Piper POV

I went to the library to meet up with Taystee to see if she was done her evening shift and was down for some chit chat time. I vowed to myself to not bring my baggage of Alex in there with me so I left it at the door. I didn't even know where Alex was and I took rest in that as I needed to be away from her for a little while. Instead I pushed the door open with a smile on my face, the happiness of glory still alive from the couple hours prior.

"Ey Chapman, you looking all perky and happy, and errything," Taystee said from behind a stack of books at the back of the library. "Get over here and tell me what happened!" she excitedly said. There weren't many people here at the moment and that's how I liked it.

"Well, I went to my first workshop here today and ended up winning free time off and meals of my choice for a day from Red! How come I didn't see you there?" I beamed and asked.

" Well white girl, I never got the invite. Besides I usually only go to one of the two happening per month. Who else won, tell me so I can go steal their food," she said. I didn't think she was being serious so I told her.

"Okay so we were in groups, it was me, Alex, and my roommate. We were the ones that won, but I gotta thank Alex for the guidance," I stated. Taystee walked down the aisle pulling her trolly of books. Her eyes raced through the many book spines, until she found her spot and shelved the book that was in her hand.

"Dang girl, you have been spending a lot of time with that one," she said. A look of dumbfoundedness must have appeared on my face because she said, "Don't give me that look, Nichols filled me in." Had Alex been telling Nicky everything, I wondered. But I haven't been with her at all, it was just the circumstances. That's right, the circumstances.

"Hey, you almost done your shift?" I asked. "I want to play some checkers with you." I said quickly changing the subject.

"Nah girl, not even close. See those over there" she pointed to three trollys full of books and said "they still need to be put away."

"Wow do people really read that much?" I asked in awe.

"Well not many necessarily take them out to read, but we have this policy where we tell the inmates that walk in to leave the book on the table after they are done their stay. Usually they don't know how to put them away so we do that and that there is the outcome. Hey my friend Poussey can play with you though. YO P, GET OVER HERE, CHAPMAN WANTS TO PLAY SOME CHECKERS WITH YOU!" she yelled to her chum.

Her friend walked over and Tay introduced me. Then we took a seat at the table to play. Halfway through the game and I was losing. Welp I never claimed to be good at it. Alex was even better at it than I was, she said it was a skill that you had to practise to be a master.

"Hey you're kicking my butt here," I told Poussey.

"Yeah I know, I do feel kinda bad," she responded.

"How do you know how to play so well?" I asked.

"From my dad, he was the best player in town. I don't know about now, time passes. I've been in here two years already. But early on he taught me how to play checkers, teaching me the tricks and traps. When I got older, he said it was important that everyone know how to play chess as well, so he took me and my younger half brother under his wing and taught us. My mom thought he was obsessive of the game and crazy but he never relented and kept on playing. That's where I got to be this good," she told her story.

" Wow so almost like poker then?" I compared.

"Exactly, but he rarely gambled with it. He just played mostly for fun, unless he got a real tough shit guy then he competed," she finished.

I was intrigued by her story and wanted to ask her more. But suddenly my ears jerked at someone getting up from between the stacks of books. I figured it was Tay coming back for another load. I watched this person step one foot after another but the figure didn't look like Taystee's. As my eyes trailed from the bottom up, my breath caught in my throat when I faced the inmate. It was Alex, and she was swiftly walking towards us.

Alex POV

I was laying down reading a book in the library before Piper walked in. I loved reading between the shelves of books as opposed to the table because it gave me more peace. I was quickly met with urgency to get up and go talk to her but I grounded myself to the floor using all my willpower that I could muster. I wanted to give her some space and listen to her voice talk for a bit. Some of the facial expressions Piper made to my former bunkie was hard to take in though, as I couldn't see them for myself.

Based on the turn of events, I heard them pull out chairs and sit, getting ready to play checkers. Piper continued talking, but I didn't want her to get too comfortable and at ease. I needed her to still be alert and serious when I went to talk to her. I needed to get my suspicions confirmed. So I decided now was the best time.

"Poussey move it, I need to talk to Piper," I said walking around the corner towards their game.

"Can't you wait a minute, we are almost done," she said without looking up. It didn't look like Poussey was taking any action in getting up any time soon so I roughly took Piper by the arm with a "lets go" escaping my lips. Taystee had appeared from around the corner to check the commotion.

"Excuse me," Piper said, excusing herself from the game. She still had on a face of shock. I laughed internally because she should've known this was gonna happen.

I walked to a separate table and sat down across from Piper. I removed my glasses from the bridge of my nose and slid them atop my head, an action I did when a serious conversation was about to happen.

"Okay Piper, tell me everything you know about your roommate," I ordered getting straight to the point. I looked straight into her eyes as if to look for the answer in them before she even spoke.

" Alex, I know you always remove your glasses when you want a serious talk but I want you to put them back on, I want you to see me. I want you to see me good," she told me. She took her own hands and placed them on my glasses atop my head and brought them to rest back in front of my eyes. She did this in a sexy way and with a smile upon her face the whole time. God I wanted her bad. "There," she had said.

I was so confused. Was my Piper flirting with me? Here? Now of all places. I could only conclude that she wasn't being serious and that maddened me.

"Piper, now" I growled not meaning to. She got all defensive.

"What the fuck Alex, what the hell has been going on with you, with earlier? with everything? Why did you so direly need to know my roommates last name. God i've literally been shitting bricks here wondering what got you so pissed off," she said her voice a crack from screaming. I had to lie.

I sighed. "Its nothing for you to get concerned about. Its probably all just a misunderstanding anyway. Its just that your roommate reminded me of someone and I needed a last name to confirm it," i said.

"Who did she remind you of?" she questioned interested. I knew she implied it was a girlfriend so I had to dispel that thought from her mind.

"She reminded me of a bully of mine in elementary school. Not what you are thinking. So I need to know. Did she tell you anything about herself? Her past maybe?" I blatantly lied to Pipers face. But I had to protect myself and her in the process.

"She didn't tell me much and ninety-five percent of the time she is hiding like a hermit. What I do know is that she told me her ex was in here with her but she never spoken with her, but she has seen her many times. Alex I don't see how anything ive told you is helping?" Piper asked. She's right. She still didn't provide me with anything to confirm it.

"Is there anything else?" I pressed for more.

"Well she also told me that her ex gave her m&ms for her short form of her name, Em, as a way of being cute. Kind of like the way you first told me I was sweet like chapmans ice cream. She can't stop eating them now. Alex you okay you've turned ashen," she told me. Bile was rising into my throat how could she spill that info to others. My personal way of being dorky. I had found my deciding factor. and now my problems tripled.

"I'm fine. or I think I'll be. piper you didn't tell her about what I told you right, about my ice cream geniousness. That initial contact is very dear to me." i asked afraid.

"No I haven't. But at this point why does it matter we aren't together anymore." she Stated the obvious.

"It matters to me, Pipes," I told her. "Anyway thank you for telling me all you know," I pushed my chair to get up but then I was being held down. Piper had reached across the table and took me by the wrists.

"Alex I have a boyfriend," she blurted out. I was taken aback as if a set of macho hands physically knocked the air out of me. Why did she feel the need to tell me this. This was the type of info ive been trying to avoid. I had told myself that Piper had come here a single woman open to the option of trying again with me, but no. I was so happy me, piper, poussey, taystee, and Sophia were only in this library at the moment. I lost It. Fuck her and her stupid foot in mouth disease.

"Fuck you Piper! I have enough bullshit on my plate to eat, digest and remove permanently from my life you didn't need to add an extra thing to it!" I was enraged and oh it showed. i wanted to punch this girl I loved sitting across from me oh so badly and make up for it later with some hot sex if I got lucky.

"Am I soo at fault here for hoping you would want another shot at love? And what is up with all that flirting just now. HMmm? You left me piper, when it got too tough. I still loved you and I still do Now. You broke my fucking heart you selfish bitch," I confessed, letting it all rush out. "You only cared about being as far away from me as possible, my fucking childhood friend had died I needed you if not at any moment, it was then. You two were my only friends and I lost you both." I writhered out of her hand shackles. I was about to cry.

" Do not Alex for one second mistake that hug i gave you back there as me wanting to get back together. I still strongly believe you threw me into the pool of sharks as a way to get back at me," she told me.

"Fuck you, again. Go find out from your fucking lawyer cause clearly you don't believe me. I never lied to you, ever. You will come back to me apologizing and I won't have it, you'll see." I told her. I could punch a wall.

I turned, got up, and left. Lastly She asked, "why'd you do it?" I responded with the simple finger and walked out.

Piper POV

Well that went well, I thought. I looked over to the checkers table where Taystee and poussey sat watching.

"Damn chapman, I'm not gonna lie I never would've taken you for the lesbian type. You a whole book of surprises," taystee said.

"Do you think I was too harsh on her?" regret filled my voice. She had looked like the moment she found out her friend died.

"Nah not harsh, but you sure did make it clear you never wanted to see her again," Poussey told me.

"Sorry guys, but I need some time to myself." I walked over to the only other girl that was in here and talked to her. I preferred an unfamiliar face right now.

"Hey, I'm Piper," I said.

"And so I've heard," she told me. " I'm Sophia."

" I'm sorry you heard that," I said.

"You don't need to say," she replied.

"so what are you reading there?" i asked. I looked down and read, 'How to act more like a woman' in her hands.

"Just a book." she said.

"yeah but the title is a little weird, shouldn't you already know all this stuff?" I inquired hoping not to sound rude.

"Well no, not if you're a transwoman like myself. I was born a boy biologically. Mentally I'm a girl though." She explain her choice of book.

"oh interesting and that makes sense," was all I could say. She nodded.

Within moments, a correctional officer came in calling for me and dragged me away. I wasn't told what for.

"Damn piper you a storm wherever you go. You got the PoPo on your ass too," Taystee said voice trailing with laughter falling closely behind. I only prayed I wasn't in trouble or worse that Alex was. I couldn't shake the thought away.


A/N- Sorry for the mini cliff hanger guys! Thanks for reading! Feedback= motivation.