Page 42 of Rat

“Hey…”

Rory glanced up at Ollie’s voice. “Hey.”

“What did your lawyer say?”

“Nothing much. Are you all right?”

“Not really.” He sat down and curled forward. “I’m a horrible person.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Did youseeTeddy?”

Rory lowered his gaze. “You didn’t know he’d react like that. It’s your cell too, and if you weren’t comfortable with them there, you had a right to say so.”

“He knocked that officer out, and he got himself ten days in the segregation unit.”

Rory clutched Ollie’s knee. “Look, he’s not going to hurt you. Sebastian said he’s not like that, and I believe him. It’ll be okay.”

“I’m not worried about him hurting me.”

“Then what?”

“When you went up to your cell, they handcuffed him and got him off the floor. I looked at his face, and he looked devastated. He was crying.”

Rory saw the tears in Ollie’s eyes. “You didn’t know those maggots meant that much to him.”

“When I got convicted, I was terrified of going to prison. Knew I had nine years of pain and humiliation in store, and when we first walked in, I saw how some of the men looked at me. Fresh meat that they couldn’t wait to get their hands and whatever else on. But they won’t cross Teddy, and he hasn’t done anything to hurt me. He’s been nothing but nice, and that’s how I repaid him. I took something from him and made him sad. I hurt him.”

“You didn’t know.”

“You’ve got to help me make this right,” Ollie mumbled.

“How?”

“We’ve got to find more maggots.”

“What?” Rory blurted.

“That’s the only way I can make it up to him.”

“I’m not going to go searching for maggots.”

“Please, Rory.”

“No way.”

Ollie glanced around. “I just need you to keep a lookout.”

“While you do what?”

“Go through the bins.”

He gestured to the two green barrels at the edge of the yard. Leftover food scraps were put into them each day by the kitcheninmates, and they were collected every two days. The smell was a health hazard, and when the wind blew from their direction, only the hardiest inmates stayed outside.

“You screamed at the thought of touching a maggot the other day.”

“I know, they make me feel sick, but for Teddy, I’ll get some.”

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