Part 8 (2/2)

”You missed dinner,” she said.

I nodded, wis.h.i.+ng she'd stop looking at me.

”Later, there's going to be group meetings. We usually have a meeting with our group counselor after we take a shower and put our pajamas on.” She sighed as if it took a lot of energy to tell me that.

”Are you all right?” I asked her.

Janine smiled with her wet cheeks. ”I'm fine,” she said. ”I'm Manic Depressive or Bi-Polar, whatever you want to call it. It's the same. Blah. I laugh, I cry, I get sad, and I get hyperactive. It doesn't matter what happens. I'm always fine.” She sat up and pointed at me. ”What's that?”

I looked down and saw my silver b.u.t.terfly wings s.h.i.+ning. The pendant must have fallen out of my pocket and onto the bed. I grabbed it.

”It's just my b.u.t.terfly pendant,” I said.

”Let me see?” Janine said as she reached out for it.

I handed the pendant over to her. She took it and studied it. She smiled and then handed it back to me.

”You should put that on a necklace,” she suggested. ”It looks special. Did a guy give it to you?”

”No way!” I shouted at her.

Janine shuddered at the tone of my voice.

”Okay,” she accepted.

There was an awkward silence after that.

She started laughing and said, ”I know it was a weird first day, but don't worry. It's always weird in here.”

I forced a smile.

”In a week, you should be allowed visitors. At least then, you will get to see someone you know. That always helps.” She paused and studied her fingernails. Then she looked back up at me. ”They have this stupid rule that you have to be a certain level to be able to talk on the phone and have visitors. Then, they are over it in about a week. If you get up to Level Two like me, or Level Three like Daniel and Tai, you get to have visitors. They can go play sports and stuff with the other kids off the unit in the gym. I can only have visitors, talk on the phone, and do my laundry in the laundry room. It's stupid, isn't it?”

I didn't say anything. I just let her keep talking.

”When you get your visitors, they can bring you stuff. I bet you want a new blanket. They never tell you how cold it gets in here at night during evaluation. I like visiting hours. Is your boyfriend going to come visit you?”

I looked up at her, and felt anger inside of me. It felt like she was trying me. I couldn't tell if she was serious and she really thought that I had a boyfriend, or if she saw that I was one of those ugly girls who didn't get boyfriends and she was trying to make me feel some sort of way. So, I asked her if her boyfriend was going to visit. To my shock, she said that she didn't have a boyfriend.

I didn't feel like talking to her any more after that.

She kept on, though. ”What do you think about Daniel?”

My eyes were fixed on her. ”What do you mean?”

”Nothing,” she said. ”I just wanted to know what you thought about him. That's all.”

”He's nice,” I said.

”Yeah, well, you know that he's mine,” she said.

I just sat there, staring at her. I didn't say anything.

”I'm just kidding,” she laughed. ”The look on your face! That was too funny.”

I looked away from her, embarra.s.sed. How had I been looking at her? Did I look shocked? Angry? Did I look like I even cared? I tried not to. I didn't want to care. I didn't want to care about Janine, just like I didn't want to care about Lexus.

”So, you're one of Dr. Cuvo's patients?” she started again.

Looking back at her, I nodded and yawned.

Janine then yawned too. Her eyes welled with tears.

”Me too,” she told me.

I yawned loudly and rolled over so that the yawn wouldn't affect me if she yawned again too. Sure enough, she yawned again. I heard her yawn as soon as my back was facing her.

”Time for night-time groups! Come on, girls!” Ms. Mosley burst through the door. ”Up! Up! Up!”

CHAPTER 11.

”Meds!” yelled the nurse from the counter.

”Kristen. You have nighttime medication. Come on.” Geoffrey was one of the counselors at Bent Creek. He was kind of tall and chubby, and he seemed like one of the nicest counselors here.

Ms. Mosley put on her coat and gathered up her personal belongings. She put an unlit cigarette in her mouth, waved goodbye to everyone, and she was gone. Daniel licked his lips. I heard him whimper like a puppy when he saw that cigarette. He slammed his head into his hands.

Tai gasped at the sight of the cigarette.

”I want a cigarette,” she whined. ”I hate it when she does that. It's like she's trying to torture us.”

Chris laughed at her.

”Shut up,” she fussed.

We all went to stand in the long line for night medication. I hadn't expected to start the medication so soon. Daniel stood in front of me. His long, black hair draped down his shoulders, and his soft skin looked moist. He smelled good, like a cool breeze and scented soap. I began to realize that I hadn't bathed since I had left the main hospital.

”Next!” The nurse said. Daniel stepped up. ”h.e.l.lo,” the nurse greeted him. ”Zoloft.” She handed Daniel a small cup that contained a pill. Daniel washed the pill down with a cup of water.

”Open up,” the nurse demanded.

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