Just Breathe

Chapter 8 {Bob?}

He had this strange need, or desperation rather, to find out if the girl on the other end of that phone was the same girl attending the treatment center. He had a strong gut feeling that it was and he found it hard to believe that one girl named Riley was calling a crisis hotline while the other was attending a treatment center. She had to be the same girl and he needed to see her, face to face; even if she had no clue who he was.

He stayed near room 110 most of the day, just waiting for the Tuesday and Thursday group to come around. The schedules were posted beside the doors so it was easy to pin what day she would be coming in. He was wiping down the glass window beside room 110 for the third time when he saw a few people walk into the room. They were all carrying their own set of problems and secrets but, for some reason, the only person he felt the need to save or even wanted to save was the last girl to walk into room 110.

He was closer to her this time and he was able to see her big gorgeous blue eyes and the long silky brown hair that hid all the beautiful little details on her face. He found his eyes wandering down to her wrists and she caught him staring. He saw her swallow back the fear and she quickly pulled her long sleeves down over her wrists before walking into the room. It was her. He knew it was her and the possibility of it not being her had escaped him completely.

His head knew it was her but for some reason his heart knew it even better.

He quickly made his way to the supply closet and grabbed a couple of garbage bags. Changing the garbage was his only excuse for being in that room and he was going to use it to his advantage. He stepped through the door, causing their eyes to fall on him once again.

The therapist quickly called everyone's attention back to her as she stood in the middle of the circle. "Alright everyone, I would like to try something new. Today we are going to break down the walls and learn to trust the people around us. I want you to get into groups of two and introduce yourselves."

He was taking his sweet time with the garbage, but no one seemed to notice. It looked dirty so he decided to wipe it down with a rag. He continued to find trivial things to do and watched as Riley remained seated, hugging her knees tightly to her chest while the rest of the group began finding their partners. The therapist walked over to her and bent down to speak with her.

"Riley?"

She looked up at the therapist and spoke softly. "There are no more partners."

The therapist looked around the room and nodded. "I suppose you're right." Her eyes drifted over to Jonathan and he immediately began scrubbing the damn trash can again, looking like a complete idiot, he assumed. She stood up from her crouched position and began walking towards him with a small smile. "Do you mind helping me out..." She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, trying to see the small name tag attached to his jumper. He was forced to wear the janitors one piece due to regulations so while he was there his name was-

"...Bob?" She asked and stood straight up, looking at him with a smile.