Page 35 of Freshman

Tia glanced down, finding something interesting to look at on the plate. “Hmmm?”

“Why would I hesitate?”

“The whole”—she leaned over the table to whisper—“he’s a violent criminal.”

“There was a part of me that thought he might be faking, that I might get into the cell and be attacked.”

But Nate had promised, and Alfie, despite all reason, had believed him.

“I didn’t mean that,” Tia said. “I meant, you know…some people would’ve left him to die because of whatever he did that got him locked up in there.”

“Oh.”

It was Alfie’s turn to look down at the plate. His stomach squirmed with the small amount of cheesecake he’d consumed, and he pushed it towards Tia to signal he’d finished.

“You said you liked it,” Tia said, darting her eyes from the plate to Alfie.

“I lost my appetite.”

“Sorry.” She shot him a sad smile. “I didn’t mean to upset you, but you told me ages ago H-wing is full of the proper sickos and psychos.”

“I didn’t use those words.”

Tia shrugged. “The meanest of the mean then. This…guy you resuscitated—”

“Queenie.”

“Queenie,” she repeated with her eyebrows raised. “Well, he must’ve done something pretty bad to be put on that wing, right?”

“Right.”

She waved her hand, as if encouraging him to speak.

“I don’t know what he did,” Alfie mumbled.

“They don’t tell you?”

“His file is there if I want to read it.”

“And you haven’t because…”

Alfie shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Jesus, Alfie, he could be in there for rape and murder, and you…you went in his cell alone.”

He slumped back into his seat. “I think I preferred it when you were calling me a hero.”

“You saved his life; that goes without saying, but that was dangerous, right? Going into his cell alone.”

“Yes,” Alfie admitted. “My superior has already chewed me out for it.”

“Rightly so.” Alfie gawped at her, and she reached for his hand across the table. “Don’t look at me like that. Next time, you might not be so lucky. Now this…Queenie guy knows you’ll open the door if he’s unresponsive, he might do it again to get you on your own.”

“He won’t—”

“You don’t know that, Alfie.” She studied him intently, then gasped into her hand. “You like him.”

Alfie reddened. “No—”

---