Just Breathe

Chapter 24 {Just A Phone Pal}

"So, Riley...how are you feeling today?"

Riley had come across a lot of psychologists in her life, a lot of therapists and a lot of psychoanalysts, but there was something different about this one. 

She was a lot younger than most of the other quacks Riley had run across. She was smiling a lot, which wasn't very unusual, but unlike all the rest she did seem honestly happy. Riley hadn't come across a lot of those people; the kind of people who are honestly happy. In all her life, she concluded that she had come across just one other honestly happy person besides this lady in front of her and she was the reason he had tears in his eyes just moments ago. She was breaking the only honestly happy person in her life and it was just another thing she felt she was doing wrong, another mistake she had made and another person's life she had ruined. 

Riley didn't feel like speaking. 

She felt worthless and there were no words in the English dictionary to describe how she was feeling in that moment. All she could focus on was the brown haired boy standing outside her hospital room.

"The boy seems nice."

Riley suddenly felt very shy and reprimanded herself for being too obvious. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to a stranger about boys. After reconsidering, she decided that talking about boys was probably the safest subject there was.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

Riley shook her head and manage out one small word. "Friend." It felt a bit wrong calling someone she had slept with just a friend, but her head was still trying to decipher the feelings she had for the boy over the telephone, and saying Rob was her boyfriend felt like she was destroying any chance she had of ever meeting Jonathan.

"He's cute and I think he really likes you. It's all in the eyes." Dr. Linda smiled back at her in a way that made Riley swear she could have been seventeen at that moment. Dr. Linda set her clipboard down, between herself and the armrest, before leaning back in her chair. "I'm guessing there's someone else?"

Riley's eyes widened and she immediately assumed Dr. Linda was also a mind reader, along with a very unorthodox therapist. Riley has seen a lot of psychologists, therapists and psychoanalysts, but she had never met one that could read minds. "Um...well...not really." Riley shook her head and glanced back over at Rob as he paced outside her hospital room.

Dr. Linda smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Not really? Sounds awfully unsure to me."

She shrugged and leaned back in her chair while remaining in her usual position; criss-cross-applesauce. "How can there be someone else when I've never even seen his face?"

"Penpal?"

"Phone pal."

"How did that happen?" She asked.

Riley didn't really want to tell her but then again, why did it matter at this point? She had tried to kill herself. They were going to keep her there for observation no matter what she said. "He works at the crisis hotline center."

"How often do you call?"

"Every day."

"Every day?" She said with obvious surprise.

"Well, Monday through Friday. He doesn't work on the weekends."

"And you always talk to him?"

 "He's a good listener and...he doesn't have any other callers."

 "When did you start calling the crisis center?"

"Right before my first attempt...right after..." Her head quickly stopped her mouth from revealing anymore to the stranger. She had yet to tell the sweet guy from the treatment center or the sarcastic boy on the phone so, why would she tell this stranger sitting in front of her why her mother hated her or why she kept a list of ways to die tucked under her bed?