Long Way Home
2
The beautiful bright red haired boy instantly dropped down to kneel in front of Calum on the couch.
"What's wrong, Cal?" He asked softly, his husky voice coming through.
"N-nothing, M-Mikey, I'm fine." The brown haired boy said softly back.
"Calum-"
Sasha cut him off with a clearing of her throat that brought both new boys to attention. They both looked at Bree and she smiled softly, waving.
"Boys, this is Bree, our new roommate." She said. "Bree, this is Luke." She pointed to the tall blonde boy with the lip ring. "And that's Mikey." She pointed to the beautiful boy with the red hair.
"Hi." Luke waved shyly from across the room before sitting down next to Ashton.
"Hello." Mikey said, striding over to the two girls. "I'm sorry for being rude and not noticing you."
Bree shrugged.
"It's okay, Mikey." The girl replied softly, gesturing her head back towards Calum.
Mikey shot her a smile in gratitude and walked back over to crouch in front of Calum.
"Cal, you've got to tell me what triggered you, yeah?" He asked quietly, running his hands through the boy's hair as Bree and Sasha quietly sat down beside them.
"I-I just had a n-nightmare is all."
The room full of teenagers cooed gently.
"About what?" Mikey pressed.
"D-don't wanna talk about it." Calum shook his head furiously.
"Okay. Do you wanna go back to bed?"
Calum nodded and Ashton stood up, pulling Calum into his arms to carry him easily to his bedroom.
Once they were gone, Mikey and Luke turned their attention on their new roommate.
"So, Bree, tell us about yourself." Mikey said, propping his feet on the table and putting his arms behind his head. "I really like your hair by the way."
The younger girl blushed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"I really like your hair, too." Bree spoke. "What do you want to know?"
"You never did tell me what you're in this hospital for." Sasha spoke.
Bree opened her mouth to respond, but Luke spoke up.
"Sash, you can't just ask someone that." He scolded quietly. "You don't see her asking us."
Sasha shrugged defensively.
"I mean, I'll let her know mine. I think it's important we at least know what each other's conditions are." Sasha replied.
Bree sighed, biting her lip.
"Uhm, I'm kind of a triple threat?" She said nervously, picking at her nails. "I'm a recovering anorexic with anxiety and insomnia."
She looked up at her new roommates, who all nodded as if they knew.
"I'm a recovering anorexic too." Sasha offered, giving a small smile.
"And I have anxiety and insomnia." Luke said quietly. "Anxiety triggers the insomnia."
"That means I'll have someone to stay up with." Bree smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
"I usually watch Mean Girls at 3 a.m." Luke offered.
"Perfect. I love that movie."
"I like her already, Mikey." Luke stage whispered to his friend, who chuckled.
"I like her too." The colorful haired boy replied in the same fake whisper.
Bree blushed, and Sasha laughed, throwing her arm over the other girl's shoulders.
"I like her too." She declared.
Then, they all turned expectant gazes on Mikey. He laughed before speaking.
"Hi, I'm Michael Clifford. I like long walks on the beach and I have OCD." He said in an exaggerated voice.
They all laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood, just as Ashton came back in the room, plopping down heavily on the couch next to Luke.
"I'm recovering from self harm and I have depression."
That was all the curly haired boy said before he buried his face in Luke's neck.
Luke smiled lightly and ran a hand through his older friend's hair.
"How's Calum?" Luke asked softly.
"He's okay." Ashton informed the group. "He just needed a cuddle."
Just then, there were three knocks on the door and Zoey poked her head in, smiling at the teens.
"Bree, I just wanted you to meet your new therapist." She said quietly.
A man then poked his head into the room, and it was hard for Bree to miss the immediate tensing of her new friends.
"Hi, Aubree, I'm Bill." He said, in a voice that was reserved for talking to small children.
Bree cringed at the tone and instinctively moved closer to the couch, where Michael put an arm on her shoulder.
She didn't miss the way Bill frowned at her actions.
"Hi, Bill." She greeted cautiously.
"So, we're going to meet every other day at noon starting tomorrow, okay?" The man asked, still using that obnoxious baby voice.
Bree just nodded and felt Michael's hand squeezed her shoulder in comfort.
"Okay, well we'll work on you talking more." He said, frowning.
Bree heard Michael growl as both adults walked out the door.
"Don't like him." Ashton spoke everyone's thoughts out loud.
"I'm not a baby." Bree sighed.
"We can work on getting your therapist changed if this douchebag doesn't work out." Michael said sternly.
Bree nodded and then saw Sasha yawn from next to her.
"Let's go to bed. It's late and we have to get up at 8 tomorrow." Michael said.
Everyone groaned, and Bree was about to question why, but thought better of it as she stood up with her new roommate, saying goodnight to the boys and hoping sleep would find her that night.
"What's wrong, Cal?" He asked softly, his husky voice coming through.
"N-nothing, M-Mikey, I'm fine." The brown haired boy said softly back.
"Calum-"
Sasha cut him off with a clearing of her throat that brought both new boys to attention. They both looked at Bree and she smiled softly, waving.
"Boys, this is Bree, our new roommate." She said. "Bree, this is Luke." She pointed to the tall blonde boy with the lip ring. "And that's Mikey." She pointed to the beautiful boy with the red hair.
"Hi." Luke waved shyly from across the room before sitting down next to Ashton.
"Hello." Mikey said, striding over to the two girls. "I'm sorry for being rude and not noticing you."
Bree shrugged.
"It's okay, Mikey." The girl replied softly, gesturing her head back towards Calum.
Mikey shot her a smile in gratitude and walked back over to crouch in front of Calum.
"Cal, you've got to tell me what triggered you, yeah?" He asked quietly, running his hands through the boy's hair as Bree and Sasha quietly sat down beside them.
"I-I just had a n-nightmare is all."
The room full of teenagers cooed gently.
"About what?" Mikey pressed.
"D-don't wanna talk about it." Calum shook his head furiously.
"Okay. Do you wanna go back to bed?"
Calum nodded and Ashton stood up, pulling Calum into his arms to carry him easily to his bedroom.
Once they were gone, Mikey and Luke turned their attention on their new roommate.
"So, Bree, tell us about yourself." Mikey said, propping his feet on the table and putting his arms behind his head. "I really like your hair by the way."
The younger girl blushed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"I really like your hair, too." Bree spoke. "What do you want to know?"
"You never did tell me what you're in this hospital for." Sasha spoke.
Bree opened her mouth to respond, but Luke spoke up.
"Sash, you can't just ask someone that." He scolded quietly. "You don't see her asking us."
Sasha shrugged defensively.
"I mean, I'll let her know mine. I think it's important we at least know what each other's conditions are." Sasha replied.
Bree sighed, biting her lip.
"Uhm, I'm kind of a triple threat?" She said nervously, picking at her nails. "I'm a recovering anorexic with anxiety and insomnia."
She looked up at her new roommates, who all nodded as if they knew.
"I'm a recovering anorexic too." Sasha offered, giving a small smile.
"And I have anxiety and insomnia." Luke said quietly. "Anxiety triggers the insomnia."
"That means I'll have someone to stay up with." Bree smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
"I usually watch Mean Girls at 3 a.m." Luke offered.
"Perfect. I love that movie."
"I like her already, Mikey." Luke stage whispered to his friend, who chuckled.
"I like her too." The colorful haired boy replied in the same fake whisper.
Bree blushed, and Sasha laughed, throwing her arm over the other girl's shoulders.
"I like her too." She declared.
Then, they all turned expectant gazes on Mikey. He laughed before speaking.
"Hi, I'm Michael Clifford. I like long walks on the beach and I have OCD." He said in an exaggerated voice.
They all laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood, just as Ashton came back in the room, plopping down heavily on the couch next to Luke.
"I'm recovering from self harm and I have depression."
That was all the curly haired boy said before he buried his face in Luke's neck.
Luke smiled lightly and ran a hand through his older friend's hair.
"How's Calum?" Luke asked softly.
"He's okay." Ashton informed the group. "He just needed a cuddle."
Just then, there were three knocks on the door and Zoey poked her head in, smiling at the teens.
"Bree, I just wanted you to meet your new therapist." She said quietly.
A man then poked his head into the room, and it was hard for Bree to miss the immediate tensing of her new friends.
"Hi, Aubree, I'm Bill." He said, in a voice that was reserved for talking to small children.
Bree cringed at the tone and instinctively moved closer to the couch, where Michael put an arm on her shoulder.
She didn't miss the way Bill frowned at her actions.
"Hi, Bill." She greeted cautiously.
"So, we're going to meet every other day at noon starting tomorrow, okay?" The man asked, still using that obnoxious baby voice.
Bree just nodded and felt Michael's hand squeezed her shoulder in comfort.
"Okay, well we'll work on you talking more." He said, frowning.
Bree heard Michael growl as both adults walked out the door.
"Don't like him." Ashton spoke everyone's thoughts out loud.
"I'm not a baby." Bree sighed.
"We can work on getting your therapist changed if this douchebag doesn't work out." Michael said sternly.
Bree nodded and then saw Sasha yawn from next to her.
"Let's go to bed. It's late and we have to get up at 8 tomorrow." Michael said.
Everyone groaned, and Bree was about to question why, but thought better of it as she stood up with her new roommate, saying goodnight to the boys and hoping sleep would find her that night.