Ahaha it's so late and I'm so tired so sorry if this doesn't make much sense. Also, I chugged a ton of water as I wrote this chapter and for some reason I'm still thirsty. What the heck, body?! Anyways, hope you enjoy! I got the idea for some of it from a phrase that has been going through my head all day, and my friend Teresa inspired part of it :p ~ Cassie
It's hard to believe that I actually managed to drag myself out of the house and to one of these meetings. I probably never would have come here if it hadn't been for the combination of Mendel pestering me, my subconscious telling me to go through a hallucination of Whizzer, and the mysterious "Treena" incident Cordelia told me about. Though I only have a vague idea of what happened, I know I scared the crap out of Charlotte, and I really need to work on not becoming so wasted that I think I'm a tree. Regardless of everything that happened in the past, I am here now, and I am determined to change myself for the better.
I glance up at the flickering lights of the sign above me and take a deep breath. The building itself doesn't quite seem inviting. Built with deep red bricks and coated with peeling beige paint, it's an absolute monstrosity in my eyes. Cracks and miscellaneous brown and grey stains litter the walls, making me feel a bit sick to my stomach. Despite wanting so desperately to clean it up, that is not why I'm here. I need to get better for myself and for my family, and complaining about the structure of the rehabilitation center will not get me there. Well here goes nothing. I pull open the door with a bit of difficulty due to the hinges being old and rusted. As I walk inside, I notice that the lights are flickering as though they are trying so hard to stay alive but are dying all the same. The grim atmosphere almost makes me want to turn around and find someplace else, but I don't think that I will be able to afford a different place. And I certainly don't want to be even more of a burden than I am now.
Shakily, I walk up to the desolate reception desk, worried since there is absolutely no one in sight and the entire place is eerily quiet. Hesitantly I tap the bell lying there, not surprised when it makes a halfhearted ding that echoes through the small room. I stand for a while, looking around, but I can't hear anything other than the soft tick of a fan in the corner of the room. The longer I stay here, the more unnerved I become, but I stick it out, electing to sit on one of the chairs in the room. It lets out a long creak as I sit, causing me to tense up in the fear that it might break, but it doesn't give out underneath me. Suddenly, the door leading to the interior of the room slams open with a bang, giving me a mini heart attack. The person who opened the door whips his head around to face me, smiling widely.
"And who might you be?" he says cheerfully. "A new patient?"
"Uh, yes. I called yesterday and was told that I could come in for a meeting," I say nervously, staring at the man. He looks at me with a somewhat reassuring expression, calming me down slightly.
"Oh, so you're... Trina, right? Trina, uh..." He rushes over to the desk and grabs a clipboard, scanning it quickly. "Weisenbachfeld?"
I nod quickly. "Yes, that's me."
"My name is Christian. I'll take you back to meet the others now. Just sign this form, and we'll be good to go." I do as he says and follow him down the corridor. Though I expect it to have a similar atmosphere to the waiting room, I am shocked to find that it is almost the exact opposite. The walls are a soft cream and are incredibly clean, and murals are painted across them. On one wall is a meadow-like painting filled with vibrant green designs. Light and dark shades, ranging from a pastel to an almost-black intertwine to create a semi-realistic masterpiece. On the other wall is a winding river captioned "hydrate or die-drate." Though I'm not as impressed by this second wall, it has a good message.
Christian guides me through a second door that lies on the river wall, and we enter the room to find three other people sitting in folding chairs chatting, and all of them seem much younger than me. The one on the far left looks vaguely like Whizzer but a bit younger. His dark brown hair is a mess, and he seems to be vibrating as if he's having difficulty staying still for this long. He wears a white button down shirt which is completely untucked and has dark bags under his eyes as if he hasn't slept in days. The other two look completely stoned, with the one in the middle talking loudly and wearing a red hoodie coated with patches and the other acting much more reserved and donning a dark grey jacket. None of them notice that we have walked in until Christian clears his throat.
"Everybody settle down. We have a new person joining us today, so if you would kindly make room for her so we can begin," he says calmly. The shaky one pats the seat next to him, and I graciously take it, smiling softly. "Let's all go around and introduce ourselves. Since you're new, Trina, you can go last so you can see how we do it. How about you start, Connor."
The long haired kid in grey glances at me with not quite a glare, but certainly not a smile. "Hello. I'm Connor."
"Hi, Connor," the others chant back, and my eyes widen in surprise. I thought they only do that in the media. You learn something new every day.
"I've been smoking pot for a couple years now, and now that I'm going to go into my senior year pretty soon, my parents want me to act more adult. They sent me here to try to get me to stop smoking. It's not exactly working, but I want to at least get a little better so I'm not as much of a disappointment," the boy continues. So he's still a kid. Wow.
The next person to go is the one in red. "Hi, I'm Michael!"
"Hi, Michael."
"So I'm not exactly addicted to marijuana, per se, but my parents are trying to get me to stop it entirely, so they sent me here! I love them, but it's not like I have a problem or anything."
Then it's Whizzer-but-not's turn.
"I'm Kevin!"
"Hi, Ke-"
"And I wanted to do something incredible my whole life! But then everything went downhill and long story short, I discovered the wonders of caffeine and drank way too much coffee and still drink a ton and I really need to stop but I can't and-"
"Kevin!" Christian shouts, causing him to stop in his tracks. "You're rambling. Take a deep breath and finish."
"My boyfriend Connor-not the one that's here, a different Connor- sent me here because he's worried about my health."
"Kevin, how many cups of coffee did you drink today?"
"Six!" he replies proudly.
"That's progress," Christian says, turning to me. "Last week, he had ten. We're trying to get it down to four by the end of the month."
And suddenly it's my turn. Time to explain my whole story.
"I'm Trina," I say nervously, waving slightly.
"Hi, Trina," Connor and Kevin say. Michael appears to have zoned out, so Christian walks over to him and nudges him slightly.
"Oh, uh. Hi, Teresa!" he says, blinking owlishly.
"Close enough. So ever since my ex-husband and his boyfriend died, I've been drinking. At first I thought little of it, but over time it began to affect everyone around me. My husband, son, and even my neighbors practically have to babysit me. The other day, I apparently got so drunk that I thought I was a tree and tried to photosynthesize. I know, crazy. I made a vow to myself and to my loved ones to try to improve, so here I am," I say, becoming more confident as I progress with my story. Once I finish, Christian claps his hands together.
"Let's get working, people!" he announces happily, and begins to explain the activity for the day.
We get partnered up so that we can really get to understand how each other is struggling, and we are told to give any advice we may have. I get paired with Michael, who only seems to be semi-present. He tells me that he is, in fact, high, and no matter how many times I tell him what my name is, he seems convinced that I am a tree named Teresa. At least he gives somewhat good advice. Michael tells me that whenever I feel the urge to drink, I should think about my family and how much I love them. I should think of the promise I made them and try my hardest not to break it. Before we know it, the session is over, and Christian brings us all back together.
"Before we go," he says, smile still plastered on his face. "We need to teach Trina our motto. What is one of the most important things?"
"Turning off our feelings!" Kevin shouts with a smirk.
"Kevin, you may think you're funny, but you're not."
"Don't try to change yourself to please other people. Be yourself!" Michael says, grinning happily.
"I wish that was our motto because that is much more meaningful. Our motto is 'hydrate or die-drate.' We need to always drink enough water, especially in your case, Trina. You're not allowed to get a ton of alcohol in your system anymore. Water is the way to go!" Christian finally says.
"Hydrate or die-drate!" the rest of the group exclaims.
"Alright, everyone. You are free to go. See you all next week."
Everyone wishes me farewell as I retreat to the nearest bus stop. With the help of these people, everything may turn out alright. Hopefully soon I will be able to get a job again and actually help my family. But until then, baby steps.
Okay, so for the media, this is an adorable 8 bit version of Falsettos I discovered the other day, and I absolutely adore it! Also! I made a Falsettos discord server! If you want to join, PM me! :D