Rebels,Punks and Lesbians

The meeting.

Mr Lutherine picked up one of the books and showed it to the group. "This is like your bible. It is full of the rules and everything else you need to know. You have until Monday to have read it and know everything." He says while handing everyone a book. Just as he is dismissing us a bell rings. I watch as teenagers walk down the hall. There are young kids that look around 10, and some that look just older than me. Mr Lutherine grabs his folder and walks out the room, steering out of the way of a heard of inmates. The rest of us join the mob and follow them to the cafeteria. A long line of girls stretches down the right side of the large space. There are already groups of girls sitting at tables and eating. Some of the other new inmates are poking at their food, looking disgusted. I join the line and wait. Surprisingly, the queue moves along fairly quickly. As I get nearer to the front I watch what to do. When it's my turn I grab a plastic tray and walk along the counter. The middle aged women behind the glass hand me food as I walk downwards. Before I can begin examining what I'm about to eat I try to find an empty table. I see Ebonie gesturing enthusiastically for me to sit with her. I try to pretend I don't see her and wander over to a table with some other girls wearing orange. Orange uniforms are for new inmates and blue uniforms are for the girls who have been here for more than a week. Before I can sit down a tall girl shoves me aside and sits down. I look around and see Ebonie. I groan to myself and walk towards her. I sit next to her and stare at my tray. "Today is pasta day" Ebonie says, leaning a little too close to me. I nod. "I can see that" I reply sarcastically. She gets the hint and moves away slightly. I pick up the plastic fork and start to eat. I look around. At least 100 other girls are surrounding me. One girl is getting told off by a bald guard. As they argue I finish my lunch. Ebonie notices I'm almost done and hurries to catch up. She finishes eating around the same time as me and leads me to the bins. "Soo. What did you do?" She asks me with beady eyes. "Stuff" I say back.
"Did you kill a person?!"
"No!" I say, raising my voice.
"Alight. Alright. Don't make a scene. The guards will give you a strike for anything they can think of. And if you keep talking in that volume you'll get one for "disturbing the peace"".
"How do you know this stuff? You just came in today".
"Well." She begins. "I've been here before" she says.
"Got out 2 summers ago. Guess I landed myself back in here for a while" she continues.
"Where do we go now?" I ask, trying to change the subject.
"Probably to your cell. They bring you a pack just before dinner. I can walk you there if you want?"
I accept her offer and we walk down the hall.
"I'm in cell 5. Where are you?"
"7" I say dully.
"Aw yay! We're neighbours" she says with excitement in her voice. I try to act happy too. When we get to our cell block Ebonie walks me into my cell. The girl who was crying is quietly sobbing in a ball.
"Would you like to come into my room for a bit?"
I follow behind her and we walk across the passage. Ebonie's cell mates aren't back from lunch yet so we sit on the bottom bunks facing eachother. Ebonie shut the door and the room was much darker. We talk for a while and she gives me a run down of the system. She tells me about visitation day and the activities we can do. She tells me all the things I need to know to "survive". When she has run out of things to say we sit in silence for a minute.