California Dreaming

Another day, another meeting. It was the same routine as every other day that George had been here, and his patience was wearing thin with each and every day that he had to sit in the circle with all of the other misfits of society. He still hadn't opened up to anyone, save for Alyssa. She was younger than him by quite a bit, but she was every bit of spunk and sass that he was. In spite of his resolution to not make friends while he was here, she'd somehow slipped through his radar and the two spent a fair amount of free time together now.

"George? Why don't you say something, it's been awhile since you've contributed," Jeff's evenly-toned voice spoke.

His fingers clenched into fists at his sides, and he tried to remind himself to keep a level head. The last thing he wanted was to get arrested for assault while he was here or - God forbid - put into one of those isolation units he'd heard about. He closed his eyes and thought hard about something he could say that wouldn't come off as him just being an asshole.

"I mean...I miss my kid, I guess," he finally spoke, pushing a hand through his hair in agitation. He didn't like talking about Ava because she was gone now, with her mother somewhere in Utah or Connecticut. It didn't really matter where she was, because he couldn't find them. They'd long since dropped off the map.

"You have a little girl, right? Her name is Ava?" Jeff pushed. "What does she look like?"

George couldn't help but smile as a visualization of his daughter came to the forefront of his mind. "She's got cute little curls, and my smile," he murmured to the group, eyes cast down to the floor. "She loves coloring books and ponies. Wants to be a vet when she grows up." He chuckled.

"She sounds lovely, George. Is she your main reason for wanting to get sober?"

At that, George closed himself off again and gave Jeff a hard glare. "That's none of your business, doc."

He didn't say another word as he got up to leave the circle. He didn't want to talk with these boring people about his problems, or what his motivation to get sober was. He didn't have a motivation to get sober, and being here for two weeks hadn't done anything to change that. With another six weeks left in this hellhole, he wasn't sure he could make it.

His one saving grace had been Alyssa, with her willingness to just listen to him. He'd never had that before - the guys never wanted to listen, they were always too wrapped up in their own shit or too high to hold a conversation. His parents had all but ostracized him, his fiancee had disappeared, and he had no other friends to speak of.

He was alone. Or at least, he had been until Alyssa had come along and forced her way underneath all the armor he'd tried to protect himself with. Had it even really been protection, or had he used it as a mechanism to push others away from him?

If that had been the case, Alyssa hadn't heeded the warning signs. She had continued pushing and prodding until she'd gotten her way and had wormed her way into his life. Sometimes, their time on the basketball slab was all he had to look forward to in the days. She might bum too many cigarettes off him, but it was a small price to pay for the companionship that she offered.

He had just reached his bedroom and was grabbing a pack of cigarettes to head outside when he realized that she was standing in the doorway, blocking him from leaving. He shook his head, jaw firm as he looked over at her.

"Now's not the time, Lyss."

"Talk to me, George," she murmured, approaching him the same way one might approach a wild horse. Trepidation in every move, she finally came to a stop just short of him, her hand reaching up to brush across his rough cheek.

"I don't want to." He snapped at her, shoving past her thin frame to exit the room. He flinched when he felt two hands shoving him from behind and spun on his heels, coming face to face with the little blonde. "I wouldn't recommend doing that again, Alyssa."

"What the fuck is your problem?" She questioned him, her own voice hardened now. It was one of the many things he'd come to admire about her - she wasn't a pushover like most of the women in his life, and she certainly didn't fawn all over him. It was nice to be treated like a normal human being for once or at least, it might be if she'd bugger off right now.

"My problem?" He asked her, glaring down at her now. "My problem is that nosy people like you think that with a few weeks of 'talking' and 'opening up' I'll be good to go and my life will be perfect and--"

"I never said your life would be perfect. In fact, it'll probably go right back to being shit once you get out of here, George. Because you never talk about anything. Just keep bottling it up and it'll just...what? Vanish? You're so full of bullshit that you can't see through it." She laughed at him before shaking her head, throwing her hands up in defeat. "You know what, George? Fine. Go off by yourself. I'm done."

He watched as Alyssa turned to walk away from him and he bit down on his bottom lip. It certainly wasn't something that he was used to, but he couldn't help but admire her brutal honesty. Alyssa Bishop had started out as little more than an annoying pest, but somehow in the last few weeks she'd become someone to him. Maybe that was why watching her walk away from him in such anger stung, he thought to himself as he walked down the opposite hallway. He needed a fucking cigarette.