The Other Side

#20 Cargo

I walked into the kitchen which was a mess. I actually believed that our meals came from here. Disgusting food from an awful kitchen makes sense after all.

I often skipped meals but Max made me eat most. It was a form of torture in its purest.

The nine other people in my group had started on the dishes and drying. That took three. Another two were wiping the tables and benches. Two more were taking out the garbage which there was a lot of and the last two were putting away clean dishes.

That left me with putting bin bags into bins.

I grab a black roll you bin liners, the all round spray and paper towel. I put liners in the bins then spray and wipe the top of each bin.

I put my cleaning supplies away after doing every bin on campus but I tuck some extra bin bags into my hoodie.

After this was lunch which we had prepared edible food for everyone as part of kitchen duty. Salad sandwiches with as fresher salad as we could dig out in this hell hole of a kitchen.

I grab mine and Tori's and meet her at the lonely back table that was hidden in the corner of the room. It's where she normally sat but her only friend in this jail had left too so I would be taking her place.

"Done" she nods without me having to ask "lunch, now please, I'm starving"

"Your welcome and thank you" I slide into a seat across from her start my lunch which was the most edible one I have during my three weeks. And probably my last.

Tori and I sat in silence and appreciated our meal when the gardening group came in breaking the silence.

I ignored it but a few minutes later a tray dropped next to mine and I stopped mid bite.

I turn to Eli "lost?" I question as I glare at his roll that he took a bite of.

"I did what you said" Eli says surprisingly after emptying his mouth "now return my part of the deal tonight or your dead"

"That's if you can find me, murder boy. But I Sophie Newman keep my promises"

"No jokes. And I now where the Other Side is if you let me down. It takes half a brain to work out that you live in the poor side of town. But not all of it only on the side of it that is always alive with movement. The other people family's stay quiet or move away"

"Smart boy" I say bluntly "but then again apparently you only need half a brain"

"I'm not kidding Sophie. Whether Max is there or not I'll cause you pain..."

"Look Eli. I am escaping here one way or another. If I promised to take you then you will escape. That's final"

I turn back to my sandwich and ignore Tori and Eli the rest of lunch.

After I had finished I stood up and excuses myself without a word.

I handed Eli and Tori a big bag each before walking off. I heard Eli asking Tori what if was for and Tori replying by hitting him.

I reached my room as mid afternoon strolled in. The clock in the hall said it was 3:24. I had plenty of time.

I grabbed my draw full of three outfits and stuffed them into my rubbish bag before attempting shut the draw quietly. This task was harder then I thought it would be.

I was surprised to say that not one person had caught on to what I was doing.

This jail really was full of brain dead girl-scouts. I snicker as I walk to the end of my bed and run my hand under the fitted sheet.

I feel a sting and grab the small silver object between my bleeding fingers.

That small sewing needle that I had left in my shorts the day David was suspended. It would come to great use.

*~*~*

After tea everyone was locked in their cells. I skipped tea and Ben didn't ask question because this was my normal behaviour towards 'mystery' foods.

As he stopped by my cell to lock the door he spoke to me for the first time today "Finding it ok without your boyfriend?"

"Just fine" I say between clenched teeth. Who knows why. Max really was my boyfriend so it wasn't that. It must have been the fact that Ben was making fun of our kiss the other night.

"Good. Wouldn't want you terrorising other prisoners" he clicked the door locked and waited a second for a reply.

"I'm not like that at all Ben and you know it. Wow, you actually succeeded in understanding the complexity that is me, Sophie Newma... Bake... Bro... whatever" I say while looking piercingly at the bars that kept me locked in this cell.

"Only just scratching the surface" he tips his cap and walks into the office.

I realised in that moment, because of a heaviness that came suddenly to my heart, that I wanted someone to work me out. I needed an escape from the world around me. Someone i could be my true self around. But it couldn't be Benjamin. He would be nothin to me after tonight.