Ch.55I wish it were so! (4)

#055

It was a mess.

“Let go, let me go! Are you deaf?”

“You’re fucking crazy, bitch. What, did you think I’d still be weak like before?”

Jessie, with wild eyes, was sitting on top of an inmate, gripping her hair and repeatedly slapping her face hard.

-Slap!

“You think I’m easy because my temper’s mellowed a bit? Huh?”

-Slap!

“P-please stop…”

-Slap, slap!

The inmate’s lips were already bleeding, and her cheeks were swelling up.

“I don’t know how much of a pushover you thought I was, but I’m fully prepared to stomp someone until they’re dead, you know?”

-Slap!

“Jessie, that’s enough!”

Just as the surrounding inmates were hesitating to approach Jessie, Marcy, who had been brewing alcohol, grabbed Jessie’s arm.

“Let go of me!”

Jessie, with a vicious expression, glared at whoever had grabbed her arm, not realizing it was Marcy.

When she saw Marcy’s calm expression, Jessie’s demeanor softened somewhat.

“Jessie, you’ll end up in solitary again if the guards come! And look at Kaylee’s face.”

Kaylee, the guest of honor at the release ceremony who was about to complete her sentence, was looking at Jessie with fear, and glancing around, Jessie saw other inmates giving her equally bewildered looks.

“Ah, fuck.”

* * *

Thirty minutes before Jessie cursed and completely ruined the atmosphere of the release ceremony.

The living area of Medium Security Facility Block 2, where the release ceremony was being held, was decorated with paper chain ornaments and banners congratulating Kaylee on her release.

It was one of those rare moments when the drab, gray prison was covered in vibrant colors.

Naturally unfamiliar with such changes, Emily quietly asked Jessie, who was contentedly looking around:

“They do things like this in prison too?”

Emily, who had expected nothing more than a pat on the back and a simple goodbye, pointed at inmates who were already in tears as they approached Kaylee to bid farewell.

“A prison is still a place where people live. Though this kind of thing only happens in Blocks 1 and 2, not in 3 and 4.”

“Why not?”

“Because those aren’t for people.”

Jessie said with a pout.

“A car thief like you would get completely dismantled within a week, like a stolen Ferrari in a chop shop.”

Emily imagined herself being dismantled like a doll, limb by limb, and said in her usual quiet voice:

“That sounds fun.”

“Fun? No way! Anyway, don’t cause too much trouble. If you end up in Block 3 or higher, you might actually die.”

Jessie warned Emily kindly, then approached Marcy, who was shedding tears next to Kaylee. Marcy had short, dark brown hair.

“Marcy.”

“…Who is it?”

“It’s me. Jessie.”

“Jessie? Really? Is that you?”

Marcy, who only remembered Jessie as the “crazy bitch,” looked her up and down, then clapped her hands and stomped her feet excitedly.

“It is you! I heard you changed completely after going to the infirmary, but I never had a chance to see you! You’re absolutely gorgeous now!”

“Oh, um, you think so?”

Jessie had rarely seen Marcy since entering the infirmary because Marcy spent from morning till night at the external vocational training center, except when sleeping.

Especially since Jessie’s newly assigned room and Marcy’s room were at opposite ends of the block, they wouldn’t meet unless they deliberately sought each other out.

While Jessie was blushing awkwardly, Marcy’s gaze shifted to Emily standing beside Jessie.

Marcy, who had been smiling brightly when looking at Jessie, immediately frowned when she saw Emily.

“And next to you is that annoying bitch.”

“…Hello.”

Emily didn’t avoid Marcy’s eyes, but remembering the beating she had received, she spoke in a somewhat subdued voice.

“Hey, come on! It’s a good day! Marcy, Emily, you two should make up!”

Jessie, deliberately acting cheerful, was trying hard to improve the relationship between the two.

Thanks to Jessie’s efforts and Emily’s forced apology for causing misunderstandings, the atmosphere of the release ceremony became even more pleasant.

“Just don’t do anything to be misunderstood next time.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“And I’m sorry for hitting you.”

“Oh wow, Marcy, I didn’t know you could apologize too.”

As Marcy, Jessie, and Emily were chatting and enjoying themselves, an unwelcome voice reached Jessie’s ears.

“Well, well, look who it is.”

As soon as she heard that voice, Jessie very slowly turned her head toward it.

“Long time no see, ‘Piranha’?”

“…Yeah, Allison.”

Though Jessie wasn’t pleased, she tried to maintain a normal voice as she looked at Allison and spoke.

Piranha.

It was a contemptuous nickname Jessie had earned for biting inmates who threatened her, to avoid being looked down upon by other inmates.

Allison had a stocky build and short brown hair similar to Marcy’s, but her personality was the complete opposite.

“You used to be all bones, like a walking scarecrow, but now you look completely different?”

The casual voice and the dismissive gaze.

In the past, Jessie would have growled at her to back off, but Jessie wasn’t the same person she used to be.

“Ha, haha. First time seeing me since my arm broke, right? You seem to be doing well too, which is nice to see.”

As Jessie forced a laugh, Dexter’s words echoed in her mind.

‘Don’t cause trouble… Don’t cause trouble…’

Since the person she liked was a guard, Jessie was trying hard to suppress her temper, not wanting to create situations that would trouble him.

Unaware that Jessie’s forced smile was trembling at the corners, Allison poked Jessie’s chest and said:

“Does the infirmary do plastic surgery too? Your tits have changed so much since I last saw you. Are they silicone?”

“N-no. It’s just fat, just fat. Where would I get the money for that…”

Normally, if someone spoke to Jessie like this, she would bite first and ask questions later, living up to her nickname “Piranha.”

Then Allison’s followers would rush in, pretending to separate Jessie from Allison while secretly landing a few punches.

And Allison would enjoy watching the scene unfold.

But faced with Jessie’s unexpected behavior of avoiding conflict, Allison began to attack more deeply.

“Well, where would our Jessie get that kind of money, when she was just sucking racers’ dicks to get by in that rural corner of Iowa?”

At Allison’s unrestrained verbal abuse, the expressions of the inmates watching the two hardened slightly.

“Allison, take it easy.”

“Yeah. Can’t we just have a quiet release ceremony?”

Unlike in the past when they would have ignored such conflicts, some inmates started speaking up.

Usually when such disputes arose, it was common for everyone involved to be rounded up and sent to solitary confinement, so most inmates would either watch from a distance or leave the area entirely when fights broke out.

But now it was different.

Some inmates were actually intervening against Allison’s behavior.

Allison sensed something was off about the reactions, but as Jessie continued to avoid confrontation to preserve the good atmosphere of the release ceremony, the situation changed.

“It’s a good day, why are you acting like this? Let’s talk more later, okay?”

Seeing Jessie’s clear avoidance, Allison smiled crookedly and began to hurl even more severe insults.

“What, am I wrong? I heard the reason J-Bone is famous in Iowa is because she made it so cheap for other men, they called her ‘Jizz Bone’?”

“Allison, that’s going too far…”

Even Allison’s followers tried to stop her, feeling this was crossing a line. As Allison’s expression grew more triumphant, Jessie’s face hardened.

As the atmosphere of the release ceremony grew increasingly tense, Marcy, the ceremony’s biggest supporter and everyone’s big sister figure, stepped in to stop Allison.

“Allison, can you tone it down? Can’t you read the room?”

“What’s wrong, Marcy? You used to complain about Jessie’s crazy behavior too. Kaylee did, Janet did, Rita did! You all hated Jessie and called her crazy!”

Allison’s voice grew louder.

“Since when can Jessie enjoy a release ceremony like this? She’s crazy. A piranha who bites anyone! Don’t enjoy yourselves with this bitch around! Why? Why are you all having fun with this crazy bitch here?”

While everyone was focused on Allison and unable to speak, Emily, who had remained silent with her usual cold expression, raised her hand slightly and spoke.

“Excuse me.”

“Who the hell are you!”

When Allison glared at Emily with glistening eyes, Emily replied in her usual quiet, low voice:

“I think everything would be fine if you just left.”

“W-what?”

“The mood was good until you ruined it.”

With Emily’s words, other inmates who agreed with her began to murmur.

“She’s not wrong.”

“She’s really making a scene.”

Even inmates who hadn’t taken sides in the earlier dispute were adding their comments, and those who had been close to Allison began to distance themselves.

Watching this unfold, Marcy crossed her arms as she observed the unexpected turn of events.

‘Maybe…’

Jessie still cursed freely and showed her rough personality.

But if the old Jessie was like a feral dog that would bite at the slightest touch, now she was more like a feisty stray cat—difficult but not impossible to befriend.

Everyone had somehow become friends with Jessie, and especially with her newly feminine appearance, she had become popular among many.

Unaware of this shift, Allison found herself suddenly being criticized by everyone. She turned to Emily, who had checked her.

“You, who the hell do you think you are to mess with me?”

“Mess with you? I was just saying.”

Seeing Emily speak so nonchalantly, as if she had no ill intentions, Allison flew into a rage and shoved Emily hard with both hands.

-Crash.

Emily lost her balance and fell to the floor.

“Ah…”

Having twisted her wrist in the fall, Emily sat awkwardly on the floor, clutching her wrist. Jessie, who had been watching quietly, helped Emily up and stepped forward.

“Can you stop now?”

“Oh, finally showing your true colors?”

Seeing Allison’s clear mockery, Jessie took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking.

“Today is a good day for Kaylee, and it’s not great for us to keep fighting like this. Let’s end it here, okay?”

Jessie’s earnest plea.

But Allison stepped closer to Jessie and said:

“Fuck. Off.”

Seeing Allison kick away her final peace offering, Jessie snorted derisively and put her hands on her hips.

“…You know what?”

“What?”

“That was your last chance, you stupid bitch.”

With those words, Jessie swung her right arm wide and struck the right side of Allison’s jaw.

-Crack.

As Allison instantly collapsed to the floor with a concussion, Jessie roughly grabbed her short hair.

So roughly that blood formed under Jessie’s fingernails.

* * *

“Apologize for ruining the release ceremony.”

“Ugh…”

Jessie yanked Allison’s hair hard again, her cheeks swollen red.

“Say it!”

“…Sorry, ugh… I’m sorry…”

Allison’s eyes were filling with tears as Jessie pulled her hair so hard that strands were being ripped out, forcing an apology.

Kaylee, the person concerned, was far from accepting the apology—she was just staring at Jessie and Allison in bewilderment.

Except for the perpetually expressionless Emily, only Marcy was looking at Jessie with sympathetic eyes.

“Jessie, let’s stop now.”

Marcy approached Jessie, who was still sitting on top of Allison, and forcibly pulled her up by both arms.

Then Marcy pointed directly at Allison’s followers and said:

“You guys, take Allison away right now.”

The followers, who had been blankly watching as Jessie mercilessly beat Allison, immediately put Allison’s arms around their shoulders and headed toward her cell.

“I told you to control your temper, didn’t I?”

“I gave her at least three chances…”

Jessie mumbled awkwardly.

Even Marcy would have found it difficult to endure such insults.

But Marcy’s issue wasn’t with the violence itself.

“It’s how you responded that was wrong. When someone’s openly picking a fight, you need to handle it better. I’ll show you how to deal with it later, so if she comes at you again, do it that way. Got it?”

“Yeah…”

Marcy looked around.

Seeing the inmates still tense and unsure what to do, she clapped her hands loudly twice.

-Clap, clap!

“What are you all doing? Shouldn’t we be celebrating Kaylee? Kaylee, how can the guest of honor be standing there so awkwardly? Come out and receive your congratulations!”

With Marcy’s direction and her affectionate pats on the inmates’ backs, the tense atmosphere gradually began to ease.

“I didn’t realize it before, but Marcy is impressive.”

As the release ceremony began to regain its lively atmosphere following Marcy’s lead, Emily, who had been watching quietly, stood beside Jessie and whispered.

“She’s like a mother, or the oldest sister. She’s practically the matriarch of Block 2.”

“Matriarch?”

“Yeah, like everyone’s mom? That kind of feeling. She breaks up fights like earlier, mediates when we have problems among ourselves…”

Jessie nodded, remembering the past.

“I got a lot of help from her before too.”

“How so?”

“When I first came here, I was in Marcy’s room.”

Jessie said, putting her reddened palms in her pockets to hide them.