Page 29 of Freshman

By half past eight, Alfie was struggling to stay on his feet. Day shift had unlocked the rowdy prisoners for breakfast, and if Alfie hadn’t been so tired, he might have paid attention to the men prowling along the gate. All he wanted to do was crawl into his living room and curl up on the sofa, but Ryan made them stand to attention as he read through their incident report.

When Ryan finally clapped his hands together and dismissed them, Alfie rushed from the room, tugging his tie loose as he went.

“Rookie!”

He froze at Ryan’s shout and turned slowly to face him.

Ryan beckoned him back with the curl of his finger. He flapped the reports in his other hand. “It says you alerted Henry to an unresponsive prisoner.”

Alfie nodded. “That’s right—”

“You didn’t wait for another officer to assist you. You opened a cell on your own.”

Alfie swallowed awkwardly. “It was an emergency.”

“What if Tyrone had been faking? What if he knocked you down and stole your keys? The whole wing could’ve got into the lobby and taken you and your fellow prison officers hostage.”

“I could see that he needed—”

“Did you believe with absolute certainty Tyrone wasn’t faking?”

Alfie hesitated, and Ryan nodded patronizingly.

“Exactly. Rookie error. Don’t try to play the hero. They will get you for it. I wouldn’t be surprised if tonight they’re all unresponsive, hoping you’ll unlock their cells and hand them the keys.”

“I—”

“Enough!” Ryan cut in. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. If you can’t stick to protocol, then I suggest you find yourself another job. Dismissed.”

Ryan turned on his heels, marched back into the office and slammed the door. If someone missed Ryan’s shout, they didn’t miss the door slam that rattled the windows of the office.

Alfie didn’t want praise but felt he deserved it for saving Queenie’s life and protecting Larkwood’s reputation. Instead, he got a tongue-lashing in front of the prisoners and staff. Alfie didn’t have enough energy to blush, but the awkward feeling of humiliation burned through him.

Alfie closed his eyes and sighed. Not only were the day shift officers watching, but a few of the prisoners continued to do so. He knew Nate would be there, and he thought about not looking at him, but as if magnetised, he had to.

Nate wasn’t looking back. His dark eyes were fixed on the office, tracking Ryan’s movement. His plastic cup was in one hand, and his tray was wedged under his armpit. Neither of them had been used that morning. Nate wanted a front-row seat to the unfolding drama.

Nice one, Freshman.

Alfie clutched on to the words and forced his legs to take him to the gate, back to civilisation. The rest of his body ached, but his legs still moved at his will, and he walked at a brisk pace all the way home.

8

Alfie’s arms were too heavy to lift, and the muscles in his neck throbbed each time he turned. He could’ve called in sick. He knew that Henry wouldn’t have blamed him, in fact, he probably expected it, but Ryan was the reason he forced himself out of bed and into the shower.

Running the sponge around his body was near impossible, and he didn’t bother putting shampoo on his hair. Instead, Alfie rolled his shoulders under the warm spray, then leaned back for the water to cascade down his face. It soothed his sore body, and after a few minutes of breathing in humid mist, he climbed from the shower and dried himself with a towel.

He stood in front of the mirror and glared at himself. Bruises and cuts could be seen from where he’d unknowingly knocked himself in Queenie’s cell. They didn’t hurt, but his arms ached with a fury he’d never experienced before. He had to pause while brushing his teeth at one point because he began to feel nauseous.

Alfie slid into his trousers, but bending his arms for the shirt hurt and he winced. He fixed his tie into position, slipped on his polished boots and grabbed his jacket. Alfie brushed his damp hair into position with his fingers and rubbed his jaw to feel the slight stubble growth. He didn’t want to shave when his arms ached, so he left the twelve-hour growth intact.

Alfie didn’t rush to work with his normal brisk stride. He took his time, rolling his neck every so often to relieve some of the tension in his shoulders. He had physically recovered enough for humiliation to surface, and just the sign for Larkwood had his face reddening.

Rookie error.

Henry was locking up his car and waved Alfie toward him.

“I’m sorry Ryan chewed you up like that. It was completely uncalled for.”

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