Prison Chic #1st book of the Chics series (EDITING)

Chapter 7

Joan sat up right on the bed, and started rubbing his eyes. "Say that again, and I'll punch you in the your nose and make it more ugly." He said to Hank.  

"So, you were bullied yesterday?" Joan asked cautiously, and before Hank could answer, a large man appeared in front of their closed bar and shouted "Hank Morales!"  

"Here!" Hank answered the man. 

"Joan Cage!" 

"H.. Here!" 

"Cage, off the bed. NOW!" The guard shouted after he banged their bars with his wooden stick. 

"Okay, I’m up. Geez!" Joan jumped of his bed and started scratching the back of his head.

The guards moved to the next cell and called "Julian Drake, Isaac Jefferson!" Hank's heart jumped at those names. It always did, every morning and every night.  

"So, about your question," he turned to Joan and continued, "I don't want to be seen with you, so, you are on your own."

He brushed by Joan's side and went back to his daily routine. He doesn't need friends, he said to himself. He never deserved one in the first place.

He only heard Joan said "fine." It wasn't an angry respond. More like he didn't care. Oh, right, he didn't. Or probably it was what Joan confessed to him yesterday: he didn't need friends. Well, so did he.

Joanna was furious. But she will not lose her temper. Not today and not at Hank. The poor guy must've been through shit because of her. He was only smart for doing this, she thought. Nothing good will come out of her friendship. 

She started readying herself. She put on her jumpsuit and washed her face in the small basin next to the toilet seat. Trying to avoid Hank as much as she could, she climbed up the ladder to her bed again.

She lay to her side facing the wall. God, she was so tiered. She couldn't sleep well last night because of the close roof issue. Every time she closed her eyes and fell asleep, she'd wake up again gasping for air.

She'll need to get used to it if she wanted to sleep through out the next year. Who knows? Maybe she'll finally get rid of her claustrophobic issue. Then she'll have to deal with the other hundred and something issues.

She tried to focus on the heating system noise instead of the guard's loud shouts as he called out names of different prisoners. If he was going to each room to check on prisoners, he could keep his voice just a little bit lower, couldn't he?

Eventually the shouting won over the heating system and Joanna sat up on her bed. An addition to being tiered, she was also hungry. She wanted time to struck seven o’clock more than anything now. And the awkward air between her and her cellmate wasn't helping.

After another half hour of shouting names and increasing noises from the cells, a buzz sound struck, and the cell bars opened. And the railways exploded with men.

Hank got out first leaving Joan behind. He was used to walking alone in these halls. Nothing had to change. Heading toward the food hall between the crowds, he passed the gate and started his damn daily routines.

As hungry as she was, Joanna wasn't eager to run to food like Slinky did. She needed to stay back and use the toilet without his presence.

She closed the curtain around the toilet seat, and sat down. It was scarier to do than just thinking about it. What if someone came and sneaked a look.

As if trying to prepare for it, She hunched forward. Now if someone happened to see, she'd only look like she was having stomach troubles or something.

By the time she got out of the cell, the others cells were empty and a few people were still in the hall downstairs moving to the food hall. Joanna moved toward the stairs and descended and went straight to the food hall. Her stomach was getting noisy.

Looking around, Julian grew frustrated. The new boy, Joan wasn't here yet.

He saw Hank leaving his cell earlier and assumed they left together, but just a while ago, he saw him in one of the tables alone, finishing his food like a hungry hulk. Joan wasn't with him.

Could that slinky have ditched him? Julian wasn't surprise. After all, it was something Hank would do.

Sighing audibly, he sat with his tray on the table Isaac had been on before him.

"Why are you pouting?" Isaac asked over the rim of his cup of coffee.

"He's not here!" Julian wallowed in a childish tone.

"Who??" Isaac put his cup down.

"The newbie." Julian started nibbling through his sausages and egg plate. Didn't they have sausages yesterday too? "I hate the smell of eggs in the morning." Julian whined. "I want Cheerios with Honey. And a P&J sandwich."

He lowered his head down on the table and looked up at his friend with puppy eyes.

"Stop being a baby, man. You're pathetic." His friend said and took a large bite of his dry bread.

"Isaac, I want to get out of here, I’m too pretty for prison." Julian continued whining. "Yeah, right. That's why no one dare to take a step towards you anymore."

Isaac said sarcastically. "And Oh my God, are we going to discuss this everyday?" He threw his hands up in exasperation. 

"Just once everyday." Julian smiled cheaply, still keeping his head on the table. "I keep thinking maybe one day you'd be able to get me out." 

"You know I can't do that. I’m here with you as you can see." Isaac said and returned his attention to the food in front of him. 

Julian chucked softly. "What?" Isaac asked through the food in his mouth.  

"I think I found a way." Julian lifted his head up from the table. And smiled his famous devilish smile. "I just need to solve a riddle or two first."

He was looking at something beyond Isaac's shoulder. Isaac seemed oblivious to where Julian's attention went, so he just said, "and you just love to do that, don't you?" 

Oh, yeah. He did.

He could see Joan from here, all cute and indifferent, coming through the gate. He was sure Joan was harboring a dangerous secret.

A secret that would get him out of here. And Julian was already plotting his plan.

P.s. to readers:

Hellooooo. I finished editing this chap at last. hope there are no more mistakes.

enjoy and comment. Vote if you like pls.

Love,

Red.