Page 7 of Fragments
“It’s fine. It wasn’t just you,” I huff. “Cooper was being a bigger rapist than usual last night.”
“Yea, I heard,” Kang grunts, shaking his head. “I feel bad for Simmons’s asshole.”
“He liked it.” A new voice joins our conversation.
And my eyes lift slowly, finding the familiar sky-blue gaze right on mine. As usual.
He looks at me more than anything else.
“You’d know,” O’Malley says to Ren, smirking.
Ren weasels in between the other bodies to get closer to me. I back up. “Morning, Lex.”
“Mhm,” I grunt, refusing to make eye contact.
“You look tired.” His voice is suddenly quieter, and that gets me. I peek at him. “Are you alright? You’re not getting sick, are you? There’s something going around…”
No, there isn’t.
“I’m fine, Ren,” I cut him off on a growl as Joy brings us through a door, meeting up with one of the other guards, Hancock, who’s herding more inmates from a different row. “Leave it alone.”
“Tell me who’s been keeping you awake,” he hisses, tone taking on a stern darkness. “I’ll fuck ’em up.”
My lip quirks, but I force it away. “You might have to fuck yourself up, then.” I glance at him. “Since you’re partially responsible.”
He lets out one of his bright-white, charming smirks. “Dreaming about me?”
“You wish,” I rumble.
Joy and Hancock bring the group of us through the long, dingy corridors until we reach the cafeteria, where we’re met by Velle, akaJohn Chevelle—the head asshole in charge—and the newest guard, Harley Samuels, whom everyone refers to asRook, already posted up inside.
We wander together up to the chow line, grabbing our trays in bored silence. It’s the breakfast mood. Showers first is the ideal schedule, because the lukewarm water wakes you up. That said, we’re allhungry.
Hunger is a permanent symptom here in Alabaster Pen.
Only three of us shuffle to our usual table by the wall, my gaze searching for the missing fourth. Ren is whispering something to Rook by the door, and when he’s done, he struts over to join us. I squint at him, but choose to ignore it, taking a seat next to Kang. Ren plops down across from me, frowning. I ignore that too.
He always either sits next to me or across from me, crowding me with his insistence. But I’d prefer to have him across, rather than constantly trying to wedge his body closer and closer to mine.
He’s fucking insufferable.
Eyes falling to the dry Egg Beaters and stale bread, I fork a bite and lift it to my mouth. It’s bland as fuck, as usual. No salt, no flavor.
I’d kill for one of my mom’s fancy omelets right about now.
Chewing and swallowing, I imagine that’s what I’m eating. My mind tries to fool itself into thinking this is good; that I can taste the sweetness of caramelized onions, the crunch of the broccolini, the tang of feta cheese… the creaminess of the avocado.God, the avocado.
I’m a Cali boy. I miss my ’cados.
“Yo, Ren…” Kang’s voice interrupts my drooling memories. “You think you can get another one?”
My eyes close, jaw clenching as I shake my head.
“Uh, no.” Ren’s eyes spring around the room before he lowers his voice. “I can’t believe you got it taken away. What are you?New??”
Kang rubs his face, clearly still remorseful, even weeks later. “It wasn’t my fault. If this asshole hadn’t started shit with Brenner, he never would’ve found it.” He points his thumb in O’Malley’s direction.
“That preck had it comin’,” O’Malley grumbles.
