Imperfect

Aven stayed by my side pretty much that whole day, at least in the times he had with me. I didn’t mind-actually, I kind of liked it. He would sit close to me, let our arms brush, stroking the hair away from my face, telling me the random, interesting thoughts that popped into his head.

“Hey, Belle, what weapon would you use in a zombie apocalypse?” “Belle, have you ever thought about reincarnation?” “ ‘Ancilla’ means slave girl in Latin.” I would answer his questions, or just smile and nod. I was laughing as we walked into Group Therapy, our second to last activity. “Aven, there is no way the creator of Wonder Woman was into BDSM.” “No, no, it’s true. I swear!” “Okay, okay.”
I sat down between him and Crystal. She looked awful, sweat dripping down her grayish face. I leaned closer and put a hand on her arm. She was shaking. “Crystal?” She swallowed and glanced sideways at me. “Are you okay?” She shook her head, so I looked for her helper. “Uh, I think Crystal is sick.”
She took one look at Crystal and sighed angrily, taking Crystal’s elbow and bustling her from the room. I wondered what that had been about. Someone new came into the room, a slim guy with blonde hair. He had a Watchmen smiley face pinned to his jacket. He walked to an empty chair and sat down, folding his hands carefully in his lap.
Actually, everything about him seemed careful, from his shined shoes to the perfectly pressed lapels of his suit. He had three piercings in one ear. His chin was pointed, and his eyes were pale blue, giving him an impish look. The boy glanced up at me and smirked, holding my eyes until I blushed and looked away.

He coughed lightly and waited until we were quiet. “My name is Thayer.” His voice was raspy, like the sound of a cats tongue on dry skin. “Are you the new group leader?” someone asked. “No.” The group leader never showed up.
People were asking the new boy questions, but his face changed around most of them. His mouth tightened and his eyes froze. The questions stopped pretty quickly, and we all just sat there in silence. Eventually Walt started talking, his voice loud and startling in the quiet room. “Well, this isn’t fun. Why don’t we have a discussion or something?”
Several people nodded, while others leaned back against their chairs and tried to look cool. The room settled into silence, and Walt turned to Aven for help. “Ave, dude, why don’t you sing for us?” Aven shrugged and sat up straight, clearing his throat before he began.

It was mesmerizing. I wouldn’t say Aven’s voice was good exactly, but something about it, maybe the way it scratched and growled around his words, made people listen. Already most of the group were leaning close, heads tilted so they could hear better. He sang a sad, quiet song about losing everything then sat back, smiling at us. “Alright, Walt. I did my thing. Satisfied?”

Walt grinned and nodded. The new boy, Thayer, sat back against his chair, letting his hair shield his eyes. I had the strangest feeling he was looking at us, though. After that it was easier. A few people started talking, and soon it was back to normal. The only weird thing was Thayer, who sat watching us calmly. He barely moved, but I had the feeling he was taking everything in.
When the bell rang for our final rest period he stood up, dusted off his pants, and left the room without anyone seeming to notice. Probably because they were all gathered around Aven, complimenting him. That was fine with me until I saw a girl stroke a hand down his arm, then lean closer so she could press her boobs against him.

I felt jealousy rise in my throat like lava, and I wanted to hit her. The sudden thought of ‘mine’ was worrying. I really didn’t want to get involved with anyone in this madhouse. As I watched Aven flinched away from her touch, eyes searching for something. When they landed on me he relaxed and grinned, wrestling himself from the crowd so he could slip an arm around my waist.
“Jesus, I feel like a fuckin’ rockstar,” he murmured into my ear. His lips brushed my earlobe and I shivered. “Well, you did a really good job.” “Thanks.” He kept his arm around me all the way to rest period, but no one said anything. Aven pulled me onto the couch with him, lifting my legs over his lap. He stared into space for a few moments, biting his lower lip.

Walt and our other friends sat near us, sans Crystal. I hoped she was okay. I looked at the group of people I’d quickly become friends with and felt unsettled. I didn’t like the idea of my closest friends being mental patients, but they were also the best people I’d ever met. I pushed that thought away and snuggled further into the couch, wishing I could absorb Aven’s warmth.
He ran his thumb along my knee and up to my hip, touching the bare skin my shirt exposed for just a moment. It made little shocks run through me. He smirked slightly and did it again, making me shift in place. Aven splayed a hand over my stomach and leaned his head back against the couch. I listened to the quiet murmurings of people around us as the heat of his hand burned through my skin.

Right before bed Vicky came up to me, smiling widely. “Belle, your pills have been approved.” She handed me a bottle. It read ‘Lexapro’. “You can start taking them tomorrow, kay?” I nodded happily and watched as she locked them away. I felt safe in bed that night. There were no panic attacks, only dreams of scratchy voices and pale hazel eyes.