Rikers High by Paul Volponi Page A

I’ll slap you a new one!”
    The woman CO walked over to Shaky and out of nowhere threw a wild punch past his head. The two of them got tangled up and started to wrestle on the floor. She landed a couple of good shots and her partner went charging over there.
    Kids were all pressed up against the windows and doors of their classrooms to watch. The big man grabbed Shaky from the pile and slammed him back against the wall, twisting his arm behind him hard.
    Everybody thought it was over for Shaky. It should have meant bing time, after those COs wrote up what happened their way .
    But it all changed fast.
    The woman CO kept jawing with Shaky.
    â€œYou think you know who you are. I’ll teach you,” she said. “You’re a damn inmate.”
    Shaky was all upset, and the spit was flying from his mouth. “No, I’ll teach you,” he said back. “Bitch!”
    That’s when she just lost it.
    She took the fire extinguisher from behind the desk and ran at him. I thought she was going to hit him over the head with it, but she turned it over and soaked him good instead.
    Some dudes were rolling on the floor laughing, but others were burning mad.
    Both Demarco and Mrs. Daniels were standing in the hall in front of their classrooms.
    That woman CO knew she’d screwed up, and after a while she sent Shaky back to class. He sat there the rest of the morning, dripping wet.
    When Carter got back, the teachers told him what happened.
    He took that woman CO off to the side and had some quiet words with her.
    Then I couldn’t believe what happened next.
    Carter called Shaky out and said his partner wanted to talk to him.
    â€œLook. I lost my head. I’m sorry,” she apologized.
    Kids had never heard anything like that from a CO before and didn’t know what to make of it. Shaky was just glad not to get written up.
    After lunch, Carter was on duty with Ms. Armstrong.
    That woman CO came back and set Shaky up in the computer room with Chinese food. He was sitting there like a king eating beef and broccoli.
    The COs canceled computer class while he was in there and wouldn’t let anyone else in the room. Brick was wild that one of his crew had scored big and he couldn’t get his cut.
    â€œThat CO could lose her job over what she did,” said Demarco.
    And Mrs. Daniels was trying to get the other teachers as witnesses against her.
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    Big Johnson came on duty at four, and you could tell from his walk that he was steamed over something. He swung his arms more than usual and dropped his shoulder like he would smack anything that moved.
    Before we went to supper he deuced up both sides of the house at the front door. Sometimes when a CO wants to give a speech he has to wait for everyone to settle down. But no one was even thinking about making a sound with him in that kind of mood.
    â€œThe captain says this house looks like a pigsty!” snarled Johnson. “And if I got it figured right, that makes me a pig farmer! Now does anyone here want to explain to me how I turned from a corrections officer into a fuckin’ pig farmer in his eyes?”
    Johnson fired half the house gang that does the cleaning and called the others “no good slackers.” Jersey kept his cleaning job but heard it from Johnson because the clothes he’d washed were still drying on the vents from last night.
    â€œI’ll put this house on permanent burn if you slobs can’t get it clean,” threatened Johnson.
    No house wants to lose its privileges. That means no commissary, no extra phone time, and no TV. It would be just jail and school.
    After supper, on the way back to the house, Johnson lined us up outside the mess hall. Captain Montenez was standing off to the side. But some of the kids didn’t see him there and were horsing around.
    This dude from the south side was standing five feet off the line, drinking a milk.
    Johnson called his name and the dude mumbled,