That afternoon I'd spent a few aimless minutes staring into my new room; the cells had always looked unfriendly, unless you made something out of it - cover the walls in posters of naked women, for example - and now I started to compare it to my own bedroom, I felt more and more miserable for being here.
Now it was time for dinner..
I wasn't hungry at all and I'd rather keep my presence secret for the other women for as long as I could. If I'd indeed stay here, a curious Franky was guaranteed. Was that worth it? Not so much.. Truth be told, I'd rather handle a room full of surprised glances and derisive chuckles than Franky sticking her nose into my business. I cursed myself for it, but I started to the dining hall.
Once there, my expectations went confirmed; I received derisive chuckles and several of the women whistled mockingly. Ignoring them would be best, I told myself. I took a plate and joined the queue. Another woman joined behind me.
"You fucked up pretty badly." She snorted. Upon seeing her face, I remembered sending her to solitary not too long before my resignation. I would dare to bet she hadn't forgotten about that yet, though I truly hoped so. My glance shot to the officer at the door; Linda Miles was keeping an eye on us, but that didn't comfort me. Something told me she would only take action if it was really necessary. If the harm had already been done.
The queue was rather long and I impatiently tapped my fingers over the plate I held.
"You can count on some payback time." I could feel the woman's breath in my neck as she spoke. It was terrifying me. Anytime the officers weren't looking, anytime I found myself alone and vulnerable, they would come to get me; those I had punished and humiliated. Chances were I wouldn't see the end of the week. To just lock myself into my cell and starve sounded more appealing.
Finally something yellow was dropped on my plate, along with some orange and green. This would definitely not taste the same as what Mark would cook for me..
The thought of my fiancée made me want to eat all the less. I shuffled away from the counter, taking a look around. There were a few empty seats, but they were all amongst other women and hell, I'd like to stay as far away from all of them as I could. Preferably outside these walls.
"Hey, Erica!" I heard from a little bit to my left. Internally, I sighed and groaned.
Franky pulled an empty chair from the table she and her friends were sitting at and gestured me to come over and sit down. She smirked broadly at me, sending me a glance only I would understand the meaning of. Since Franky was the only one who wasn't planning on an act of revenge, I felt I had no choice but to take the seat. I found it hard to admit, but her protection was the only thing that could keep me alive right now and I didn't want to waste my chances, because even after all that happened, I still loved to be alive.
I put my plate on the table and carefully perched on the chair. I didn't look at Franky, who was seated within a distance of two feet away from me, or any of the other women in the first place. My right hand found my fork and I began shoving a piece of carrot across my plate. I was truly reluctant to put that dump into my mouth.
"Are you all right, miss Davidson?" Liz, who was seated opposite me, sounded caring like always. Though I cursed the fact she was still calling me 'miss Davidson'.
"Just say Erica." I mused, sending her an attempted smile. It turned out to be nothing more than a pathetic grimace. And no, I wasn't all right.
"You've made some enemies." Kim mumbled indifferently while she watched the women at another table try to stare me to death. That was exactly why I wasn't all right, that and the fact that I was in prison. I could guess why she, herself, didn't seem very happy with me, and I'd tell her I wasn't here to steal her girlfriend later.
All I did was sigh and nod and stare at my food. I gathered the courage to eat the piece of carrot and while it wasn't plainly horrible like I expected, I'd had much better the night before.
"Just pretend it's fuckin' caviar." Boomer snapped as she noticed my slightly disgusted expression. I would have laughed at that if I wasn't so unsettled; 'all rich people like caviar', what a stereotype.
In a timespan of half an hour I had sent a few glances into Bea's direction, wondering why she had given up on her seat at this table. She wasn't in the unit anymore, but for as far as I knew these were her friends. What confused me the most was to see that she was talking to Simone Slater; I knew that woman as a close friend of Jacs Holt.
Liz, Doreen, Kim and Boomer were in the middle of some worthless discussion about Will Jackson's muscles and I saw my chance to ask Franky.
"What's Bea doing with them?" I whispered as I eyed Franky curiously.
"She's a traitor." Franky replied airily, not bothering to keep it silent like I did. Fortunately the others considered Will's muscles more interesting.
"What did she do?" I frowned a little.
"Nothing yet, but she's up to something." Franky's emerald eyes darted from Bea to me and back.
"Promise me you'll pick my side when it comes to it." She mused while she kept her eyes locked on Bea. She flicked her tongue over her lips to moisten them. Somehow that made her look really attractive, but that wasn't a thought I allowed to occupy my mind for a very long time. Although long enough to feel some heat in my cheeks. So Bea had taken Jacs' place.. I was still processing that information when Franky brought her glance back to me and pulled her dark eyebrows up in query, "Promise it". Se insisted. I wasn't going to pick Bea's side and play against Franky, that much was sure, but I'd rather stay uninvolved. 'When it comes to it' probably meant when there would be a riot or a hard decision to make, I'd rather stay on the sideline at moments like those.
"If I can count on you, you can count on me." Franky tried her charming, innocent smile and charming it was. If I had an ally like her, the other women would think twice before they decided to hurt me. I didn't have much choice, but my mind said no.
"I don't.." I stuttered, not sure what exactly I 'didn't'.
"We're a good team, remember?" She insisted, just from her confidence I could tell she simply knew I'd be on her side anyway. Her crooked smile, her intense gaze, the dimples in her cheeks; they won me over. I tried to find the right words, opening my mouth and closing it again until I realized there were no right words, and so I just nodded in agreement. Her smile grew in width and she cleverly kept my glance for a few more seconds. Something so small that set off so many alarms from within me. I was suddenly so focused by what I felt, that I didn't notice Franky's glance shooting up at the person behind me. My mind had gone to a form of absence in which I processed a lot of thoughts at a time, until I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. In shock, I looked up wide-eyed right into a pair of bronze irises, one of them slightly disrupted by a red curl that hung in front of it.
"Miss Davidson." Bea Smith smiled kindly, but it had a certain undertone I couldn't quite put my finger on. I distrusted it all the same. I wouldn't tell her to say 'just Erica'.
"Hello, Bea." I replied airily, trying to figure out what had brought her to this table, what had brought her to me.
"Are you lost?" Snapped Boomer. I instantly noticed how no one laughed. Two years ago, when it was still Jacs Holt who'd greet the new ones in front of Franky's (horribly pretty) eyes, everyone would laugh.
"No." Bea answered with a whole amount of nonchalance and an even more nonchalant shake of her head. "I'm just saying hello." And still she had me wondering why. I wasn't strong, not physically nor mentally, because my mind games were only a lawyer's and not a prisoner's. Maybe it was merely meant to pester Franky, or.. Yes, of course, that was it -
"Well, you've said hello." Franky's voice awakened me from my thoughts again. Bea grimaced, quite clearly done here anyway, and turned around to find her way back to Slater.
I frowned, looking after her.
"What is she up to?" Franky mumbled to herself.
I knew the prison. All the ins and outs; where the cameras did or didn't reach, rooms behind locked doors, information about most other prisoners but moreover staff members .. I realized I could actually come in handy for certain things.
I still hadn't finished the orange and green and yellow, but since the others had and I didn't want to be left behind - which I'd only voluntarily do if I wanted to be threatened and possibly beat up if Linda was indeed not going to do anything - I got up and sauntered after them back to the unit. On the way I wondered if I should tell Franky what Bea probably saw in me, but on the other hand I didn't want Franky to realize how useful I really was; I wasn't going to help her smuggle drugs or set out a trap. I promised her that she could count on me, I didn't want to make her count too much..
I needed some time alone, and that's why I didn't hesitate and fled into my cell the moment I set foot on the unit.