Page 21 of The Freshman

“It’s good to knowQueenie’s okay,” Glen said.

Henry nodded. “Yeah, he’s on suicidewatch, every hour we’ve gotta check him.”

“Nothing says don’t killyourself like sleep deprivation,” Alfie muttered.

Henry chuckled and nodded. “The six ofus will take turns, make sure he hasn’t choked himselfagain.”

It wasn’t Henry or the twins’ job tocheck on Queenie. Alfie knew it was an apology of sorts and noddedin agreement.

“What did he swallow?” heasked.

Henry flicked his head toward thepapers on the desk. “His hospital report. Have a read.”

Alfie frowned, and reached for themedical notes. He scrolled through, then widened his eyes at theforeign object that blocked Queenie’s windpipe.

“Tea bags? He tried tokill himself with tea bags.”

“Yeah,” Henry muttered.“In all my years, that’s the first time someone’s shoved teabagsdown their throat.”

Alfie shuddered and dropped the papersback on the desk.

“I love tea,” Marie said,ruffling her fringe.

“Love it that much you’dwanna choke on it?” Glen muttered.

They shot a venomous look at eachother, then stared in opposite directions. A heavy muteness fellover the room.

“So, I’ll check on himfirst,” Henry said, clapping his hands together. He staggered outof the office, hunched forward, with his head dipping on hisshoulders. He looked about ready for sleep.

Marie and Glen didn’t vanish to checkodd noises in the toilets. Glen perched on the desk at one end ofthe office, and Marie sat on a chair with her legs crossed to theother side. They stared in opposite directions.

Alfie shut his eyes and breathedheavily through his nose. They hadn’t sorted their differencesafter all.

Alfie sat in pin drop silence for twohours. Henry wasn’t bothered by the atmosphere. He settled in hischair, shoved his glasses over his eyes, and then went statuestill. Alfie didn’t have a pair of shades on him, and even if hedid, he couldn’t force sleep. He went outside with the twins toescape Glen and Marie, but it didn’t help. They were just as silentwith his presence. He had encroached on some unspoken twinmoment.

When it was his time to check Queenie,he flung himself out the office and through the gate. He bounded upthe stairs, ran his hand along the railing, then skipped the lastset of stairs to the last stretch of landing. He strolled up tocell 149 and knocked his fist to the door.

“Queenie?”

He listened to a scramble, the slap ofbare feet on concrete, and then finally Queenie spoke.

“OfficerAlfie?”

He widened his eyes, opened and closedhis mouth a few times, before finally regaining his voice. Hedidn’t think the first person to call him by name would be on theother side of the cell door.

“Yeah, it’s me,” hesaid.

“Thank you. Nate told mewhat you did, said I wouldn’t be here without you.”

Alfie pressed his hand to the door andfrowned. “Thank me? You were trying to kill yourself, surely I justscrewed it up.”

Nate laughed, and Alfie stared at hisdoor, not getting the joke.

“I wasn’t trying to killmyself,” Queenie mumbled.

Alfie rolled his eyes. “Right, so youwere lying in bed playing with them, and they just happened to jumpdown your throat.”

“No … I put them there. Iwas experimenting.”

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