Page 31 of The Freshman

“You saved mylife…”

Alfie snorted. “You’ve got to promiseme no more late-night tea-bag experiments.”

Queenie snorted and nudged hisshoulder into Alfie’s. “I promised, didn’t I? Nate’s gonna begutted you’re going.”

Alfie swallowed, but his throatspasmed, and his voice came out dry. “Why? I’m sure he can tormentsomeone else.”

“Torment? Is that what youthink he’s doing?”

He turned to Queenie and eyed hissmile curiously. “Am I wrong?”

Queenie tutted and fluttered hiseyelashes. “Not completely wrong, but it’s more thanthat.”

“More?”

Queenie laughed. The deeper boom madeAlfie jump back into his seat.

“Nate’s … he—he knows whathe wants.”

Alfie raised an eyebrow. “And whatdoes he want?”

“You to open thehatch.”

Alfie waved the envelope. “Well, he’snot going to get it.”

Queenie sighed and shook hishead.

The name Tyrone was yelled from thefarthest gate, and he growled, kicking the bucket on thefloor.

“Arsehole!”

“I heard that,” the guardyelled back.

Queenie turned his attention back toAlfie. “I’m needed in the art room, the mess they make. I thinkthey do it on purpose, especially Nate.”

He stood, grabbed his bucket, thenflashed Alfie a smile and carried on down the corridor.

Queenie strutted like a model on acatwalk, then pulled his pose as he waited for the guard on thegate to let him through.

Alfie went back to staring at hisletter. The ink had smudged from his sweaty hands, and the envelopehad torn at the edges. Gates opened and closed, but the doordirectly in front didn’t. Alfie wondered whether Ryan was doing iton purpose, dragging out the experience of resigning until the tailbetween his legs became a permanent fixture.

“Freshman?”

Alfie bolted out of his seat and tooktwo steps away. Nate had been let through the gate, and unlike allthe times before his hands weren’t at his back but hanging by hissides. His stride was strong and commanding, and Alfie gulped whenhe saw there was no one flanking him. One guard was on the firstgate, and the other guard was at the gate at the opposite end ofthe corridor. Alfie was left in no-man’s land, with Nate fastapproaching.

“Queenie said he’d seenyou. I was jealous, so here I am.”

He smiled, but Alfie didn’t return thesmile. He pressed his lips in a firm line, and soon Nate droppedhis amused expression and frowned.

“What you doinghere?”

Alfie flicked his chin out. “Shouldn’tI be asking you that, aren’t you meant to be somewhere?”

“I was in the classroom,but Queenie mentioned you were out here and I said I felt likeshit. They let me go back to my cell.”

The back of Nate’s hands had splashesof paint, and his fingers were grey from what Alfie assumed waspencil lead. He looked younger in the daylight, less manic. Hishair, a dirty blond, was swept over his head, and his facial hairwas a few shades darker. Alfie remembered the feel of the hair, thetickly sensation over his skin, and the softer touch of hislips.

Alfie’s cheek filled with heat, and hedropped his gaze and toed at the floor.

---