asylum [rafe cameron]

twenty-five

"What is this?" I whisper to JJ before Kiara sees me.

"Just apologise to her." he whispers back.

"For what? I didnt-"

"Trust me." he says.

I see a figure walk into the room next to me, and stop in her tracks as her eyes glued to me.

"Uh- JJ?" Kiara enters the room.

"I thought you two could uh- catch up." JJ purses his lips.

"What- fuck no." Kiara sighs.

"I'm not gonna spend a second-" Kiara says.

"Oh my god." I groan.

"What?" she looks at me.

"Do you have to argue every second of your fucking life?" I sighed, fed up of her bickering.

Kiara stays silent, pursing her lips. JJ gives me his joint like he used to but I shake my head, I wasn't in the mood.

I was waiting until Kiara made her announcement that she was leaving, but instead she sits down opposite us.

"Look, I know what you're going through Gia but-" she says.

"Oh, you know what I'm going through?" I mimic her.

I see JJ from the corner of my eye giving me an apologetic look. I couldn't 'apologise' until she did.

"Why?" I laugh.

"Because you're my sister?" I ask.

"Sorry, half sister?" I emphasise the half.

"No- no." she says.

"Gia, just stop."

"You traumatised me at that party."

"I traumatised you?" I question.

"Yeah, you did."

"Okay." I laugh.

"You don't even feel bad that-"

"No, I don't actually." I shrug.

I did feel bad. I just couldn't own up to it.

"She doesn't mean that-" JJ shakes his head.

"I'm your sister." she looks me in the eyes.

"Yeah, well you would think that sisters would be there for each other." I reply.

The room fills with silence, as I look to JJ, signalling him to give me the joint he has in his hand.

"What?" he was clueless.

"The joint." I try to whisper, even though Kiara would hear me either way.

"What about it?" he smokes, still clueless.

"Give it, I just need to get high right now."

"This is what I mean." Kiara says.

"You are all the things that are wrong with you." she states.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"So d'you want it or?" JJ asks, holding his hand out with the joint in-front of me, as I ignore it.

"It's not the drugs or the pills, or any of the shitty things that have happened to you." Kiara continues.

"It's you."

JJ looks at me with an apologetic look. But she's right, everyone knows it.

It's me. It's always been me.