Part 20 (2/2)

When he moved, I saw Daniel sitting at one of the tables with Janine and a few other kids. Janine did not look good at all. Her hair was wet, she was in mismatched pajamas, and she didn't have any of her make-up on. She looked like she had been sleeping all day and had just woken up. It wasn't like Janine to step out of the room without her make-up on and her hair fixed up nicely.

The counselor came back and gave me a cup of lukewarm water. I almost spit it back out, because it tasted disgusting. I heard him chuckling from above me. ”I'm Mr. Anton. If you need anything, let me know.”

”Thanks, Mr. Anton,” I said.

”Just sit tight. Your doctor wants to see you in a few minutes,” he said. He started to walk away.

”Dr. Cuvo?” I asked.

”No,” he said. ”Dr. Pelchat wants to see you,” he clarified.

Disappointed and scared, I looked over at Dr. Pelchat. He was talking to the medical doctor, and didn't even look at me when I entered the room. It was just as I thought. I was going to be sent to the judge. I was going to be sentenced. Then, I was going to be sent to the gallows.

CHAPTER 24.

Dr. Pelchat didn't look my way when he walked off the unit with my chart. He didn't have any other charts in his hands, either. That made me nervous. Before he left, he said something to Ms. Mosley that made her eyes widen. She tried to straighten her expression when she saw me looking over at her. Then she looked away when she caught me looking at her and Dr. Pelchat.

When he left the unit, I stood up. My legs felt a lot better. I started walking over to the counselor's desk, but Geoffrey got in my path.

”Kristen, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be walking around right now,” he said.

”I'm sorry,” I said.

”What?”

”I didn't mean to hit you,” I explained. I felt a tear slide down my left cheek. The metal ball burned in my chest as the events of that day played back in my mind.

Geoffrey's warm smile told me that it was all right. He patted my shoulder gently.

”Kristen, I am made of bricks. Really, I am.”

We both laughed.

”You feel like you can walk?” Geoffrey asked.

”Yes, I think so.” I said.

”All right,” he said. ”Don't go too far, though. Dr. Pelchat will be right back.”

I ground my teeth unintentionally when I heard Dr. Pelchat's name. There was no time for me to worry, though--I had to get to the bathroom, and quick!

CHAPTER 25.

I walked back onto the main unit feeling refreshed and relieved. I heard laughter coming from the table where Janine and Daniel were sitting.

I walked over, and Rocky said to me, ”You have to see this.”

It was a shock to see him smiling. Rocky always seemed depressed or angry whenever I saw him. When I looked down at the table, there were sheets of paper scattered around. There were drawings on the papers that looked like comic strips. Daniel was drawing fast. He pushed the papers out of his way when he finished one drawing, so that he could start another.

One of the pictures caught my eye. It was a caricature of Janine. She had a big head and a little body. It was funny because the big head had a cowboy hat on it, and the little body had a skimpy mini-skirt that hardly looked like it fit her waist, with a little tube top over a pair of exaggerated b.r.e.a.s.t.s that bulged with cleavage. The cowgirl boots were drawn as big as the b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The smile on the caricature's face was overly dramatic and silly.

What made the picture even funnier was how Daniel drew his own face on a donkey's body with an embellished smile. His ears were really eye-catching on his huge head. The little body was comedic, along with a tiny tail. Janine's caricature had Daniel the Donkey on a rope leash. I didn't bother to look at the other drawings. That was the one that everyone was looking at.

Daniel laughed as he pushed his latest drawing towards Janine. She looked at it and smiled. Everyone just laughed harder. I did not. I watched her to see if she'd laugh, as he wanted her to. The drawing was of Janine's caricature bent over a fence, and her b.u.t.t was in the air, as if she were falling. Instead of the donkey trying to catch her, he just ogled at her large and excessively-drawn rear end that was up in the air. Daniel drew little hearts around the stupid, love-struck donkey's face.

Janine pushed the drawing back towards Daniel.

She said, ”Is my a.s.s really that big?”

Everyone laughed. They must have thought that she was joking.

Daniel said, ”Of course not, Janine. It's a caricature! Oh, come on, you don't like my cartoon?”

Janine let a huge smile take over the frown on her face. She shoved Daniel playfully. Daniel smiled back at her.

”I thought so,” he said.

He started gathering up his drawings, and then pa.s.sed them around the table because everyone was asking to see them. I looked at Janine from across the table. She wouldn't look at me.

”Janine,” I called out to her.

She ignored me.

Dr. Finch walked into the room then and called out for Daniel. Daniel gave Janine the drawing of the first picture I had seen.

”That's for you to look at and laugh at when you start to feel that way again,” he said to her.

Janine kept her eyes on the paper and didn't say a word to him. Daniel said bye to everyone and then he left the unit with Dr. Finch for his session. Janine held onto her drawing with a weak smile on her face. She really was a pretty girl. Her hair had dried and her cheeks were naturally pink, like she was already wearing blush. I wanted to say something to her, but I was afraid she'd just ignore me again.

Tai went off with Dr. Bent for her session. Rocky wasn't laughing anymore. He'd gotten into a conversation with another boy. Everyone seemed to be off in his or her own world, including Janine. She held onto her drawing and she seemed sad. I don't know what came over me when I reached across the table and gently grabbed her hand.

She didn't pull away from me. She just raised her eyes and looked at me. She seemed like she was split in two. I saw a sad Janine on one side, and on the other side I saw the fun and sweet Janine from a few weeks ago. This sad Janine seemed like she was barely holding herself together. I knew the feeling, like you are about to fall off the edge of the earth.

”Janine? Have you seen a doctor yet?” I asked.

”I saw Dr. Pelchat earlier when you were in the BCR,” Janine said.

”What did he say?”

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