Page 10 of Twisted Heathens
“Uh huh,” I mutter.
Not going to fool me with that megawatt smile, pretty boy.
“Good sleep?” he enquires, leading the way downstairs.
“Sure.”
We head outside and I keep my hair loose around my face, shielding me from unwanted attention. If anyone tries to befriend me, I’ll just punch them in the face. That should ward off any further attempts at interaction.
“Let’s get the rest of the boring stuff sorted and then I’ll show you around, yeah?” Kade offers.
“Whatever. You’re the boss.”
I can feel him looking, but I don’t react. He’ll learn soon enough.
The quad’s a little busier, a few patients milling about. By the time we get back to the main building, at least three people have greeted Kade. Seems like Mr Popular over here has a lot of friends. Definitely need to get rid of him.
Kade logs into the computer in the reception, leaving me to linger awkwardly. He just walks in like he owns the place, doesn’t even bat an eye. Who the hell is this guy? He doesn’t act like a patient whatsoever. Not that I’m interested.
“Right, there’s a bunch of other forms you need to fill out and return. Sorry, I’m sure you know how complicated all this transfer stuff is.” Kade attempts to roll his eyes, but I refuse to laugh. He stares at me for a long second before looking away.
“It looks like you’re booked in with Doctor Ashley at three for your psych eval and orientation,” he states, gathering the necessary paperwork. “Give it all to her, she can return it to the office. Now it’s just your ID picture and we’re good to go. Did you get a chance to read everything last night to submit your choices?”
“My… choices?”
Kade pins me with an exasperated look.
“The subjects you want to study? In the booklets I gave you?”
Oh, the ones I discarded without a second glance.
“Not so much, no.”
“Well, what do you enjoy?”
I stare at him unblinking. “What do I enjoy?”
The frown I receive does nothing to improve my mood. Fists clenching, I glance away. Study the wall for a second, then my shoes. Enjoy? Focus? Studying? It’s like he’s speaking a whole different language. All I can do is stare blankly.
“Come on, there must be something. What did you do in school?”
Drank too much and fucked the hot teaching assistant for a gram of weed. I press my lips together, holding back the truth. That’s a little too embarrassing to share out loud.
“Brooklyn?”
His voice sounds far away as I begin to spiral, panic taking hold. I don’t know. There’s no answer, I don’t fucking enjoy anything. Haven’t for a long time. When was the last time I did something for fun? Not since the sickness inside of me took root, and ruined my entire life.
“N-Nothing. I did nothing.”
“Why won’t you tell me?”
Breathing in sharply, I slam my hands on the welcome desk. A pencil pot goes flying, crashing to the floor as Kade flinches back, eyes wide with surprise.
“Are you fucking deaf? I don’t enjoy anything,” I yell at him. “I don’t want to study anything. And I don’t want to be here, or talk to you. Capiche, asshole?”
We glare at each other, neither willing to back down. I briefly consider reaching over to grab his tie and strangle him with it, the temptation is so strong it makes my fingers twitch.
“I’ll just sign you up for a taster,” Kade concludes.