Orange is the New Bride

Chapter 1: Sweet Release

Piper, Alex, Red, and Nicky were released from prison within weeks of each other. Piper was very excited to finally start her life with Alex. Piper wasn't expecting anything big from Alex. Just being with Alex was good enough for her.

She didn't need a ring on her finger to justify that Alex was her's and she was Alex's. She was perfectly happy just where they were.

Red's husband had decided towards the end of her sentence to leave her and Lorna was still in prison, not that it mattered to Nicky. Lorna was now a married woman so I guess she was "hands off". Red and Nicky decided to pull what little money they had and get a place together.

Piper and Alex lived in an apartment in Manhattan. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was a really nice place. Piper liked it. She wasn't sure she would like living in Manhattan because she lived in Brooklyn. But Alex wanted Manhattan, a fresh start, and Piper had to admit it was a good idea to have a fresh start.

Alex had a friend lease the apartment and Alex paid her back when she was released. Piper was happy that they somewhat had things figured out. She kept thinking about how unlucky some of the other inmates would be when they got released. Where would they go? Would they have friends who could get them an apartment in Manhattan? Probably not. It was a shame.

They moved all their things in within a few weeks and Piper was pleased. They invited Red and Nicky over to celebrate with them. They hung out in the new place and reflected on all the funny memories from prison.

"Do you remember that time you put a used tampon in my breakfast?", Piper laughed.

"Bitch, you got what was coming to you", said Red, sarcastically. Everybody laughed.

"How about the time you and I got frisky in the library?", said Alex to Piper, lusciously.

"Oh, how could I forget."

"What about that time you got called Taylor Swift?", said Red.

"Hey Nicky, snore extra louder for Red. She loves it!", said Piper.

"Hey, that snoring bitch was your bunkmate too."

"Didn't matter. I slept like a baby!"

"Hey Vause, what'd you make for dinner?", said Nicky.

"Well, I decided to take your hopeful advice from years ago and tonight is taco night!" Everyone laughed. Red and Nicky stayed for a few more hours then left for the night.

Piper went out to the balcony when Alex came out with two wine coolers.

"So what do you think?"

"It's perfect, Alex. Absolutely perfect."

"I'm glad you like it." Piper kissed Alex. She was so glad life could finally get started. They sat on the balcony all night and talked about the future.

Alex's friends had surprised her and pulled together some money for her to buy her own business. She had decided that she would buy her own bookstore.

Piper decided to run her own business that was exactly like Popi, the one she ran with Polly. She had no problem having a competition with Polly. They weren't friends anymore. Her best friend had stolen her fiancee. Yes, Piper had cheated on him with Alex in prison, but Larry was her fiancee and Polly was her best friend. That broke a lot of rules from the girl code.

She called it Chapex, a combination of her last name Chapman, and Alex's first name. Instead of just fancy soaps, she was going to make fancy soaps that would not only smell amazing but could also heal dry skin. "Take that, Polly!", she thought. Her last name really worked with the dry skin thing because another name for dry skin was chapped and her last name was Chapman.

Alex and Piper talked for a few hours then headed into their bedroom. They decided to go straight to sleep. They had a pretty busy day with their friends. They laid down next to each other and fell fast asleep.

Piper had a dream that night of a wedding. She couldn't place a face of a bride or a groom but the wedding was beautiful. She awoke that morning and tried to think of any of her friends or anyone she knew was getting married, but she was drawing a blank. She figured it was just one of those weird dreams you have. But throughout the day, she couldn't help but wonder if it meant something and if it was a sign for things to come.