Where we left off… Joey's life story is starting to come out. She has already sought help from the resident priest. And now Said wants to have a chat with her.
Said's cell
Joey once again greets Said in a known Arabic greeting. "How are you doing?" Joey asks
"I am fine, you continue to surprise me. You are either a very stupid woman or an incredible smart one" Said vaguely
"And what exactly would you be referring too?" Joey asked somewhat perplexed to what he was eluding too.
"Ryan O' Riley, he was supposedly assigned to task to drive you out of 'Em' city. And instead he's befriending you" Said said somewhat perplexed himself
"He's Irish. He's supposedly doing me a favour telling me I have to watch my back. And if your referring to the incident in the gym. I think you're highly misinformed and sadly mistaken." Joey said with a shrug.
She knew that she couldn't leave without his permission, or she would ruin the communication she had set into play. But she didn't like where this line of questioning was going. Nobody had the right to question her. She'd be the one asking the questions, shortly.
"So, nothing's happening?" Said asked sceptically, he wasn't known for being stupid, and he didn't two people weren't physical with each other.
"Pretty much" Joey said and shrugged. She didn't understand why it seemed to be such a big thing that she was gaining allies.
"So how are things going in 'Em' city?" Said asked He only knew what his informants told him, which was inaccurate and bias at best.
"Why don't you ask your men, they seem loyal to your cause." Joey said and motioned to the men outside the door Guarding.
"Yes well, they also have dealings of their own, in there that they wouldn't like me to know about. But I always find out." Said explained
"Ah, and don't tell me. You want me to be your eyes and ears within the city?" Joey asked finally clueing into the game
"I would appreciate it very much" Said nodded
"And in return I get?" Joey hedged knowing that if she did start doing this for Said she would have quite a few unhappy men on her hands, and she would need some sort of protection against them
"I can only offer my protection." Said said
"Let me think about it. I'll get back to you within the next day" Joey said and left. She wasn't going to allow him to dictate the rules of their alliance
Upon her return to Em City Joey was immediately pulled aside by Ryan.
"What do you think your doing?" Ryan asked pulling her into his pod.
"Surviving" Joey said. She didn't need him trying to sway her either.
She knew of his game and his ploy to get ride of her. That was still fresh and open wound. And she vowed that she would make him play. Nobody got to play her.
"That's not what I meant. And you know it" Ryan said, and pulled her closer to him, trying to make her look him straight in the eyes.
"Yes, well you're screwing things for yourself by helping me. And I don't need your death on my shoulders. So well stop doing it. Even Said knows." Joey warned him.
She'd warned him his death wasn't on her head or hands. They all knew that there would be consequences for Ryan befriending her.
"You were talking to Said?" Ryan asked he hadn't known where she'd gone. But when he found out she was gone, he had immediately begun to worry.
"Yes, I'm setting up a deal with him. I'll be his eyes and ears. And in return I get his protection, and I know how things work in here. The Aryans will brother me but I'm fine with that. I can handle Schillinger." Joey explained to him
"With this information you've just made me a liability." Ryan told her, he didn't know how she was going to react. But he had to play the card.
"Yes, but if you don't want anything to happen to your brother, you won't tell anyone now will you." Joey said, finally learning that she had a part in all this. And it was all just a game.
"Don't play my brother" Ryan warned. That after all was his weak spot. And he didn't like the fact that only after two days she knew that.
"Don't mess with me and mine." Joey said and walked out.
Why must everyone underestimate me until it was too late, and action must be taken? I mean the reason she was even in prison in the beginning is the fact that she had killed people and not cared. The streets made you not care it was good thing along with a bad one.
A guard walks up to Joey "Sister Pete would like to see you" He says and motioned for her to follow him.
Sister Pete's office
"You said you wanted to see me?" Joey said to the older woman as she walked into the room.
"I'm just curious to see how you're starting to fit in the guys" She said and motioned for Joey to have a set in front of her.
"I'm learning how to stay alive yes." Joey told her. And shrugged if she wanted something, she sure all hell wasn't going to get it out of her.
"I also had a talk with our priest and he advised me that I should keep a close eye on you. Now why would he do that?" She asked Joey
"Because I led him to believe that I would harm myself. Because some things about to go down. You can feel it in the air. And I don't know what it is." Joey explained the situation to her.
"Do you want to be moved out for 'Em' City for your own protection?" Sister Pete asked Joey.
"And have Cyril wonder why I've left him. I've just started to play this game, sister, don't ask me to put it away yet" Joey said and started to get up.
"We're not done yet, have a seat." Sister Pete said and gestured for her to sit right back down. She said she didn't like the other woman's attitude. The men were having a bad effect on her.
"Okay" Joey said and sat back down.
"For your own safety an extra shower stall has been created with a distorted glass. Along with a tiny change room attached" Sister Pete told her.
"All for me, I've never had a problem changing or showering in front of the guys" Joey told her confused to why they would do this, and not tell her.
"Well, it's more for the guys then you. We don't need the repercussions that you might have already set into play." She explained
"Great, I'm hindering their forward movement" Joey said, and gave the apporiate facial expression, the blank stare. However on the inside she was smiling from ear to ear.
"Well except for Cyril O' Riley. He seems calmer and more relaxed. And happy" She told her
"Of course, Cyril's my friend; he's the only one in this place that doesn't scheme to get things done. He's almost childlike." Joey said and smiled in reflection of her friend
"What do you think of Ryan?" Sister Pete asked the other woman
"Well I don't know much about him, so formulating an exact impression would be hard. But my first impression and usually the most correct one is that he cares for his brother, and will make sure that nothing comes in the way of his plans." Joey said
"He's told me that he's had some unsettling thoughts about you. And I've heard the same from a few of the other men. Aren't you worried about being raped?" She asked
"I fear it every night. It's the first thing I think about, is it today gonna be the day I'm going to push the envelope and get raped, or shanked, or worse killed." Joey told her for she wasn't afraid to admit weakness it's the first way to get rid of it.
"Well you certainly know how to stir the pot now don't you?" Sister Pete asked she knew she would have her hands full with this one.
"Hey, it keeps life interesting. And right now it's the only thing I got making sure that I don't go over the edge. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a few things I need to get done before dinner" Joey said and excused herself and left.
30 minutes later
"So you're the new chick in the nest," He said in way of greeting to the woman standing with a towel in her arms about to enter the separate shower.
"You could say that" Joey said and shrugged. She wasn't going to let him brother her.
"I'm Chris Keller, and if you ever need a guide I'm always around" He said and stuck out his muscular arm.
"That's nice Keller, but wouldn't your boyfriend Beecher be kind of jealous?" She asked him. It had been few days and word gets around fast. They gossip worse then high school girls. But then again there wasn't much else to do.
"How do you know about us?" He asked confused, he'd tried to keep his involvement on the down low, but obviously that didn't seem to be working.
"A little bird told me." She said chuckled at his startled expression and walked into her area
"Fuck" Was the last thing that she heard come out of his mouth. As he slammed the door as he left.
As Joey got into the shower, she thought she heard someone else come into the changing area. She was right because a few minutes later Ryan joined her in the stall.
"What the hell do you think your doing?" Joey asked him, referring to his presence in her stall.
"What are you referring to?" Ryan asked with a sly smile.
"With Sister Pete, telling her I was a distraction" Joey said indication the conversation she just previously had with that woman
"You are. Look at you" He said and moved his hands along her body.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't do that." Joey said although she was having too much fun letting his hands wander all around his body.
"You don't seem to be calling for a guard" Ryan said and took her mouth in a possessive action.
The Irish are passionate about anything and everything that they do. That includes having sex.
Ryan pulled back, and finally let Joey breath. "What the hell was that?" Ryan asked her after he realised that his bottom lip was bleeding.
"A kiss" Joey said and smirked "How do I know that you don't have some sort of sexually transmitted disease huh" Joey said and motioned to his very erected manhood
"Want me to get tested for you?" Ryan said. Knowing that she would be as good if not better then his Doctor lover, but he refused to let himself fall in love with Joey.
She was just a piece of meat. Something to pass the time. This would be a lesson to her. Don't mess with the big boys unless you want to get hurt. He figured he better be the one to break her in, then one of the other guys.
"I don't care what you do. But if you want a piece of me, then that is the bare requirement." Joey said and continued to have her shower, like he wasn't there.
He took this as a signal that he wasn't wanted. And left.
I'm so glad that before I came here I had my hair cut short, just think about trying to wash long hair; it would take forever, and never truly be clean. Joey thought to herself.
Dinner
"Have a good shower?" Ryan whispered into her ear in line-up.
"Shouldn't you be working?" Joey asked referring to his job as cafeteria lady.
"I went to the clinic, and talked to the doctor there, said I could get it done. But you have to get one too" Ryan said.
"That I have no problems with; I have to get one done with my physical, which is scheduled for Friday." Joey said and pulled away from the food being served.
later that night
Joey's lying on her bunk, in her pod, when in walks Ryan.
"Why are you just lying there?" He asks
"What do you expect me to be doing?" Joey asks him with a confused toned
"Aren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on Said's men in 'Em' City?" Ryan questioned her
"Would you keep your voice down" Joey asked and slapped him upside the head.
"You know I liked you better, when I hated you" Ryan commented and walked out of the pod.
"Well it's that an oxymoron, you moron" Joey said to his retreating back only to be shown Ryan's finger.
About ten minutes later, Cyril walks into Joey's pod. And sits down on the bunk that Joey's not using.
"Hey, what's up?" Joey asked him
"Nothing" was the simple response. Cyril was a man of few words. He just didn't know how to explain himself.
"Okay, something you need to talk about?" Joey asked him, because he was usually brimming with information to tell her.
"Are you mad at Ryan?" Cyril asked suddenly. He didn't like it when the two people in the whole place that cared about him were fighting. That could never be good news.
"What makes you think that?" Joey asked him honestly.
"Well I was downstairs playing cards, and I saw him storm down the stairs, and one of the guys said that the lovers had a spat" Cyril said.
This was not how I wanted him to find out that I liked Ryan. "I am mad at Ryan yes." Joey said slowly as thinking how each word could possible hurt Cyril.
"Why are you mad at him?" Cyril asked. He had been mad at his brother yes. But usually it was because he'd done something he shouldn't have.
"He keeps telling me what I should and shouldn't do. And I don't like it when people tell me what to do." Joey told explain to him.
"But that's just the way Ryan is" Cyril tried to explain to his friend.
"Yes, well I don't need those kinds of friends. I like people more like you. Who say what their thinking. And don't tell me what to do." Joey said and patted him on the back.
"Sister Pete, told me I'm a great listener" Cyril said with a board smile, like that woman's approval meant anything to him.
"I think you are too" Joey said.
Everyone back to your pods. Lights out in 5 minutes Came the voice over the loud speaker.
"I'll talk to Ryan for you" Cyril said and left her pod "Good night" he smiled and turned and left.
"Good night" Joey said to an empty doorway.
Yet again, she was alone for the night. She'd developed a routine that helped her get through the night. But even sometimes that didn't help her.
