Page 35 of Retribution
‘Rise and shine, Marguerite! You need to be up and downstairs by nine am!’
‘My class isn’t until ten,’ I say from under the covers.
‘I won’t say it again.’
I grit my teeth and sit up, my eyes finding a tray on the desk that has been brought. There’s a glass of orange juice on it, which at first seems fine, but on closer inspection, I can see the pulp from here. The bowl next to it is filled with dry and congealing porridgeoatmeal. There’s also a plate with brown toast covered in crunchy peanut butter.
It’s like John gave this bitch a list of everything I hate and she’s slowly going through it. What I wouldn’t give for one of the triple chocolate muffins Blake sometimes brings me and a nice cupof tea.
I get up and go into the bathroom, swiping the orange juice off the tray as I go. In the bathroom, I pour it down the sink and refill the glass with water, gulping it down.
I take a quick shower, finding that the bar of soap leaves my skin feeling dry and itchy. I try to channel my inner Daisy, the one from The Heath who could push everything she didn’t like away, disassociate from everything. But I’m out of practice because I haven’t had to do it with Blake, Shade, and Mav lately. It makes me remember how they always seemed to anticipate my needs, how quickly they learned my preferences with me rarely having to say anything, and everything in me yearns for them.
I wrap myself in a towel, hoping Nasty Nurse has left, but she hasn’t. She’s laying out one of the gray uniforms on my bed.
Does she actually believe I’m going to wear that to class?
I ignore it in favor of the clothes I came home from the hospital in, though I have to use the massive underwear that bunches up under the clothes, making me shudder. Changing in front of her feels icky. I know she’s watching me, so I pretend she isn’t there the same way I’d imagine the Blanks weren’t there at The Heath.
I sit down at the desk to force down the oatmeal. It’s cold and there’s nothing in it but a few raisins. I almost gag a couple of times. The only thing that stops me is thatshe’swatching and I don’t want to give her the satisfaction.
I spent ten years living like this,I tell myself.It’ll take more than some nasty oatmeal to break me.
Samantha comes into my room a few minutes later while I’m chewing a bite of the toast. It’s soggy now, going around and around in my mouth while I try to make myself swallow it. She doesn’t speak, but she moves around the room deftly, tidying and fixing my curtains. She moves my pillows andmust feel my phone, but she pretends she hasn’t as she makes my bed.
I finally swallow, almost dry heaving as the thick, glue-like paste slides down my throat slowly.
‘I’d like a cup of tea,’ I choke out, hoping Samantha hears and brings me one.
‘No caffeine,’ Nasty Nurse says, and I can almost see her gloating little smile.
‘A caffeine-free one then,’ I answer.
‘No time. The car is waiting.’
I check the clock by the bed and wonder why we need to go so early, but I stand up.
‘I just need to use the bathroom and brush my teeth. I’ll come down when I’m finished,’ I say, going into the bathroom and closing the door.
I wait five minutes exactly and then brush my teeth. Afterward, hoping it’s been enough time for the room to be cleared out, I flush the toilet in case anyone’s listening and go back into my bedroom.
The room is deserted, thankfully, so I grab my phone and turn it on. There’s a message on our group chat from Shade that says ‘goodnight, xx’ and I smile a little before sending a message that I’ll be on campus soon and will go to Grinder, but need to leave the phone as I don’t have anywhere to stash it.In case I’m searched, but I don’t put that bit. I’m not sure how much to tell them about the sad state of my life and severe lack of independence at the moment.
Blake once told me these things are waterproof to like six feet or something, so I turn it off again and put it in the cistern of the toilet, hoping it’ll be okay in there for today. I’ll try to get a plastic bag for it to live in as soon as I can.
I put on my boots and leave my room. Nasty Nurse looks annoyed at the foot of the stairs. She’s tapping her foot impatiently too.
‘I told you, the car is waiting!’
She mumbles something else that I don’t hear but causes Stephens to put his nose in the air. Must’ve been bad for Stephens to react, but I don’t give a shit what this bitch thinks.
We go outside and I shiver. I can’t believe I’ve lost another coat. I mean, why doesn’t the universe want me to have my pretty present coat?
Nasty Nurse walks around the town car and gets in while the driver opens the door for me. I don’t recognize him from yesterday, but he is familiar, and I realize why a second too late. I’m already in the car and the door is closed.
‘Marguerite,’ Joe drawls, his hand landing on my thigh and caressing.
I shudder as I look up at him. ‘Joe.’
