Modern Romeo & Juliet

four

“Hey Zayn, wake up.” Harry’s voice was laced with grogginess. I pulled the cover over my head and flipped on my stomach and that’s when I felt the tug, “Seriously dumbass if you sleep in they won’t give you dessert or TV privile-“

Before he finished the sentence I had already jumped on my feet and had begun to shake and smooth over the cover. I heard Harry chuckle softly as he shuffled around his small area. “What time is it?” I asked once I was done. I sat at the edge of the bed with my arms propped behind me. Harry turned to face me for a second. “I think it’s about eight thirteen.”

I damn nearly chocked on my own saliva, “In the MORNING?” I cleared my throat again. “In the morning?” I tried to sound deeper than the screech I let out just a second ago. He gave me an odd glance.

“No dipshit in the night.” He snorted. His form of banter was quite cynical and rather abusive if I do say so myself. After that we walked to the cafeteria together and it felt so much like high school, I almost puked. “Is there a specific way to sit?” I joked, but Harry met me with a stern look. “Actually kinda. The people with addictions sit over on the left. The phsycos on the right and the area from the trashcan to where we are standing is the depressed kids’ territory.”

I nodded in agreement as I scanned the vast cafeteria yet again. He was right the people who looked jumpy and red were near the addicts.

He laughed this nasally laugh as if someone was pinching the bridge of his nose, “Dude I’m fucking with you. We can sit wherever. Oh God you should have seen your face!” he steered us out of the cafeteria and into the TV room where three other guys were sitting scattered all around.

Once buzz cut dude glanced up and nodded at Harold and like a chain reaction that sent the other two to do the same. “Hey guys this is Zayn, Zayn this is Liam, Louis, and Niall.”

They all flicked their wrists in a small hello and they made some awkward small chat. The blonde one, Niall, was chewing bits off of his waffle when he spoke, “So whatcha in here for?”

“Drugs. You?”

And with that we all started talking about they we are here; sitting crossed legged across from four other guys on the plush floor. Niall had confessed that he had been struggling with weight issues since he was a kid and his brother teased him for being on the pudgy side and when his ex-girlfriend dumped him because of his issues I felt extremely sorry for him. I mean he’s not a bad looking guy and besides he isn’t even fat! He also added how he’s been here the longest and he’s also progressed a lot.

Louis was in here because of drugs, the same story as mine actually. For all I know I could have gotten high with him during club rush the only thing different from us was his blue eyes. They looked somehow washed out like a pair of jeans that have lost their vibrant hue and for a second I feared that’d happen to me as well.

After Louis spoke about himself Liam began to talk about his struggle with self-esteem which was also quite saddening since he is a pretty cool guy. He told me about how he got into crack for some girl, Emily I think, but she ended up leaving him for her drug dealer. “Harsh. I mean I don’t get it? How can some girls be such bitches?” I took a deep swig of the milk cartoon. It was nothing compared to the taste of shots, but it subdued my parched tongue. “I mean they’re always talking about how fucked up we are.” My tongue was giving out some serious whippings to fellow females everywhere but for some reason it felt so fantastic.

Liam shrugged indifferently as if I had mentioned the crusted ketchup stain on the front of his shirt. “It’s no big deal. I shouldn’t have been a dumbass.”

It was as if he had stuck a vacuum inside my throat and flipped the reverse, how could he not have self-respect? Just how you have no self-control, I snapped to myself and quickly bit down my tongue. It was odd each second I spent here I became more aware of others. Before if I were to have heard about Liam on the street I would’ve laughed at how pathetic he was to let a girl dominate him in such a way, but like I just realized. I was no better. I had gotten dominated by drugs and now here I was in a mental ward for sick guys.

I felt a strong elbow jab me in my abdomen and I realized it was Harry with his mint green eyes aimed somewhere behind me. His tongue quickly slipped out of his mouth and slid across his cracked pink lips. “Damn, it’s about damn time we got a hot nurse.” A hoots and hollers were soon erupting in our little circle, but I had no means of finding out who this new toy was.

I took another, and final, swig of my carton and got up to the trash. As I turned on the balls of my feet quickly I bumped into someone.

“Oh my gosh. I’m sorry I don’t really see where I’m-“

“It’s okay doll. No problem.” I flashed a fairly tall women a smile. Her pale hands quickly went to fiddle around with her strawberry blond hair. She gulped rather loudly and blushed and smiled widely. The apples of her cheeks were as red as the nametag that was perfectly pinned on her breast.

“I’m Juliet.” She added softly as she stuck her hand out rather timidly, obviously feeling this girls social anxiety I stuck it back out. I decided to use my nickname instead of my real one, “Romeo.”

She giggles and brings the book she holds closer to her chest as if it were a baby and I was a kidnapper ready to snatch the bundle at a moment’s notice. Her brown, can I even call them brown because they almost seem black really, eyes widened and her thin mouth parted slightly and she began to talk rapidly, “Wow really? I uh never met a Romeo before actually and it’s pretty cool. I guess you know with the whole I’m Juliet and you’re Romeo thing. Hopefully we don’t die and you know.”

The way the words fumbled out of her sounded weird to an extent. I mean she is pretty and kind of nice I suppose but how could she be so nervous.

I chuckled, “Yeah I guess,” I threw the trash and glanced back at her on more time, “But we are not star crossed lovers okay?” I have no idea why I said that honestly. It was this thing in the back of my head and it urged me to say this. I don’t like seeming like a total dick but I felt the need to say it and I quickly turned away before I could see her eyebrows knitting together in frustration.

“You know I came here to treat guys like you, not to fall in love with them.” She called faintly back but I heard, I don’t think the guys heard, but they might as well have because I felt blood surge wildly to my face and my jaw clench. Okay fine I deserved that one, I was a dick. Just breathe Malik. One. Two. Three.

I didn’t look back and I was tightening my fists. It was until I reached the guys, who were on the topic of sports, that I finally took a deep breath. I hate that she used my sickness against me! How dare she! How dare she think she’s better than me simply because she hadn’t fallen under the trap of drugs! She was no better with her social incompentance! Hell maybe she should be here with us.

I felt someone clasp my shoulder, “Hey you okay? I could see the smoke coiling out of your nose and ears!” Harry cackled. God how I hate that word but that’s what described what he did. Cackle.

“Yeah I just got lost in thought.” I smiled weakly as to prove that I was actually okay. He bobbed his head and I took it as a signal of him believing me.

Mental note to self: check on lying habit.

I never really liked lying. It was a bad habit really. But there was something inside me, sort of like hot wiring, that cause my mouth to open and start moving before I could even process what was going on. I guess that’s the effect the whole hiding my drug addiction brought upon me.

I made my way towards the rec center where Liam and Louis were headed. The rest of us sort of lagged behind, idling together like a band of teenaged troublemakers which reminded me of high school. Niall stuck a finger down his mouth and faked gagged before saying, “I swear if Mrs. Hellman blabs on about how we should just stop being sick I will literally hurl all over the floor.”

He erupted in laughter as we approached the room which was properly named: Hell room.