The Guy from the Insane Asylum

Chapter 7

"It's . . . going?" She pressed on her screen to flip her camera, giving Zach a clear view of the party through the glass doors and tall windows.

"Do they have a fog machine?" Zachary asked, chuckling.

Bethany snickered. "Nope."

Catching on, Zach simply said, "oh." They laughed together. Then Zach asked, curiously, "did you know that birds don't urinate?"

"What?" Beth laughed loudly.

"It's true!" Zach defended, admiring her laugh.

"Oh, my—," Beth continued to laugh. "You say the most random things! It's so incredibly weird but awesome at the same time. I feel like I'm in some kind of science class." She tried to keep from laughing but it was difficult.

"My facts are way more interesting than the party though, admit it." He grinned through the screen.

"Yeah," Beth replied, calmer now. "Hey, does the Asylum not have some kind of curfew or bedtime, dare I say?" She questioned Zach.

"Computer room closes at nine. But I know the guard." He shrugged. "What about you? Don't you have a curfew? I know you at least gotta have a bedtime though, right?"

"Not a strict one." She lied.

"You're lying." He told her.

"I hate when you do that." Bethany told him.

The remark made Zach nervous. "Do what?"

"Am I just that easy to read?" She questioned once again.

"I—," Zach got cut off, thankfully. Or else his nerves would've reveled something frightening.

"I guess I am. But I'll have you know that I can be a very good liar if I wished to." She giggled. "You're just freakishly good at picking up body language."

"Yes!" Zach yelled. "Yes, I'm good at picking up body language." He laughed nervously. "It's not like I can read your mind." He joked, then regretted it slightly.

"No!" She laughed. "That's crazy." Laughing louder, she truly enjoyed herself. She checked the time, then groaned.

"What is it?"

"I should probably head home right now, if I want to make it there on time."

"Not a strict curfew, huh?"

"It's ten'o'clock." She admitted. "Sharp." 

"I have to be in my room by then as well. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

She scanned the back of her head for any plans that she might have the next day. "Uh, I think I was supposed to go to a family party."

"Well, then I'll see you whenever you drop by—," he got cut off again, this time he smiled at Bethany, finding it cute that her mind processed thoughts so quickly even her lips couldn't keep them in.

"I can cancel. It's only a birthday party. And for a third cousin. I don't have to go."

"Okay," he simply said.

"Okay," she smiled.

Zach waved at her and she waved back. Then her screen went black.

Recalling what she had said, she sighed. "Why did I have to go and do that?" She asked herself. "Stupid." She said. How was she supposed to cancel on family?

"Hello?" Bethany heard a voice call after no one specifically. "Bethany? Is that you?" Sarah, it was her best friend.

"Yeah," she replied as her friend started walking over to her.

"It feels like I haven't see you in ages." Sarah squealed as she ran to hug Bethany.

Bethany stood up and hugged her back. "Yeah, it's been a while." A week or so, where the only place they saw each other was writing class. It felt weird because they'd normally hang out every other day after school at the mall or someone's house.

"I still can't believe you're actually volunteering at Dared. That's literally insane."

Bethany laughed at the bad joke. "It's not completely horrible." She told her.

"It is for me! I barely get to see you now."

"Sorry, I've just been so busy."

"Well get un-busy." Sarah voiced. "We need to hang out more. Also, did you hear about the new girl?"

"New girl?"

"Yeah," Sarah rolled her eyes "She started school last week."

"Elaborate."

"I got a weird vibe from her. I mean who moves to Belltown, Maine? It's pretty much a matter of time before it becomes a ghost town."

"No it's not," Bethany laughs. "It's just becoming lesser, population wise. That's it." Bethany understood why people moved here. It was a small town where everyone could know everyone if they really wanted to.

It had stores and a small plaza that was the substitute of a big city mall. The small town also had a small hospital that hadn't been renovated since the 80's. Belltown included schools too. One elementary. One middle school. One high school. And one community college. If you wanted a higher education than that, you had to leave home. Not many people did. The only way Belltown got doctors was from newly moved grads from upper cities. That's why Dared could afford doctors as well. Oh, right! Belltown also had an insane asylum. And a graveyard. Another way Belltown gained population was from up-state people abandoning their ill relatives in Dared.

Behany thought stupid of all the bad remarks made about her home. It wasn't like people couldn't make a thirty-sum mile drive to leave Belltown and join a bigger town because they could. Maybe ninety miles down and the roads could even take you to an actual city. She wouldn't know though, she had never left Belltown.

"Well," Sarah began. "You wanna go meet her? Apparently, one of the baseball guys invited her."

"So she's cute? Is that why you're so paranoid about her?" Bethany questioned her very insecure friend.

"NEVER HAS A CUTE GIRL MOVED TO BELLTOWN AND SHOWED AT ONE OF OUR PARTIES BEFORE." Sarah screamed. "But I'm so not paranoid." Sarah whispered. It's not until then that Bethany realized her friend was drunk.

A/N:

So, Belltown is made up. It's not an actual town in Maine.

But besides that . . . what about the new girl, eh?

-XOXO