My most sincere apologies for taking so damn long to post an update. I honestly haven't had 3 seconds to sit down and write these past few weeks; there's no time between ED college applications, and getting recruited (and being rather preoccupied with my new girlfriend). You're all going to hate me for making this chapter so short. And no, I haven't dealt with any of the problems at hand. But, I promise you that I will get there. Cheers.


CHAPTER 3: Merry fucking Christmas

Piper could hear Caputo charging through the halls, shouting orders at CO's and screaming for inmates to get back to their bunks. Leaning against the wall of her cube, she stifled another unseemly laugh as she pictured the spit flying out from between his thin lips. With his primarily bald head and god-awful handlebar mustache, it's a miracle that Caputo was actually taken seriously. But, her breath hitched as soon as Officer Bell lumbered into the Ghetto. She straightened up abruptly, all too painfully aware of the fact that she was the reason why a thin layer of snow was now accumulating over Doggett's motionless body. She stared straight ahead, too afraid to make eye contact with anyone or anything but the cinderblock wall in front of her. The clicking of Bell's counter stopped, and out of the corner of her eye, Piper caught a glimpse of the hulking form of the red-headed CO. Anxious thoughts began to creep into her mind.

Why did Bell stop counting? What's going on?

Panic began to set in.

They found Doggett. They found her.

And all at once, hysteria flooded her senses.

Oh, shit. Holy shit. Holy motherfucking shit.

She dropped her gaze to her shoes in attempt to hide the frantic look in her eyes. She stared until stars floated across her vision, and became so focused on the rubber trim of her black boots that she didn't hear Bell shout 'Clear!' and shuffle back out into the hall.

"Aye girl, you a'ight?"

Piper's blonde hair whipped around her face as she craned her neck to find the origin of the voice. Her eyes settled on Taystee, who was scrutinizing her with an arched brow. Piper opened her mouth to respond, but the words seemed to be stuck at the back of her throat. She ran her fingers through her hair, and swallowed hard before letting out a loud sigh of relief. Piper knew that it was only a matter of time before Bennett, Mendez, or whoever was doing count in the Suburbs was going to be one head short. But despite the fear and the guilt that plagued her, she, in that solitary moment, was okay. She was alive, at least. Damaged and hurt, but still breathing. She wasn't sure if she could say the same about Tiffany Doggett.

"She paler than the floor we standin' on," Poussey laughed as she leaned back against the opposite wall, arms crossed over her chest. Piper spun on her heel and retreated into the cube, which caused the other two women to exchange looks of total bewilderment. Poussey silently urged Taystee to follow the blonde, waving her hand dismissively. Taystee rolled her eyes but complied with her best friend's request. Piper sat on the edge of her bed, gnashing her teeth and clenching her fists with anxiety.

Oh god, oh god, oh god.

"Chapman!" Taystee barked, snapping her fingers in front of Piper's face, "What's goin' on witchu, girl?"

Piper looked up at her bunkmate. "I'm so fucked, Taystee. You have no idea."

"Nahhh, the only one who's fucked is that Diaz chick. And I mean that literally and figuratively." Taystee howled with laughter at her own joke, causing Piper to crack the slightest smile. Poussey suddenly materialized beside her best friend, finding that it was absolutely imperative to join the conversation.

"Whatchu think they gonna do with her? SHU?"

Taystee shrugged, and responded, "I don't know. But, whatever it is, it ain't gon be nice. I mean, twice, right? She was caught screwin' Pornstache too. Two officers in a month. They be getting some ass from the wrong girl." She shook her head, disapprovingly. They turned to Piper to ask for her opinion, but she was already on her feet heading for the halls.

"Where you going, T-Swift?" Poussey called.

Piper stopped short of the doorway to explain, "To find Alex. Count's over, and no one said that we had to stay in our bunks." She turned to leave, but crashed into the solid, 6 foot 5 frame of Officer George Mendez. Poussey took the liberty of scampering into her own cube before Mendez could find some pathetic excuse to bark at her.

"And where the hell do you think you're going, inmate?" Mendez snarled, emphasizing the 't' as he grabbed the blonde roughly by the arm. Her cheeks grew hot as he hauled her back to her cube. "You have orders to stay in your bunk."

"Officer Bell already…" Piper began defiantly. She caught sight of Taystee's wide eyes and snapped her mouth shut, realizing that Pornstache was the last person on this Earth she'd want to cross. Mendez shoved her forward, and she stumbled into Taystee's arms. The CO filled the space between the cinderblock walls, barricading the only way out of the cube as he gave both women a once-over. His gaze lingered a little too long on Piper's chest as if he was trying to caress her with his eyes, and she immediately shrank back. After the incident in the electric shop, Piper always felt filthy after Mendez did so much as exhale in her direction.

"You ladies have a good day now," he hummed, clutching at his belt buckle. Piper hated how pleasantly calm his voice sounded; she hated how he could act like he hadn't just abused her. Mendez blew a kiss in her direction and sauntered away to terrorize some other inmate.

"He a dog," Taystee muttered once the CO was out of earshot, "I don't know how he's still here." She shook her head, and threw herself onto the thin mattress. Piper followed suit, crawling under her itchy blanket as if to find some shelter from the anxious thoughts that bombarded her mind. The long, comfortable silence began to lull her to sleep, but just before she allowed herself to slip into the unconscious, Taystee muttered, "Merry Christmas, Chapman."

Yeah, Merry fucking Christmas.