CHAPTER FIVE

" Frieda?" Red stared at her, " Frieda Berlin?"

Zoe nodded.

" So that falling out you had-?"

" Was actually a breakup," Zoe said.

Red was stunned. " " Did you love her?"

" Very much so. I never mentioned her and me because we are now ancient history."

" Do you miss her?"

" Let's not talk about it, Frieda is the past." Zoe stood up and put her arms around Red's waist. " You're my future."

" So I don't need to worry about Frieda?"

" No. Like I said before she's ancient history." Zoe sat down on Red's bed and patted the space next to her.

" It just seems odd that Frieda would choose to speak to you now. I mean why now? You haven't spoken to her in two years."

" I did have a health scare. She probably just got worried." Zoe shrugged.

" That means she still cares." Red pointed out.

" You want to know don't you? About my relationship with Frieda."

" I want to know everything-but if you don't want to tell me-I mean, it is none of my business."

" No, I'll tell you what happened between us. Like I said, she's a part of my past now. We were together for a long time. We basically got together after about a month since I was first sent here ten years ago. We would have been together nearly ten years if we hadn't broken up."

Red felt a twinge of jealously listening to Zoe talk about Frieda. Zoe's eyes had softened when she had started talking about her ex. It was obvious to Red that Zoe still cared a lot about Frieda. She sat down on her bed and listened to Zoe's story.

Frieda kicked off her shoes and scowled. That did not go well. Except for that one time when they relapsed just a few months ago, they hadn't spoken to each other in two years.

2013
A few months ago.

Norma appeared in the doorway of Frieda's cube with a several sheets of paper in her hands. Frieda sat up and smiled at her. " Is that the Time Humps Chronicles?" Frieda asked cheerfully.

Norma nodded and handed the new chapter over to Frieda. Suzanne Warren had been writing a story called the Time Hump Chronicles and Frieda found it oddly fascinating-and arousing. It's been proven so popular there's even a waiting list now.

" Who I do give this to next?" Frieda asked Norma. Norma took out her small notebook and jotted down a name.

" McKenzie?" she swallowed. She hadn't spoken to Zoe since they broke up three months ago. It had been a terrible breakup and despite all the nasty things they had said and done to each other Freda still loved her.

Norma nodded again and wrote more. Frieda's heart dropped and she turned pale. Tell Zoe to give the story to Gina next. She had written.

Great. That means I'll have to speak to her. Frieda groaned as Norma left. Frieda got up and headed to her private place-an abounded pool that she had converted into a bunker to read the story.

An impatient Suzanne told Zoe that Frieda had the story and should be giving it to her in five minutes. Zoe went over to Frieda's cube and saw that it was empty.

Damn, where was she? Zoe wondered. She hadn't been looking forward in seeing Frieda-even if it was just for a moment to get the story from her. Was Time Humps even worth talking to her ex again? Surely Time Humps wasn't worth the pain of talking and seeing her again.

Yes its worth a little pain because it's a long waiting list! If you don't have your turn now, you'd be waiting a long time for your turn to come around again. Warren is going alphabetically. Time Humps would be practically a book by then. Then she remembered.

She headed towards Frieda's secret place-the bunker. A place she hadn't been to in a long time.

" Frieda? It's me," she called out " I just came to get the story from you. I'm coming down."

She walked down the stairs. Frieda had just read the last page. She'd been late in starting the story because she had a meeting with Sam Healy she had forgotten about. So she had to speed-read.

Frieda looked up, " Here you go. Just finished." She said shortly, thrusting the pages at her.

Zoe took them. " Do you mind if I stayed here to read it? There's more privacy down here. It can get so noisy in the dorm, it's hard to concentrate."

For a brief minute Zoe was afraid Frieda would tell her to get lost. She had every right to. The bunker was Frieda's, not theirs anymore.

Frieda's expression softened. Frieda had to give Zoe credit, even after they broke up, Zoe never told anyone else about the secret bunker.

" Yes you can, " Frieda gestured to the armchair, " I'll be doing some inventory on my stock."

" Thanks " Zoe said gratefully and was silent as she read through the story. This latest chapter was even more erotic than the last one and her face flamed at a very racy scene. When she and Frieda had been together, their relationship had been very sexual but they'd never dared to try any of the stuff Warren wrote. Some of the stuff Zoe had never even heard of. Reading this story had been somewhat of a learning experience.

She read the last paragraph and glanced at the clock on the wall. She was a fast reader and it only took her ten minutes to read a three page chapter. She still had almost a whole hour before she had to pass it on to Gina.

She felt Frieda's eyes on her as she stood. " Well…that was an interesting chapter," she said and Frieda hid a smile.

" I have almost an hour before I have to pass this on to Murphy. Guess I can always read it again…" Zoe trailed off, " Make it last because Warren takes ages to write a new chapter…"

Frieda nodded but before she knew it, Zoe laid the story onto a nearby table and rushed at Frieda, throwing her arms around her so suddenly that Frieda stumbled backwards. Frieda's heart leaped as Zoe's mouth settled onto hers for a long and searching kiss. Frieda returned the kiss and felt passion building up between them quickly. Frieda broke away briefly to pull Zoe's shirt over her head. She captured Zoe's lips with hers and undid her bra as they fell back onto the cot, kissing feverishly. Frieda managed to unhook Zoe's bra without breaking the kiss as Zoe unzipped Frieda's pants. Frieda pulled away first.

" Are you sure?" Frieda asked breathlessly.

Zoe just pressed her lips against Frieda's in reply.

" Oh my god…we-we have never done that before." Zoe said, flopping back onto the cot.

Frieda sat up and rubbed her neck, she ached all over from being in an odd position during their rigorous love making but it was a good kind of ache.

" It's Time Humps, it made us horny," she pointed out bluntly.

Zoe laid there for a minute trying to get her breath back.

Then reality came crashing back.

" What am I doing?" she whispered, sitting up, grabbing the sheet that fallen to the floor and holding it up to cover herself, " What are you doing?" she glared down at Frieda, " Have you forgotten something? We've broken up!"

" What do you mean what am I doing? What were you doing?" Frieda demanded, also sitting up, " You're the one who started this!"

" Oh please, it's not if you pushed me away," Zoe reminded her struggling to get up. She tripped as she became tangled up in the sheet. Growling, she kicked the sheet free and gathered up her clothes. She got dressed and grabbed the story from the table.

" I'm late getting this to Murphy," Zoe said. She whirled around to face Frieda who was still lying naked on the cot. Zoe's eyes travelled down her body and she swallowed. No! Don't look, resist temptation. Remember why you broke up in the first place.

" Zoe, stay. We can talk about this," Frieda pleaded.

" No. This can't happen again." Zoe replied.

Frieda frowned as her heart broke all over again, " You used me," she accused.

" No, we used each other. And never will again." She picked up her ID card and clipped it on the pocket of her shirt. She whirled around and disappeared around the corner. Frieda heard her walk up the stairs. That was the last time she spoke to Zoe.

Several Years Ago
Litchfield Penitentiary

Frieda Berlin walked over to the fence to see the van that drove new inmates to the prison. About four new inmates climbed out of the van. Big Boo turned to Frieda and grinned, " That little brunette is mine," she said pointing to the petite inmate that bought up the rear-a woman in her forties with shoulder length brown hair. The new inmate glanced up to see a big woman smiling at her slyly and an older woman with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail watching her silently. She hurried after the other new inmates and into the building.

A few hours later, Zoe McKenzie put her pillow, new shoes, blankets on top of her bed. The driver had given them a few extras such as a toothbrush and soap so she put them on top of a cabinet that was next to her bed. She glanced over at the next bed but it was unmade. There were nothing to suggest she even had a bunkie.

A CO walked past and glanced in, " You okay there McKenzie?"

" Um yeah. I was just wondering, who is my bunkmate?"

" You don't have one." The CO replied, running a hand through her black hair, " For now."

" I don't?"

" The two inmates that used to live in your cube are gone. So you have it to yourself because the nest batch of new inmates won't be coming in for another few weeks. Enjoy it while it lasts."

" Where did the previous ones go?" McKenzie asked curiously.

" Down the hill." The CO paused, " You should know what down the hill means don't you? Considering you're just from there."

" Maximum security," Zoe said. The CO nodded.

" Lunch will be in twenty minutes." The CO said before walking away.

Zoe stood in line in the cafeteria and was given her lunch tray. She glanced around wondering where she could sit. There was a table of black people nearby, another table full of Latinos. There was one table that had possibility-it was full of white women of mixed ages. But then she saw that big butch lady sitting with them.

" Looking for somewhere to sit?" a voice behind her making her jump.

" Come sit with us," the older silver-haired lady offered. Zoe hesitated.

" Come on, we don't bite. I'm Taslitz." The older woman lead her towards the back of the cafeteria to where a group of older women were sitting. They were in their late fifties and sixties.

" Ladies, this is-" the woman stopped and looked at her, " What's your name?"

" McKenzie. Zoe." Zoe glanced around at the table and noticed the woman with the long brown hair in a ponytail that she saw when she first came in was sitting with them. She wore a khaki uniform and a dark green long-sleeved shirt. She was in her late fifties or sixties with big blue eyes.

" How long are you in here for?" Frieda asked once the ladies introduced themselves.

" Ten years." Zoe answered taking a bite out her mushy potatoes.

" Really? What did you do?" Frieda asked raising her eyebrows.

" It's not polite to ask that kind of question," Zoe replied, stabbing her fork into the remaining of her potatoes. They were cold but at least it was proper, solid food. It was a step up from the slush she was served in Max.

" Watch out!" Irma suddenly exclaimed and at that moment something cold and slimy landed on the back of her neck. She tried not to wince as she felt it slide down the back of her shirt.

Frieda reached over with a napkin and put her hand down at the back of her shirt to remove it. " It's a piece of bologna. Somebody threw it at you."

" Did you see who it was?" Zoe asked as Frieda wadded up napkin.

" It was Carrie Black," Irma replied making a face.

" Who?"

" Big Boo," she pointed and Zoe glanced over to see it was the butch lady who had thrown it at her. Probably peeved at being rejected earlier today.

Zoe got up, grabbed the napkin and headed to Boo's table. She leaned over and placed the napkin onto her tray. " You shouldn't be wasting food where there are starving children in the world Miss Black," she told her calmly. Boo looked up at her. She wasn't intimidated by this little thing, but then she looked into Zoe's hazel eyes she saw there was nothing there. No light, no expression, just coldness. Zoe went back to her table and Boo turned around and felt a chill-she could still feel Zoe's eyes on her.

" Holy shit Boo," her friend Nicky Nichols's eyes went wide.

" What? You think I'm scared of that little thing?" Boo scoffed.

" You should be. I overheard some COs talking about the new inmates. Most of them come straight from outside but there's only one who transferred from Max. That's her."

" So?"

" So I heard she's doing hard time. Ten whole years."

" For what?" Boo asked.

" Murder." Nicky replied simply.