𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬

Chapter Ten.

ALLISON AND Robin head into Nancy's bedroom, curiously looking inside as Steve and Nancy were talking. "Oh, my God, you have a Tom Cruise poster." Robin stops, smiling. "You have a Tom Cruise poster." She says and Allison giggled, coming to the bedside table where she can spot a few cassette tapes.

"That's old. It's just..." Nancy says as Allison looks through the tapes and Robin kneels by her, laughing. "Can you two please not touch anything?" Nancy asked them but Allison keeps looking through the tapes anyway. Standard popular musicians, Allison would maybe hear and like the songs but she's not too crazy about these kinds of artists that much.

"I can't do anything here, Nance. I'm, maybe I can be helpful with this asylum director dude. I don't know, I could, like, turn on my--my charm." Steve says and Allison snorts. "Yeah, because some old dude would be totally into that." She says making Steve look over at her as she plopped down to sit on the bed. "Look, I did a little digging last night, and it turns out this Dr. Hatch is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Harvard visiting scholar, okay?" Nancy says.

"This is a lifelong student of the world. If we're gonna win him over, we're gonna have to convince him we are too." Allison stood up and rushed to stand behind Robin, watching the ballerina spin and the music play. "That, like, him, we are true academic scholars." Nancy says and Robin turns towards them.

"Holy shit. There's a little ballerina in here." Robin sags before biting her bottom lip. "Academic scholar? They're giving you academic scholar vibes? Yeah." Steve gestured to Allison and Robin. "Oh, screw you, Harrington." Allison says with a glare at the other 20 year old. "No, but.." Nancy held up two blouses with ruffles and stuff, one pink, one white. "They will." She added after.

"Oh, please, tell me you're joking." Robin says as Allison's face scrunched up. "You'll never catch me dead in that, Wheeler!" But then there they were, Robin in the pink button up with ruffles snd Allison in the white one, tucked into colorful patterned skirts, next were the heels and the cardigans they'd wear over it. "I'm dead. I've gone to hell. This is my Hell. Getting dressed up like a Barbie by Nancy Wheeler." Allison whispers before turning around. "I hate this." She tells the girl who sighs.

"You also have to take out the lip ring."

"It's my best quality!" Allison says and Nancy sighs. "We're academic scholars. Not punks or goths or whatever." She said as she walked over, about to do it but Allison just reached up and took off the lip piercing. "There? Okay?" She asked. And on the drive, Robin was looking back at Allison, asking how bad the lip piercing had felt when she got it done and she said it just felt like a tiny pinch.

They arrive to Pennhurst Asylum and both Robin and Allison are struggling to walk in their heels. "I can't breathe in this thing, and I'm itchy. I'm itching all over." Robin says as Nancy looks st them. "It's not all about comfort." She says making Allison roll her eyes. "I've never had to dress like this for any of my classes. Just saying." She says, sighing as she tried to get used to wearing the heels.

"Okay, but we're academics." Nancy says, looking at the girl to her right. "Who are evidently coming straight from Easter brunch?" Allison asked as she fixed her skirt. "Also, this bra that you cave me is really pinching my boobs." Robin adjusted the bra as Allison looked over at her, tilting her head forward.

"Yeah, Wheeler, Buckley clearly has a bigger rack than you." Allison snorts and Nancy looks at her. "Okay, could you two just please let me do all the talking? If that's even possible?" Nancy asked and Robin looks over at Allison. "Why are you looking?" She covers her chest and the Godfrey shrugs, looking away.

The two girls, Robin and Nancy, sat on chairs directly in front of the man as Allison just stood right behind Nancy's chair. "3.9 GPAs. All three of you." The man looks over and Allison forced a smile. "Impressive." She then sets down the folder as Robin adjusted her shirt. "And this is a recommendation from Professor Brantley." Nancy hands over the paper.

"Yeah, I know Larry. Quite well, actually." The man smiles and the girls send each other looks. "Well, you know what they say. Those who can't do, teach." He says, chuckling so Robin joins, and Allison sees it as her cue to do so as well. "Uh, yes, yes, that's actually why we're here." Nancy now explains to the man.

"I mean, we can only learn so much in a classroom." She says and he hums. "And I'm sympathetic to your struggle, truly. But there is a protocol to visiting a patient like Victor. You have to put in a request and then you have to undergo a screening process, at which point the board will make a decision." He says before sliding over the folders Nancy had given him.

"I can see you're disappointed." He said, glancing between all three girls. "But I'm more than happy to give you a tour of our facility. Perhaps you can even speak to some patients in our low-security wing." He says and Allison looks over at Wheeler right away. "And we'd... we would love that." Nancy looks at her and Robin before looking at Hatch.

"It's just that, um... our thesis is due next month." She says. "And you're out time." The man says and Nancy nods. "Whose fault is that?" He asked and Robin squints her eyes as Allison tilts her head to the side, furrowing her brows. "Ours. Absolutely. And I do apologize--" "don't apologize, Ruth. Screw that." Robin says to Nancy right away. "The fact is, we did put in a request months ago and were denied."

Allison's eyes stayed on Robin. "And then we reapplied and were denied again. And coming here was our last-ditch effort to save our thesis. And I really... I can't breath in this thing." She says, pointedly to Nancy who looked over at her. "Well, Rose, maybe you'd like to go outside with Haley and get some air."

"Maybe I should, Ruth."

"Mm-hmm."

"Because I'm starting to think this whole thing is a colossal mistake. I'm breaking out in a rash." She says aggressively with her hand at her collar before cupping her chest. "My boobs hurt." She says and Allison raised her brows. "And I'll tell you the truth, Anthony." She looks at the man. "May I call you Anthony?" She doesn't even give him a chance to answer.

"These aren't actually my clothes. Or hers." She pointed towards Allison who nods, smiling faintly. "We borrowed them because we wanted you to take us seriously. Because nobody takes girls seriously in this field. They just don't. We don't look the part or whatever. But can I tell you a story? 1978, I was at summer camp. And my counselor Drew told me and everyone in Cabin C the true story of the Victor Creel Massacre. And little Petey McHew... you both know Petey, right, Ruth, Haley?" She says, looking at the two girls and Nancy sputters an answers as Allison nods, too amazed.

"Yeah. Little Petey McHew started sobbing right there on the spot. Full-on hyperventilating. And all of the other campers couldn't sleep for weeks. And I couldn't either. But not 'cause I was scared. Because I was obsessed with the question, what would drive a human being to commit such unimaginable acts? Other kids, they wanted to be astronauts, basketball players, rockstars. But I wanted to be you. I wanted to be you. So forgive me, if I'll now try anything in my power, including wearing this ridiculous outfit, if I might get to speak to the man that ignited my passion and learned a little more about how his twisted, but let's face it, totally fascinating mind works. So, yes, we don't have the official paperwork, but don't tell me that cry-baby Petey McHew wouldn't have gotten an audience with Victor in moments if he'd asked politely, because you and I both know that he would." Robin stops her speech and Allison smiles big.

"So... ten minutes with Victor. That's all I ask." She says and Allison glanced over at Anthony Hatch. He ultimately gives in, nodding as Allison smirks widely, looking at Robin as they walk out. "Shit gave me chills, Buckley." She says and Robin chuckles, looking back at her as Nancy and her discreetly low-five.

authors note
robin & allison though 🫶