Till Time Tells

3.0

  Apollo sat across from Quinten who was scanning around the room. He pointed at something and Apollos eyes shifted over to his diplomas on the wall. He noticed Quinten always looked at them when he walked in here. He still had one handcuff to the chair. As Huges put it- you can trust them but still remember this is a prison and they can be dangerous. Apollo wasn't nervous or scared. He was a bit tired by the time he saw Quinten-  but Quinten looked worse. When Apollo read the note he got on Quinten it was the guards mentioning he hasn't been eating a lot lately, just laying in the bed. That phone call must've been traumatizing. Was all Apollo could think about. It had been a week since then- he hasn't gotten a lot out of him about it but he tried. He tried his hardest. "Those aren't new Quin" Apollo spoke as he studied the man who pointed again.

"Quin?" Quinten responded and Apollo eyes darted back to Quinten.

"Oh I'm sorry! It's the end of the day my brain is already clocked out.. it was a long one"

"Call me whatever you want baby" Quinten just smiled softly before motioning back to the Diplomas. Apollo sighed softly getting up and taking them both off the wall then going back to his desk. He put them in front of the man and Quinten eyes scanned over them.

"Don't understand" Quinten finally spoke. His finger slid under the word on Apollos High school diploma. Valedictorian.

  "Oh! Yeah that's a hard one.. valedictorian.. it just a fancy way of saying I was the smartest.. doesn't mean much- lot of them are dumb" he joked and Quinten eyes just flickered up at the man. For some reason it made Apollos cheeks heat up. Quinten then leaned back in the chair and smirked.

  "Smartest nigga" he said to himself and nodded. "So why here?" He then asked and Apollo couldn't help but smack his lips together.

  "What's wrong with here?"

"Bunch of dirty criminals— not place for smart people"

"You guys are more than that— and I don't know. I never asked to be the smartest- I just wanted to get school done and over with" Apollo informed. He realized with Quinten if you talk about what he wanted to talk about first, he was more likely to open up later in the session. "Have you been wondering about that word all this time?" Apollo then questioned and Quinten nodded. "So why didn't you ask?"

  "You Think I'm dumb?"

"No- I told you I don't think you're dumb.. I told you there are different types of smart" Apollo hummed before putting the stuff back on the wall.  "Do you think I'm dumb?" Apollo countered back and Quinten just furrowed his eyebrows.

  "No- just said you smartest nigga"

"So my question is.. why aren't you eating? Why are you skipping your rec time? As your therapist these are red flags to me-

"You keep letting nigga mark you"  Quinten only responded and Apollo turned around with an unpleasant expression. He exhaled sharply and looked at the man not sitting at his desk yet.

  "Eventually we will have to speak about that phone call- it has you acting on edge.. if you don't take care of yourself they will have to move you too-

"Not crazy, just thinking" was all Quinten responded with and Apollo nodded slowly. He stayed quiet for a bit studying the man- he started to pick up on things he didn't say. Quinten although looked calm most times he wasn't relaxed all the way. Maybe it was due to the handcuffs maybe not. His legs always bounced up and down,  and his eyes constantly scanned the room. For what was unknown. But he did. Then it was the question he would ask every now and again- his whole facial expression would change and for the brief moment you would see the trauma he holds inside. You mad. He would ask so softly it always seemed as if someone else was asking it.