Unstable

Chapter 11

January 16th, 2011

His eyes watched me carefully. I fidgeted in the chair. He wasn't smiling. He knew I was nervous. And I had a right to be. Dr. Rhodes found my journal, and gave it to Elias––excuse me, Dr. Carter––and now he was staring at me, waiting. He was always waiting.

“Veronica?” he pressed. “Did you hear me?”

“No,” I answered, tugging at my braid.

“I asked if you were okay,” he asked. “Dr. Rhodes is just trying to help you. She didn't mean anything by taking your journal, and she didn't read it. That would be a violation of the patient.” He laced his hands together and set them on his desk. “You'll get it back, I promise.”

I got my journal back later that afternoon. And as I was on my way back to my room, someone grabbed my elbow and turned me around. I was going to yell––I was in a foul mood––but stopped when I saw who it was that was staring at me.

“You look angry, V,” he said softly, a frown touching his lips.

I was always just V to him. In the few months that Nick had been here, he has never once used my actual name, and I don't mind at all.

His hand fell on my cheek as he leaned in close. “What's wrong?”

“It's nothing,” I said, brushing his hand away. “I just had a bad morning.”

Nick sighed and dragged a hand through his dark hair, then wrapped a finger around one of my blonde locks. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” I said, pulling away from him.

It's not that I wasn't into Nick, I was––too much––but I couldn't afford to be. I couldn't get close to anyone. So I pushed him away. I pushed and he stepped back, and I ran.

I always ran.