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Group therapy made sure of that.
“Dr. Bradley wants us to do an introductory group therapy session,” Nurse Drew called out. “Meet in the common room in ten minutes. We’ll do it before hitting the dining hall.”
“We eat with other floors?” Harlow asked. “How many patients are here?”
“Too many to count,” I said honestly. “It’s like your typical school cafeteria just with orderlies walking around the tables to keep the peace. Fights break out often. Food flies around the room sometimes. There’s at least one outburst per meal.”
“It’s all fun, clearly.” Crew grinned. “Free entertainment.”
Harlow abruptly turned her head. There was no one on her other side, but from the low growl she let out, she wasn’t happy.
“Fuck. Off. I don’t want you here.” There was a tremble in her voice that had me curling my hands into fists so that I wouldn’t reach out to comfort her.
Not everyone liked to be touched.
Me? I longed for it.
When Harlow turned back around, we were all staring at her, and her cheeks tinted pink. I liked when she blushed, it made her seem more vulnerable. Not so hard to talk to. Maybe now that she was here I wouldn’t just be a hermit in my room.
“Have you had your intake for the classes yet?” I asked her so she wouldn’t dwell on her random conversation with the unseen. Though, I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t dying to know what she did see. Or maybe who.
“No,” she said. “Aren’t they all basics? I assumed a place like this didn’t give full degrees.”
“Wrong,” Layne said rudely, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. Harlow raised her eyebrows at her sudden change in mood, whereas the rest of us didn’t even flinch. She’d learn soon enough. “I’ve got my associates and moved onto classes for accounting.”
“Accounting?” It was the first smile from Harlow, and she tried to hide it with a cough, but Layne noticed. It was brief, only a half smile, honestly, but it did light up her face for the briefest of moments. It took everything in me to force myself to look away rather than being a complete creep and intently watch her.
“Yes, and not the kind that involves shaking my ass on a webcam, smartass,” she bit out. “Numbers are my thing. They never change, never talk back. And I won’t have to deal with people.”
Harlow nodded then. “I can understand that sentiment. But I’m terrible at math.”
“We can help. We study together every night after free time and before bed,” Crew told her. “Get ready to spend an obnoxious amount of time together. You’re stuck with us.”
“I’m gathering that,” she said. She twisted her fingers in the sleeve of her shirt.
That must be her nervous tic. Or one of them.
Reading people was my specialty, and I could gauge all their moods fairly quickly. Dr. Bradley said it was a trauma response. Keeping myself safe from the verbal assaults I’d endured as a kid. Roman’s existence was proof that I clearly hadn’t worked through it yet.
“Rock, paper, scissors on who gets to tell Drake?” Crew asked, holding up his palm and a fist. Layne simply turned and sauntered back to the common room.
“I’m not going,” Harlow said with a snort, following Layne.
“That leaves you, Hiro,” Crew said, losing all hints of his usually teasing smile. His fingers were tapping his leg again as he waited for me to fight him. But that wasn’t my style, and he knew it.
At my prolonged silence he tapped faster and chewed on his lip. His umber skin was starting to glisten with nervous sweat.
“He’s nicest to you,” he reasoned.
Drake was nicest to me. But that didn’t mean he was nice. Or pleasant. He’d brought Roman out of me more than once.
He was also my scent match, too, something neither one of us had said out loud. I simply breathed him in from afar and resigned myself to a life alone. He terrified me sometimes and I knew he wanted nothing to do with me.
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. The last thing I wanted to be was responsible for someone’s panic attack. I’d had enough to not wish those on anyone.
Crew gave me a pat on the shoulder before walking off. I watched him hurry away until he’d reached the end of the hall, only then turning to look at me.
With a shaky breath, I turned and moved down the hall, breathing evenly to keep myself from freaking out. Before I knew it, my string was in my hand, twisting between my fingers and giving me a way to ground myself.
