Page 48 of The Freshman

Ben nodded. “Yeah, I’ve had at leastthree bloodied noses from this lot.”

Alfie wiped his sleeve under his nose,then glared at the expanding blotches of red.

Marie hurried forward with a tissueand a face of sympathy. “I don’t think it’s broken.”

“Just a knock,” Alfiesaid, taking the tissue with a smile.

Henry struggled out of the office. “Nolonger a fish, but a real prison officer with your first battlescar.”

“Does that mean you’llstop calling me fish?”

Henry nodded. “Albie from nowon.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’sAlfie.”

“Is it?”

Alfie glared at the old man until hisconfusion morphed into a smile. “Course I knew your name. Us andthem, and now you’re officially one of us.”

Ben clapped him on the back, and thenhis brother did the same. “You’re in the exclusive, headbutted by acriminal club.”

Alfie pressed his palm to his chest.“I feel honored.”

If he had known all he needed to dowas get a hit to the nose and they’d use his name, he would’ve letit happen sooner.

By the time roll call arrived, hisface had numbed, and his voice sounded nasally with his blockednose. Marie tugged her mini mirror from her pocket and turned it toAlfie. The skin under his eyes was puffy and bruised, but his noselooked normal.

“Not broken.”

Glen shook his head. “Worse fromshaving.”

“When have you ever nuttedyourself shaving?” Alfie asked.

Glen waved his hand. “Just asaying.”

“A stupid one,” Alfiemuttered, then followed Marie through the gate.

Each step closer to Nate’s cell,Alfie’s smile grew. The pain in his face drowned under his risingadrenaline. It was an unconscious reaction that he tried to cure byrubbing the back of his hand on his smile. It didn’t work. The dimlights of the prison thankfully hid his face from Marie and Glen,and he was glad the excited energy inside him wasn’t vibrating thewalkway. It was not the expected reaction when approaching a manwho had killed three people.

“Queenie?”

Alfie listened as the bed creaked inhis cell.

“Yeah, I’m here. You got acold?”

“Something likethat…”

“When you gonna move today shift?”

Alfie shrugged. “No idea. Not up tome. Why?”

“It would be nice to seeyour face, that’s all.”

“Is my voice not goodenough?” Alfie laughed.

“Yeah, sure it is. Youjust got a face too.”

There was a groan from Nate’s cell andAlfie looked to his door.

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