Piper

The second I heard Alex say they were letting her out, a sharp pain shot through my chest. I couldn't speak, even though I wanted to. I wanted to beg her to stay, beg her not to leave me, but I knew she didn't have a choice.

Her words echoed through my head. "Please, hang in there, Pipes. I love you."

"I love you, too, Alex," I had whispered, my hand against the grate, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear me. Maybe it was better that way.

I dragged myself to the bed and fell on top of it, curling up into the fetal position, unable to control the sobs wracking my body. I was completely alone now.

The only thing I wanted, even more than getting out of this place, was to feel her arms around me, but the cell was empty and cold without her voice filling it.

Alex

"Welcome back, Vause," Morello greeted with a huge grin as I climbed into the van.

I settled into the seat and tried to brush away the tears that were escaping my eyes, giving her a weak smile. "Thanks."

I had been locked in that box for six days and I couldn't even enjoy the feeling of fresh air, I was too preoccupied thinking about Piper.

Morello was already driving up towards the minimum security prison, "It's hard in there, huh? I've never been, but Nichols and Big Boo have. I've driven so many people back, though. It changes a person, you know?" she said, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. "Oh. Well, yeah, I guess you would."

I rested my head against the window and stared out at the passing scenery. "You have no idea."

After going through processing again and retrieving the box of my things, I was led to the dorm where I would stay until I had a new bunk assignment.

There were only two other women in there when I arrived. One was an elderly African American woman I'd never seen before, who just sat on the edge of her bottom bunk, staring at the opposite wall, and didn't acknowledge my entrance. And the other was Mercy, a girl who had just recently been released. She was up on the top bunk, tucked into the corner. At first, I hadn't recognized her; she was paler and skinnier, her hair was duller and her cheeks were sunken in. I knew that look. She had gone back to heavy drugs, most likely heroin. I felt even more depressed, seeing that she had ended up back here. I wondered if Tricia's suicide had triggered her relapse.

"Hey," she said, looking up. "I remember you. Vause, right? I'm Mercy."

"Yea, I know." I answered.

"You re-offend or something?"

"No. I just got out of SHU."

"Shit. That sucks. Well, at least you're out." She hopped down from the bed and looked to the the old woman, "Looks like we got a new roomie."

The woman just continued to stare and Mercy shrugged, turning back to me, "She doesn't talk. I don't know if it's 'cause she can't or if she's just racist."

I raised my eyebrows, then nodded, before introducing myself to the woman to be polite. Still, nothing. Her and Norma would probably get along great if she isn't actually a racist.

I carried my box over the the locker by the empty bunk.

"So, why'd they put you in SHU?" Mercy asked.

"They thought I stole a mattress."

"But you didn't?"

"No. It's a long story."

"Look around, Vause. It ain't like we don't have time for long stories," she said then nodded towards the woman, "And you don't gotta worry about her interrupting you. C'mon, let's hear it."

I let out a small laugh before giving in and telling her about the whole misunderstanding.

"Wow, that's fucked up. How come the bitch that stole your mattress didn't get boxed?" Mercy asked after I had finished.

"I don't know, 'cause the guards here suck at their jobs? But, trust me; she got what was coming to her."

We had talked for a while longer and I found out that Mercy had just arrived last night. That scared me because I knew she was most likely going to go through withdrawal sometime soon, and even though I used to import the stuff, I had no idea how to handle that type of situation.

We went to the cafeteria together and met Nicky, who came up to me with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face, "Look at you, Alex; back from the dead. How'd the prison loaf treat ya?"

"That shit should be illegal," I told her.

She tilted her head as her eyebrows drew together, "Wouldn't be surprised if it actually was."

Once we got our food, we headed to a table where Morello, Yoga Jones, Big Boo, and Sister Ingalls were gathered. They all welcomed me back before resuming their conversation.

I was too busy enjoying the food- which was probably the best chicken, beans and rice I had ever remembered tasting- to notice the tension at the table. When I finally did catch on though, I slowly looked between Big Boo and Mercy who were sitting opposite eachother. Big Boo was giving the girl some pretty nasty looks as Mercy attempted to focus only on her food that she wasn't eating, just pushing around with her fork. I glanced at Nicky and saw she was the reason Big Boo was turning her eyes elsewhere every so often. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on.

I knew Boo and Mercy use to have a thing, which I could never imagine- not that I wanted to. Boo was obviously pissed that Mercy was back and had obviously relapsed. And Nicky was basically telling Boo through a series of death glares to 'back the fuck off.'

I started to feel uncomfortable and I wasn't even in the silent feud. I wanted to help Mercy out but had no idea how.

As much as I wanted to finish the food, it also wasn't settling in my stomach too well because I couldn't help thinking about what Piper was doing.

"I have to go get some stuff from commissary," I announced, standing up. "Hey, Mercy, didn't you say you needed a toothbrush?" Nicky raised an eyebrow. I knew she saw right through my lame excuse but I couldn't come up with anything else.

The girl looked up at me, confused, then caught on to what I was doing. "Oh, shit, yeah. I should come with you." She hastily got up from her seat, "I'll see y'all later."

"Yea, see you guys," I said and Nicky nodded her approval before I turned to follow Mercy out of the cafeteria.

"Thanks for that," she said once we were back in our dorm. "Shit's been tough, you know? Boo's always up my ass and I really don't want any trouble. I already know I fucked up, getting myself thrown back in here."

"It's cool," I told her, trying to keep my tone aloof. "If you ever wanna talk about it..."

"Thanks, but I don't."

"I was just gonna say that that's what the counselors are for," I said and she laughed. I was glad she got the joke. It seemed like she needed it.

"You're cool, Vause. I like you."

Three days later...

Piper still hadn't come back and it seriously sucked. It was starting to take it's toll on me, the guilt of being let out before her and knowing there was nothing I could do. I couldn't stop thinking about her and what would happen when she was finally released. Last time she got out of SHU, she'd dragged me into the chapel and had her way with me. It was hot, yea, but I wasn't sure if it was because she actually wanted me or she just wanted someone. This time around I had no idea what to expect, but I wouldn't let that happen again.

I was back on laundry duty now. Yesterday was my first day back and seeing Leann, having to spend the whole day around her, had put my nerves on edge. I wasn't going to do anything to her, though. I had promised myself that I would avoid trouble. Whether Piper wanted me or not, I was getting out of here in five years, not eight.

Mercy had been assigned my old bunk the day before. She told me there still wasn't a mattress on the bed and that she was definitely going to get back at Leann, for both of us. I just hoped it wouldn't land her in more trouble.

It was nice having a new friend in here, especially since I had told Nicky about the whole experience with Piper in SHU- well, not the 'whole' experience- and she had been teasing me about it incessantly.

It was after lunch that Officer O'Neill came up to my dorm, "You've been assigned a new bunk. Get your stuff and I'll take you there."

I did as I was told and followed him to a different cell block than the one I previously resided in. When the doors opened, I was both intimidated and kind of shocked. This was the Spanish Block. I hadn't really spoken to any of them before. It was no secret that prisoners tended to gravitate to their own racial group in here, but the Spanish were the closest knit group. Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing any of them ever hanging out with someone outside their race. Plus, they tended to mostly speak Spanish, and, though I had spent a lot of time in Spanish-speaking countries, I was far from fluent.

O'Neill led me to my new cube and practically everyone in the room gawked at me. I felt like an albino giant compared to these petite, exotic women.

"Here ya go," O'Neill said, stopping in front of a cube. The girl who was my new bunkie looked up at me and her eyes went wide. Obviously, she was just as surprised as I was that I'd been assigned to this block.

O'Neill left and I stood there awkwardly as she stared at me for a few seconds. I cleared my throat, "Um, hola. Me llamo Vause. Er... como se llama?"

She looked at me like I was crazy before standing up. "I don't really speak Spanish," she said. "I'm Diaz, but most people just call me by my first name 'cause my mom goes by 'Diaz'."

"Your mom's in here?" I asked, "That's... cool."

"Not really," she muttered before looking past me, "Shit. Here she comes, now."

I turned around to see a very small, very agitated older lady making her way towards us. I busied myself, setting my box of belongings on top of my locker, and realized I hadn't asked the girl what her first name was.

I turned around just as the 'older Diaz' came stomping in, giving me a dirty look before going over to 'younger Diaz' and whispering angrily in Spanish. She was speaking so fast that I could only pick up a few words and phrases. She was definitely talking about me in a not so nice way.

"You know, I do hablas some Espanol," I told the woman.

She stopped her ranting and turned, marching straight up to me. "Ay. I know what you are. You a lesbo," she spat. I raised my eyebrows, taken aback. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. "You better keep your hands off my daughter, puta. She ain't like that."

I knew it wasn't the best first impression to lay on my new bunkie, but I couldn't help myself. I openly made a show of looking behind the woman and checking out 'younger Diaz', licking my lips before returning my gaze to 'older Diaz'. "Damn, that's too bad. She's pretty hot."

At least 'younger Diaz' got a kick out of it, quickly covering her mouth to stifle her laughter. Her mother looked like she was about to slap me though. I took a step back, putting my hands up, "It was a joke, okay? Hands to myself, I got it."

'Older Diaz' huffed, turning on her heel and exiting the cube without another word.

"Holy shit, I can't believe you just did that!" 'younger Diaz' said. Okay, I had to stop calling her that.

"So, what's your name?"

"It's Daya."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alex. I have kind of a shitty past with roommates; mind if I ask you what happened to your old one?"

"Oh, yeah.. she uh, she had her baby and then had to come back here. She stopped eating and going to work so they took her to Psych."

"Shit, I'm sorry. That's terrible."

"Yeah, they said she had like, post mortem depression or something."

"You mean postpartum?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I gotta go to the laundry room. That's where I work. If you have clothes that need washed I can take them down for you and bring them back after my shift."

"Really? That'd be cool," she grabbed her bag and handed it to me. "Thanks."

"It's no problem. Just one of the many pros of being my new roommate. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see ya."

I had been doing laundry for about an hour now, and it was time for me to take the towels and aprons up to the kitchen. Leann was keeping her distance as usual and hiding on the other side of the machines, folding. I left without telling her and headed towards the kitchen. When I got there, all of the Spanish women who worked there went silent and just stared. Only Daya offered a small wave and Norma gave me a smile. I was sure they had all heard about my run-in with Diaz and I quickly delivered the laundry before making myself scarce. I really hoped Gloria wasn't gonna starve me out for that.

When I entered the laundry room, I froze, all thoughts of starvation vanished. Piper was standing there and Leann was nowhere to be seen.

She looked so skinny and frail, the expression on her face was indiscernable. I was afraid to move, unsure of what to do. But I didn't have to stay uncertain for long. She purposefully walked torwards me and then threw her arms around my neck. I hugged her tightly to me, feeling like a thousand pounds of weight had been lifted from my chest. Even though she was crushing me to her, I could breathe easier than I had in what seemed like months.

"God, I've missed you so much," I told her, tears stinging my eyes.

"You have no idea."