"Six hours past your expected time? Phoenix, honestly, you couldn't possibly fuck up more than you already have!" Walter shouted into the phone at his daughter. She visibly flinched; she didn't appreciate it when people yelled at her.
Phoenix sighed loudly. "Yeah, whatever dad. It's fine; I got caught up reading, and it's not like I'm in any trouble. They just told me to watch the time better. They aren't really worried about the kid who partied a little too hard... there are kids here who have tried to kill their parents or stole expensive cars. I'm at the bottom of the worry list." She said, and her dad remained quiet for some time.
"Okay. Fine. Just please, PLEASE, try to stay out of trouble," he said finally, and Phoenix smirked in relief.
"Yeah, dad, of course. No trouble to get into here. Look, the bus is at the hospital, I gotta go," She said, and hung up before he could comment. The bus screeched, and Phoenix was quick to stand and and hop off the silver criminal van. She was oddly excited to be here today; it was only the second time she'd been here, and she was feeling giddy about spending time with him.
Retrieving her slip from the front desk, Phoenix skipped up the stairs and to the front of Louis' door. She took multiple deep breaths to steady her breathing, and checked under her shirt to make sure she still had the cigarette packs. Calming herself considerably, Phoenix carefully pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Louis looked up from his book on the soft white chair to see Phoenix enter the room. Her long red hair was tucked into a ponytail, but pieces her already falling out into her eyes. He wanted to brush them away, out of her pretty green eyes. He wanted to tell her how pretty her eyes were. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. He wanted to say the words. He knew she longed to hear.
But he couldn't. Louis never would.
"Hey Louis." Phoenix said, closing the door softly behind her. He smiled brightly, closing the novel and placing it on the table beside him. Walking over to her, Louis had to stop himself from pulling her petite frame into him. He nodded his affirmation to her greeting, and the two settled into the chairs by the window again.
"I brought you your cigarettes," Phoenix said, and pulled the four packs out of her bag. Louis' eyes lit up, and he reached for the boxes. Phoenix pulled them away just as fast, shaking her head.
"Nuh uh, not so fast. I have a proposal to make," Phoenix said, smirking. Louis raised a careful eyebrow, leery of her answer. "I was looking through your file, and I saw that your birthday was in 3 months. And you're turning 20. I know you don't want to be here, and neither do I. Legally, you can sign yourself out of here, if a nurse or other social companion deems you socially acceptable for society. I just happen to be your social companion, and can get you out of here." Phoenix said, picking at her nails as she said it.
Louis stared at his socked feet. He had wanted to leave here so badly for as long as he could remember. This was his dream. But there was a small nag in his heart, telling him that this was a bad idea, he'd never see Nix again. But he knew she didn't feel the same; her heart was back home, not with someone almost four years her elder. His feelings were not mutual.
So Louis nodded his head, accepting her proposal.
"Amazing! We can spend the next 3 weeks planning your direction for after you leave. Wouldn't want you going out there without a plan," Phoenix said, tossing the packs into Louis' lap. He sighed, an almost silent gulp of air. He was going to be free, and he was going to find a beautiful, age appropriate girl who would love him no matter what.
But what Louis didn't know, was that Phoenix was thinking the same thing. She knew she'd never felt this way about anyone, and she didn't think she ever would. But she was willing to sacrifice what she wanted for the greater good; Louis' happiness. She didn't want to lose him because of some petty crush she had. She always knew she was into older men, but really? This was too much. She wasn't going to pull such a fucking pansy move, and freak Louis out, and away from her life.
"So... what kind of education have you had?" Phoenix asked, staring at her shoes. Louis pulled out his notebook, and scribbled down.
All of it. Graduated last year. No university thus far.
Phoenix nodded knowingly at Louis' response. She wished she was out of school. Her homework was still sent to her on a regular basis. "Cool, cool. I can't wait for high school to be over. It's sort of a nightmare."
Louis scribbled ferociously. What's real school like?
Phoenix thought about that for a bit. Now that she was thinking about it, she realized that Louis must have never gone to a real school. He had been stuck here for almost his entire childhood.
"It's crazy. Hectic, even. There are people absolutely everywhere. Shouting, screaming, jumping, running... if you're not careful, you'll be trampled. If you safely make it to your locker, you then have to navigate your way back to your classroom. Then you sit in a boring ass lecture for an hour with some teacher who'd rather not be there, all to do it again 5 more times." Phoenix replied. Louis' eyes got wider and wider as she went along, absorbing every little bit she said.
Sounds horrifying.
"Yeah, it really is."
I'm sorry you had to do that.
"No, no, it's okay. It's an experience. Besides, I don't really have to do it now that I'm here with you." She said. Louis grabbed Phoenix's hand in a hasty rush, and kept his eyes on the window by which they sat. Phoenix was startled, mouth gaping as she flicked her eyes between their intertwined hands and Louis' profile. She quickly recovered and squeezed his hand, letting him know that yeah, this was okay, this was good.
With his free hand, Louis scribbled in his book again. I'm glad I could help you out.
And just like that, Phoenix knew she was done for. This was no pathetic crush. Nix knew she was falling, and she was falling hard.
