Euphoria - E.D.

1

"Remind me why I'm here again?" I asked Grayson as we walked down the long, plain white hallway.

"We had to get in volunteer hours for class. This is what you and I got signed up for," he responded.

"Why couldn't we have gotten signed up to volunteer somewhere more fun?" I asked, slowly walking behind him.

"I don't know Ethan, maybe you should ask our teacher," he responded, probably annoyed with my complaining.

"This place is just so.. I don't even know. I have no words to describe it. It's funny how this is where people go to get there lives saved and stay alive, yet their surroundings are so lifeless," I said as we walked down the hallway, "everywhere I look it's white walls and brown chairs to sit on."

"Come on Ethan, lighten up a bit. We just got here," Grayson said, turning around to face me.

"Okay, okay. Maybe we can give this place some more life while we're here," I replied.

Grayson rolled his eyes at me and shook his head, "What is it with you always trying to give things life?"

"Life shouldn't be boring. It should be filled with happiness. Would you enjoy yourself if you lived in a place like this, nothing to enjoy?" I responded.

"I guess you're right about that," he replied.

The sterile scent filled my nose. White walls filled my eyes, the light in the hallway a creep yellow color. Every door we walked passed had a different sign on it. Some had room numbers and others had a Do Not Enter sign, all written in plain black letters.

A hospital isn't a particularly happy place, in my opinion.

Patients walked down the hallway, each one looking different. Some looked healthy, others looked terribly sick. They walked with their IV stand, holding it in one hand as they walked down the hallway with someone by their side. Some of them wore the ugly blue hospital gowns, and others wore their own clothes, like sweatpants and sweaters.

It was sad to think people had to live their life like this. No one deserves to be cooped up inside all day. People need to be free and go outside, go outside and be surrounded by nature. It's healthy.

Once we were done walking down the hallway, Grayson and I showed up to a reception desk, where a few nurses and receptionists sat at.

"Hello. How may I help you two?" A lady asked, a smile on her face.

"We're here from Riverview High School. We were signed up to do some volunteer work," Grayson responded.

"Ah yes, we got a phone call about some students that'll be coming in. What are your names?" She asked.

"Grayson and Ethan Dolan. I'm Grayson and this is Ethan," Grayson answered, pointing to himself and then me.

She looked at her computer, ensuring that we were supposed to be here, "Yes, I have you two right here for 2:30. I'll have you guys sign in right here, and grab yourselves a visitor pass," she said, handing us a clipboard and pen.

Grayson and I signed in, grabbing ourselves a visitor pass as we waited for her to give us some instructions.

"Technically it says here you guys only have to be here for two hours every week, but you can stay until visiting hours are over if you'd like. So usually we just have our volunteers assigned to a patient, and they just spend the day with them, keep them company and such. I'll give you guys two different patients, okay?"