this?â
âThis is nobody,â the girl responded.
Bleu ignored the snarky remark as she popped open her suitcase. She hadnât anticipated not getting along with her roommate, but this siddity broad in front of her was making it clear that she was the head bitch in charge. Clearly they werenât going to be friends.
âChill out, China,â the guy said.
âI donât have to chill,â she replied.
âIâm Bree,â the guy said as he turned to Bleu.
He extended his hand. She reluctantly shook it as she replied, âIâm Bleu.â
China sighed loudly as she rudely added, âAnd Iâm bored.â She headed for the door. âWhen youâre done with this little conversation, Iâll be in the car.â She headed out as Bleu frowned.
âYeah, this isnât going to work,â Bleu scoffed as she turned to finish unpacking her things.
âGive her some time. Sheâs queen bee around here. Sheâs not used to the competition of another pretty face. Sheâll warm up to you. Sheâs like that with everybody,â Bree said. Bleu didnât respond as she continued to remove clothes from her suitcase.
âYouâre not from around here, right?â Bree asked as he looked her up and down. Suddenly she was uncomfortable in her skin. Back home she was the pretty girl on the block, the one all the boys wanted but had been unable to attain, but here she just seemed out of place. If all the girls were like China and her friends, Bleu would stick out like a sore thumb, and not in a good way.
âIs it that obvious?â she said with a smile. She turned and flopped down on her bed.
âDonât worry about it. Itâs a good thing,â Bree replied as he backpedaled out of the room.
Bleu leaned back onto the bare bed. She had nothing, no sheets, no comforter ⦠all she had was one suitcase full of clothes, and even those threads would only last her about two weeks. She had to come up with a plan to get money if she was going to survive, and fast. She was so overwhelmed. There was so much changing in her world, and the one person she had to talk to had made it clear that he didnât want her. Suddenly she stood and rushed over to Chinaâs desk. Bleu didnât care if Noah didnât want to hear from her; she was going to contact him anyway. She located a notebook and snatched a piece of paper from inside. She nabbed a pen and then retreated to her bed to pen her letter. She didnât even know where to send it, but an Internet search would help her locate him. He was her person ⦠her best friend. He was all she had in the world. She was going to write to him until he responded, and even if he didnât, writing her emotions on paper would help her make sense of her new surroundings. Despite the fact that she had only been there for a few hours, she could already tell that she was out of place. Noah was the only thing familiar in her world, and even if he never responded her letters to him would get her through.
Â
8
Left. Right. Right cross. Uppercut.
Noah said the combination in his head repetitively as his fists assaulted the heavy bag. Each time his fists hit, he grunted as he worked himself to exhaustion. Five years. He had caught a raw deal and the aggression that he had pent up would eat him alive if he didnât hit something. It hadnât even been a week and already being locked up was driving him insane. Sweat dripped down his muscular frame as his hands moved with the swiftness of Ali. It wasnât until Noah heard the loud buzzer sound off, letting him know that rec time was over, that he stopped. He hated everything about prison life. The way they were watched every minute of every day, the way their cells were tossed upside down without warning for inspection, the way they had to report for count numerous times a day. They were herded like sheep ⦠better yet, like