Obscurity

Chapter 38: Teaching Bad Habits

Sierra

They're blue. Spencer's eyes are blue. They contrast his black hair perfectly. He's one of the most attractive people I have ever met.

"So what are you here for Spencer?" I ask in my direct way.

He doesn't answer, but he holds up his arm to reveal his blue bracelet. Evidently, I'm supposed to guess what he's in for. If his wrist band is blue, it's either self-harm or suicidal thoughts. I just nod.

"You?" He asks.

"Everything." I say as I laugh and hold up my wrist showing off my yellow bracelet.

He chuckles along with me. We eat our dinner together and converse about different things. But a couple of questions are nagging at me. I'm not sure I want to be so forward as to ask him why he was sitting with Alma when I came in or why Alma was in his room earlier so I'll hold onto those for later.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Sierra." He says as he stands to turn in his tray.

"You too." I nod as I finish eating my dinner I left mostly untouched while I was so engrossed in talking with him.

I watch as he walks away. He turns his tray in and then heads over to the nurses station. He turns and winks at me, and I melt. How in the world is it possible this gorgeous creature named Spencer has walked into the very ward I'm currently in like an angel dropped out of heaven?

I gush silently to myself as I eat. A permanent blush resting on my cheeks.

When I finish my dinner, I leave my tray at the table and head for my room. I'll be damned if I'm carrying my tray up to the cart. Food boy can pick up after me.

I've got my sights on cornering and asking Alma what's up with her and Spencer. I walk directly to our room. When I enter it, Alma is laying on her bed staring at the ceiling.

"Oh hey." She says when I walk in.

"Hey. I have a question for you. Actually two." I say, hands on my hips.

"Shoot." She says, never taking her eyes off the ceiling.

"Why in the hell were you in Spencer's room earlier? And why were you two sitting together at dinner?" I pointedly ask.

She doesn't immediately respond. I assume she's trying to think up some lie. I speak up again.

"You do realize I called dibs, right? That means—"

"I know what it means, Sierra." She interrupts, looking over at me.

"Well then?"

"He was bothering me in the hallway earlier, so I told him off in his room." She says.

"In his room? You just said in the hallway. Which is it? Get your story straight." I snap at her.

"I was pushing him and he kept backing up and we ended up in there." She says, looking back up at the ceiling.

"Right. And so after you chewed him out, you decided to have dinner together?" I say skeptical of her story.

"He followed me in there and wouldn't move from my table, Sierra. He's the absolute last person I wanted to sit with at dinner."

"Right." I roll my eyes.

"Believe what you want, Sierra. I have zero interests in that new guy." She says.

When she says that, I believe her. She sounds depressed. I wonder what she's in here thinking about. I start to feel bad about coming at her the way I just did.

"Alma, I'm sorry. I just really like him." I apologize.

"That's great. I don't dig snobby pricks. He's not my type at all." She counters.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just want to go home is all." She sighs and turns over, her back to me.

"If you wanna talk, I'm here." I offer.

"It's fine, Sierra. I just need some sleep." She says. Her tone low and unhappy.

A knock on the door pulls my attention away from Alma. Cindy stands there.

"Ladies, it's medication time."

"Ladies?" I say, confused as to why just pluralized the word.

"Yes, Alma too." She motions to the nurses station.

"Be there in a minute." I tell her.

Alma rolls over when she walks away.

"I'm not taking any pills." She says defiantly.

"Alma, if your doctor prescribes them, you have to take them." I explain it to her like she's a kid and doesn't already know what I'm telling her.

"Sierra. I don't need pills."

She's probably right. I don't see why she needs any medications. These doctors dole them out like they're candy around this place. I feel bad for her when I see the look on her face.

"All right. Listen up. If you tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, I will never help you again." I say, priming her to understand what I'm about to say is important.

She sits up and looks at me.

"When you take the pill, slide it under your tongue. You're new, your first couple of times you report for meds, they won't check your mouth. Not unless you protest a bunch before hand. So keep your mouth shut. If you slide it under your tongue and pretend to take it with the water, you can trash it when you get back to the room."

"They're going to catch me." She says.

"Not if you keep it under your tongue and open your mouth wide and show them you swallowed it." I explain further.

She nods to indicate she understands.

"You didn't hear any of this from me." I say as we head out of the room toward the nurses station.

When we meet back up with Cindy at the observation desk, she hands Alma a tiny cup with two pills in it. Alma's face shows alarm. She wasn't counting on two medications. Seems like Dr. Summers must've pulled a fast one on her. She was not expecting meds.

She shoots a glance at me.

"It's all the same." I say cryptically to her hoping she gets what I'm saying. I'm saying she can still go along with the plan even with two pills.

She nods and tips the cup back and then drinks the water. Cindy smiles at her and she smiles back. Cindy doesn't ask to check her mouth. Lucky for her.

Alma turns and heads back toward our room.

Cindy pours my pills into my hand, just like last time. She runs through each medication's name and dosage as I take them individually. When I'm finished, I thank her and head for our room as well.

While I walk to my room, I think to myself, how long will Cindy and Chris run through my medications with me every single time I have to take my meds? It's going to get tiring I'll bet. I shrug off the thought as I enter our room.

Alma's in the bathroom brushing her teeth. I stand in the doorway to the bathroom and laugh.

"Tastes like shit, huh?"

She glares at me through the mirror.

I continue laughing.