Feel Real

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Sundays are given to the patients as a free day, at least that’s what Sammy and Daniel told me. Sunday was chosen since it’s the end of the week. Some patients go out with other patients of the same religious beliefs and go to church; the hospital isn’t religiously focused but it is respectful of people’s beliefs. Most patients though just spend the entire day chilling, not being dissected. I thought Sammy and Daniel were kidding when they first said we get a day off. A day of sharing was hard, seven was impossible. I’m sure the staff enjoys the slight break also. Though in the high security area no one gets a break: doctors, nurses, patients. I never want to go there.

                So, in honor of surviving my first week in the hospital Sammy and Daniel, well really Daniel took me out. I wasn’t so sure about us leaving the hospital for fun, especially since I had been there only a week. But, apparently the nurses didn’t care. Probably because it was Daniel, who said he left the hospital all the time. He’d keep us in line.

                With my first glimpse of freedom in seven days I was going to none other than Starbucks. Daniel asked me why I was so disappointed that we were getting coffee, he thought I would be dying to have it. I had my fair share of Starbucks, since it went with the typical white girl I portrayed, but I never needed it. It was just some other stupid thing that came along with my suck ass life. I’d rather go party, which I guess was out of the question anyway, but we could party alone.

                Daniel had a silver two door Jeep wrangler with a black hard cover top. Technically it wasn’t his, it was his parents. They drove him to the hospital in it and left it there along with their sons. I wondered why he drove it, thinking it would bring back painful memories each time he entered it, but a car was better than no car. It was a nice car, barely used, obviously. Daniel said he rarely took it out. And when he did it was only a place a few minutes away. The nice nurses who loved him so dearly paid for gas when he needed it, since Daniel had no source of income. It was nice of them to do so and Daniel said he would pay them back as soon as he could.

                I was in love with Daniel’s Jeep. I had wanted one myself but it wasn’t girly enough, didn’t fit the popular girl look. I don’t know why; a lot of people drive Jeeps. Instead I had a little bug that I hated but hey, it was a car.

                When I freaked out over Daniel’s car he allowed me to drive it. I almost died behind the wheel, finally driving my dream car. Daniel had the top off since it was summer and most days were sunny; he also had underground parking so the car wouldn’t get damaged. He was a spoiled kid, that’s for sure. Those nurses really love him. Or they pity him and do anything to be nice. That reminded me to dig deeper into his past, see why it doesn’t bother him. With none of his family left I don’t know why the kid hadn’t taken his life.

                We got to the Starbucks. It was jam-packed, a Starbucks rush hour. It was about two which isn’t very late but it’s when most teenagers wake up during the summer, especially during those first few weeks. Oh God, there probably was an amazing party last night and I missed it. Why couldn’t my parents put me in here during school? At least then I would get to miss that God awful place and not the fun, care free feel of summer. All those parties would keep me sane until I had to face school again.

                After ordering our drinks, we found a spot outside so we could enjoy our drinks in the sun. Oh sun. I haven’t enjoyed the sun rays in so long. I missed them.

                “What do you two normally do on these days off?” I asked Daniel and Sammy.

                “Normally we go out and get coffee and people watch,” Daniel said. “Kinda weird but we don’t get too much social attraction.”