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Chapter 2

The first two weeks passed at a snail's pace. Every morning I woke to the sound of buzzer signals and shouting guards and every night I cried myself to sleep.

I didn't belong here with the hardened criminals; the rapists, drug dealers and the thieves, I was no murderer yet here I was incarcerated in a box like all the rest. The justice system had failed me like it had so many others and I didn't know how much more of it I could stand.

Two weeks I'd been here and I already felt as if I'd been here for years but that's how it was in prison; eventually you'd get used to it...at least that's what Jerry told me. The only somewhat likeable part of my days was going out into the prison yard, I'd go find a corner and sit down with my novel, so far I had two of them which jerry had sent me; he told me he'd send more.

Other times I simply sat and stared up at the sky, regretful that I hadn't taken the opportunity to enjoy it when I'd been a free man. Now I had to take in whatever I could get whenever the lawmen allowed for it.

The place reminded me of school in some ways; a bell directed us on where to go and at what time, we were detained if we did something wrong, there were the bullies and the cliques and loners. Only, these particular cliques were more like gangs each with a leader and each equally as deadly as the next and unlike school we weren't allowed to run home to our parents at the end of the day.

At the moment I sat with my back against the far wall careful to separate myself from the moving bodies further in. It wasn't a particularly wise move on my part since it made me stand out like a sore thumb but I surmised that the further I was from everyone else then the less likely it would be for me to get myself into trouble.

Jerry of course thought the opposite; he'd urged me to find a 'crew' and stick with them that way I'd be protected, so far I was still searching and so far none of them really interested me...well there was one but I decided that the only reason that particular group interested me was because of one particular member: my cell mate Nathaniel Grayson; the hard-ass who I'd been forced to room with; the man who had yet to utter another word to me since the day I'd arrived. He'd stuck to his bunk and I'd stuck to mine just the way he liked it.

After all this time and after his barefaced warning I was still attracted to him and more than once I found myself watching him, whether it be in the yard, in the mess hall, during clean up or as we lined up to make our way to the showers.

My mind was never far from him and neither was my gaze. I'd tried to tone it down a bit after I'd caught him glancing my way a few times; I couldn't tell if his looks were of contempt, pity or just plain hatred but I figured not getting caught watching him was a good way to go.

Across the yard on the sparse benches provided he sat with his gang seeming deep in conversation with the seven men. I was so engrossed in his features that I didn't even realize that the book I'd been reading had fallen out of my lap and another inmate was standing beside me until he spoke.

"He aint gonna pick you just cause you're his cellie you know." The voice spoke and I froze, my heart pounding as I glanced up to see who it was.

The voice belonged to a 5ft,4" African American with shoulder length black locks and a missing front tooth. He appraised me with a bored expression while chewing on what I imagined to be a stick of gum.

"E-excuse me?"

He cocked his head indicating Nathaniel then looked back at me, "Your cellie, he aint neva gonna invite you in so you should set your sights on somethin else, you know what a mean?"

I didn't and my expression told him as much.

He sighed, "Your cell mate over there aint gonna invite you in so there aint no point in tryin." He said it slowly as if I had some kind of learning disability and I tried not to feel offended.

"Invited where? How about you stop talking in riddles?" I said getting frustrated.

"Alright, first of all my name's Ty, now lemme break it down for ya." He spoke, the turned so that his back was to the wall as well. "So here's how it is, the entire system is made up of crews right?" he questioned and only continued when I nodded.

"Every crew has a boss, over there" he pointed to a large group of guys standing in the middle of the yard, "you got one of the biggest crews in here, run by Demetri but err'body calls him D-fox.

"D-Fox? Really?" I said with a raised eyebrow but he only shook his head and continued.

"Anyway, to get into that crew you gotta kill somebody here but they gotta see you do it and after that, you in. They looking for the toughest guys to join so just one kill as long as it aint by accident or dumb luck and you're in."

"Oookay."

He pointed to another group, smaller than the first but still quite large "Over there you got Monty's crew, they only deal with them white boys you see running round." He said as if he wasn't talking to one of those white boys.

"So if you aint white, you aint getting in, but it's not just about color cause if you don't bring something to the table then they aint letting you in either." He finished and I watched as his mouth curled in disgust.

"Like what?"

"You jus gotta show them that you're useful ." he said vaguely and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Useful how?' I questioned, moving closer so I could hear his words.

"Damn dude, do I gotta spell everything out for you? Just useful, you gotta be useful, aint you got a dictionary or something?" he continued clearly annoyed now so I relented.

"So the group closer to the gate is Joel's crew, they got all kinda guys up in there, thieves, killas, druggies, everything but you're not getting in just by association, know what I mean? One of their members gotta drop out for you to step in." he said looking at me and when he realized I didn't fully understand where he was going with it he took a deep breath and explained.

"You tell Joel you want in, but you gotta kill or seriously injure somebody who's already a member for them to let you in, that way you take their place."

"Wow it's not easy is it?" I said more to myself but he shook his head.

"And over there." He pointed to the wall opposite Joel's crew, "You got the high and mighties, they think their better than the rest of us, just cause they used to me rich on the outside, they got drug lords and shit up in their crew, always getting into things with the white boys."

"So what about people who aren't in crews?" I asked, knowing there was no way I could do the things that would get me accepted by any of the crews he'd mentioned.

"What about them? all I know is they aint safe, they get killed the quickest cause they don't got protection." He emphasized.

"So then we have your cellie Grayson, he the boss of his crew but nobody don't really know much about them boys, Grayson decides who he wants and invites em in, if you aint invited then you aint getting in and in the two years he been here he only invited bout five guys, he came here with the otha two." He finished looking over at the small group and if I could guess I'd say he was envious.

"But they're only eight of them, that makes them the smallest crew then right? They can't be safe really so why doesn't he let more guys in?" was my question to him as my gaze bore into my cell mate and it was as if he sensed my eyes on him because he looked around and his eyes locked with mine, the deep green penetrating my deep browns and igniting sparks sending them trailing down my body to jump start that very happy appendage in my pants.

"They're small but that don't mean they aint resourceful, those guys got some serious weight around here. Aint nobody gonna touch them cause they have a way of getting their hands on stuff that the rest of us can't get to." He said and I forced my gaze away from Nathaniel and onto the man by my side.

"What kinda stuff? Like... drugs?"

"Nah dawg, like this." He said pulling the gum from his mouth and my brow furrowed.

"Gum?"

"No fool, not just gum, like anything, they can get their hands on all the contrabands; snacks, candy, jewelry,mp3 players, everything." He said, his eyes wide with awe.

"So you're saying nobody touches them because they can get candy, food and music players?" I asked skeptically and the guy hissed his teeth.

"Don't be a fool boy, when you in here as long as the rest of us, those things are like heaven on earth, a man will literally kill for a pack a skittles in here you feel me?" he questioned and this time I nodded knowing better than to question his words.

"They're like our own personal supermarket; well they aren't the only ones you can get shit from but they the cheapest. All they want in return is information, you tell them what they wanna know and they give you what you want...easy."

"How do they get the stuff?"

"If I knew that then I wouldn't have no use for them now would I?" he asked, once again looking annoyed and I sighed. "Anyway, that's not the only reason they're safe; they got a good amount of them guards in their back pockets, I think they have some serious cash or something to pull off what they be pullin off all this time."

"But why is it so hard to get in?" I asked again, wanting to know everything I could about the group my cell mate headed.

"I don't know, maybe he only chooses people with links, who knows but anyway, they aint all that, they still get into fights just like the rest of us and their not the only ones with links and guards in their pockets, it's only a matter of time before they get what's coming to em." He finished and I looked away from him once more and over to the group, my heart speeding up in my chest when I caught his eyes still set on me.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking as he stared, his face was as emotionless as a lump of coal but those eyes, if I didn't know better I'd say he could see into my very soul and suddenly I felt vulnerable under his gaze and I looked away once more.

"So...are you in a crew?" I asked carefully, tilting my head so I could see into his face. "Yeah I'm with D-Fox." He said simply and my eyes flashed to his.

"You-you killed somebody?"

"Boy do I look like I can even mash ants?" he asked dramatically and looking at him. Despite his height I surmised that yes, yes he looked like he could do more than mash ants. I chose to remain quiet.

"There are other ways to get into a group, people like us got other...skills that can get us in." he said cryptically and I looked at him trying to figure out what it was that he was getting at.

"We got our own weapons boy...I'm talking bout our bodies, we give em a piece and we're in. which brings me to why I'm over here talkin to you in the first place. Our crew got need for you." He said with a sly smile and I bolted up from my seat, understanding dawned.

"You mean... sex?" I whispered the last word and he chuckled.

"Boy you acting like you aint neva been tapped before, course I'm talkin bout sex, you fresh meat and some of the boys want some a what you got." He said and I watched in horror as he raised his hand and signaled someone from D-Fox's crew. Not a moment later, a big muscular guy with a full sleeve of tats broke off from the group and was making his way over to us.

I pulled back from my companion, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Look I just want to be left alone, I don't need a crew." I told him and he rounded on me, eyes glinting and the smile falling from his face.

"They already chose you boy, you don't get to back out." He said and my hands began to shake causing the book I'd been holding to fall from through me fingers.

"Please, I just want to serve my time, I don't want any trouble." I pleaded and he shook his head, pushing his hands into his pockets as he watched me.

"Boy right now, you better decide whether you wanna give up some ass or lose that ass all together cause you don't got a choice in this no more." He said and I looked from him to the guy approaching us, my heart in my throat and scenarios whirling through my mind like autumn leaves on high wind.

"Well aren't you pretty." The big guy said when he stopped in front of me and I flinched when he raised his hand and grabbed my chin, turning my face this way and that.

"I think we're gonna get along just right, what's your name?" he asked, his voice gravelly.

I could only stare up at him in terror, no sound coming from me.

"Hey Beans, whad'ya think you're doing with our boy?" The man's hand fell from my face and we both looked to the source of the voice.

It was an equally muscular white male, minus any visible tattoos and he had an overall cleaner appearance. He came to a stop in front of the guy called Beans, folding his arms at his chest.

"Your boy?" he asked looking from me to the newcomer in confusion. Then he looked to Ty who shrugged at his silent question.

"Yeah our boy, you might want to let him go now Nate wants to talk business with him." The newcomer continued.

"Since when is he apart of your crew, far as I'm concerned, this here is fair game." Beans said territorially, grabbing hold of my arm but the new comer wasn't having it.

"Nate invited him the first day he got here, so let him go unless you want shit to go down."

"If he's belongs to Grayson then what's he doing standing over here by himself?" Beans questioned with narrowed eyes.

"He has legs doesn't he?"

And after that answer there was a tense silence where both men glared at each other before Beans let me go and shoved me toward the newcomer. I stumbled and managed to come to a stop in front of the guy.

They continued to glare then a heartbeat later, Beans straightened up and stepped away from us, grabbed Ty's arm and pulled him along with him back to the centre of the yard. I bent to pick up my book while taking a shaky breath.

"Come on." The newcomer spoke to me and I followed him surprised when he made his way over to where Nathaniel sat, lowering himself down onto the bench beside my enigmatic cell mate.

When I stood there staring at them the newcomer raised an eyebrow at me then gestured to the empty seat at his right. After only a brief hesitation I moved between the other guys who were seated and sat.

"This won't go down well you know that right? D-Fox won't let this go." The guy sitting beside me said, his gaze on Nathaniel.

"I'm aware of that."My cell mate spoke and I shivered at the sound of his voice. It was just as cold as the day I met him and his eyes drifted over to me but only for a moment and then he was back to surveying the yard.

I looked around at the other guys sitting around but their gazes never steered my way, they seemed to be far more interested in what was going on around them- which wasn't much.

Nathaniel turned from the group and a minute later was in deep conversation with another guy sitting to his left, I couldn't hear what it was that they were saying but from the serious set of the guy's face, I surmised it had to be important.

At one point I opened my mouth to say something but just as quickly I closed it not really sure what it was that I should say and I remained silent for the duration of our yard visit, listening to them speak among themselves about trivial things. All the time Nathaniel had his back turned, deep in conversation with the same bald guy on his left. Not once did anyone utter a word to me.

Later that night just before lights out I lay on my bunk listening to him repeatedly throw and catch the small ball he usually kept on him. He did this every night; to pass the time I assumed and I usually found myself listening to the sound of the rubber ball as it slapped against his palm. It was soothing in some ways; reminding me that I wasn't alone in the little box I now had to call my home.

Thump

Thump

Thump

Ball against flesh, ball against flesh, over and over again. I put down my book and took a deep breath as I prepared to finally say something to him. He was more than a little frightening and I usually felt myself speechless whenever I made the decision to say something to him, but this time I had to know why he'd done what he did today.

"Why did you invite me into your crew?" I spoke, my voice barely audible but I knew he heard me because the rhythmic thumping of ball against flesh ceased and the only thing that could be heard was his even breathing.

He said nothing and a second later the thumping started up again. I let out the breath I'd been holding. I just couldn't understand why he'd invite me, what did I have to offer? It was like Ty said, the only thing I had was... and that's when it hit me.

"If it's sex you want I'm not interested so you might as well kick me out of your crew right now." I spoke without thinking and this time I heard the creak of his bed above and the thumping stopped once more.

"Be careful of the next words that come out of your mouth boy." He finally spoke, that deep manly voice doing things to my libido.

"My name is Riley." I said, just about sick of people calling me 'boy'

Silence

"I just want to know why you chose me, I have nothing to offer, I don't understand."

"Is it that you want to become bedmates with Beans then?" he questioned, the inflection in his voice telling me he was gritting his teeth as he said it.

I took a moment to process this.

"So-so you were trying to help me then?" I asked in disbelief and his silence told me all I needed to know.

As my heart jumped at what this must mean a smile spread across my face and I bit my lip to curb it.

A minute passed where neither of us spoke and taking another deep breath, I whispered; "Thank you."

It was only then that the thumping returned and for the first time since I'd been incarcerated in the hell hole we all knew as prison I felt a strange warmth seep into my chest and my smile widened.

"Lights Out!" the guard shouted and we were plunged into darkness.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

THANKS FOR READING GUYS!

-DoUbLe.A

-unedited.