Innocent (Lams prison au)

12

John sat in the yard at a table with Laf and Herc, his leg jigging in a nervous tick.
He wrote Alex as guilty.
Why did he do that?

Sure, Alex loved his cousin, but never once did he say 'I didn't kill him'. It was always 'I'm innocent' this and 'I'm innocent' that. What if Alex killed him because he loved him, innocent intentions? That was John's mindset. He declared in his lag that Alex couldn't have killed his cousin for the sole purpose of killing him. He didn't want to believe he killed him. But he did kill him.

How would Alex react when he found out it was John's lag that made the final determination of his sentence? He would be disappointed, but happy to still be with John, right?

No, he'd never speak to you ever again and would probably hand you over to Levi on a silver platter. You're his prison boy toy to get his mind off the murder. You're not special.

Or maybe his lag had been completely dismissed and Alex was declared innocent after all, in which case John would probably never see Alex again.

John buried his head in his arms, trying to clear it of the intrusive images of Levi acting up. He felt a large hand rest on his shoulder and looked up to see Herc's sad smile.
"You doin' okay?" He asked just above a whisper, Lafayette turning to join the conversation.
John nodded weakly, shoving his face back into his arms.

"Assholes and Gentlemen," an obnoxious voice yelled out over the yard. John lazily lifted his head, letting his eyes peek out over his arms. Jefferson stood centre stage, the dark grey clouds above the yard making him look just that little bit more menacing. "My time in prison comes to an end tomorrow," Thomas announced, earning a few hollers of varying emotions from the inmates, some joyful and some disappointed.
"-and in my final hours as top dog I would like you all to thank me for being such a generous leader," Thomas laughed with a bow.

Thomas' crew and a few others crowded around him, punching him playfully and congratulating him on his sentence ending. What people were forgetting was that tomorrow someone new had to step up to the challenge of top dog.

Of course, you can't just stand up and say 'I want to be in charge'.
The inmates have to choose you, not through physical vote, just an unspoken trust and respect that gradually forms around one inmate. The prison staff have no say in who is top dog, they simply encouraged Thomas being in charge because he made sure their prison was drug, alcohol and weapon free. Everyone was intrigued to see who stood up to be the next top dog.

John scanned the yard, his audit studying any possible candidates.

James Madison was slung under Jefferson's arm. He could possibly rise to the challenge, and he'd be supported by all the inmates, he was a nice guy.

Charles Lee would surely dive for the position, but after word of his affair with Officer Seabury getting out among the inmates, it didn't look like he'd be getting much support.

George Frederick had been eying the prison-yard throne for quite some time, he would have supporters but honestly belonged in the looney-bin not prison.

Levi Weeks, John didn't want to go there. If said sex offender did become top dog, which was highly unlikely, John would be fucked. The most horrific part? Literally fucked.

Aaron Burr had been waiting a significant amount of years to pounce, John knew this from Alex, but he wasn't sure if Burr would receive the support he needed to get the position.