Petal [h.s.]

Chapter 23

Violet.

The rest of the week went by pleasantly and normally. 

The weather had been outstanding all week, clearly perking up everyone's mood. We had been taking a lot of walks with the kids, spending time outside, doing some sports and games out in the sun. I enjoyed working the early shifts as it was nice and cold in the mornings and lovely warm by the time I ended my shift.

Working with Lana and Isaac this week had been interesting. Isaac was definitely good with the kids, but he seemed to have spats with Nellie on a daily basis. I knew she was pissed that there was more male energy in the RSP than ever, and that she had preferred another female to work here and join the team. 

I couldn't blame her, there was definitely a strong male vibe in the house, but Lana and I tried to stand our ground as the girl-team as best as we could.

Isaac had a bit of a different view on the way things worked here. He seemed to not really believe in the power of therapy and context, and worked more on the tough-love side of things. It definitely worked for some residents, but not for all.

It had been difficult to get the three of us on the same line this week, especially since Lana and I worked so well together and our dynamic was thrown off slightly with the arrival on Isaac. 

Friday rolled in and I let out a yawn when we were seated around the breakfast table in silence. Working at the bar all week had definitely messed up my sleep schedule, but Harry had given me the weekend off so I could get in nice and early this evening. 

I had seen him around the bar in the past couple of days, but he seemed occupied with business as he was usually in his office with the phone glued to his ear, or having meetings with some other gang members. I wondered if people had caught on that his office was for more than just the bar-business.

We texted and called quite often, usually just him asking me if I had gotten home safely after either Finn or William had driven me. Josh had commented on the men dropping me off in the morning, but I had called them friends and brushed his questions off. At the end of the day, saying 'it's none of your business' was a good reason to not give out any information. 

Today was the day that Casper left, so everyone had put in a bit of effort to make it a final pleasant day for him. His mood had been outstanding, although slightly melancholic.

Casper had gone through a major process while being here. He was an absolute shitbag when he arrived, a 17 year-old with a heavy pot addiction and no plans for the future. He seemed almost empty when his juvenile judge ordered him to get clean and his parents brought him in. 

The bloodshot eyes of his mother told me enough about his housing situation, so one thing we had worked on while he was here, was searching for single housing for him. He had his 18th birthday a couple weeks ago, so he was eligible for living on his own, something he looked forward to tremendously.

He had grown into a serious, handsome young man during his months at the RSP, and I knew both Lana and I felt some pride waving him off today. No one was coming to pick him up, and he was going to take the train to independently make it to his studio apartment on the outskirts of London.

Casper's goodbye speech was emotional, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Moments like these were my favourite. After all the hard work, all the fighting, all the arguing, Casper's gratitude was showing and he even slipped out a tear when he thanked everyone who worked at the RSP. 

Lana was the first to get up from her seat to give him a tight hug, seeing as she had been his personal social worker during his time here and was closer to him than any of us. I knew she felt proud that he was able to leave like this, and we all hoped he would become a success-story. I smiled as I approached him with open arms, curling them around his torso as his went around my neck.