CHAPTER TEN.

" What time is it?" Zoe opened her eyes groggily and turned to look at the clock. She sat up with a start. They had fallen asleep, spent after making love. She threw the blanket aside and nudged Frieda, " Wake up. There's only 22 minutes before count."

" Still plenty of time," Frieda said lazily as Zoe stood up and began gathering her clothes. She looked around trying to find her bra.

" Looking for this?" Frieda held it up with a devilish grin and Zoe leaned over to snatch it from her but ended up being yanked down on top of Frieda.

" We've got time," Frieda told her and Zoe once again lost herself in Frieda's kisses.

The inmates were already lined up outside their cubes as Frieda and Zoe ran inside the dorm and stood outside their cube. Zoe smoothed down her uniform. They just barely made it.

That night Frieda lay in her bunk, but she wished she was in her bunker, lying on the cot with Zoe. Today (despite being in prison) had been one of the best days of her life. She closed her eyes and all she could see was the image of Zoe lying underneath her, then later on top of her. She glanced over at the other bed but Zoe was sound asleep.

There's always tomorrow, Frieda thought to herself with a smile.

The following morning Frieda had a meeting with Caputo and so was running late for breakfast. She got her food and went to join her friends at their usual table. As it turned out Zoe also had been running late. Frieda watched as her lover grabbed a tray and joined the breakfast line.

" You haven't taken your eyes off her since she arrived," Irma observed, " I take it things are going well?"

Frieda smiled secretly, " Pretty well," she replied taking a bite out of her oatmeal. She was looking forward to rec time.

" How well are we talking about?" Taslitz asked raising her eyebrows, " You two haven't done the deed yet have you?"

" Taslitz!" Irma exclaimed looking shocked.

" That's personal," Frieda replied calmly.

" Come on, tell us. You're the only one of us who's getting some-even if it is from the same member of sex." Taslitz pleaded.

" Please, not while I'm eating," Irma groaned in disgust.

Meanwhile, Zoe finished getting her breakfast and headed towards Frieda's table when Boo stopped her, " Hey. Come sit with us." Boo invited, gesturing to her table.

" Thanks but I usually sit with Frieda,"

" Sitting with us for a change won't kill you." Boo replied.

Zoe hesitated and glanced over at Frieda who was staring at her intently. She really did need more friends. She followed Boo to her table and tried not to look back. She couldn't bear to see the hurt look on Frieda's face.

" What is she doing?" Irma asked frowning. Zoe had just sat down at Boo's table.

" Isn't she sitting with us?" Taslitz asked in surprise.

" She's allowed to sit with other people," Frieda replied, but she was trying to convince herself rather than the others. " she has more enemies than friends."

" I know but we've been her friends since the day she first came here. I can see now where her loyalties lie." Taslitz sniffed and Irma nudged her.

" Shut up Taslitz," she hissed glancing over at Frieda. Frieda was looking more and more upset. She stood up and picked up her tray.

" I've just lost my appetite." Frieda muttered. She headed over to the return tray bin and loudly dumped her tray.

" That's enough Berlin," one of the guards barked. Frieda ignored him and left the cafeteria.

Zoe watched as Frieda walk out of the cafeteria and she winced. Guilt washed over her and she put her fork down.

" What's up with Berlin?" Nicky Nichols asked, " I've never seen her that upset before."

" Thanks for inviting me, but I better go and see if she's okay," Zoe said standing up.

" She's a big girl. She'll be fine," Boo assured her.

Zoe stayed where she was and tried to finish her meal. But the oatmeal tasted like sawdust and her stomach churned. Frieda was upset and she was the cause of it.

After breakfast, Zoe found Frieda in the garden. They had no work that day but Frieda still liked to potter around the garden on their days off.

" Frieda, I hope you're not too angry with me."

Frieda didn't reply as she bent over to water the tomatoes.

" Oh, so you're giving me the silent treatment? I thought you wanted me to make friends."

Frieda glanced up at her," That may be true but you didn't have to ignore me the way you did."

" Ignored you? I didn't ignore you!"

" Yes you did. You could have come over and told me that you were going to sit with Boo and her friends. I would have been fine with that. But you just ignored me like I didn't matter."

Zoe glared at her. " You just can't handle the fact that you don't have me to yourself anymore-you don't want me to have friends. You need to grow up and stop acting jealous!"

Frieda straightened up and stared coldly at Zoe, " You couldn't be further from the truth. Stop making assumptions and get the fuck out of my sight. I can't stand to look at you right now."

Zoe bit her lip as tears brimmed in her eyes. Obviously she had hurt Frieda and she was getting her revenge by hurting Zoe right back.

" Frieda-"

" Just go!" Frieda snarled. Zoe left quickly as tears ran down her cheeks. She was such an idiot-Frieda had been right. She had ignored her at the cafeteria like she didn't matter. I really hurt her Zoe realised.

Frieda watched Zoe go, seething with hurt and anger. How could Zoe make assumptions like that? She didn't mind Zoe making new friends-Zoe needed more friends it was just the way Zoe ignored at the cafeteria that was the problem.

Frieda took off her gloves and headed back inside.

It was ten minutes into rec time and no sign of Frieda. Frieda hadn't even shown up for lunch earlier either and Zoe was getting worried. Frieda would get into trouble for missing lunch-she would get a shot.

I better find her and try and make amends. Zoe thought. She headed out of the dorm and bumped into Irma and Taslitz.

" Have you seen Frieda?" she asked them and they both stared back at her coldly.

" What do you care?" Taslitz snapped.

" We haven't seen Frieda since this morning. You must have really done a number on her-she didn't show up for lunch either." Irma told her frostily, " She'll get a shot for not showing up for lunch you know."

" I know," Zoe mumbled guiltily.

" Let's go Irma, we shouldn't waste our time with someone who doesn't know the meaning of being loyal." Taslitz said scornfully.

" I'm allowed to make friends!" Zoe protested but they were already walking down the hall.

She'll be in her bunker, Zoe guessed, that's where I'd go if I had one. She headed in that direction and looked behind her as she opened the door to the basement and walked down the steps leading to the bunker. She turned the corner and a figure leapt at her. It was Frieda who was brandishing her shiv at her and instinctively Zoe put her hands up. " Whoa! I come in peace!"

Frieda lowered it. " Sorry. But you could have been anyone. I can't be too careful." Frieda said, " What are you doing here?"

" I was worried about you. You didn't show up for lunch and you'll get a shot-"

" And whose fault is that?" Frieda snapped and Zoe cringed.

" I deserved that. Frieda, I'm so sorry. I've been such a bitch. You were right, I did ignore you and the way I spoke to you earlier-you didn't deserve that."

Frieda said nothing but her resolve at staying mad at Zoe was melting. " I'm sorry too, I've been harsh."

Zoe shook her head, " But I deserved it. Can we just forget about it and move on? I've missed you," Frieda's expression softened. She wrapped Zoe in a tight embrace.

" I forgive you, just don't let it happen again," Frieda murmured before kissing her. She lead Zoe over to her armchair and sat down, pulling Zoe onto her lap. She put her arms around Zoe's waist as Zoe craned her neck to kiss her hungrily, their tongues meeting. Frieda pulled Zoe's own shirt over her head and kissed her neck, her lips travelling down to her breasts. Zoe moaned, dizzy with desire as Frieda captured her nipple with her lips. Frieda undid her pants and slid a hand between her legs and started rubbing her. It was then Zoe realised Frieda was still fully clothed. She undid Frieda's shirt and Frieda pulled it off and threw to the floor impatiently.

They didn't make it to the cot this time. They had tumbled to the floor sometime during their love making and were tangled up in each other and their clothes. A pair of pants half covered Zoe and she picked them up and held them up.

" These are yours," she said, passing them to Frieda who was sitting up and putting her long-sleeved dark green shirt back on. Frieda was rubbing the back of her neck, " We didn't make it to the cot this time," Frieda observed.

" No we didn't, its count time shortly, then lunch." Zoe stood up and got dressed.

" Help me up, I have a cramp in my leg," Frieda groaned, " Being old and floors aren't meant to mix."

Zoe reached down to help her up but Frieda yanked her back down so that she fell on top of her. " You tricked me," she accused her.

" You're always in a rush to leave after we make love," Frieda said as her hands made their way up Zoe's shirt, " Maybe I should feel insulted."

Zoe didn't reply but closed her eyes as Frieda's hands found her breasts and started to sensually caress them. For someone who said she'd never been with a woman before, Frieda certainly knew what she was doing.

" Okay, five minutes." She murmured.

Frieda and Zoe rushed into the dorm and stood outside their cubes just as count was starting. Zoe looked down at her uniform to make sure she looked respectable. Five minutes turned out to be twenty minutes. They had to run back here. Zoe glanced over at Frieda and noticed one of Frieda's socks was missing-she was wearing only one sock.

" Frieda," she hissed and the older woman looked up, " Your sock."

Frieda looked down-Zoe was right. She was missing one sock. She used her other foot to smooth her pants leg down further. She hoped none of the guards will notice.

After count Frieda took a spare pair of socks from her laundry bag and changed into them.

" Coming?" Zoe asked Frieda.

" I'll catch up," Frieda replied and Zoe left the dorm. Boo joined her.

" So, this is the second day you two ladies nearly didn't make it to count." Boo said conversationally.

" So?" Zoe replied defensively.

" No need to sound defensive, it was just an observation. The two of you having some…alone time during rec time?"

" We're a couple. That's what couples do." Zoe said.

Boo felt a twinge of jealousy-she had wanted Zoe for herself when Zoe first got here but Zoe rejected her and somehow an oldie such as Frieda Berlin, managed to land herself a gorgeous woman and Frieda wasn't even a lesbian.

Life just wasn't fair.