Chapter 4
The next morning Alex woke up with her jumpsuit on and back on her own bed.
“I just put you back, the guard’s coming soon,” Benga said hearing the springs above him move.
“You still don’t regret anything, do you?” She didn’t regret it. In fact she was quite happy she lost her virginity to him. Many would think she was rushed into it, but the way she saw it is that she would end up losing her virginity before her sentence was up. Probably by force. But she didn’t want that for her first time. She wanted her first at least, to be her choice and with someone she choose.
“No. I had the best sleep ever.” There was a moment of silence, before he spoke again.
“But I thought of something whilst I was dressing you…” He paused.
“What’s wrong?” She asked hanging her head off the edge of the bed and looking at him.
He chuckling before looking serious. “You’re not on any birth-control, right?”
Her mouth opened and closed and her eyes widen, “I didn’t think of that,” She whispered even lower.
“I wanted you to know, no matter happens,” He reached out and touched her upside down face whilst smiling. “I will be there for you.”
“You mean it? You wouldn’t want me to abort it?” She asked surprised.
“Never! I would want the possible child even if we were no longer together.”
“I always wanted children, but I never thought I’d get a chance,” He added as an afterthought.
“You purposely trying to impregnate me, Mr Benga?” She teased.
“No, but now you mention it,” He smirked, “It doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s if I let you touch my turtle and other bits after finding out your plan.”
“We’ll see, but in all seriousness, we can wait to make love again until you find out if you are pregnant or not? That is if you want to do it again.”
“I do,” She answered quickly. “But what about protection?”
“I can try and pull out, but it’s not a hundred percent.”
The familiar sound of the guard’s keys drew their attention.
Alex moved back up and the door opened.
“Good to see your awake.” It was Finnigan, the guard from the first day.
“Morning, officer,” She yawned and climbed off the bunk.
“Morning,” He said in reply and looked to see her cellmate awake.
“You can come and shower too if you want, as long as you keep a safe distance from Rodriguez. That is if it is alright with you?” He asked turning to Alex.
“It’s alright. He already knows what I am. I thought it’s best I tell him.”
“You’re probably right. I am pretty sure most of the prison knows already after watching TV last night.”
**
After showering separately and getting dressed, they left the shower room again just as the others started filtering in.
Many looked at Alex and smiled, they looked like might say something but one threatening look from Benga and they kept silent.
“I think Finnigan was right,” She said as they sat down for breakfast.
“Stay with me and I’ll protect you, Angel,” Benga said squeezing her thigh.
“You know, I have never officially dating anyone,” She admitted.
“Female or male?”
“Both.”
“Well, before I came in here I was a bit of a player. I didn’t date loads of women at the same time or cheat on any women. But I never dated any girl longer a month. And that was in high school,” He confessed.
“But you think this could last longer?”
“I hope so,” He sounded honest.
“How long you got left to serve? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I was sentenced to eighteen years. I was at a bar, a guy randomly started a fight with me, I tried to calm him so I didn’t have to fight. But he came at me with a broken glass,” He explained to her. “I swear, I only punched him once, enough to knock him down. But the police came and arrested me the next day. Apparently the punch he caused a bleed on his brain. He died. I was charged with accidental manslaughter, but still got me eighteen years. Less with good behaviour.” He smiled, “And I am a very good boy, so who knows…”
“I got a year, six months with good behaviour. But if Gus has anything to do with it, I expect the longer.” Seeing his confused expression she explained, “He’s my stalker I beat up. His family have money and they know people.” They were still eating their breakfast when others started to come in.
“The girls told me yesterday, he’s been around the house, trying to get them to talk me into seeing him.”
“Why?” Benga asked with a hard look.
“He is insane.” She looked to see people joining their table.
“I’ll explain later.”
He nodded his head, letting her know it was alright.
“Mail,” A guard called and began handing letters out.
They were all open, having been read for any unwanted material. But everyone expected it, so said nothing.
“Hey Sam, Turtle girl,” Sid smirked joining the table with Cook not far behind.
“Hello idiot,” Benga mumbled eating.
“Hi,” Alex said too.
“So… Anyone said anything to you? You know they know, right?” Sid said almost excited. “It was all over the TV and papers.”
“We guessed, but no one said anything.”
“I think they are scared of Sammy’s death glares,” She told them.
“Sammy?” Cook asked smirking.
“Yes and what of it?” Benga asked glaring.
“Nothing,” Cook held his hands up innocently.
“Only you seem closer today?” Cook said looking at Benga’s hand which was under the table on Alex’s leg still.
“Maybe we are. That just gives people more reasons to not touch her,” Benga said, but it sounded more like a threat.
“Yes, Sir,” Sid mock saluted.
“He’s watching…” Cook said randomly.
“Who? Everyone is, they all are looking.”
“Him…” He indicated to a table not far away.
They all looked to see Jordan. He was in the hall too, watching Alex from the table. When he saw her looking, he smiled and winked.
Benga growled, “That guy is looking for another smack! If he touches my girl again…”
“Your girl?” Both his friends were grinning and others at the table were listening.
“Yes. Mine, turtle and all.”
“Woo, possessive much?”
“Yes,” He replied and turned to Alex to see she had finished eating.
“Let’s go.” They clear their plates away and left, slowly walking to their workplace and waiting for the others to arrive.
“So, tell me more about this Gus guy. Why’s he stalking you and since when?” He asked curiously.
“It’s a long complicated story?”
“I have plenty of time.”
“It basically means telling you my lifelong story?”
“Even better. I want to know all about you. I can’t say I’m not curious,” He admitted and looked around.
“But give me a quick kiss first,” He asked noticing no one was around.
“Alright.” She leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.
He frowned, “That was rubbish. Try again.”
She grinned and pressed her lips to his, this time a sweet, not chaste kiss.
“Much better,” He smirked back, stroking her cheek.
“Now, tell me…”
“My dad left my mom soon after finding out she was pregnant.”
“Ass,” Benga mumbled.
“He is that. But anyway, my mom had me and my sister, Alessia. It was all fine until we turned four.
“Alessia started getting colds and sick all the time. Then one day she just…” Alex’s eyes became glossy.
“You don’t have to tell me,” He tried to say.
“No, I want to.” She cleared her throat. “We woke up one day and she was dead. Just laying there. Mom was inconsolable. Her parents were already dead and she didn’t have any other family. We later found out she had a congenital heart defect the doctors didn’t know about before. It had weakened her body and that along with the colds, killed her.
“Mom couldn’t cope, so she tried contacting my dad. He hadn’t been in the picture at all, but she had no one else to ask. He had remarried some rich widow.
“He basically told mom to get lost and hung up.” Benga narrowed his eyes thinking how he’d like to meet the man in a dark alley.
“I ended up being taken into care and put in a group home. That pushed mom over the edge and she committed suicide.” A stray tear fell, but she wiped it away quickly.
“The social services contacted my dad.” She scoffed, “You can guess his response. He denied he was anything to do with me.” Benga hated the man more than his own father.
“It wasn’t all bad though. I met Tess, the red head from yesterday, in the home. We started going to school together. We were lucky, we met the other girl who visited yesterday, Riann. In short, her parents took pity on us and they ended up fostering us both.
“When I was twenty we moved into a house together, without her parents.
“Tess decided to try and find her real parents who lost her when she was young. I didn’t have any known family either, so I tried to find my real Dad again. I tried contacting him, it was pointless. He was a bastard.
“He accused me of being after his money and hung up on me. It didn’t matter that I had my own money, that I earned myself writing.”
“You are a writer?” He asked impressed.
“Yes, Erotic novels.”
He smirked, “You can tell me more about that later. First finish your story. What’s this all have to do with Gus?”
“I told you my dad married a widow?” He nodded his head in reply. By now people were coming out and Alex continued to tell him as they worked.
“Well, she had a son from her first marriage,” His eyes widen in realization. “It turned out her son didn’t know he had a step-sister. But he overheard his mom and my so-called dad talking.
“He tracked me down and contacted me. He was alright in the beginning. Really nice. It seemed like I might actually have a kind older brother.
“But soon he became weird, jealous of my friends. A bit like a possessive boyfriend. I had a friend, Timmy, we had been friends since little school. There was nothing sexual in it, but Gus beat him up after seeing him hugging me.
“I stopped seeing or speaking to Gus after that. That is when he started stalking me. Following me, sending notes, videos, presents, harassing my friends. I reported him, but his mom always fixed it for him, same as when he took the photos.
“His parents didn’t care what he did, even blamed me for leading him on, which I never did. He’s my step-brother.” She curled up her lip. “The notes would always go on about us being together and weird stuff like that. Then he took the pictures and leaked them. He said afterwards that he went mad and said he didn’t mean to send them out, but we could still be a couple. I flipped and beat him with a stiletto and ended up in here.”
“I think I’d break your dad’s neck and Gus’s if I ever meet them.”
**
The morning went fast, people stayed quiet but kept looking at her. Especially Jordan.
Unlike the day before Cook and Sid was in the garden too.
“I can’t do this all the time. I’m going to end up chopping my finger off or I’ll fall on my head or something,” Alex huffed tired.
“Why your head?” Benga asked amused.
“Because I’m tired and my legs don’t work properly when I’m tired.”
“Don’t worry, Angel, we’ll be in the greenhouse tomorrow. It’s less tiring in there.”
They were sat in the mess hall again, now eating dinner.
“Rodriguez, I miss you earlier.” A guard walked over and handed her a letter. “This is yours.”
She looked at the letter and groaned placing it on the table unread.
“Aren’t you going to read it?”
“No. I already know who it’s from. I don’t want it. It can go in the bin.”
“Can I read it? I never get letters,” Sid asked and she couldn’t help but say yes.
“But bin it when you’re done,” She told him.
“Who’s it from?” Benga asked. “Gus.”
“I didn’t think he’d be able to mail you? But from what you’ve told me I’m not surprised.”
They carried on eating and watching Sid read with a furrowed brow.
Once he had finished reading he looked up unsure, “I’m not sure whether to laugh or not.” He held the letter out to Benga, “This guy is completely loco.”
“Why? What’s it say?” Cook asks as Benga read the letter.
“I guess that is the guy the news said you beat up if the letter is anything to go off.”
Alex nods, “Probably.”
“He goes on about forgiving her and being in love?” She shook her head. “Saying that she is in jail for punishment for ignoring him, not the beating. But as soon she comes and tells everyone the truth that she loves him too, she’ll be let out and they can marry.”
Cook was speechless.
“Loco,” Sid said again and some of the others who Alex had met nodded.
“You can say that again. He is my step-brother, you know?” She told them and they looked stunned.
“Really. I only met my dad a few years ago, but he’s a bastard. Gus – my step-brother – is insane and his mother is a stuck up bitch.”
“But the letter says his parents support the wedding?” Sid asked confused.
“Because they know their son is insane and no one in their right mind would marry him. They would let him marry an alley cat as long it gave them grandchildren.”
Benga sat red faced, angry and saying nothing.
