Headfirst for Halos

Cubicles.


I was awoken by the sound of screaming outside the door of my room. I was startled by it and hurdled out of my bed to peer through the grey stained window on my door. The man with the chocolate eyes from yesterday and Jenna were trying to grab a hold of a distressed boy dressed in dark ripped skinny jeans and a grey hooded jumper. His hair covered his eyes but I knew he was crying by the way his eyeliner was practically leaking down his face. “No!” He screamed, “I don’t want to go! You can’t make me!” It echoed all throughout the halls. My ears were starting to hurt. And I was still tired from being woken up so abruptly. There were a number of people observing the scene taking place in the hallway. Including Gerard. “Pete, please. You must.” The man said. Pete still sat on the ground with his knees millimetres away from his face. He peered over his knees and examined the man standing before him, black streaked from his eyes to his chin. “Pete, all we want to do is help. We won’t hurt you, I promise.” Jenna explained, trying to calm Pete, but it wasn’t working. “You’re lying! Liars! All of you!” He began thrashing out of their grip again and his yelling got louder. I hated yelling, it was giving me a headache. I looked up at the clock above my head and saw that it was 11 seconds past 6:05.

It was too early for this shit, and there was no way I would be able to get back to sleep. In the time it took for me to check the clock and get lost in my thoughts, the screaming had abruptly stopped, and I looked out to see that Pete was nowhere in sight. Confused, I looked across to Gerard’s window and saw him mouth something to me. Sedative. Oh. He then pointed to something on my left, and when I craned my neck to the side I saw a now unconscious Pete being led to the room next to mine by Jenna and the guy with the chocolate eyes. . So he’s a new resident here as well, and crazy by the looks of it.

About an hour and twenty-nine minutes later, after Gerard and I had a meatless lunch together, a very awkward lunch may I add seeing as I couldn’t talk, we were now sitting in the recreational room. I was studying him as he drew when Pete suddenly walked in with Jenna; she must have been giving him a tour. He looked better now considering he was a total wreck before. He looked less pale and his eyeliner had been fixed, although it was still a tiny bit smudged in places. He reluctantly walked up to us and slightly whispered “Jenna told me to uh, meet you both. Since you’re both like my neighbours, I guess.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I’m Pete.” He said and held out his hand, almost robotically. Well isn’t this just a bucket load of fucking awkwardness. Gerard introduced himself quietly and then all eyes were on me. Shit. I didn’t know what to do. “His name is Frank.” Gerard mumbled hastily for me. We both shook his hand and he sat with us at the table Gerard and I first met at.

Soon enough, Gerard and Pete had engaged themselves in a conversation about comics, which didn’t exactly interest me, so I disappeared into the bathroom.

The bathroom wasn’t very special, it was just a tiled room lined with cubicles. The stalls mimicked the rest of the building; the whole structure just seemed boring. Not to mention they were also white. I walked to the basin, splashing my face with water before freezing when I heard muffled cries coming from a cubicle behind me. I thought I was alone. I glanced up at the stall I thought I heard it from but it was just a vacant three by four. I cautiously pushed the door forward. There sitting on the ground was a crying boy. He was a little rounded (if you know what I mean), he also had intense light brown sideburns and thin glasses that surrounded small, piercing green eyes.

“What’s your name?” I mouthed, he just looked up at me confused and mumbled “Patrick.” I held out my hand to lift him off the ground. He seized it as I placed my other hand under his other hand and pulled him up. Once he stood up straight, I noticed there was an entire four centimetres different between our heights. I’m actually taller than someone; this is almost like a miracle. “I’m Frank.” I mouthed, he just nodded. I then grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the bathroom and back into the recreational room.

Surprisingly, when I awkwardly introduced him to the other two, Pete and Patrick took an immediate liking to one another. Gerard and I were sitting next together with Pete and Patrick facing us. They were practically inseparable. My knee was tapping to an invisible beat against the wall. Gerard’s arm was pressed up against mine. Two layers separating us from skin-on-skin contact. Woah. No. hold up there, bad Frank. My knee wasn’t tapping the beat anymore; my fingers were in its place. I couldn’t help it though, I miss playing Pansy or Texas.

Gerard was still drawing, Patrick and Pete chatted on and I just watched the sterile view of the grey-stained window. I was slightly hoping for Gerard to take the time to notice me, he didn’t (which sucked). I don’t think he could though; he just seemed so focused on his notebook. It was somewhat cute. I don’t blame him that he hasn’t noticed me; it’s not his fault that no one ever does. I can’t help to think that I’ll probably die alone. I was going to. No I wasn’t; there was the cat there. But now that I’m watching Gerard and I just think that after he’s released from the hospital that’s he probably going to find a beautiful girl and marry her.

Then there’s me. I cry when I see an animal hurt or abandoned.

Pathetic.

My hobbies mainly consist of counting and watching. Observing people is interesting, you tend to notice things others don’t. A condition and it's terminal. Great, now I’m even more of a freak.

It was three minutes to six and the centre was starting to close, and visitors were being ushered out of the room.

That reminded me, my mother hadn’t visited; it’s not like I really expected her to anyways.

I saw Lindsey run-in and out of the room a few times, buzzing about and making sure everything was normal. This place was anything but normal. She saw me sitting with Gerard, Patrick and Pete then smiled.

Eventually everything did close as Lindsey ushered Gerard, Pete, Patrick and I out of the recreational room then guided us back to our rooms. Patrick was a corridor down from us, so he whispered some type of farewell and skipped down the hallway. He seemed much happier after meeting Pete. Then we were at our rooms. Lindsey went to put Pete to bed and left Gerard and I to talk or sleep.

I shut the door of my room and entered Gerard’s. Once again he was sitting on the carpet drawing. “What are you drawing?” I mouthed at him. He looked up at me and smiled, “You.” he whispered, and I sat two centimetres away from him. “You can sit closer, I promise I won’t bite.”
He whispered then shuffled closer to me, shoulder against shoulder. Two layers once again between us.

Yawning, I leaned my head against his shoulder, observing him draw as I did so. I was so content that I was about to fall asleep until Gerard lightly shook my shoulder. “Frankie, it’s late. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” He whispered, letting the nickname slip. I liked it.

He picked me up bridal style almost falling as he did, before he tried opening the door when I rolled into his arms more. “Frankie, you really aren’t helping.” He whispered in my ear, the heat from him speaking tickled my neck. I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t want to get in trouble for staying either. I looked up and gave him my best puppy dog eyes, not wanting to leave. And he was still having trouble with the door. He groaned before turning around and placing me gently on his single bed before creeping in next to me. It was a tight fit, but it wasn’t necessarily horrible.

Gerard appeared to be staring out the window, there was a park in the distance, wait, why does Gerard get a window? That sucked. I wanted a window.

I leaned back and sighed, we could be in the park and dancing by a tree. But no, we’re in a hospital. Kicking over blades we see. Or a dark beach with a black view.

I think I’d love to die alone. Or right here, right now. In Gerard’s embrace, it was comforting.

Let us freeze this moment in time and relive it every day.

Notes

Okay, so I uploaded the chapter, then my editor realizes there's mistakes throughout it. So I mhad to take down the chapter and re-post it. - Cattery Bat.