Those Worse Off Than You

My alarm clock went off at seven. Like it usually would any other Tuesday. But today was different. I wasn't going to school; yet again. I groggily got up and walked into the bathroom. I looked like a mess. I toa shower, and brushed my teeth. I applied the little bit of make-up I could. My hands were nervously shaking... I couldn't keep a stable grip.

As I was getting ready to leave, I caught a glipse of a sketchbook sitting on my desk. I quickly picked it up and showed it in my bag before running out the door to the car where my dad was waiting for me. He was going to drop me off. When he asked if I wagoing to call when I wanted to be picked up, I replied by saying, "No- it's okay. I'll just walk home."

He pulled in the parking lot and smiled, lightly kissing my cheek and saying 'I love you', before letting me out infront of the building. I sighed and took a good look at the large, well-structured building. I stepped through the front door and walked up to a lady sitting at desk.

"Excuse me."

The woman looked up and smiled, adjusting her glasses. Even sitting in her chair I could see her tall, bony structure. "Yes, how may I help you?"

"Is Ace Rivers able to have visitors?"

The woman typed something into the computer, adjusted her glasses and nodded with a simple 'mhmm'. "Are you Jayden?"

I nodded.

"Follow me," she orderred and go up from behind the desk before stopping dead in her tracks. "Do you mind," she began, pointing at my bag.

I took it off and shook my head, passing it over to her as she unzipped it and began through it. She smiled, "Okay; this way."

She lead me down a long, grey hallway and stopped at a door halfway down. "Now," she started. "Ace hasn't come out if his room at all this morning and has refused any food or visitors- except you." She knocked on the door. There was no answer.

She knocked again but still, there was no answer. She took a key off of her bracelet and unlocked the door, letting me in before she closed it.

I observed the room. Ace had pulled a fit sometime during the night. All of his things were laying across the ground; he had thrown then around, obviously. But Ace was no where to be found.

I called out his name a few times before something caught my eye. The bathroom door. It was open, just by a ew inches and the light coming through the window was reflecting off something in there.

A nervous feeling began taking over me and I crept across the room and reached out for the doorknob, calling Aname once more.