CHAPTER TWO

CRAIG

 

“I THINK SHE’S hot,” Michael kicks the wall, leaving a foot mark on it. It slows him down, but he catches up to my slow stride easily. The walls are all scuffed and marked from jackasses like Michael. This place is lost for an interior designer. That would never happen here.

“Who?” He kicks the wall again, aiming higher and nearly lands on his ass. I glance at him wishing he would fall and give me a moment’s peace, but he’s beside me now.

“The new girl.” Michael says as he catches up with me.His breaths are short and close to the back of my neck. I swipe my neck while glaring at him.

“What the fuck?” I ask annoyed. Now I want a fucking shower. He grins and shrugs but moves alongside me. I scratch my neck where I swear his breath lingers.

Some days I can’t fucking stand him, like today. He really has shit for brains. But he is the only person here who I can stand for any kind of long period of time. If I was on the outside, I wouldn’t speak to him. He’s a dick.

“The girl who looks like she belongs in a horror movie? You know, the one where she stands in the corner of the attic just waiting to kill the home owners?” I say while pushing open the green door in front of me. I let it go hoping it hits Michael square in the face, but his huge foot stops it from hitting him. The new girl had walked through the communal room yesterday being led by Rose. Her hair hung all over her face, she was straight out of a horror movie.

“I like them gothic and shit,” he says while pushing past me.

We enter the room where group therapy happens. Nothing ever changes here. The same bookshelves filled with the same crap, still greets me from the far wall. A whiteboard takes up most of the top of the room and now a circle of grey chairs wait for us to pour out our pain and crappy lives like vomit all over the floor.

Michael claims his seat between Michelle and Virgin Mary. He grins at me while both girls glare. He’s such an idiot.

My target, Ava, sits next to Michelle. She doesn’t glare at me, but she doesn’t smile either. She’s pissed with me like most of the people in this facility. And then, finally, beside her sits the new girl.

Her face is covered once again by her long hair, I can only see her mouth move. I noticed she did the same thing yesterday as she walked through the main room. She’s also wearing the same clothes.

Classy.

I look at the three empty chairs to my left.  One is for Olivia, our therapist, and Ethan, another resident. I sit in the centre with an empty chair either side of me.

“You not going to talk to me, Ava?” Ava glances at me, her cheeks reddening. She takes a look at everyone quickly before looking back at me. Her nostrils flare.

“Why should I?” She flicks her hair like she’s in a shampoo commercial. I keep the grin, seeing it’s flustering her. She’s the hottest thing this place has got, so as much as I hate chasing, sometimes you just got to swallow your pride. I take a deliberate peek down her V-neck blue sweater that shows her cleavage off nicely before looking right back at her. 

“Because I’m the best lay here, and you know it.” I wink at her, and she squirms in her seat while trying to keep a smile at bay. I’m winning.

“Oh, I think I’m going to be sick.” Michelle, the mouthpiece, crosses her fat legs. Not sure how she manages that. I don’t give her any attention, but keep my focus on Ava, who narrows her eyes at Michelle. That a girl. 

“Maybe we can meet tonight?” I ask as Olivia walks in. I nearly had her. She doesn’t answer, but I don’t look away. She squirms again, knowing I’m still watching her.

“Welcome everyone,” Olivia speaks, taking the chair to my left. Her perfume is a welcome smell. It’s the good stuff that none of us can afford. Olivia’s hot, for a therapist, and the only staff member who wasn’t beaten nearly to death with the ugly stick. Her long hair is tied in a high ponytail that whips from side to side as she talks. I know what I’d like to do with that. The pencil skirt and shirt she is wearing show off her figure nicely, but I return my focus back to Ava.

Ava looks up then, smiling and nodding at me. I could hear the grunt of disgust from Michelle. I give Ava a quick wink before giving Olivia my full attention.

“You look and smell divine, Olivia,” I smile at her. I would fuck her; I know she wants to fuck me. But patients and staff and all that jazz...

“Thank you, Craig. Inappropriate, but thank you.” Olivia doesn’t get flustered around me, but I know she likes me. She never reports me, but I also am careful never to push it too far.

“Very inappropriate,” Michelle says and I look at her. I take it all in; the enormous stomach that sits on her knees, the chin that rests on her chest. She’s a beast and not worth my time. I look back to Olivia and find my eyes don’t burn as much now. 

“Okay let’s get started,” Olivia says, trying to keep an argument from happening. Olivia looks away from me to Michelle. I use the opportunity to rile her some more. With Oliva’s back to me, I mouth the word ‘OGRE’ to Michelle. Her eyes widen, and she attempts to fold her arms across her chest, which joins her stomach on her knees.

“Craig, let’s start with you.” I always like to go first. It means I can sit back and enjoy the freak show.

One thing about telling the truth is you don’t have to have a good memory. Thank God I do. I continue to spin the same tale I have been spinning since arriving here.

“I think last week I spoke of not just the physical scars that I had but the emotional ones,” I pause for dramatics. Olivia leans towards me, while I can see Ava and Virgin’s Mary’s eyes soften.

Putty in my hands.

Michelle will soften soon, and new girl still hides her face behind a wall of hair so it’s hard to tell. Michael isn’t buying it, but I don’t want to fuck him, so I don’t care.

“Sometimes I struggle with telling people how I feel.” I look up at Ava. She’s eating it up like candy. I can practically hear her panties hit the floor.

“It’s something I am working on.” I take in a dramatic breath and look at each member. Michelle gives me a nod of approval that she can shove up her fat ass, but I nod back my appreciation of her support.

“Thank you for sharing, Craig,” Olivia gives my arm a little squeeze, and I smile at her. I let the smile come slowly, almost lazy-like, using only one side of my lips. It’s the smile that hooks the ladies. Her lips form a perfect O and she releases my arm quickly. Shit, I went too heavy with that one.

“Laura, would you like to share?” We all look at Laura from the attic. Most certainly not Jenny from the block.

“No, thank you.” She can speak, but she still hides behind her hair. Yet her voice is surprisingly stronger then I expect from such a tiny person. 

Olivia moves on to Michael, who really shares his pain. Blah blah blah…I zone out. If you ask me, he deserves the slaps his father gave him. If he were my son, I would kick the shit out of him just for how dopey he looks.

Michelle never shares, but Virgin Mary does. I actually feel sorry for her, her story is something  I can relate to.