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After the nurse stitched up the cuts on my scalp and the side of my forehead, I was returned to my cell by the bastard guard that assaulted me. All the way back he had threatened me to keep my mouth shut - telling me that if I didn’t there would be more hell to pay.

Slowly making my way into the cell, the guard stopped me and took the handcuffs off my wrists. I instinctively rubbed them. “You’ve been through a rough patch, you better lay down Nick.”

I winced at the familiarity this guy was putting on; trying to sound like we were best friends. The look that was given to me by him indicated that I needed to act like we were best friends. “Thanks Pete, I’m sure everything will be okay,” I said quietly.

As soon as Pete left, my cellmate CJ studied my face. “Nick, what the hell happened to you?”

Scared to death of that guy’s threats, I quickly came up with a lie. “I tripped and fell.”

“Wow, you sure did a number on your face…”

“Yeah I guess. I sorta fell into the wall and then smacked my head on the floor…I’m a klutz.” I tried to add a smile to make light of the question, but that definitely wasn’t something I found out I was able to do. My split lip stopped me from even trying to smile! “Fuck,” I muttered. Since the thing they called for a ‘mirror’ in our cell that showed anything like a reflection, I was almost too scared to ask. “How bad do I look?”

CJ moved over to my bunk, staring at my face letting out a low whistle. “You sure don’t look like a poster boy, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Jesus,” I breathed. “Do I look that bad?”

The Latino grinned. “I have seen guys more messed up than you, Carter. Don’t try to flatter yourself.”

Biting my bottom lip, I tried not to make a sound as I laid back into my bunk. I watched CJ as he walked toward the open door to our cell.

“Yo! shithead….c’mere and take a look at how messed up Carter looks.”

“Thanks for inviting the entire cell block in to look at my face,” I growled, wishing the floor would swallow me so I wouldn’t have to be studied like some animal at the zoo.

“Holy shit…you said you fell into the wall?” CJ questioned again as he studied my face closer.

“Yeah, <i><b>so</b></i>?” I shot back, trying to sound all tough-guy.

The other guy that CJ invited looked at my face and started to laugh. “Wow that looks like some messed up shit.”

My face hurt so much, not to mention that my left eye was starting to swell shut, I didn’t bother saying anything back. Closing my right eye, I tried to will myself to go to sleep.

“Since when do the walls have knuckle prints?” CJ asked.

’SHIT!’ I opened my good eye to look at him. “Huh?”

“He definitely has some bruises on his face that looks like Carter was punched…”

“So what if I do? It’s none of your business anyway,” I lied.

‘God, why do I have to be such a wuss? I wanted so badly to call out that Pete guy but I was scared what he would do to me the next time he got me alone with him.

“Who did you fight with? Does he look worse than you do?”

“Probably. He was bloodied up that’s all I know….they pulled me off of him so I really didn’t get a good look at how messed up he is,” I said, trying to come up with some type of interesting lie to get them away from me. “I have no idea who anyone is in this shithole so stop asking me stupid questions.”

I heard CJ move with the other guy out of our cell, I felt a little more at ease figuring he would drop the subject. When the bells sounded, I groaned.

“Shit…shit…shit,” I cursed as I slowly sat up. God, I seriously did not want to eat dinner.

“Carter, you coming?”

“Can you just go without me, I want to sleep,” I grumbled.

“You wanna get in serious shit when you don’t show?”

‘I wondered if they really would know that I wasn’t down in the cafeteria….there are gazillion people down there,’ I thought to myself.

“Nick, make it easy on yourself and just suck it up and c’mon. Maybe that guy you messed up will be down there!”

“Hope not,” I mumbled, dragging myself out of the bunk. God, my face hurts, my hip hurts…what next?

Standing in line behind CJ, I remembered he mentioned that inmates could purchase things on those computers. I had asked Kevin if he could throw some money in my account before he left…..

“Hey CJ, how do I go get stuff from that store on the computer?”

“The commissary?”

“The what?”

“Commissary….that’s what they call that place, like we’re in a Hilton or something.”

I shuddered. ’Hilton! now there’s a last name I don’t like hear being spoken out loud….she’s a fuckin’ bitch and a half.’

CJ immediately started looking around the line, I leaned out to see what he was looking at.

“Is that guy you messed up around here?”

“Huh?”

“You looked all pissed for a minute…”

“Nah, you just said Hilton….reminds me of something I didn’t like. So what about that store thing?”

“I’ll show you after we eat,” he said, stopping in mid-sentence when some type of casserole mixture was slopped on the plate. “Oh that looks delish,” he muttered at the guy dressed in jail scrubs that was serving the food.

I looked at the stuff on my plate. “What is this shit?”

“Meat, potatoes and gravy,” the guy growled.

“Move along,” one of the guards barked, jabbing me hard in the side with a stick. The poke caught me off balance and I fell into the side of the serving table.  

I shot a glare with my one good eye at the guard. “I was moving!”

“Just keep the line flowing, this ain’t no concert…I’ll get your autograph later,” he grinned.

My posture stiffened when the guard made that comment. He seemed to know who I was. Hopefully no one else clued in on it. I took a carton of milk and this time a slice of bread, knowing the slop we were given probably wasn’t edible. I kept moving along where the line was going and soon I was sitting at one of the steel circular tables.

One of the guys at our table kept staring at me while he ate, making me feel uncomfortable. “Got a staring problem pal?”

“Jesus Nick, full of attitude today?” CJ asked with a mouthful of food.

“I just don’t like being stared at, okay,” I hissed as I pushed my plate away.

“You, of all people should be used to being stared at kid…”

I jerked to see who made that comment. It was the guard named Pete.

“Whatever,” I mumbled. ‘God shut up Pete….shut up!’

“Being in front of tens of thousands of screaming girls you should be used to being watched,” Pete continued.

I had enough from Pete. He just wanted to push me for some reason. “Knock it off!”

“Carter doesn’t like to be teased?” Pete asked with a baby voice.

Another guard rushed up to Pete. “Hey, you’re wanted in the warden’s office.”

Pete shot me a look before he left that literally made me shiver. If he gets in trouble he is going to think I said something! ’Shit….I need to get out of this place! NOW..... I need Kevin!’