CHAPTER ONE

Author's Note: This takes place thirty years ago and a few months before Carol finds Frieda's hideaway. At this point in time Carol is still selling drugs and contraband in the showers.

A few hours later, Laura Cortez found Carol and Frieda playing cards. " I got the info," she said to Carol a little breathlessly.

" How did you do it?" Frieda asked.

" I have my sources." The Puerto Rican said smugly, " Anyway, the new inmate is Zoe McKenzie. She's twenty-nine years old and she's doing hard time-ten years."

" what did she do?" Carol asked.

" She killed her sister's boyfriend," Laura informed them and Frieda raised her eyebrows.

" Apparently he was an abusive prick," Laura went on, " She walked in on them and he was beating her sister pretty badly, so she stabbed him to death."

" Wow, I didn't peg her to be a murderer," Carol mused. Frieda nodded in agreement. She hadn't either.

" That's all I got," Laura sat down beside Frieda.

Later that afternoon, Frieda headed for her little hideaway-a nook that in an area of the library that was never used. To her shock and surprise, she discovered she had a visitor.

" What are you doing here?" Frieda demanded, taking out a shiv from her shirt pocket. She walked up to the younger girl, put one hand on her shoulder and backed her up against the wall. She aimed the blade at her.

Zoe winced and stared down at the shiv. It was small but looked deadly.

" I asked you a question," Frieda said.

" I was sent a message-I was told to meet Barb here," the girl replied as Frieda pressed the blade against her throat.

" You're lying," Frieda said as she stared into Zoe's brown eyes. She hated to threaten Zoe like this but Zoe was from a rival block and she barely knew the girl. This could be a set up for all Frieda knew.

" It's the truth," Zoe gasped and reached into her shirt pocket, " Here." She held up a folded up piece of paper, " I found this under my pillow."

Frieda read the note and her eyes narrowed, " That's not Barb's handwriting, it's Carols." She told Zoe.

" It is?"

" You've been set up," Frieda pocketed the shiv, " I don't know why but-"

" I don't know what Carol would want with me," Zoe interjected, " I've only been here a few weeks."

The two girls just stared at each other silently for a minute. Then Frieda did something that surprised them both. She leaned forward and her lips claimed Zoe's possessively.

Zoe returned the kiss and Frieda pulled her in for a tight hug as the kiss grew deeper. Frieda kissed her jaw then her neck before her lips found Zoe's again.

Zoe pulled away first, " I can't do this," she said.

" Why?" Frieda asked as she pulled Zoe into her arms again.

" You're married,"

" I was married," Frieda told her. Then she bent her head and kissed her again.

The two girls sat on the floor against the air mattress Frieda had propped up against the wall. Frieda took Zoe's hand. " This is impossible," she said, " How can I love someone I only just met? I barely know you."

Zoe smiled at her, " It's called love at first sight," she told her then paused, " You…love me?"

Frieda nodded, " I loved you the moment I saw you," she confessed, " And I guess you're right, it was love at first sight."

Zoe squeezed her hand, " I love you too," she whispered as her lips found Frieda's once more. After a while, Frieda pulled away.

" But this can't happen," Frieda said, " We're from rival blocks."

" We shouldn't let some stupid rivalry that has nothing to do with us stop us from seeing each other," Zoe protested. A strand of brown hair fell in her face and Frieda reached over and tucked it behind Zoe's ear tenderly.

" I want us to keep seeing each other too-but it must be in secret."

" So we'll be like Romeo and Juliet," Zoe sighed.

" And you know what happens to them," Frieda reminded her, " But I think I have a way that we can stay together and the Dennings won't ever have to find out about us."

" How?"

" We get transferred to minimum security. It's a short bus ride down the hill and I hear it's like camp." Frieda said.

" How are we going to do that?"

" Just leave it to me. I'll think of something," Frieda assured her before her lips came down onto Zoe's for a long and searching kiss.