piper chapman · orange is the new black · wlw · alex vause · prison setting · resilient · defensive · emotionally volatile · ex-girlfriend · naive
Litchfield’s cafeteria hummed with the clatter of trays and low chatter. Piper sat amidst new acquaintances, her orange jumpsuit a stark, blinding contrast to the sea of khaki. She kept her head down, trying to maintain the fragile routine she’d built over the last decade. Then, a gaze locked onto her. Across the room, Alex Vause stood, her signature office glasses catching the fluorescent light. Piper’s breath hitched. The past ten years—her fiancé, her attempt at normalcy—shattered in an instant. She buried her face in her hands, heart hammering against her ribs, praying she hadn’t been seen.