The Green House

i| 05

05

2018[age 19]

Ajsa

My dark brown eyes bore into Slate's and my stomach dropped in dread knowing he would be gone soon. My hair was pulled softly behind me as it lay flat against my neck. A few strands of hair draping my face acting like a dark curtain between us as I looked away from him. I stood with my hip jutted to one side, my right arm draped across my body, clasping the elbow opposite; behind my back. Leaning to one side I balanced my weight on my right foot while my left one lay slack a few inches away.

I quirked up one side of my mouth and peered over at Slate, I watched his hand ferociously move across the paper creating thick black confident lines. His hand suddenly slapped over the paper pad he balanced in his lap when he caught my star

"What are you doing?" I questioned with a perked eyebrow as I slid over to where he was sitting. He shrugged nonchalantly but my smirk widened a fraction of an inch. "Were you drawing me?" He cooly shook his head no.

"Who would want to do that?" He sarcastically replied and I scoffed before standing up, the small amount of warmth his body gave off was now gone as I danced over to the window.

"It was actually pretty good" I complimented him "But-Draw something worth drawing" My tone was clipped and short.

I could see his struggle to respond to my dark statement, but I quickly shut him down before he started spewing optimistic shit my way.

"I want to go outside" I quickly changed the topic before he had a chance to formulate his response.

"Then let's go" he started packing up his art supplies and tucked them under his armpit while he clasped his drawing pad in his hand. He stood up quickly and I could see he was excited to get some fresh air as well.

My stomach uncomfortably churned at the thought of stepping foot outside since I didn't do that often, but I impulsively suggested it. I quietly tore my gaze outside the window and forced my self to follow his footsteps. Slate was tall but I was taller than him so I caught up rather quickly.

"Slow down will you" He exasperated as I passed him and created some distance between the two of us. I stopped short of the door realizing that I was about to go outside for what seemed like the first time in years.

He was the one to open the door even though I had made it here before him, I stood for a second in the open doorway easing outside and scanned the garden, workers were littered around the place making sure no one would hurt them self's or anyone else. They meticulously watched each one of us.

"Come on" Slate gently pushed me out the doorway and tugged at my sleeve to sit at a nearby bench.

"Isn't this great?" He asked me and I compliantly nodded my head. I hated the smell of outside, it reminded me of a supermarket standing in front of lettuce. I'd rather go for the hand sanitizer smell of the clinic inside. He opened his sketchbook once again to a blank page and I watched his hands quickly work in a sketch of the scenery.

I stifled a yawn. I was very tired and I'm sure it showed although I hadn't looked in the mirror this morning- I could tell I wasn't the perfect picture of healthiness. I rubbed my eyes with the edges of my pointer finger attempting to wake myself up slyly.

"Did you take your medications Ajsa?" My eyes narrowed on Slate's weary ones. He looked disappointed already and I hadn't even said anything. I slightly lifted my head upwards. He closed his sketchbook and encased his pencil within the rings of the spiral metal keeping the pages together. My stomach dropped to the floor but I refused to let it show on my face.

"Of Course I did Slate" Emphasizing his name just like he did mine.

"Then why are you so tired?" His hand found its way into his pocket and I'm sure he could tell that I was getting nervous.

"I'm not" I cooly lied and his face contoured into disbelief. 

"You're lying" His blatant disrespect of my personal life was nagged at me and I was annoyed.

"Why are you prying into my life all of a sudden?" My eyebrow rose to question him but he didn't back down. His hands tossed aside his sketchbook and he rose to his feet.

"We both know you aren't getting better Ajsa, why are you doing this to yourself? Why can't you-" He waved his hands in the air while he talked, it was something I once found childishly cute but now it annoyed me and I wanted to slap his hands out of my face.

I cut him off with a harsh glare "Why can't I be what Slate? Normal? Is that what you want me to be?" My voice hardened and I don't know why I was getting so angry, his words lit a fire in me and cause words to spurt out like crumbled ash.

I couldn't stop my words no matter how much I wanted to slap my hands over my mouth "Why are you trying to be all high and mighty all of a sudden? You're getting out that's great Slate but don't try and pretend you're normal too- if you where you wouldn't be here in the first place." I harshly whispered to him.

I walked away from one of my only relationships in the clinic, I knew that Nero would hound on me about Slate and that thought made me tighten my hands into fists.

I allowed my long legs to take wide strides as I let them carry me inside the clinic down the hallway and around the corner.