Sentenced Soulmates (Flaritza)

M&M's and M&M

The corridors outside suddenly flood with inmates. Loud voices shout across at each other and an endless stream of legs bellow out foot steps that echo into our room.

"All right ladies, that means diner time." DeMarco begins doing up her boots. Nicky, Suzanne, Miss Rosa and I do the same. "You'll have about half an hour to eat, make the most with the time you have to meet your kind."

As we take a step outside and join the rest of the inmates, Nicky catches up with DeMarco for some last minute advice. "Who'd you say I should talk to?"

"Talk to Red if you get the chance to. You're tough enough to handle her. Fall back on Morello if you feel intimidated." Nicky nods and rubs her hands, pumping herself up to step foot in the cafeteria. "Though I got a feeling you'll want to fall back on her even if you're fine with Red..." She gives DeMarco a smirk and wink and speed walks towards the growing noise.

"Umm."

DeMarco and I look behind us, finding Suzanne poking her back.

"You want help too?"

Her bashful smile is sweet and DeMarco takes her under her wing. "You're gonna want to talk to Jefferson, they call her Taystee. They're all loud. I mean, I couldn't keep up. Just be yourself okay?"

Suzanne smiles again. "Yes, thank you. I will."

With all three of us new prisoners heading off into different groups, my stomach quickly drops. Nicky is easy to talk to, a little forward, but I take her as more playful than anything. Warren, who I now know as Suzanne, is... something. But she's no threat or nothing, just different.
Neither DeMarco or Miss Rosa sits with the Latina's, even if they both qualify. So I'll have to go at it alone. Wait in line, get my food, then walk over to a group of faces who don't even know I exist.

"You alright kid?" 

I look over at DeMarco, her friendly and now familiar face easing my nerves a little bit. "Yeah... I think I need some food to settle my stomach."

She smiles and pats my back. "Remember, Gloria can show you the ropes. You'll get to know the rest soon enough."

A final breath is let out before the busy corridor spreads out into an even busier canteen. An impressive queue runs around the room as guards stand watch. Diner has hardly started and already over half of the seats are taken.

I join the line with Miss Rosa in front of me and DeMarco behind. That's when the whispering around me starts.

I'd almost forgot I had a bright, orange shirt and bottoms on that don't help you from laying low when everything around you is a shade of off white or beige.
Like vultures, eyes scan me, assessing what they could be up against. Though I doubt a 5"2 Latina would do them much harm. Especially when they've got people to back them up.

The line moves along quick but the subject about me, Nicky and Suzanne doesn't stop amongst the inmates.

"Don't listen to what anybody says around here. You can't trust them unless they're your people."

I give my tray to the canteen staff who start piling it up with food. 

"Does that mean I should stop listening to you?" I jokingly answer DeMarco as a sweet, older lady hands me back my tray which now holds rice and what looks like chicken. And veggies too. The food don't look that bad.

"Miss Rosa and I are the only ones you can trust." I watch as Miss Rosa generously hands me her fruit cup, eyes facing the front of the queue. "Now walk down that way and sit opposite that lady with short hair."

"Thank you DeMarco. And Miss Rosa." Both give me small smiles before I start walking down rows and rows of nearly full tables. 

The Latina's come into sight. Most of them are animatedly talking to one another and a lot are much older. Except for one.
She sits at the far end of the table, watching me as I get closer. Her hands rest under her chin as her eyes relentlessly follow me, even from this far away.
I smile back. That's probably Flaca that DeMarco was telling me about. She smiles back too. It growing wider as I approach the table.