Page 47 of Caged In

Did his cellmate break out of The Hole? Is that possible to do?

He’s letting his movie imagination run wild. In real life, no way could someone break out of The Hole without the guards noticing.

“So what’s that?” Reni enquires. His eyes gluing to the snacks lying on Izz’s pillow.

Izz blinks out of his puzzled state of mind—it would take a James Bond movie scene to explain Reni’s return—following Reni’s line of sight to check out what he’s referring to.

He isn’t sure if Reni is only now noticing the pile on the pillow. Or if he had seen it ages ago and couldn’t hold the question in any longer.

Izz scrambles to gather all the snacks into his arms, rushing them over to his cupboard. Stuffing them out of sight behind his spare towel. As much out of Reni’s line of sight and questioning, as it is out of temptation for Izz. He doesn’t want to talk about it, and he isn’t entirely sure who’s leaving the treats. If it is Levis, he doesn’t want to discuss it with his cellmate. He would prefer Reni doesn’t know what has been happening in the kitchen.

“Nothing,” Izz hastily dismisses,stuffing the last of the packets into their hiding place. As though his rushed grab and hide isn’t suspicious in the slightest.

Smooth Izz, real inconspicuous.

Reni gives Izz a look which he decides to misinterpret. “So . . . thank you. For . . . you know, stepping in.” Izz rubs the back of his neck, having to admit he needed someone to defend him, made him feel like he’s some kind of weakling.

He knew he wouldn’t have come out of that fight alive without the interventionof his cellmate . . . His friend. And of course Zidie, who can forget about his best friend, he is more thanfine referring to Zidie as such. It would be strange notcalling the two of them friends, after they jumped in to save his life. A very best-friend thing to do.

“Nah,” Reni waves a hand dismissively. Like it’s no big deal, and he has no idea why Izz’s making a fuss over it. “Don’t mention it, it’s what any friend would do. I have to go to an anger management class now—and don’t change the subject. Who’s leaving you food? Or did ya magically get money in the last couple of days?”

His out of sight, out of mind logic hadn’t worked. If only it had. He doesn’t want to go into all the details, to try and explain his situation to his friend.

Izz sighs, knowing Reni won’t drop the subject until he hearssome information,“I don’t really know, though I have my suspicions. It’s not important. Forget it.”

I’m terrified Levis is going to trap me and no one will be there to help me . . .

He bites his tongue to hold back what he really wants to say. He can’t tell his cellmate what’s really going on. What if Reni looks at him differently? Or worse, stops talking to him. He can’t lose one of the only people in here who he can talk to.

Izz mimics Reni’s dismissive hand gesture, dropping the subject and hoping his friend will let it slide. “I’m glad you’re back. Missed your energetic butt being around to keep me occupied in this boring cell.”

Reni grins, his chest inflating with importance at his presence being missed, “I knew ya loved me.”

Izz snortsa barked laugh, shoving Reni playfully in the shoulder, earning a chuckle from his friend.

~~~

Reni convinces Izz to go to breakfast with him. It doesn’t take much persuading, his stomach is beyond empty.

Having Reni around gives Izz back some of his strength. It’s also a bonus to have his cellmate nearby when they’re being served, it keeps Levis’s trapshut, no lewdcomments or inappropriateness. Granted, the kitchen boss is hostile and glaring at Izz, and barely speaks more than a few words to him, for which he is grateful.

For the first time he is not being polite to someone serving him food. There is no‘thank you’or‘please’or‘I would like’.Nothing remotely polite leaves his lips, it’s all‘I want that’and‘give me some of those’. He throws in a sarcastic‘cheers’at the end, in a mocking thank you. Meeting Levis’s hostility glare for glare.

He is filled with bravado with Reni standing right next to him, backing him up. There to protect and defend him if things turn sour. Not that his cellmate knows about any of it.

Izz finds himself understanding why people play up and act tough in gangs. The back-up reinforces arrogance in you. Inflates your ego to the point where you think you can take on anyone. A whole group of tough-acting people like that is a dangerous combination. It feels great though, the feeling of power, however artificial it may be.

For the first time since the fight, Izz sits at the table with the rest of The Gang. He’s on edge, knowing at least three inmates at this table have been talkingcrapabout him behind his back.

“Yo, Reni, what happened in The Hole? We heard rumours about the guys you got thrown down there with. Care to share the details?” Erik peers past Isco’s massivebulk, wide eyes blinking at Reni—pleading for gossip.

“I don’t know,” Reni shrugs, digging into his food. He looks like he wants to avoid the question altogether.

Izz’s interest peaks, he hadn’t heard about anything happening in The Hole, but he has mostly been keeping to himself these past however many days—it feels like months since the fight.

What is Erik talking about? What happened in The Hole?

“Come on Reni, spill,” Blake chimes in.

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