Lines // hemmings

Chapter 8

LUKE

To Luke,

I don’t have any book recommendations since the only books I read are probably too girly for you. But then again you read Kidz so… J I’m only messing with you! I wrote down a few titles on the back of this paper and I hope you’ll find some of them readworthy. Is that even a word? Word underlines it but I’m going to keep it there. It’s quite a cool word, ‘readworhy’. Do you know any other cool words? I mean, considering you read a lot, I take it you learn a few words from the books? My favorite word is ‘brilliant’. There’s just something about that word. Even though I barely use it, I feel myself relax every time someone else does…

The letter continues the same way, her rambling on about something that happened to her but I don’t mind her rambling. It’s nice to have someone who talks to you. Well, not talks but communicates with you in some way and seems like they care.

She doesn’t send a picture of her and I was a bit disappointed about it at first. Looks really shouldn’t matter but I don’t know for how long I can keep up with this imagining thing. If I could draw, like her and her friend Calum, who she speaks a lot about including in this letter, I would draw my own face and send it to her. Then maybe she would send me a photo or a drawing of her, back to me. I’d really like that. 

When I head to the library, I’m met by a smile from Mrs. Wilson but when she doesn’t look away and her smile just continues to grow, I carefully make my way over to her. 

“Did something happen, Mrs. Wilson? Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“Because,” she starts. “I spoke with Mr. Conway and he just informed that you will start working here tomorrow!"

I stare at her, trying to take in her words. Is she for real? Did Mr. Conway really let me work here?

“Are you being serious?”

She nods, her smile having toned down a little but it’s still warm.

“He wants me to go through the rules but there must be a guard with you the first week, just for safety reasons. You know how it is.”

“Of course. Thank you so much. I would hug you if I could,” I half smile at the grey haired woman in front of me who chuckles lightly.

“I’m sure you would,” she says. “If I were you, I’d make the best out of work today considering it’s your last day there and try not to complain that much.”

I keep her words in my mind as I after lunch head to the basement together with Evan Evans and a few other inmates for our work. Ashton wanted me at the gym but when I told him about my new job, he mumbled something about boredom and hell, but deep inside I think he’s happy for me. I’ve complained about laundry ever since I was transferred there from the mailroom. Not that the mailroom was boring, it was just that I never got any mails and I didn’t wanted to be reminded of that every day so I caused a little scene and laundry was where I was brought after a punch or two. 

“Hemmings, oh Hemmings. I heard it was your last day today. Care to tell us?” Ryan, one of the newest inmates, says as he throws me a handful of dirty sheets. He’s a few years older than me and I notice a scar leaping from his left eye down his cheek. 

I shrug and put them in the washing machine, throw in some laundry detergent and turn it on. At first it’s all quiet but then the clothing starts going round and round, making small thumps as it hits the walls. I’m used to the other sounds as well; all the beeping noises, the thumps as if someone’s left a rock in their pocket even though we’re not allowed to have things like that, and the sound of filled bags of dirty laundry being dragged over the floor.

“I heard you rather stay in the book jail than here. Is that true? Do you rather be stuck with nerds than with us?” Ryan takes a step towards me, his eyes like daggers. “We’re your friends, Hemmings.”

I gulp and take a step backwards, hitting the washing machine that makes another thump. The scar on Ryan’s face, along with the intensity in his light blue eyes, makes me nauseous. Ever since I first saw him about a month ago, I’ve had a bad feeling about him. And not because of his appearance, but because of the rumors about him and the way his S’s sounds. Like a cold shiver through your back.

“Aren’t we friends?” He raises an eyebrow and swings an arm around my shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.

I look around but none of the guards are paying attention to us.

“Y-yes we’re fr-friends,” I stutter.

“Aw, did you hear that boys? Hemmings and I are fr-friends,” he mocks and I hear a few laughs around me. “I also heard you were the one who told off Cassidy. Now, why would you do that fr-friend?”

His arm around my shoulder tenses and moves further and further up, tighter around my neck. I lift my hands to remove his arm but he beats them down.

“I-I haven’t. I’d ne-never do that,” I say, feeling the limitation of air.

“Oh, I bet you would. You’re such a suck up, Hemmings. Anything to get out of here.”

By the time he says those last few words I’ve concentrate all the power that I have left to my right hand, clenched my fist and throw a punch at Ryan who stumbles backwards to the side, dragging me with him. The arm he held me with loosens and as I try to stand up, he pulls me back down and returns the favor. His left fist connects with my jaw and I feel the taste of blood in my mouth. Something snaps and my tongue finds a hole in my row of teeth.

Just when I’m about to receive another punch, Ryan is pulled off of me by two guards in black, a baton hitting his legs and he’s brought down to his knees. Blood is dripping from his nose and his smile is red. Another two strong arms lift me up and drag me with them out of the laundry room, with people shouting, cheering and staring at us.

“Aye, get back to work. Somebody clean this mess up!” I hear someone shout before the door closes behind me and the silence hits us again.

“This is the second time you are here this week, Mr. Mill and…” I hear a voice, sounding like Mr. Conway but I can’t be sure since I’ve begun to zone out. 

I’ve gotten a towel to stop the bleeding from the open wound on my jaw but I don’t think that is enough. I continue to spit blood everywhere and as I look down on the polished floor, all I see is a giant red pool of liquid from underneath the chair I am sitting in. And in the middle of this pool, I notice a white red covered piece. Probably my lost tooth.

I feel my head starts feeling heavy and I close my eyes for a second. But next time I open them I’m no longer in Mr. Conway’s office. I’m lying down on a bed with tubes going in and out my mouth. I blink a couple of times because of the sharp light and start to look around. Probably the doctor’s as I see someone with a white lab coat through the window. I try to raise my hand but is stopped by a metal ring around my arm and as I try to reach it again, I realize I’m being cuffed up. I look down my legs and see that they’re cuffed up too. Yeah as if I was going to run away when I can’t even feel my own face and my back is hurting too much.

I close my eyes again after trying to get the white coat’s attention but having failed miserably. Next time I open them, I’m back in my cell with a beating drum in my head.

-

Luke, oh Luke. Don't get in trouble mate. You've already done enough...

Affection (my other book) hit 50 K reads!!! So thank you to everyone who has read it and if you haven't, you should ;) ;) ;) and this is superclose to 1000 !! Crazy :D