Empty Spaces Chapter 6
Still Alex and the girls
The prison had been buzzing with whispered rumors since the inmates had first started rising that morning. Big news spread fast in a place like this, and today was no exception. It had been easy enough to deduce just who was missing, and it was no secret that some sort of beef had been forming beween the two in the past few weeks. Tastyee, Big Cindy and Poussay had been able to fill in some of the blanks as to why Piper had come running to her so soon after telling her to stay away. The note that had come complete with a dead rat paper weight, and the altercation in the shower from the day before. Even the advice they had given her to handle it herself. They were trying to keep sure faces, talking her up like some kind of badass that Alex knew she wasn't.
Each word twisted the knot in her stomach tighter and tighter. Piper had come to her yesterday desperate and terrified, and only because she had no one else to turn to. There were a lot of people here who had come to like the blonde since her arrival at Litchfield, but none who cared about her the way that Alex did. None who would throwdown with a psychotic meth head to protect her. She had come to her fearing for her life, and she hadn't let her get a word out. She could hear her own angry words being yelled over and over again inside of her skull. She couldn't believe she had been so cruel, she'd just wanted to make her sweat it out for a couple of days. Now she was off somewhere hurt and alone, possibly even thinking that Alex didn't love her anymore. It was this thought that sent her spinning on her heal attempting to seperate from the group as they'd headed down for breakfast so she could go searching the halls for CO Fischer. A soft grip on her wrist stopped her escape, Nicky stepped in closer talking softly.
"Whatever else may end up happening today, your body is going to need fuel. Come with us to breakfast, you need to eat and we all need to stick together right now. Besides if there's any new information to be had we'll find it out in there." Nicky pointed vaguely toward the cafeteria where the loud din of too many excited conversations could already be heard. The former addict waited patiently while the former dealer weighed the decision in her mind finally assenting with a nod. Fischer probably wouldn't even be in yet anyway, she had stopped by her cube very late last night, probably just before heading home. They rejoined the flow of traffic headed in for food, Alex trying to ignore the eyes she could feel following her through the crowd. Everyone knew that she and Piper had something going on between them, their attempts to keep things disreet had been half hearted at best. She supposed that made her some sort of gossip fodder given the current situation, but that didn't mean she was gonna put on some kind of show for them. She'd had her meltdown as privately as she could this morning in Nicky's arms and simply didn't think she had the tears left for another.
She waited her turn in line with everybody else trying desperately to avoid the sympathetic gazes of the women in hair nets filling her tray, or the fact that it was a little fuller than usual when they handed it to her. She ate quietly everyone trying to ignore the awkward silence that had settled over their little piece of the cafeteria. It didn't seem as though there was any actual news floating around anyway, just a lot of speculation over how the fight had come out. It occured to her suddenly that she probably knew more than any of the other inmates present. She looked around the table at the faces of her worried friends and knew it was wrong to shut them out just because she was in painting, they were hurting too. She quietly cleared her throat, trying to get their attention without bringing down the focus of everyone else around them. They turned to her with sad eyes and she knew she was right.
"I don't know much, but I know she's alive. She was in surgery, but she's fighting." She drifted off wishing there was more she could offer them. A couple of the girls wandered off to spread the small bit of news they did have, after all Piper had friends in here now. Alex stayed put though, trusting that any other news floating around would make its way to her eventually. No she stayed with her family wishing she could tell them that the blonde would be okay, that she would be back soon. Wanted to believe it more than anything but just couldn't shake the fear that had settled deep in her gut. Telling the others helped a little bit though, she could see a small amount of relief shining in their eyes and felt it reflected back in her own.
-Taking a little break to go make myself some yummy gluten free cupcakes but I'll try to get a couple more chapters up later before I call it a night-