Hiding From the Present

Chapter 3

"So how'd the meeting go yesterday?" Edith asked from across their table.

It was lunch time in the prison and the girls sat at their table. All the groups or the friends in the prison had their designated tables and it wasn't a good idea to sit at someone else's table.  Luckily for the girls they were tables of five so they could all sit together. There was about twenty tables in the entire hall. 

The walls were painted a creamy white colour and the tables were all a dark grey colour. Apparently the tables were all round because an inmate got into a fight a few years ago and got their head hit off the corner and died! But nobody seemed to believe that. No windows were in the dining room which meant no one ever saw outside unless you were allowed in the exercise space.

For lunch today it was the same as they had had every lunch for the past two years. Cold mush. A.K.A Cold mash potato with a bit of ham and a glass of water. Sometimes you got fruit as well as a sorta treat every now and then. Charlie used her plastic fork to push her food around her plate. She was sat in between Glinda and Naomi who had already finished what they were eating.

"OK I guess..." Charlie shrugged not looking up.

"Charles...We know your lying. What's up?" Katie asked with a mouthful of food. 

"Do you guys think....Do you guys think that I moved on from Red to Captain too fast?" Charlie questioned looking them all in the eye.

"What do you mean?" Naomi asked putting an arm around her shoulder.

"When I was talking to the psychiatrist yesterday, she mentioned why we cared so much still about Captain and Red because they died two years ago. I told her that they were our best friends and I loved them she...She said if I cared about Red so much why did I move onto Captain so quickly..." Breathing deeply Charlie tried to stop herself from crying.

"That bitch!" Katie muttered shocked.

"Why the hell would she say that though? I mean come on who cares about your relationships that's not why your there is it!" Glinda said waving her arms around.

"But she's right isn't she! Red dies and I moved straight onto Captain like she never existed!" shouted Charlie angry at herself for what she had done.

"Charlie keep your voice down for Christ sake woman!" Edith snapped looking round to see if anyone was paying attention.

"It's  her job. It's what she does. The problem is what she said is right..." Charlie snapped.

Charlie felt someone grab her face and turn her head. It was Naomi. Naomi moved her silver hair out of face and looked Charlie in the eye.

"Right now you listen to me. Yes you started going out with Captain sort of after Red died but so what? It was half a year after Red died wasn't it! We all know that Red would have wanted  you to move on and you did what others can't sometimes. You moved on! And that's what Red wanted. Wasn't it.  So sit up, eat your crap and ignore what that Doctor said to you. It doesn't matter what she says to you because she's not important, it only matters what we say to you because we are important! Understand?" Naomi said sternly still holding Charlies face.

Charlie nodded and smiled. She lent over to Naomi and hugged her tightly. She smiled when she felt Naomi rubbing her back. The way she did when Charlie woke up from a nightmare and she needed comforting. Her thoughts had cleared until she heard clapping. Jumping back her happy mood flew out the no existent window when she saw who it was. Noel stood there clapping sarcastically with her favorite cronin Michel Barrassment.

"Aww well ain't this sweet, eh? Look at you Charlie on the pull again." Noel laughed.

"Piss off Noel!" Katie stood up. Her face had pissed off written all over it.

"Oh! And what are you going to do Katie?" Michel laughed. Michel was a tall woman and easily towered over the teens. She liked to think she had control over them and other people in the prison. Katie was the only one who ever stood up to her.

"Jee I don't know Michel! Let's just say you might want to crawl back under your rock before you embarrass yourself." Katie walked over to Michel and smirked.

"Me? Embarrass myself? Are you being serious right now bitch?" Michel asked glaring into Katie's eyes.

"Kate leave it..." Glinda mumbled behind Katie.

"Well yeah Michel. Embarrass yourself. Even your parents must have known you were an embarrassment since that's what they called you!" Katie laughed.

"What you on about?" Noel asked curiously.

"Well let's think about your name, shall we? Michel Barrassment... So I guess your initials are M. Barrassment yeah? Sounds to me a lot like embarrassment don't you think Michel?" Katie asked sarcastically.

"You little shit!" Michel shouted.

Grabbing Katie's bun Michel pulled her away from the table and into the middle of the room. She swung her fist at Katie's nose and laughed when she heard a loud crack. Katie stumbled back on the floor, clutching her  bleeding nose. before she could move out the way Michel kicked her hard in the stomach. Her hair was grabbed again and she was pulled to her feet. Sharply Katie flung her fist in the direction of Michel. 

She groaned when it was caught mid punch in her victims fist. Grinning Barrassment twisted Katie's arm, pulling it from it's shoulder socket and threw another punch in her face. Falling to the ground Katie lay their coughing her lungs up. A scream escaped her throat as a chair was brought down hard on her back.

 No guards came to Katie's rescue as she was pulled up again and punch in the eye. This time instead of falling back down Katie hit her tormentor hard in the stomach with her none dislocated arm. She smiled as Michel toppled back in surprise. 

"Katie move!" Edith shouted from across the room.

Turning Katie looked to see Noel coming up behind her. Noel grabbed her arms and turned her round to face Michel sharply. Katie groaned in pain as she was repeatedly punched in the stomach and the face by Michel. She didn't stop until guards came to prize Michel and Noel off her, leaving her to collapse to the floor. She lay shaking as her friends rushed over to help.

"What's my name Katie?" Michel shouted across the room.

"...Embarrassment!..." Katie shouted back hoarsely. She watched as Michel and Noel slid their thumbs across their throats at her before her world turned black...