Win–win, really.
Darren swung by his cell, dropped the notebook on his bunk, and joined his cellmate downstairs. “Yo, Matt, how was management?”
Matt sighed, his entire body sagging. He was twice Darren’s size and very intimidating at first glance, but on the inside, he was a softie. He had curly black hair and a small scar on the left side of his jaw, so that probably didn’t help in making him more approachable.
“So. Fucking. Boriiing. Same as last time. They really ought to retire old man Joe. Guy can barely keep upright,” he complained half-heartedly as Darren vaulted over the metal bench across from him and sat down.
“He hasn’t kicked the bucket yet?”
“Seems so.” Matt shrugged, placing elbows on the table and resting his chin on his fists. “Thataside,” he drawled as a smirk settled on his rugged face, “heard ya got,and I cite, an otherworldly beauty with a massive rack and an ass as big as Jade Ogden’s teaching ya bizz?”
Darren shook his head, holding in a scoff. “Where’d you hear that?”
“C’mon. You know word travels fast around here.” Matt grinned, slicking back his too-short chestnut hair.
Darren watched more people mill into the mess hall. “Mhm.”
“Well?” Matt didn’t seem ready to give up the topic, raising his eyebrows. “What’s the verdict? Was she as gifted as the rumors say?”
“With an annoyingly irritating tongue, sure,” Darren said, allowing a smirk to materialize on his face.
“No, but, what about here?” Matt outlined invisible boobs in front of his chest.
“Didn’t have any. Dunno where you get your gossip, but ‘she’ was a dude.”The prim, stoic type that Darren couldn’t stop thinking about defiling.Something about Aiden Kesley’s vibe just resonated with him on a primal level, and he didn’t really feel like fighting that. If anything, he welcomed it and the glimpse of excitement and vibrancy it offered to the suffocating mundaneness of Horizons.
“Ya kidding me, for real? I’m slitting that motherfucker Benny’s throat for lying to me, next chance I get.”
“That will get you another ten. They’ll bury you here at this rate.”
Matt sniffled, wrinkling his nose. “Fuck, ya right.” He scratched along the stubble of his square jaw. “I’ll get that ape, Simon, to do it.”
Just like Darren, Matt was here for murder, though in his case, it had been unpremeditated. Self-defense even, if only he’d gotten any other judge but that sleazy asshole Prijav. Matt had been here when Darren arrived, and he’d already served half of his time, so he was currently en route for a parole hearing next year because of his exemplary behavior and rich parents.
“Don’t do anything stupid or your mom will come for my neck,” Darren warned, frowning slightly to emphasize his point.
Matt waved him off. “C’mon, man. Ya know I can take care of me.”
“Oh, yeah? Like that time you almost got shanked because you decided to pick a fight with one of E Block’s bullies?”
It had been an ugly affair and only about two months after Darren had arrived. He’d still been just a cellmate to Matt, but he’d been bored and so had tagged along for a couple kitchen shifts in E-Block. Matt had pissed off a bunch of dudes with his big mouth and would’ve ended up dead if not for Darren stepping in. He still wasn’t sure why he’d butted in, but he was glad he’d done it because Matt was a good guy.
They’d pretty much clicked immediately after that, Matt’s constant blabbering and friendly attitude making it hard not to like him. It had been surreal when it had happened, like a long-lost family stumbling upon each other after years of being apart, and frankly, Darren had beenso glad for it and the chance of having the sibling he’d always wished he had had. They were good for each other and Matt supported him just as much as he supported Matt, a novelty Darren found solace in when everyone else in this place only ever looked out for themselves.
“Oh?” Matt perked up, grabbing the edge of the table so he could lift himself up and see over Darren’s head. “Food’s here,” he said and kept staring at something with a slight curve to his lips.
Darren scoffed, rolling his eyes as Matt let out a wolf’s whistle. “What? They bringing real fruit instead of that jell-o crap or something?”
Matt grinned fully, aiming it at Darren. “No—I don’t know. But I think we are finally meeting our substitute warden. AndI thinkyou’ll like him.”
Chapter 4
Darren shook his headand yanked Matt back down to the bench. Turning around, he shifted his attention to where Matt had been looking, curious to see who this new warden was. A smile slid over his lips the moment his eyes recognized the slate suit and the dirty blond head of the now-familiar man the two guards were escorting down the stairs.
Aiden Kesley.
Who would’ve thought that the new business teacher was also the substitute warden?
This development could certainly explain some of Aiden’s high-and-mighty attitude from earlier, though Darren still wondered why someone so young and prim-looking would choose Horizons over a comfortable desk job with better pay.
