Princess -Janae Watson-OITNB

2

    My left thumb nervously taps the beige tray in my hands while I look over the dining hall. Where the hell is she? Of course, my older sister has to be the person who's half a foot tall in a room full of tall women. My eyes scan the table, looking for her bald head at one of the many metal tables around the room. A small sigh comes from my right and a cold hand wraps around my arm, "There's a nice white lady sitting over there." My eyes move to the woman, she was tiny, almost squirrel-like in an odd way. "Oh no, I'm actually looking for someone she's just," I pause, "shes's really small." The woman raises an eyebrow at me, her eyes scanning my name tag, "Are you looking for-" "Brielle!"  Her question is cut off by an all too familiar laugh. "There she is, sorry if I caused you any trouble," my words come out quickly as I turn on my heel to face the direction of the voice.

       My speed is definitely faster than the COs would probably want but at this point I don't care. It's been two years since I was able to have a meal with Poussey, and yeah, this one isn't going to be the best lunch we've ever had but it's lunch with her. "Hey Kid!" I allow her to remove the tray frommy hands and sit it down beside her own, soon feeling her tiny arms wrap around me. "I missed you, so much." "I missed you too, Kid. I'm still mad at you though, what the hell are you doing here," Poussey's soft voice was so quickly replaced with a motherly one. Often when I was young I felt like I had two mom's if she joined in to heckle me if I got caught doing something behind our parent's backs. I walk around her, falling in front of my tray, "Well P, would you believe that I just really missed you?" "Brielle, what did you do?" Her question comes out as a groan as she falls into the seat beside me. "Armed robbery, but if it makes you feel better I wasn't holding the gun at any point Poussey, I swear to you." "You promised me that you would stay out of trouble, you promised Mom," she groans in that slightly annoyed- slightly worried way that only an older sister could, "Please tell me it wasn't your idea." 

     "It wasn't. Poussey, I swear to you. She told me if I didn't-" Poussey cuts me off, "Amelia?" I nod, looking at the dull colored food to avoid meeting her gaze. I really thought she would hold her older sister speech until we were alone? What an idiot. "I never liked her, I told you not to get involved with her. Was she high too?" I nod once again, scared to meet her eyes. Not that I'm scared of her, Poussey would never hurt someone she cares about, but God does she hate Amelia. "P, leave the poor girl alone and tell us who the hell she is," a girl across from Poussey scoffs. I look her over, a head full of curls and so much life in her eyes. "Taystee, you know my little sister I'm always telling you about? Brielle?" "Oh, this is her? She's taller than I thought she was going to be," she turns to me, an excited smile stretched across her face, "Poussey talks about you all the time." "Wait! You're the Taystee? Poussey tells us stories about you all the time It's so great to meet you!" 

       "You have a white sister?" This voice comes from the girl from the van. I hadn't even noticed that she was in front of me. "Yeah, Brielle, this is Janae," Poussey's voice had lost the parental tone as she introduces me to the short haired girl before me. "Yeah, I met her on the way up here, right Bluebird?"Janae smirks at me across the table, holding eye contact with me as she speaks. "Yeah, she was in front of me one the van,"I nod as I speak, "It's great to get a first name to match your last."  "Likewise," She hums the words out, turning to the rest of the table now and away from me. "She's got a grumpy little vibe to her, doesn't she," Poussey whispers into my ear. I let out the smallest giggle I could, nodding at her comment. "Don't fall in love with her, you have a thing for the grumpy type," She chuckles. I shove Poussey's shoulder over causing her to laugh. "Oh shut up." 

  -----

     I lay on the bed, staring up at the metal of the top bunk. Watson sits above me, I can see her legs swinging in my peripheral vision. The rest of the room lays sleeping, sending the area into a silent eerie vibe. I can't sleep in this room, I'm too used to the sound of snoring. A shakey breath comes from the bed above me.  Is Janae crying? Should I say something if she is? The swinging of her legs stops and I watch as she slowly pulls them up. The metal creaks above me and soon is followed by a whimper. I should say something, damn it, I finally got comfortable. Slowly I slide out of the bed, "Hey Janae?" When I look at her, she's clutching her knees, head leaning against the wall. "I'm good. You don't need to worry about me I'm fine," her words fly out quickly and embarrassed as she tries to make herself look less broken. 

     "Do you mind if I come up?" She scrunched up her brows as she stares at me. "You don't have to say yes, you just seem like you need someone and I can't sleep anyway so," I ramble, playing with my fingers and trying not to meet her eyes. She sighs, "You're not required to be nice to me because your parents were white saviors. I'm not fixable or whatever you're thinking right now." Watson pulls her pillow against her chest as she speaks, looking anywhere but at me. "Actually, you reminded me of myself the night that the Washington's adopted me but I won't bother you if that's what you want," I turn to get back in my bunk but she speaks up again. "Wait, can you actually get up here with me?" I smirk slightly, pulling myself up onto her bed. She lays her head on my shoulder, "If anyone ever asks you, this didn't happen." I laugh softly, "Janae, this is just your first night, no one is going to judge you for crying." "You're right, because you aren't going to tell anybody." I sigh, sliding an arm around her waist as she lets out another shakey breath, "You're right, I'm not."