Not Like Last Time

Chapter 3

My hands itched for my pen and notepad during lunch. I had two notepads. The one that I kept in my room with all my personal things and the conversations I'd had before, and the one I carried everywhere with me that only had my responses and questions.

I got a big, chunky marker for the one I had to carry everywhere, rather than a pencil or a pen. It was harder to write neatly when one word usually took up a lot of space.

After lunch, it was Free Time. This was when you could wander around to wherever you wanted, Crafts, back to your Room, the Computer Room, or the Library.

I went to the Computer Room first. You guessed it, it's a room filled with computers. Well, not exactly filled. There are 5. There are two orderlies monitoring right now, Butch, and Marcello.

Butch is asleep and Marcello is busy doing something on his phone. Neither of them particularly cared what we did on the computers. They just liked that they could basically have an extra break.

I sat down at one of the computers and logged on. Glancing behind me before opening the email, I selected my account that I'd created.

I clicked on it. I hadn't sent anything out yet, as I'd been too chicken. Now I wanted to check in on Cassie. I put her email in () and started writing.

Hey, Cass. Remember me? Yeah, I've been stuck in here for about 5 months now, right? How's things? I've missed you a bunch. I swear, the damn people here think I'm gonna kill myself every 5 seconds. I've been on my best behavior so I'm being let out on my 18th birthday. I guess it's exciting. They're sending me back with my parents. I don't know how well that's going to go. If you can, answer this. I miss you.

—Dealia

I logged out of my account after sending it and went back to google. I didn't search anything, I just sat there. Eventually I got up and went to the library.

It wasn't much of a library. It was mostly a big room with two small shelves packed full of old books. There were a bunch of big comfy chairs though. Paisley, the librarian glanced up at me with her sour old lady look, then looked back down at her notebook.

I think she wanted to be a writer but the agent said the manuscript she'd sent in was too generic. At least, that's what I've heard the other staff saying.

I scanned the shelves. Sometimes they got new books. I dusted off some of the books with my sleeve.

Little Women.

It looked like a door stopper.

I debated on whether or not I'd be able to finish the book in a month. Maybe, maybe not. It didn't really matter, though, I could probably find the book in a library somewhere. I sighed, and put the book back on the shelf. I wasn't a big fan of classics.

I wandered around the library, trailing my hand along the yellowing walls. Paisley was giving me her sour look. I took the cue and left. I checked one of the clocks. I still had around 20 minutes of Free Time left.

I spent the last twenty minutes in the Crafts room, painting a canvas with green and purples. There. I thought. Fear and disgust.

When I walked into Group there were notebooks in every spot. And markers. I hesitated and Carlee nearly walked into me.

"What–Oh."

"Come on girls, I wanted to try something today." Bailey called, sitting down in the circle.

Carlee and I shared a look like Oh boy.

We sat down, and once everyone was in the circle Bailey gave us one of her trademark smiles. "Alright everybody, so for today, I thought we'd all try talking like Dealia does."