CHAPTER 8

The Fight

For the next few days, I pretty much ignored Cherry.

“Darius is so hot,” Genie said.

“Yeah, I know.” Genie and I found a table.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Scarface asked before setting her tray down.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, taking a bite of my salad.

“And you are?” Genie sounded annoyed.

I jumped in. “She’s cool.”

Out of nowhere, Sophie appeared. She dug her sharp fingernails into my shoulder blade. “Noticed you’re losing weight since you got here. Word is you’re anorexic.”

I spun around. “Am not. Mind your own damn business. Keep track of your own weight. And get your filthy fingernails out of my back.”

“Good luck getting Darius to pay attention to you, toothpick girl. He prefers more meat on his women,” Sophie said, slapping her butt.

“She’s just jealous,” Genie said.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Scarface stood up.

From the table next to us, Cherry said, “Ignore her, Darlene. She’s not worth it.”

“Shut up, bitches.” Sophie sneered. “And you too, blondie, watch your mouth. Or else you’ll eat those mashed potatoes through your nose.”

Genie spit on her.

Sophie’s eyes flamed. She grabbed Genie’s and my hair, pulling with all her strength.

“Help! Mr. Simpson,” Genie screamed.

I twisted in my chair to punch Sophie’s gut.

Sophie let go of Genie and snatched my wrist, poised to bite it. Her claws still gripped my roots. My scalp stung and throbbed.

Simpson picked up both of us by the back of our shirts.

Sophie said, “She started—”

Simpson silenced her. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Really, Mr. Simpson,” Cherry said. “Darlene was only trying to—”

“Another word and you’ll be in the hole too,” Simpson said.

Genie sat silently, looking up.

Simpson motioned to the other guard to take B dorm girls back. He dragged Sophie and me down a long hall with his gorilla hands.

Simpson patted us down. “In the hole for both of you.” He locked us in separate rooms.

The door slammed shut. I dropped onto the stripped bed and sobbed.

Would Mama come out of her coma? Would I see her again? Who had Jesse?

Twenty-four hours felt like days. Finally, someone escorted me back to the dorm.

Cherry and Scarface ran over.

“Are you okay?” Cherry asked.

“Nothing compared to the punch I threw into that bitch’s stomach.”

I pointed toward Sophie with my chin. “When did she get out?”

Sophie was playing Ping-Pong like nothing ever happened.

“Sometime last night.” Cherry shrugged. “I know. Right? How fair is that?”

What the hell was going on in this place? Why’d she get out before me?

“Where’s Genie?” I asked.

“Don’t know. She was called out about an hour ago,” Cherry said.

Scarface left to pee.

“By the way,” Cherry whispered. “Joyce told me how she got that scar on her face. Do you know?”

“No,” I said. “Wait. So you’re calling her Joyce now?”

“Well, yeah. She said her mom named her that because she brought so much joy.”

“Yeah, so?” I didn’t mean to be harsh. I was still pissed off about Sophie. “I mean, so how’d she get the scar?”

“When she was two, her brother thought it’d be funny to trick her. Gave her a plugged-in cord. Said it was licorice.” Cherry made a face. “And she bit right through to the wires.”

“Really?”

“Yup. They told her when she came to they thought she had died. She got electrocuted and lived.”

“Man, what kind of brother could do that?”

“Totally. And she’s not even mad at him.” Cherry shook her head. “If I had a brother who did that, I’d never speak to him.”

“No kidding.”

Joyce walked back. She wasn’t ugly. She had a nice body, and with makeup she’d be hot.

Just then, Genie huffed through the door. “They’re moving me out of B dorm tomorrow. Screw that!”