Cracked

Chapter 1

I clear my throat. "Well, my name is Daniel. I'm here b-because... Well... I-I tried to kill myself..." It's so hard for me to talk about, but nobody even gasps or looks at me. It's minor, really, compared to what some of these other kids have done. "I'm going into 11th grade, I live with my mom and my little brother, and... yeah. It's... good to be here, I suppose."

The therapist lady smiles at me. "It's so nice to have you, Daniel." She looks at me very seriously and puts her hand on mine, squeezing it. "I'm very glad you're still alive." She's really pretty, and has borderline hypnotic eyes. She's probably... early 30's? Who knows? What did she say her name was again? "Who's up next?" She says, looking around the circle.

A kid in a turtleneck tells us her name is Lady... or, Lainey... something like that... and that she struggled with anorexia to the point of near starvation. Then there's a kid in plaid named... Shit, what was it... Mabel? Marley? I suck with names. Well, anyways, she also tried to kill herself. A lot of kids here did, actually. We're like some sort of club. There was a girl named Gina, and I can't remember which person she was, but I remember her name because that's my mom's name. I didn't say that, of course. I don't want to draw attention to myself any more than I have to.

In total, there are 10 of us. 7 rooms, with one for Janice, so I guess that means I have a roommate. I hope he's not a total asshole, or a psychopath or something.

Wait, shit, psychopath is a slur for the mentally ill, right? And here I am, one of the sickest in the head kids in Seattle, using it casually. In my mind, anyways. I didn't say it out loud, and I won't, so that counts for something. I have to be extra careful not to offend anyone here, they might try and kill themselves or something...

Jesus! There I go again! As if I didn't try to kill myself literally three weeks ago. And it wasn't because of any petty insults, either.

"Daniel?" A soft voice asks. I sit up straight, knocked out of my mind. It's therapist lady.

"Yes?" I ask politely, trying to smile.

"This session is over. It's time to go unpack." She says with a warm smile and a shoulder squeeze. "I read into your file a bit, Daniel. You're safe here, okay? Please try to open up to the group a little more. It's okay to be the center of attention sometimes."

Without another word, therapy lady walks into a different room, leaving me in shock. What exactly is in my file? How did she know about my hatred of calling attention to myself? I didn't say that. I didn't say barely anything. Maybe... she just really is that good. Maybe this place will help me after all.

I manage to find my way to my room, finding my roommate already unpacking. He's short with bleached blonde hair and deep brown eyes. For some reason he reminds me of a chocolate chip cookie. I remember seeing him in the circle briefly. I didn't pay him much attention. I guess it's time for introductions... again.

"Oh, Daniel!" He says, grinning at me. He has a cute smile. Was that a dimple I saw? I suddenly feel bad that I don't remember his name. "Oh, don't remember me?" It's like he reads minds. "I'm Asia. Here for anorexia and some minor issues with drugs." He smiles again. It's dazzling. I'm amazed by how positive he is about this whole thing.

"That's a really cool name. Uhm... sorry about your eating disorder..." I say half-heartedly. I glance at the wall behind him for lack of anywhere better to look. He's hanging up photos. Looks like him and a girl. His girlfriend?

He smiles, blushing a bit, scratching his ears. "It's alright. I mean, I'm better now. I'm here to recover, right?" As he brings a hand down I notice that his nails are painted. Cute. He reads my mind again, apparently, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans before I can comment on the nail polish. "Sorry. My sister did it." He blushes again.