SLAVE // phan au

02

  "I'm a fucking person. I do shit. I smoke cigarettes. I get high sometimes. I'm fuckin' human. What made you tell you could do shit like that?"

"I'm sorry, boss. But I can't do shit like this anymore."

"It's impossible to get outta this business, you know."

"I know." He slurs his words.

"You were drinkin' out there, weren't ya?"

"No, no. I was just having a smoke."

"Get outta my office, you drunk."

I take a step back from the wooden mahogany door and watch as the oldest psychologist leaves the hallway. I take a deep breath and peek over the doorway, our boss sits at his desk with his face in his hands. His gray hair falls over his forehead.

I knock thwice on the doorframe and he looks up, "Hey kid. What're you doin' here? Wanta raise?"

"No thanks, mister. I wanted to see when I could go home." I say, taking a step forward into his office. A white and gray dirty mosaic is on the wall. An ashtray sits on the edge of his desk, cigs still burning slightly. I lean against the frame. Numerous paintings of women in provocative poses line the remaining walls as the boss looks at me worriedly.

"You had the new one today, didn't you?"

I purse my lips. "Yeah, sir. He's a riot."

He laughs. "That's what I'm telling everyone! No one seems to believe me though. And yeah Dan, you can get on home. Be careful out there, yeah?"

"Yeah," I smile at him and leave his office. My white coat trails behind my legs are I turn corridor through corridor to an elevator which will take me to the first floor.   

I walked by the rose-haired secretary who waves goodbye at me. I walk out the door. 

. . . 

"Hey, Dan." 

I look up from the paperwork I was doing. The Tree grins deviously at me. 

The reason for why we call him is the tree is that he used to cut himself. Deep, deep cuts, burns, he called them carvings. 

It was disgusting. But the entire crew got him help and he's better now, but sometimes I see a fresh new red line on his arm or neck which gets me worried for the rest of the day. 

"Hey, Tree. Do you need something?" I say. The Tree was decked out in camo pants and a black hoodie, he was probably going out soon. 

"Yeah, the boss ain't in today, do you know where he is?" 

I think for a moment. The boss was fine yesterday, in fact he even seemed happier than usual. I shake my head. "He was fine yesterday, laughing and shit." 

A shocked expression reaches his face. "He laughed?" 

I nod. He purses his lips. "That's awesome, dude. He hasn't been happy in a long fuckin' time."

"Yeah, yeah," I grin at him. He looks down at his silver thrift store watch and shoots me an apologetic look. 

"Hey kid, I gotta go. Beast was supposed to go full out today, get someone to watch him yeah?" 

"Yeah." I smile one more time as he leaves.

I sigh. I glance at the huge clock on the wall, it was time to go see my patient. 

I'm going to be completely honest here, he's hot. Extremely fuckin' hot, but I got a partner back home who gets hotter and hotter every single fucking day. God, I love them.

But my patient? God damn. 

Blue hair, crystal eyes, fuckin' perfect.

Just my type.