Chapter 1

Nicky and Stella meet up in Maximum Security Prison

Piper fucked me over. Okay, I may have fucked her over too, stealing her money from the panty-sniffing-business. But seriously. It was a panty-sniffing business.

She conspired against me, planting all of that shit by my bed, and now I'm on my way to max for possession of screwdrivers and weed. It's not even a noble crime.

The guards cuff my hands behind my back, and as I walk away, I look back to her. She flashes her tattoo to me, 'Trust No Bitch' written in conservative white ink on her forearm. The irony of the words that I personally embedded into her skin hits me. I'm on my way to maximum-security prison, who knows for how long, and there is not even a flinch to her facial expression. Did she ever really care?

"Come on inmate, stop daydreaming. Time to go."

"I'm coming," I say to the female security guard, with a low tone to my voice. I am taken out of Litchfield and led into a van. When we arrive at the maximum-security prison, I am led down a dark hallway.

"You don't leave the cell except to eat or go to the bathroom, and there's an optional hour-long outdoor session each day in a caged area at noon. Any questions?"

I shake my head 'no' as we arrive at my 8 x 12 cell. My new home.

"Good. Well, here we are. You'll have a cellmate. I believe you know each other already."

The guard opens the door and removes my cuffs. As she closes the door behind me, the clink of the metal shutting pierces the air.

I give my new cellmate a nod, and she looks at me in surprise. She's lost weight since I last saw her a few weeks ago. Dark circles hang beneath her eyes. Still, Nicky has maintained something, and I can tell that she has a certain strength about her.

"Well. Look who it is," she says.

"Nicky," I say. "Looks like we'll be getting to know each other."

"Shit. Stella. What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be going home soon."

"Yeah. Today, actually. This was not exactly where I was expecting to end up."

I take a big breath. "Bitches can't be trusted," I say, looking downward and shaking my head.

"Ain't that the truth. Well, come in, make yourself at home. Bed's over there, as you can see. There's not too much else to say. It bites the big one here."

I walk over to the single bed and sit on its edge, my movements slow and minimal.

"How bad is it?" I ask, having never before experienced a maximum-security prison.

"Well, put it this way. It's fucking awful. But … it just got better."

When I look up to Nicky I can see it in her eyes. I've seen those eyes before; I've given those eyes before. I also know that Nicky has a certain reputation at Lytchfield. She's kept a tally of all of the women she's fucked. I'm mad at her for hitting on me right now. My life feels like it's over, and there's Nicky, with her fuck-me eyes.

"Did you know," continued Nicky, "that I haven't had a conversation with anyone in three weeks? I'm surprised I still know how to talk."

She stands and comes over to my bed. "Mind if I have a sit?"

"Go for it," I say, trying to play it cool. That's what my life has become. One big act of trying to play it cool all the time, even if on the inside I am twisting and turning. But is trying to play it cool not in itself, an act of actually being cool? That's what I tell myself.

"She fucked you over. Didn't she?"

"Who?" I say.

"Don't give me that. Piper," she says. "The unassuming blond bitch."

"What? How did you know?" I am taken aback at her knowledge. Was there some sort of secret communication between Lytchfield and this place?

"I've been backstabbed enough to be able to see that shit coming. Little Miss Vanilla Perfect grew a set of prison balls. She's been trying to establish herself like nobody's business. You should have seen her at first – all mousy and innocent. Taking you down was the best thing that could have happened to her as far as her prison cred is concerned."

"That bitch," I say, more to myself than to Nicky. I still don't believe she could have done this to me. How could I have been so stupid?

Nicky is apparently reading my mind. "Don't beat yourself up over it, kiddo. It happens to the best of us. Anyway, maybe one good thing could come of this shit show we've gotten ourselves into."

I look at her again. She's still got those fuck-me-eyes. I offer a slight smile.

She leans in and whispers in my ear, "When the lights go out, I can be quiet. Really quiet. The question is – can you?"

She places her hand on my arm and moves it slowly up to my shoulder. Her face stays close to mine and I can feel her warm breath on my ear.

Her words and her touch send shivers down my spine. I am torn. I want to be mad at her for trying to pull this shit with me. And I don't trust her. I don't trust anyone right now. Still. It feels nice to be close with someone. And really…what have I got to lose?