The Green House

i| 01

02

2018[age 19]

Ajsa

Mrs. Montgomery had not come today. I sat at the edge of the bed expecting her but the only person who did come was Anthony, the man who found my ring. When I had asked him about the woman he shrugged.

"Mrs. Montgomery didn't come in today" He rearranged the pills on his trays that were all labeled with our names written below them. I lifted my tongue and passed his inspection. He left quickly and I sat and wondered who would I talk to today. I was too afraid to even look at Darce anymore. After the screaming session the workers advised me to stay away from her.

I took off my ring and put it on my other fingers, playing with the small white band I squinted to see the small engravings on the sides.

I itched to get out of this room but it wasn't lunch time yet or our free roaming period either. The small outdoor window was slightly cracked open and it allowed for the brisk early fall air to circulate throughout my room making it chilly. I didn't want to close the window so I opened my closet and took out a thin cardigan Ms. Montgomery gave me as a gift when she first met me. She was sweet but highly annoying and frustrating with her repetitive questions. My mind was swimming in possibilities of where she could be.

My head snapped to the right watching the door eerily creaked open again. A scrawny man fidgeted with the doorknob came into view as I watched him closely. The handle of his briefcase was stuck on the knob. I wasn't that nice of a person but I felt bad for him he looked to be very nervous so I got up and made my way towards him. I was taller than him. He cursed in mutters under his breath trying to get the leather strap untangled from the doorknob. I gripped his briefcase and tore it harshly off of my doorknob. He nodded his head and held the door open, he stuck a wooden door stopper underneath the door to keep it in place.

He straightened his back and gripped his papers to his chest as he thanked me. His thin black wire glasses hung too low on his nose and it bothered me. I tightened my fists inside the pockets of my pants and nodded my head. I walked over to the bed and sat back down. He followed behind me. He shuffled his papers another time as one slipped out. He didn't notice so I didn't offer to pick it up.

"Hello Ajsa." Annoyance already bubbled in my chest by the way he said my name as if he has known me for years.

I pushed my annoyance to the side; "Hello" I brightly said. He looked taken aback at my smile and cleared his throat.

"I'm Mr. Nero your new therapist." He introduced himself rather quickly and unlike Mrs. Montgomery he took up only half the chair.

"Where's Mrs. Montgomery?" I curiously looked him up and down

"Mrs. Montgomery has resigned" My smile was wiped off my face. Did she leave because of me? I felt a little pang of guilt as I did give her a hard time, and even though she was annoying I would miss her; maybe just slightly. Mr. Nero suspiciously eyed the post-its covering the floor but I didn't give an explanation for them.

"I've been informed of your previous history with Mrs. Montgomery and I hope you'll make it easier on me" He nervously chuckled as I stared at him.

"What makes you any different?" I asked him with an eyebrow raised.

"Different from Mrs. Montgomery?" He questioned me as he fished his pencil from his pocket and was preparing to write.

"Different from Mrs. Montgomery" I restated "Different from any therapist. You're all the same." I shrugged my shoulders and his fell.

"You've had multiple therapists?" He questioned and I stared at him in astonishment.

"If I hadn't would I really be here right now?" I questioned as I waved my arms around the room. He was an idiot I decided.

"Well, let's do an activity, let me prove to you I'm different." He sounded like a desperate teenager but I allowed him to continue.

"How about we trade one secret, something that no one knows" He suggested as he put down his papers and let his pencil fall on top of them to weigh the pile down. I momentarially felt as if I was at a slumber party sharing girly teenage secrets about who liked who.

"I'll start" He decided as he thought about it for a while

"No need, this is not going to work" I declined his silly little activity and he looked defeated.

"Nothing is going to ever work unless you try it" His scrawly eyebrows were pushed up as his forehead wrinkled I let out a small breath of air. I crossed my arms over my chest, maybe I was being rude but I don't care.

"Then I guess nothing will work" I promptly ended the conversation.

"Okay then, let's talk about your Mother." He picked up his papers from beside him and frantically read them, "I see she was a Certified Nursing Home Assistant" He nodded as he continued to read the paper "Can you tell me how life was with your family?" He asked me and I looked at him in bewilderment. I just met the man.

"How about you tell me about your family?" I counterbacked his idiotic statement

"That wouldn't be appropriate-I'm the therapist." He shook his head and I came to the conclusion that I liked Mrs. Montgomery better.

"No, you won't tell me because you just met me. What makes you think I would tell you about my family when I just met you?" I began to gain confidence as Mrs. Montgomery would shut me down everytime I talked backed.

"Well because I'm the therapist." He shuffled his papers again and I was so close to ripping them up in aggravation.

"Just because you have a piece of paper saying you went to school gives you the right to know everything about my life?" I rhetorically asked him as I began to twirl my ring around my pointer finger, taking it off my pointer finger I rolled it around between my thumb and pointer.

"Such a pretty ring, your mother gave it to you?" My hands retracted suddenly and I dropped the ring. I narrowed my eyes at Mr. Nero as he bent to pick it up. Before he gave it back he scrutinized it and remarked how beautiful it really was. I snatched it from him and put it back on my finger.

"Well?" He questioned me as I stood still, gazing outside my room I breathed quieter and remained silent.

A familiar bell bounced from the hallway into my room, I stood up and dusted my white outfit off.

"Lunchtime!" A worker shouted for the hallway and I exited the room promptly not saying goodbye.