Rikers Island Inmates

[illWILL8455]

'Balloney Sanwich'...?

Lunch was a time that every inmate in the Rikers Island jail looked forward to. Different shifts would go to lunch throughout the day, and while the food wasn't great, it was adequate. Most inmates enjoyed getting some time out of their cell to hang out with who they wanted to, more than they enjoyed the food itself.

Derricka made her way to her table, which was located on the opposite side of the cafeteria from the crew that Fu Fu sat with.

Derricka was very image conscious. She usually ate small portions of the food, and made a point to exercise a lot when she splurged and ate fatty foods.

Today, Derricka had chosen to eat half of a bologna sandwich on whole wheat, with a banana. Derricka, examined the bologna sandwich in disgust. She stayed away from fattening condiments such as mayonnaise so she really had to get creative in order for her to stomach the horrible tasting bologna sandwiches.

Derricka looked back towards the lunch line, and saw a container with oranges in it. She sighed but figured an orange slice or two would help her get it down, and be healthy at the same time. She made her way over the the lunch line, and waded through everyone to get an orange. This seemed like it took forever.

Derricka made her way back to her seat, happily. She was actually hungry today so she was looking forward to lunch.

However, as she neared her table, she stopped dead in her tracks....

Someone had stabbed her tray repeatedly, completely demolishing her bologna sandwich, and breaking her plastic spork. Derricka saw that her banana had also been peeled and smashed onto the table. Her cup of water had been spilled all over her seat as well....

Derricka stared in disbelief as she got closer to her table. Whoever had done this had also written a message to her in ketchup. Derricka squinted as she tried to make out the handwriting and horrible grammar of the message....

'Now it is your balloney sanwich! Next it be your head, b****! Unless you wanna end up like this ****ing balloney sanwich is, I suggest you back the **** off me! Eztrella was on you! You hurt her! Better keep your head down, or I will hurt you like I did your sanwich! b****!'

This messy message written in ketchup covered the entire table. Derricka knew exactly who had written it once she pieced it all together...Fu Fu Brown!

Derricka glared towards where Fu Fu usually sat but she wasn't there. Derricka did catch a few of her crew smirking at her as she looked over there. She knew that Fu Fu had done it.

Disgusted that her lunch had been ruined, Derricka made her way towards the door to wait in her cell until the afternoon chores began. However, multiple officers stopped her before she could leave and demanded that she clean up the huge mess.

Derricka was furious! She hadn't even gotten to eat, and now she'd have to clean up a mess that she didn't even make. She stormed back to the table and began slamming the plate and the banana peel into the nearest trash can.

As she wiped the table down over, and over to remove all of the ketchup. She again looked towards where Fu Fu usually sat.

Fu Fu was not only there now, but she was staring right at her. Derricka was shocked that Fu Fu wasn't smiling with how immature she usually was. Fu Fu was dead serious and stared Derricka in the eyes from across the room.

She gestured a cut throat signal towards Derricka, as if to suggest that she was going to kill her if she didn't head the warning that had been written in ketchup.

Derricka didn't know how to respond. She had initially blown off the threat as Fu Fu being ridiculous, but Fu Fu's seriousness sent chills down Derricka's spine. Could she really kill Derricka?

Confused and slightly rattled, Derricka looked away, and wiped the table faster. Once she was finally done, she made her way to her cell to try to pull herself together before the afternoon chores began.

Fu Fu simply grinned from ear to ear as she watched the flustered Derricka fleeing the cafeteria. She chuckled as she bit into a triple decker bologna sandwich, with mayo and hot sauce oozing out everywhere.

*

[illWILL8455]

Forfeit

Once again, the NCAA was not impressed with the manner in which Rikers Island chose to conduct themselves during their game against Bowling Green. NCAA spokesman, Joe Fish, held a special press conference on ESPN2 in order to deliver the punishments for the Rikers Island Inmate football program.

Fish appeared to be even angrier than he had been in the previous press conference where he announced multiple suspensions of Rikers Island players. Fish was a man of law and order, so the continued inability of Rikers Island to behave has clearly infuriated Fish.

"Unfortunately, we find it necessary to hold a press conference in order to discipline a football program that is clearly, out of control. The Rikers Island Inmate football team has continued to act out, and this type of behavior will not be tolerated by the NCAA. Our virtues include teamwork and sportsmanship. Neither are being exemplified by the Rikers Island football program, so there must be consequences."

Fish's tone was very stern and he had yet to look away from the camera. He seemed to feel this anger in his heart, so he could easily give the speech without looking at his notes. He continued without missing a beat....

"The first punishment is for the entirety of the Rikers Island football program. Their unruly behavior will cause them to forfeit their next game against Middle Tennessee State. This will result in another loss for the program, and MTSU will be awarded the win."

This was an odd punishment but Rikers Island can be thankful that the NCAA didn't force them to forfeit the rest of the season.

"The next punishment is for the Rikers Island head coach, Connie Jenkins. Coach Jenkins is radically losing control of this team, and if this continues, she will be forced to step down and the program will be suspended until someone who can control the program is found. Coach Jenkins has been alerted of this, and of the fact that she has received strike #2. If she acts out again, she will be suspended for the remainder of the season, no questions asked."

Fish elected not to go into individual player suspensions, and rather opted to make the entire team forfeit the game against MTSU. Many Rikers Island players engaged in a fist fight at the end of the Bowling Green game, but it was hard to tell which players needed to be suspended. Fish's punishment was fitting in that it punished the entire team, including the guilty players.

However, it is unclear how fans will respond to the stern warning that Fish gave Connie. It seems as though Fish is at his wits end with her, and is one step away from suspending her, or even forcing her to step down.

Many may wonder if this is a sexist move on his part because he questioned her control of the team. Many may find it fitting since she clearly has anger problems and may not have what it takes to run a football team, regardless of her gender.

The fallout remains to be seen, but the forfeit gives the Rikers Island football team a lot of time off before their next game on October 6th against North Texas. The Inmates are 0-5....

*

[illWILL8455]

Gossip

Practice was becoming a drag. Without having a game to play for over a week, the Rikers Island players weren't pushing themselves. The lack of motivation was getting on Connie's nerves.

Connie viewed the forfeit as a potential blessing in disguise. Her team needed a lot of work, and the extra practice time would come in handy. She also accepted the fact that she'll likely continue to lose players each game due to suspensions with how poorly behaved this team is....

When Connie had seen enough, she finally blew her whistle and sent the entire team to run laps until she was satisfied. Connie cursed under her breath and made her way over to the Gatorade to grab a quick drink.

She kept her back to the field as she drank. Watching her joke of a team jog lazily around the dome only served to raise Connie's blood pressure. She needed to take breaks in between their nonsense if she was going to make it through each practice.

Connie took another gulp of Gatorade as she felt a soft pat on her shoulder. She looked over to see Claude Newman patting her and shaking his head. He had a sad look on his face.

The smell of alcohol radiated off of Claude. Connie took a big step back to try to get some relief from the strength of the stinge.

"What is it, Claude? Out of booze?"

She asked this jokingly, but even she knew that there was more to it.

"I'm sorry as I can be there coach, but them fellers from the jail doctor came by and gave us some news.... It ain't good...."

Connie's heart sank instantly. She had a long list of concerns for her players at the medical ward.

She worried that Devon could die at any time. Her starting QB likely had torn his ACL, and her kick returner was concussed and many were starting to doubt that he'd ever snap out of it and realize that it's not Halloween....

On top of that, poor Estrella Nunez was still in bad shape after being crunched by the far heavier Fu Fu Brown in a failed flip attempt during a cheerleading routine. Connie was still blown away that the 90 lb Estrella had survived Fu Fu crash landing on top of her.

With all of those concerns, Connie hung her head but motioned for Claude to deliver the news.

"That feller, Devon, they say he's gone. He croaked earlier this morning. It's a shame too, he was a good feller I think...."

Connie felt numb all over. She had battled sorrow and depression throughout Devon's fight, but now that he had passed away, all Connie felt like doing was fighting....

She slammed down her Gatorade cup and punched the table as hard as she could. A loud splitting sound was heard throughout the dome. Connie had cracked the plastic table and the weight of the two large Gatorade coolers on top were causing the split to get bigger.

Connie stomped on a folding chair and launched her clipboard into the bleachers. Claude scrambled to try to catch the Gatorade coolers before they toppled over.

Claude managed to bear hug one as the table split in two parts, but the other cooler fell freely to the ground. Gatorade spilled all over the turf, and Claude was struggled to keep his balance with the huge Gatorade cooler that he had managed to bear hug.

Claude wobbled around before slipping and collapsing to the ground, allowing the second cooler to spill too. Claude laid on his belly for a moment before hollering that he was ok....

Connie had continued her path of destruction and was now kicking the metal bench where the players sat. She had managed to put a sizeable dent in it before Claude pulled himself up and managed to pull Connie away.

No tears were seen in Connie's eyes. Rage was the only thing that she felt. How could the world take yet another quality man away from her in such a depressing way???

She kicked, squirmed, and punched while Claude had her wrapped up. She said every curse word in the book and began threatening Claude if he didn't let her go.

Claude just brushed off the comments. He knew Connie was upset but he didn't want her to hurt herself in her fit of rage.

"Shhhhh! Coach, it's ok. It's ok! Don't go running 'round here hurtin' yourself or no-one else. You are too good for that! Take some time off. You need some rest! I'll take it from here, coach. Go grab yourself a drink, some bbq, and a cake and go home and rest. That always works for me!"

Connie couldn't understand how any of that would make her feel better but she understood that Claude's heart was in the right place. She stopped kicking and punching wildly and relaxed.

Claude let Connie go, and Connie turned around and hugged him. Claude was a great friend, and one that Connie desperately needed since "The Warden" had been gone. She smiled at him, and thanked him again before heading towards the tunnel.

Connie still felt nothing but rage. She was almost to the tunnel when she saw the mascot head of 'Inmate Ike.' Connie couldn't help herself. She kicked the head as hard as she could. It sailed up into the bleachers.

Connie was still fired up but she knew that Claude was right. She needed to leave before she actually hurt herself or someone else. She slowly made her way to the tunnel.

She vowed to take the rest of the night off, and stop by the medical ward tomorrow in order to thank all of the doctors and nurses for doing all that they could for Devon.

*

[illWILL8455]

Surprise!

Connie stared into her bathroom. Having finally drug herself out of bed, Connie weighed her motivation to actually shower before going to meet with the doctors about Devon.

Connie failed to see the point anymore. Life had forced her to witness two men wither away right in front of her eyes, and it had taken a toll on Connie. She had spent the entire night wondering if there was any meaning to what she was doing anymore, or if "The Warden's" dream really had died with him....

After electing not to, Connie tied her hair back and brushed her teeth. She tossed on an old sweatshirt and sweat pants, and made her way out of the door. She wasn't looking forward to this, but at least she would have closure, and know that Devon wasn't suffering anymore.

She made her stop by the vending machine. After hurting Blair McCormick's feelings once before, Connie had vowed never to forget to buy candy before seeing him again. She would see everyone else later, her top priority was meeting with the doctors and nurses who had cared for Devon.

With a bag of candy in hand, Connie made her way up the stairs in the medical ward. She arrived at what used to be Devon's room. The door was closed, and there appeared to be movement inside.

Connie didn't want to go in there in case they were moving the body. Connie feared that seeing Devon's lifeless body would send her spiraling towards another emotional meltdown.

She scanned the hallways before finally finding a nurse. She rushed up to the nurse and began thanking her so much for all that she had done for Devon. Connie ensured her that she knew that the medical staff had done all that they could do, and that he simply was too far gone before he arrived to be saved.

The nurse was looking at Connie dumbfounded. She seemed to think Connie was crazy. Connie had noticed but assumed that she was still judging her for her emotional breakdown in the hallway.

"Uhhh... you know Devon's still alive right? He's awake now...."

Connie froze in place. The bag of candy dropped out of her hand and fell to the floor. Connie couldn't believe what she had just heard.

In complete disbelief, she turned and sprinted towards Devon's room. She arrived at his room, and threw open the closed door.

Connie fell to her knees in complete shock and awe as Devon was sitting up in his hospital bed, with nurses attending to him.

"Uhh coach? You okay?"

Connie heard Devon's concern but she was still speechless. She had convinced herself and accepted the fact that Devon was dead and yet here he was. Alive and well.

A nurse turned and blankly stared at Connie who remained on her knees, smiling in the doorway.

"Would you like to speak to the doctor, Mrs. Jenkins?"

Connie managed to nod but remained unable to pull herself together enough to stand up. She was in too much shock and disbelief.

Moments later, a doctor entered the room. Connie had moved herself to Devon's bedside and was still just smiling at him. It seemed to be creeping Devon out, but Connie didn't care. She was in pure joy that he was still alive.

"Coach Connie? It's good to see you. Let me tell you about Devon, here...."

Connie turned towards the doctor who had just spoken to her. She was still beaming. She could simply not believe that Devon was okay after all.

The doctor didn't seem as overjoyed as Connie was. He walked her outside and patted her on the shoulder before continuing.

"Coach, it isn't good...in fact, it's really bad. Devon will never walk again..."

Connie's absolute glee dissolved instantly. She stared at the doctor.

"What? Really?"

Connie felt stupid for asking that, but it was all that she could muster.

"Yes, unfortunately. Devon suffered a tremendous blow to the back of his head, and because of that, he no longer has feeling from his waist down."

Connie hung her head. She felt bad now for being so happy. What kind of life would Devon have now that he was paralyzed? She wondered if death would have been easier at this point. She fought off a tear, and thanked the doctor. She wanted to see Devon again before she moved on.

The doctor wanted to make sure that Connie knew that he had tried to speak with her but wasn't able to.

"Coach, I tried to speak with you directly but a drunken redneck hillbilly claiming to be your assistant coach wouldn't let me. He was speaking incoherently and seemed to be angry that I kept trying to get around him to find you. He claimed that you were busy coaching or something. That was the only thing that I could understand though... I tried to tell him what had happened, but I'm not sure if he understood it correctly or not. I really just couldn't understand a word he said honestly"

She could only shake her head. Claude Newman was a good man that meant well but he was an idiot sometimes. She confirmed that he was telling the truth and thanked the doctor again before he left.

Connie slowly made her way to Devon's bedside. She was a bit gloomier now but was determined to appear strong for Devon's sake.

He still looked very weak. He had been out for a very long time so he was frail and still hooked up to multiple machines. He smiled at Connie as she walked up.

"Did we win coach?"

Connie smirked at that. The very thought of them winning a game was hilarious. She smiled and shook her head no.

"Dang bruh, it was 7-6. Was it at least close?"

Connie realized that he was talking about the Air Force game. Maybe he could tell her who called all of those plays.

"I'm sorry, it was not close at all. However, who called all of those plays? Do you know?"

Connie watched as a smirk came over Devon's face. He began chuckling.

"You really don't know, coach? Wow, that's crazy bruh. I'd thought them boys would've snitched on me by now."

Connie stared blankly at Devon. In all of this time, she had never once considered that Devon was behind all of the plays.

Shocked, Connie took a step back as everything began coming together. If Devon was calling things, that explains why he made a key tackle, and why he checked himself in at QB. Devon was fussing with Wilson and benched him which is likely why Wilson hit Devon with the Gatorade cooler....

The biggest mystery in Connie's life had been solved. She looked back at Devon who was just smiling at her.

"You hear what them doctors said? I can't walk nomore. I'm sorry coach, looks like I'm done. At least I got some good plays in there while I could."

Devon chuckled. Connie was appalled by how high his spirit was. Here was a man who would be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, and yet he was so happy....

Then it hit Connie. Devon had never had hope in his life. He smoked up all of the time on the outside in order to get through the pain of the drama in his life. Being locked up hadn't helped his outlook on life. However, the chance to showcase his wit and creativity on the football field had brought Devon a lot of joy.

Connie felt the strength to be strong and say what needed to be said.

"Devon, I am beyond thankful that you are still here. Your time as a player may be over but I will personally see to it that you will get to be on the sideline, helping me call in plays. You are the only one that has gotten that group of idiots to score, so needless to say, you have earned my respect!"

Devon's face lit up. Hope filled his eyes, and he beamed from ear to ear.

"Thanks coach! I won't let you down!"

Connie smiled as the joy that had overcame Devon had made her beyond happy.

Connie squeezed Devon's hand much like she had "The Warden's" as if to confirm that everything was going to be okay. Only this time, Connie felt a strong squeeze back..

Tears of joy filled Connie's eyes as she made her way out of the room. She felt like jumping for joy, so she did. Over and over again...

Connie finally noticed that all of the medical staff was staring blankly at her, so she pulled herself together.

She stared up towards the ceiling and smiled. She knew that "The Warden" was smiling down on her. He may have passed away, but she knew that Devon surviving and being filled with joy by the football team had something to do with her husband. Connie walked with confidence, with a new drive and determination to ensure that "The Warden's" dream would be something that every inmate would experience.

Unable to stop smiling, Connie continued on towards Blair McCormick's room. Finding out that Devon was still alive had made her day!

*

[AdamJones113]

Glad for Devon!

[illWILL8455]

More Good News?

Connie was on cloud 9. She really couldn't believe that she had cried the entire night before about a player who hadn't really died. Seeing Devon alive and recovering had boosted her spirit considerably. She felt invincible as she made her way to the room of Blair McCormick.

Nurses were evaluating McCormick as Connie walked in. He flashed a big smile at Connie before asking her 'Trick or Treat?' Connie couldn't help but smile as she handed him a bag of candy.

The nurses seemed puzzled and looked to Connie. They explained that his wounds had recovered completely from the shanking, but he had yet to snap out of the notion that he is a kid who is trick or treating on Halloween.

Connie had pondered to herself how long it would take McCormick to come around, or if he ever would. She questioned how long he would have to stay if he continued to not realize that he was a man, and not a trick or treating little kid.

The nurses explained that they were at an impasse. They couldn't justify holding onto McCormick when he was fully healthy, but they questioned his mental state. They advised Connie to sign off on him so that they could release McCormick back to the team.

Connie weighed that option. She didn't really feel like baby sitting McCormick and worried that he'd eventually get on everyone's nerves again with his relentless 'trick or treating' so she feared he'd get shanked again....

She couldn't really justify putting him back on the team just yet, as she hoped he would be back in tune with reality before that. However, she sighed as she thought that even a concussed McCormick, who was in a fantasy land in his head, was way better than most of her team....

She also could see where the nurses were coming from. It didn't make sense for them to continue keeping him. He was not doing anything but laying in bed, collecting candy from visitors. He needed to get out. Maybe that would clear his head.

Connie shrugged and accepted the nurses' proposal. McCormick was getting released from the medical ward....

The nurses seemed very relieved when Connie signed the papers. They said they'd discharge McCormick and get him back to his cell by the afternoon.

Connie made her way out of the room happily. Not only was Devon alive, but McCormick was back as well. She was beaming from ear to ear as she made her way towards the room of starting quarter back, Wallace Brunner.

*

[illWILL8455]

Glass Candle Holder

Connie entered the room of injured quarterback, Wallace Brunner. Brunner had injured his knee on an impressive quarterback scramble during the Air Force game. Brunner had picked up 15 yards prior to taking a hard shot from a Falcon defender that popped his knee.

Doctors feared that Brunner had torn his ACL. Each day Connie had checked in, she witnessed doctors trying to evaluate Brunner's knee which had swollen up twice it's normal size.

Rikers Island officials elected not to send Brunner out for an official MRI due to cost reasons. Connie had protested this decision but had not been successful. They argued her down that they only had money in the budget for a knee surgery, not a scan and a surgery. Connie had argued that the doctors may not be able to adequately fix it if they don't know what's really wrong. They simply ignored her....

Brunner had his knee elevated. It was still swollen and Connie could tell that he was in some pain. Unlike the vast majority of the inmates who acted like drama queens even when they weren't really hurting, Brunner was a warrior. He had refused to take any pills or anything since getting admitted to the medical ward. He claimed to be too manly for that....

Connie respected his warrior like mentality. She also remembered that he tried to keep playing after that big hit, before his knee went completely numb. She admired his competitive spirit and looked forward to getting him back next season after his knee was repaired.

Doctors soon met with Connie and explained that they had done all of the tests that they knew how to do without an official scan. Connie signed off on them moving ahead with Brunner's surgery. They informed Connie that he would begin surgery next Monday.

Connie was shocked that it was happening so soon. She figured that it would take longer than that since it was already Thursday. She was grateful and thanked the doctors for making Brunner a top priority.

She left the room smiling as Brunner was proclaiming that he wouldn't accept any type of pain medication even after the surgery. Connie just shook her head, laughing. Classic Brunner....

Her final stop of the day would be to the room of Estrella Nunez. Nunez was a tiny cheerleader that had been violently crunched when the far heavier Fu Fu Brown landed on her after a failed flip attempt.

She entered the room to a nurse hiding behind a chair. It didn't take Connie long to figure out why she was hiding. Estrella had apparently had enough of nobody being able to understand her since she only spoke Spanish and she was now lashing out.

She was throwing items from around her bed as hard as she could at the nurse. Estrella was yelling Spanish profanities at the top of her lungs, and coming extremely close each time to connecting with the nurse.

Estrella made eye contact with Connie, and grabbed a half full pudding cup. Rage flashed in Estrella's eyes, and Connie knew that she needed to duck. Connie dove behind a table, as the pudding cup wizzed by her head. She had felt the wind rush past from the speed at which the pudding cup was launched....

Connie motioned for the nurse to stay hidden for a few minutes. Connie knew that Estrella was running out of throwable objects and she couldn't get up since she was handcuffed to the bed.

The nurse didn't respect Connie though. She considered Connie crazy for how she conducted herself during Devon's coma, so she blew Connie off.

Estrella kept on screaming angrily in Spanish and launching everything she could get her hands on. A nurse decided to stand up and try to calm her down. Connie shook her head with how stupid that was, but elected to let the nurse do it since she couldn't stop her.

Moments later, a loud cracking noise was heard as a ceramic vase holding a decorative fern had shattered on the nurse's face. Estrella had launched the vase at the nurse so fast that the nurse couldn't react quick enough. It shattered and the fern went flying out into the hallway.

The nurse was out cold.... She toppled to the ground and laid still. Connie chuckled. She had grown not to like the nurses since they judged her so harshly. She smirked as she thought how that could've been avoided had the nurse just listened to Connie.

Connie peered out from behind the counter from time to time, and monitored how much Estrella had left to throw. Each time Estrella made eye contact with her, she'd launch something else towards her. Connie felt protected behind the counter though, so everything that Estrella threw, clanked off of the counter without hurting Connie.

When Connie determined that Estrella was finally out of 'ammo' she sprung out from behind the counter and made her way to Estrella's bedside.

Connie questioned Estrella, "bien?" She figured that Estrella would say si or no, so Connie could decide whether to sign her out of the medical ward or not.

However, Estrella just stared at Connie. A cold stare, like she had absolutely no trust in Connie, or anyone else. Her inability to communicate had taken a toll on Estrella who was usually sweet, and happy.

After an awkward silence, an evil grin came over Estrella's face. This creeped Connie out. However, she soon realized why Estrella was smiling....

Estrella had hidden a heavy glass candle holder in her bed under the blanket. She had baited Connie out like she ran out of things to throw, but she stashed the candle holder under the sheets.

Estrella pulled out the candle holder and drew back, ready to launch it at Connie who was standing at nearly point-blank range....

Connie didn't know what to do. She glanced over at the safe spot that she had behind the counter but it was too far away. She would never make it without Estrella hitting her with the candle holder.

Completely out of options, Connie raised her hands up over her head, as if to surrender so that hopefully Estrella wouldn't throw the candle holder. This humored Estrella who began chuckling. She still kept the candle holder up, and still seemed determined to throw it.

Connie begin to wonder if the candle holder would seriously hurt her. She vowed to ensure Estrella staid in jail forever if it did. However, she frantically began searching for something to appease Estrella.

"Spirit fingers?" Connie said this desperately and began wiggling her fingers like the cheerleaders did.

Estrella paused for a moment. She looked interested in what Connie was saying. Connie could definitely tell that she had touched on something that interested Estrella.

Connie figured that Estrella may want to be back on the team.

"uhhhh....Fu Fu?" Connie figured maybe mentioning some of the cheerleaders' names would help let Estrella know that she knew what she wanted.

Estrella's interest dissolved, and the evil grin returned. She hoisted the candle holder high over her head, and appeared to be seconds away from launching it.

"Derricka! Derricka?!" Connie panicked as she just knew Estrella was going to throw it. She fell to her knees, and tried to brace herself for the impact of the heavy glass candle holder.

She noticed that Estrella hadn't thrown it. She looked back to Estrella who was once again interested. Estrella began nodding and pointed to her hair.

Connie tried to look as composed as possible, but she really was struggling to figure out what Estrella meant. She tried to come up with something...anything.... She knew if she messed up again, that Estrella was definitely going to throw the candle holder at her.

Thoughts jumbled up in Connie's mind as she tried to think what Derricka had to do with Estrella's hair. Connie vaguely remembered Estrella with a pretty fish braid during some of the practices. Maybe Derricka had braided Estrella's hair???

In a desperate attempt to connect with Estrella, Connie said Derricka's name again and motioned towards her hair. Connie pulled her pony tail up and began acting like she was braiding it, then pointed to Estrella and said Derricka again.

Complete joy flooded over Estrella's face. She nodded frantically and put down the candle holder. She grabbed her untied hair and began trying to speak English.

"Derricka... pesca? No? Uhhh... spirit fingers?"

Connie smiled awkwardly and motioned that she'd bring Derricka there to braid her hair. Connie actually had no intention of doing that, but if it got her out of the room without getting her face bashed in by a candle holder, Connie was willing to lie.

Connie felt as though anyone who was capable of launching that many objects, hard enough to knock out a nurse, and threaten her, was not hurt enough to be sitting in a medical ward. She fully intended on getting Estrella discharged as soon as she left the room.

Estrella beamed at Connie as she finally thought that they were on the same page. Connie reluctantly smiled back. On one hand, Connie could see how Estrella's lack of ability to communicate would be frustrating, but at the same time, she had responded way too violently.

Connie confidently made her way out of the room, smiling and waving to Estrella. Connie heard the nurse began to stir as she was closing the door.

Connie paused to check her phone before walking off. The nurse in Estrella's room had gotten up and had begun scolding Estrella. Fear came over Connie as she remembered that Estrella still had the glass candle holder.... Sure enough....

CRASH!

Connie heard the nurse hit the ground with a thud. Feeling slightly guilty for not having taken the candle holder away from Estrella, Connie quickly walked off. She acted like she hadn't heard anything.

As Connie made her way outside. She paused and took a moment to get a deep breath of the fresh air. She smiled as she thought about how much her outlook on life had improved in the last couple of hours. She remembered coming to this very place as a total nervous wreck, smoking cigarettes and trying to find a way to stay sane when facing all of this drama.

Connie chuckled to herself as she confidently reached in her purse and pulled out her cigarettes and pitched them in the nearest trash can. She had no more need for them now that things were beginning to look up.

She confidently walked off, towards her office to begin prepping for practice.

*

[illWILL8455]

T.G.I.F.

Fridays typically introduced added stress as Connie scrambled to try to tie everything together at the last moment in preparation for game day. She would spend countless hours in her office, spend extra time reviewing plays over and over with her team, and lose sleep worrying if what she did would be enough.

Not this Friday....

The NCAA had forced Rikers Island to forfeit their game against Middle Tennessee State that was scheduled for tomorrow, so Connie actually had a free weekend.

Refreshed and energized, Connie awoke from the first peaceful sleep that she had gotten since the season began. The good news about Devon being alive, coupled with the discharge of Blair McCormick had really lifted her spirits.

Connie confidently made her way to the bathroom and started up a hot shower. She was more than motivated to shower today before work because she had every reason to believe that it would be great. She would have a chill practice with her team, dismiss them for a free weekend off to let them rest and recover from soreness. Then she planned to come home and have some much needed "Connie-Time."

'Connie-Time' was a term coined by "The Warden" which referred to the time that Connie didn't do anything that she didn't want to do. She smiled as she reflected on him giving her a hard time about it, even before they were married. He wasn't a fan of "Connie-Time" because it usually meant that Connie would ignore him, and sit in a bubble bath for hours reading novels or listening to her favorite music.

Connie knew that it was a little extreme, but "Connie-Time" was her happy place. She was able to disconnect from reality and find peace with herself. She used the time to herself to sort out all of the jumbled thoughts in her mind.

"The Warden" would sometimes nag Connie to let him spend time with her so she'd have to either compromise, or yell at him enough for him to leave her alone. She chuckled as she remembered thinking that she'd probably have a lot of "Connie-Time" now that "The Warden" had passed.

She shook her head at that silly thought. Ever since Connie took over the Rikers Island Football Program, she hasn't had a mere moment to herself that wasn't busy, stressed out, sad, drunken, or recovering from something. Connie knew in order for her to stay sane, she needed to get back to having regular "Connie-Time", at least once each week.

The thought of having some time to relax and recuperate brought Connie joy. She sang gleefully as steam filled the bathroom due to her hot shower.

The shower woke her up enough that Connie elected to pass on coffee. She went with a glass of orange juice instead. She figured that she owed it to herself to treat her body right since she had been so down and so stressed out this season. She whipped up some eggs and bacon and chowed down. This was a rarity as Connie usually grabbed a pack of crackers in a hurry to get to work.

Satisfied with her meal, Connie went back to her room to change into her work clothes. She decided to dress to impress since she was feeling so well. She wore a new pants suit that she had last worn at one of "The Warden's" speeches. The memory of wearing it to hear her husband speak had prevented her from wearing it, but today she felt it was time. "The Warden" loved that outfit, and she knew that he would want her to wear it.

Never once had Connie checked her phone, all morning long. Connie had gleefully prepared for her upcoming day without a care in the world, so her phone hadn't crossed her mind.

As she finished getting dressed, she decided that it was time to head to work. She reached over for her phone. It was blinking. Connie opened it up to see what it was all about.

She had received a strange text message....

'Pegorino's Pizza, you...me...nobody else, 8pm.. come alone...be there, love ya darling- P'

PRESCOTT!

Connie had completely forgotten about him. She remembered the call now, and was reminded that she had agreed to go to dinner with him to discuss how he could help her team.

Connie had way too much to drink the night before she talked to Prescott, so the entire phone conversation seemed like a dream. At times she had wondered if it was. It had slipped her mind as the week went on due to the excitement of finding out that Devon wasn't dead.

Determined to keep a positive outlook on the day, Connie tried not to judge Prescott. He sounded sleezy and dirty on the phone, like he wasn't above cheating to get ahead. Connie had ran a crystal clean program and she preferred to keep it that way. She was skeptical of this Prescott, but she tried not to make up her mind before hearing him out.

She grabbed her purse off of her sofa, and made her way out to her car. Connie knew it was going to be a great day, she could just feel it!

*