chapter.23

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daisy

"People are looking at me," he grumbled into her ear.

Nobody would dare judge Seth Knight so openly. So without looking up, Daisy knew he was exaggerating and everyone was minding their own business and eating their lunch. She looked at the intricate tattoos on his neck that peeked out from his sweatshirt collar, now coloured in neatly with felt tip pens.

"That's because you're so pretty," she giggled and poked his jaw.

He pulled her closer by the waist to deliver a soft kiss on the crown of her head and mumbled, "not as beautiful as you," making warmth rise to her cheeks immediately.

"Maybe I should get a tattoo too," she said absentmindedly. She'd sometimes see inmates getting tattooed in a guy named Pete's small dingy cell, the outcome being far more beautiful than she'd expect from his DIY methods. She had seen there were a few more people that would offer tattoos in exchange for contraband but from prison gossip that Seth would tell her, Pete was the best.

"Definitely not," he laughed, bemused at the thought of his innocent girlfriend covered in tattoos.

She grabbed his hand that instantly dwarfed hers and touched the tattoos on his knuckles, admiring the designs. Almost everyone in the prison had some art on them and it made her a little envious with her plain pale skin. "Why not? Don't you think I'd suit them?"

Seth freed his hand to get them both a tray once they reached near the end of the line and began to fill both trays with pre-proportioned food, making sure to get the freshest looking fruit pots as they were her favourite. Daisy automatically held onto the back of her protector's sweatshirt, as per the routine whenever she wasn't waiting with Nate and Levi.

"You would suit anything, my angel," he replied whilst clearly analysing whether or not a particular bread roll was bigger than the other. "But, what would you even get, huh? You are so indecisive. You think you can commit to a tattoo?"

Her lips quirked to the side as she contemplated this. It was a very valid point.

However, she lost her train of thought when she saw Mrs Patel put a generous scoop of lasagne in a bowl. "Thank you, Mrs Patel," Daisy thanked graciously, already salivating over being so close to the fresh, steaming food.

"You don't need to thank me, pet. You do know I worry that you're not eating enough in this place," the smiling woman said, waving off her gratitude. She put a just as large portion in another bowl, to which Seth retrieved before Daisy could even attempt. She liked to think she was helping, however, by accomplishing her small task of pushing the trays along the barred counter.

Unfortunately, she had to keep her conversation with her prison mother figure short as the long line of people behind them were getting restless and it made her nervous. Hungry prisoners were not happy prisoners and it was very obvious in the growing tense atmosphere.

She tugged on Seth's shirt and practically dragged him forward. "You ok to hold your tray to the table, angel?" he asked, since the large bowls made it difficult to balance both in his hands. She, of course, nodded obediently. "Stay close to me ok? It's very rowdy today," he warned. His eyes squinted at the people around him, analysing their actions closely.

"Are there new people coming again?" Usually there would be a little more energy in people when there were newcomers. The people previously at the bottom of the pecking order now excited they could be the ones to pick on terrified kids, newly incarcerated.

Seth shrugged beside her and pushed a hand on the small of her back occasionally as she walked slowly across the canteen, her fear obviously showing.

However, as hard as he tried he couldn't protect her from inmates being oblivious of the small creature beside them, and thus pushed her from side to side, jostling her like a glass bottle in a milk crate. Her knuckles went white from clutching the sides of her tray so hard. Her boyfriend was trying to say encouraging words to her whilst also dispensing threatening words to people coming a little too close.

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