Billie had been watching those two go back and forth for at least 20 minutes and counting, it was fun to watch at first but now at this point she was getting tired of it. They bickered like they were way younger than there age, Billie liked when people got along and there was respect and harmony. She didn't like to live and chaos and arguments like these were the little things that set her off.
"Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy and Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne cut it out" both of the boys looked at Billie like she was crazy. They were not only annoyed but shocked that she knew their full names, let alone called them out on it. The boys gave each other a mug before sitting back in the couch on either side of Billie making Billie happy that all this anger and hostility would stop even if it was only for a few seconds.
"The fuck is Clevon anyway" Jahseh mumbled breaking the peaceful silence they were in making Billie roll her eyes out of irritation. Stokeley looked over at Jahseh with his arms folded across his chest like a three year old. "Okay Ricardo" Stokeley mumbled back in return as they all sat in silence again. Then the silence was too much for all three of them making them all burst into laughter.
Jahseh and Stokeley laughed at how childish they were. Billie rested her head on Stokeley's shoulder as the laughing died down, Stokeley slightly flinched at the action. Stokeley wasn't used to so much affection coming from anyone but his mother, any girl he had any interactions with it was only a one night stand type situation. Stokeley wasn't the type to disrespect women just because of how he was raised but Billie was something new to him.
Not saying that he was attracted to her it was just a new sensation to him. Jahseh gave them both a skeptical look but then decided that it wasn't his place to speak on anything he didn't know about.
Diana was about to go back to the hospital. It was her first day back and she was nervous to say the least. She made sure that she had all her paitents folders as she left out of her two story house. She was glad that her husband was asleep so she didn't have to go through another argument with him, she loved being a therapist at that hospital and not even her husband could change her mind.
She got into her car and sighed heavily. Somehow her husbands word sort of seeped into her brain but she shook them off deciding to ignore them.
She finally pulled into the hospitals parking lot and cut her car off. Nothing but her heels clicking against the concrete made any sound as she walked through the parking lot and into the building which only added to the eeriness of the hospital.
As the automatic glass double doors opened and was immediately greeted by Anne at the front desk with a welcoming basket and a small ballon attached to the handle that read 'welcome back'.
"Thank you Miss Anne. This was so nice." Diana said to the elderly woman and all she did was smile and nod in response, "it was no problem honey. It's glad to have one of my favorites back in here" she said making Diana smile before taking the basket and going on about way. As she was walking and people were walking past welcoming her back, patients and staff.
She'd finally made it to her office just to see none other than Stokeley sitting at her door with his back leaned against it. His knees were up to his chest and his head was in his lap. Diana started to mess with his small dreads making him flinch and look up to see who it was, then he relaxed seeing that it was only Diana.
Diana pulled out her lanyard full of keys and looked through them until she saw her office key which she the proceeded to open the door. Stokeley was speechless and had absolutely nothing to say as he followed Diana into her office and shut the door behind her watching her get settled in. Stokeley sat in the chair in front of her desk, which he hasn't sat in for weeks. The chair still had the claw marks from when he was clawing the chair so hard.
Physically, nothing had changed, but mentally was a whole nother ball game. Stokeley didn't know what to expect from Diana's calm demeanor as she shuffled papers and finally sat down making Stoke grow tense. The tension was very thick in the air, so much so that you could suffocate from it. Diana decided that she'd let Stoke get whatever he needed off his chest and that she'd just listen.
They had this mental conversation with eye contact alone.
"Miss D, I'm so sorry-" before Stoke could finish his apology he burst into tears. He didn't know why he was crying but Diana could tell exactly why and it didn't take any of her degrees to figure it out. He honestly felt bad. 'Feeling bad' was a new and overwhelming feeling for Stokeley because he never felt bad for anything he did, he never had remorse because he has the mentality of 'whatever happens, happens'.
The thought of remorse made Stokeley gag, but with Diana it was like he had no choice but to feel bad. Diana scooted the box of tissues that sat inches away from her, to Stokeley but she shoved it away making it fall to the ground making a soft thud.
"Get that shit away from me, tears are for bitches" Stokeley sniffled making a lightbulb go off in Diana's brain. She realized that Stokeley could go on and on about how terrible his step father was and how dark of a place that man could take him, but what Diana realized is that he never talked about his biological father. And today, that was going to be their topic. Whether Stokeley liked it or not.
"Stokeley I accept your apology and I knew it wasn't your fault"
"For real?" Stokeley asked seemingly relived that Diana wasn't blaming him. Diana shook her head no in response, "in fact, I have a question for you Stokeley" she said making Stokeley's eyebrows wrinkle because he was confused on what she had to ask.
"Wassup?" Stokeley asked wiping his face and nervously chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. It was a bad habit he had since he was a kid, and when he was really nervous, he would bite it so hard just to taste blood. When he would taste his blood leaking into mouth it acted as a distraction for whatever was bothering him so he wouldn't seem so nervous yet distracted with the metallic taste in his mouth.
"Can you describe your father for me?"
"We been through this trash ass nigga before and plus ion wanna put my hands on you, I learned from the last time-"
"No no, not him" Diana said cutting him off while Stokeley leaned back in the leather chair trying to figure out what was Diana's angle. He obviously knew that he was trying to get him to talk about his biological father, but why?.
Stokeley stared intently at Diana before answering her question, "he was... everything I didn't wanna be, but I still looked up to him just because he was my dad" Diana was surprised by this response. She figured Stokeley would fight with her about it, but no, he just told her. Stokeley figured he did enough fighting.
"Elaborate" Diana said as she started to open her notepad and started a new page titled 'Stokeley's beginnings'.
••
Jahseh was in Billie's room as she rambled on about pointless nothing. The nurses and doctors decided they would allow them to be in the same room since they caused very little problems around the hospital, they could trust them.
Jahseh had his arms behind his head as he zoned out with Billie laying on his chest and listened to his heartbeat as she talked. They had no romantic feelings toward each other, Billie was just a weird touchy person and Jahseh realized he had to deal with that part of her if they were gonna be friends.
"Jah?" Billie said but Jahseh was too zoned out to listen so she called him again.
"Jahseh?"
"Hm" he said snapping out of his daze and looked down at Billie's hair since her face was towards the room door, gazing at the door knob. "What do you think about Stokeley?" She asked causing Jahseh to get confused. He wondered why she even brought Stokeley up.
"His ass rude as fuck-"
"I think y'all more alike than different" Billie interrupted making Jahseh laugh. Jahseh laughed because he thought the complete opposite. He despised Stokeley. Jahseh didn't understand how someone could be so rude to him when they barely knew each other, the laugh they shared earlier was just to fill awkward tension. It was far from a bonding moment.
"That nigga lame as fuck and his name weird too like what the fuck is a Stokeley"
"What the fuck is a Jahseh" Billie said back making Jahseh mug her, "aye don't disrespect my name like that. It's Jamaican" Jahseh corrected making Billie smack her lips out of irritation. She just didn't understand why they didn't see their similarities but she could.
Someone knocking on Billie's room door interrupted their conversation. One of Billie's nurses came in with her daily dose of medicine making her get up from Jahseh and over to the nurse and take her medicine. Jahseh sat up in her bed against the headboard, he noticed that she had to take more pills than he did.
She was just downing them back to back, like taking shots. Jahseh noticed, he didn't know what she was diagnosed with. Out of all the conversation they had she never brought it up, the truth is.. she didn't wanna bring it up.
Billie wanted to distract herself from the obvious. Yes, they were in a mental hospital but Billie liked to blind herself from that so she never brought it up. After Billie was done the nurse left and they both couldn't help but acknowledge the now awkward tension between them.
"Say what you wanna say, you know I don't like when people hide their feelings" Billie said leaning back on the door while Jahseh's legs hung over the twin size bed and his hands in his lap. He looked up at Billie with his dreads hanging lowly over his eyes before answering her, "What you in here for?" Jahseh asked making Billie's jaw clench.
She hated that he asked her that.
"Same reason everybody else in here, crazy as fuck" Billie laughed off making Jahseh chuckle. She thought after she said that, he'd drop it but she shoulda known Jah better than that.
"You know I ain't mean it like that" Jah said staring at her blankly making her smack her lips frustrated, "Ok ok I'll stop" she said looking down and placing a piece of hair behind her ear before finally talking. "I have multiple personality disorder" Billie said making Jahseh smirk.
"That's it? You got names for em?" Jahseh asked making Billie roll her eyes "Jah get out" Billie said walking up to him, grabbing his arm, and dragging him out of her room. Jahseh burst out laughing making Billie shake her head.
"I'm just saying, you had to name them. Ain't they like pets?—" Jahseh was cut off by her door being slammed in his face. All Billie could hear was Jahseh's laugh echoing down the hall as he walked off. Billie shook her head and laughed as she started to lay down in her bed and stare up at the ceiling.
"He such a asshole"