer? But then again, maybe that was why Zer had been so friendly... he didn't have anything left to lose. The thought sent a shiver down Aron's spine.

"How did you...?" he stammered, unable to finish the question. He couldn't even begin to imagine what would drive someone to take another person's life. Maybe that was why Zer didn't seem bothered by being in prison; maybe he didn't care about his own life anymore either.

"Long story," Zer said with a shrug, clearly unperturbed by Aron's reaction. "But I figure we've got nothing but time here, might as well make the best of it." Aron felt even more uneasy now;

Aron wasn't sure how to process this new information. On one hand, he was thankful that someone had stood up for a woman in danger; on the other, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about killing another person, no matter what the circumstances were. It didn't make sense...why would Zer confess something like that to him?

"Well," Aron said slowly, struggling for words, "I guess it must've been pretty hard...being in his shoes..." He trailed off awkwardly, wondering if he had said the wrong thing. The last thing he wanted was for Zer to take offense and turn on him.

Zer shrugged casually. "It was self-defense," he said, as if that explained everything. Aron nodded uncertainly, still struggling with his own feelings about the situation. Perhaps knowing more about Zer would help him understand how to

It was easy to see that the murder had changed Zer in some way; he seemed less like the arrogant brat Aron had first met and more like a hardened criminal. The revelation made Aron even more cautious around him, but at the same time it also made him wonder if there might be something they could learn from each other. Maybe together they could somehow survive this place.

"Look," Aron said, deciding to try to strike up a conversation again, "if we're going to be stuck here together, we might as well try to help each other out, you know?" He paused, waiting for Zer's reaction before continuing, "I mean, no hard feelings or anything, but I think it could be better if we at least tried to get along."

Zer studied Aron's face for a moment before nodding slowly. "I suppose that makes sense," he said carefully,

Aron thought for a moment before responding. "Well, I could start by not being such a brat all the time. I know you've been through some stuff, and I shouldn't treat you like garbage just because of it." He paused, searching for more to say. "I mean, we're both in here together, so why should we make things harder on each other?"

Zer considered this for a moment before nodding slowly again. "You have a point," he admitted grudgingly. "I'll try not to push your buttons too much, if you promise not to push mine." Aron couldn't help but feel slightly relieved at Zer's concession; it seemed like they might actually be able to work together after all.

"Deal," he said with a faint smile. "Now, what do you say we find something useful to do around here?" He gestured towards the exercise