Are You Hearing Voices?

P. 24

Jason gave Christy a long stare. He didn't quite know how to respond to the question. He didn't know because he didn't understand it himself.

"Who is John and Arnold?" He asked himself in his head. They were both tiny miniature figures. John's face was ripped, most of his skin was peeled off, and he had blaring red eyes like a traffic light. Before, when Jason first started seeing John he would not talk, only appeared to him randomly and followed him. John always smiled when Jason was about to, or do something bad. He was there smiling when Jason was in the broom closet with Violet, who is one of Christy's close friends.

Arnold on the other hand was unlike John completely. Even though he was a miniature figure like John, he was a bit taller, maybe a few inches. And the skin on his face was fully intact and not peeled off. Though he did not smile, he always maintained a straight composure, emotionless. Unlike John, Arnold did not like it when Jason did something bad or immoral. Jason would always see him frowning while he was getting ready to do something bad, but he will see him smiling whenever Jason was about to do something good. He had a baby face which was completely white. He also had no facial hair. The top of his head was bald, he had no ears. Just like John, when Jason first started seeing Arnold he would never talk, only follow him around. Now he was a chatter box.

"Come again?" Jason asked Christy as he stared at her and blinked a few times.

"I said... Who is John?" She asked again.

Jason started to gather his thoughts in his head. "Bae, it's my PTSD."

"It's acting up." He said.

"It's making me see things that aren't there."

"I just saw a clown in the street, and I saw a little tiny miniature dude hovering over your head." He said.

Christy sighed. "Are you serious?" She said.

Jason gave Christy a straight face. "Dead serious bae."

"That's why I was telling you, I need to hurry up and go back to your house and take my medicine before things get worse."

"Omg." Christy said.

"What?"

"Bae if you're gonna take your medicine you're not gonna do it at my house, you can do it elsewhere." She said.

"Fine. I'll just do it at the train station."

Christy stared at Jason. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Why do you have to smoke at the train station?" She asked.

"Because I don't wanna be sober when I jump in front..."

"OKAY JASON!"

Jason stared at her. "Okay what?" He asked.

Christy didn't say anything, she continued to stare at Jason and blew wind from the side of her mouth. Once Jason saw that Christy wasn't going to respond he turned around and continued walking, Christy followed behind him. She thought that they were heading back to her house, but the direction they were heading was not the way to her house. She wanted to ask him, but she didn't want to open her mouth and talk, she was still mad about earlier. Instead of her asking where they were heading to, Christy stopped walking and called out Jason's name. Jason then stopped and turned around and looked at Christy with her arms folded across her chest.

Jason stared at her for a few seconds, then he finally knew what Christy wanted.

"We're going to Joe's." He said.

Christy was about to ask why, but then she remembered that she had given Jason some money earlier.

"Do you wanna just go to the house and I can meet you there?" Jason asked.