Did anyone else's heart flip when he refused to kiss her on the lips cause he's just that gentlemanly? Just me? Kay C: 

Dedicating this to PrettyLittleRebel, who's commented and voted on like, every chapter of this. You creep x3

xxx

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Greenview was as beautiful as I remembered it to be. With large, brick buildings with green grass, benches, and flowers, it almost looks like college- With the exception of the barbed wire fence surrounding the campus. 

Sam had cuffed me, as I restrained and punched him in the face when he tried to put me in the car. Now, with a satisfying blue and black circle around his left eye, he helped me out of the car and closed the door behind me. We walked in silence to the front building, the grounds eerily empty.

The receptionist on our way inside is polite enough, leading me to my room while attempting to flirt with Sam. "Oh, you poor baby," she crooned, making me want to gag. "What happened to your eye?"

I smirked smugly. "Oh, it was nothing, really. A pointless brawl." He assured her, which made me scoff.

I take notice of everything as we walk to my new room, remembering painful memories from just two months before. The windows, plastic ferns in the corner, the chairs, even the tiled flooring. I didn't see anyone I recognized from before in the hallway, but then again, i'd never been the most social inmate.

The room i'm put in looks identical to my previous one. Two twin beds, with a flower pot by the window. The flower is withered and dead, but the petals remind me that this is all real. The left side of the room was filled with pictures of the moon and everything astronomical, bedsheets a dull manilla cover. The only colorful thing was a stitched up, stuffed bear that sat on the floor.

The owner of the bear and photographs is nowhere in sight. Sam looks at me, putting the suitcase on the right twin bed and pulling out a key. I let him take off my cuffs before slapping him across the face. "You pervert. That chick is like, twenty five years older than you." I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest and rubbing my reddened wrists.

He grinned. "She was hot."

I rolled my eyes. "Can't you save that for Luna?"

Realizing I was just making nice conversation with the man who put me back in this hell, I sat down on the bed, looking out through the barred windows. He stood in silence, watching me carefully as if I would break. I refused to in front of him, though. I wouldn't cry anymore. 

"How long will I be here?" My voice was quiet.

He let out a deep breath, hesitant to answer. "Until you get better." Was all he said.

That got me angry. "I'm not going to get better here!" I almost shouted, hushing when I remembered that there were guards here. "Being out in the open was helping me, Sam."

He shook his head. "I don't believe that."

Embarrassed but needing to prove something to him, I stood only inches from him. "I was mute when I left here, and refused to touch. The first moment I saw Luna, I hugged her. It took me three weeks to speak to Gabriel, and another two days to reconnect with my best friend. That took me exactly one month, Sam." I pulled back my sweater, revealing the awkward red mark on my collarbone. 

"I let people in, you see? I almost had something, with someone. That's huge progress. In the two years I was stuck here, I became mute. I didn't touch, and my hallucinations were constant. I've had two of them since I left, and both were triggered because of you. If you hadn't brought up my family, my parents, my name - everything, really- I might have been okay." My voice got more broken near the end, until it cracked and I couldn't speak any longer.

He put a hand on my shoulder. "I believe you," his tone was soft. 

I looked up, wiping my eyes. "So you'll let me go?"

He smiled weakly. "I'll talk to the staff about getting you out after a month. For now, you're stuck here for the minimum rehab limit."

I let out a breath of relief, even though my stomach was twisting on the inside. So much could happen to me in the span of a month. . . "I'll be coming around every week or so to check up on you. Stay strong."

And with that, he was gone, leaving me with a torn up schedule in my hands. It was the same as before, starting at eight am going until seven pm. I almost groaned out loud at the familiarity of it, missing being able to stay up late and sleep in.

I sat by the window, staring through the bars at the empty campus below. It reminded me of a jail - which technically, it was. The window is large enough I can comfortably sit on the windowsill, letting me estimate how far I am from the bottom. It seemed to be about thirty feet down, not such a good idea if I ever wanted to sneak out.

There was a loud banging sound that brought me from my thoughts. I turned abruptly, watching as a girl falls onto the right bed, clutching the fabric of a guy's red tee shirt and dragging him down with her. Furiously, they kiss, almost angry with each other. His hands reach to her shirt, starting to unbutton it.

"Um. . . " I manage to say, desperately wanting to escape this before I witness a porno.

"Christ!" The girl shrieks, jumping off the guy and pushing her back into the wall to stare at me. "Jesus- Motherfu- Shit!" Her pale yellow uniform is shaking from the girl's fumbling hands, trying to button it back up quickly. The guy stands up, not even looking the least bit concerned they just got caught making out. 

His short brown hair was ruffled from what went down between the couple, jeans unzipped and hanging lowly at his hips. "Lil, calm down. She won't tell." He looked at me, green eyes piercing. "Right?"

 I didn't take it as a threat, nodding slowly and looking back out the window to give the couple privacy. "Jesus, I thought we were screwed," the girl said shakily. Letting out a nervous laugh, she finished buttoning up her shirt, walking up to me. "I'm Lillian."

"Jodie," the boy called out, nodding at me. Just as I quietly tell them my name, Jodie wanders out of the room. Lillian looks unfazed by this behavior, probably used to it. 

"You scared me," she laughed again. "I so thought you were Miss Principle or something."

I finally get a good look at her. With brown hair and kind brown eyes, she's skinny and small like me. She had on the required uniform- Khaki skirt, a yellow button up, and a yellow headband. She doesn't seem to like it much.

"Why are you here?" She blurts out. I glance at her, eyes a little wide; nobody usually asks me personal questions like that. "I mean- God, I'm sorry. That was too personal. You just don't look like a suicidal, a boozer, or a mental case to me." She shrugged, face a little pink.

 I shook my head. "It's okay," I muttered, but didn't answer her question. 

There's a knock on the door. A woman walked in, looking so overly peppy I wanted to gag. A pile of clothes folded neatly in her hands, she grinned, showing off white teeth that had to be dentures. "Miss Ward?" She asked. I nodded, standing and taking the pile of clothes from her. "Here are your clothes . . . Oh, and you have a visitor."

I changed quickly, having doubts about who would want to see me right now. "I'll see you later," I told Lillian, giving her a soft smile and throwing the headband in trash. No way in hell would I wear that thing- It made me feel five.

Downstairs, I finally see people. Two boys with emo hair glance at me as I walk down, dressed in yellow and khaki like me. Most of the kids look like normal teenagers, all except for one.

She can't be older than nine. Her hair, a mess of blue and brown dreadlocks, hangs low past her abdomen and down to her thighs. She has cuts all over her face, ones that look painstakingly intentional. As I get closer, I can make out an L and a D. 

Oh, my god. She's using her body to carve words.

I passed by her, attempting to look casual, but she grabs my calf. "Who're you?" She demanded. 

I gave her a soft smile, ignoring the words written on her face and neck. "I'm Alexxa," I said. "And you?"

"Alice. Why are you here?" She asked confidently, tightening her grip on my arm.

I bit the inside of my cheek. People have no privacy here , it seems. "That's kind of not something I talk about, sweetie. . ." I settle for, jerking my arm away when it felt as if it would fall apart.

"Don't call me that!" She screamed suddenly.

I felt my eyes widen and backed away a little. The room stayed animated with conversation, as if this was normal for them. She starts to cry, clutching onto my shirt for dear life and burying her face in my stomach. "Alice, shh. . . I'm sorry." I whispered, looking around for someone to help me. No heads turned, though, leaving me on my own.

"I want Joanie!" She cried out.

I almost cried with relief. "Is she here?" I asked, grateful for someone to take her.

She shook her head. "She-she's dead," she sobbed. "We were just playing tag a-and I pushed her a-and. . ." She broke off, leaving me clutching her.

I was terrified. This little girl killed someone. Who expected that? She looked so sweet, so innocent. A group of staff headed over to us, taking her from me and carrying her away. I let my arms fall to my sides numbly, running a hand through my hair.

I'm going crazy in here.

I was pulled into someone's arms, holding me there. "Shortie, i'm so sorry," Kira sniffed, crying into my shoulder. "I wasn't there. . ."

I shook my head, pulling away and sitting down on the bench. She sat next to me, and I curled my legs to my chest. Facing her, I rested my chin on my knees, closing one of her hands in mine. "It's okay," I assured her quietly. "Sam said he's going to get me out of here by the end of the month." 

She nodded, an unconvinced look in her green eyes. "How are you feeling?"

I sighed. "The same as always." Nothing's changed, except for the fact that I'm back in the place that only screwed me up more than it ever helped me.

She rested her head on my shoulder, turning to stare out the window. I felt her hand squeeze mine and she closed her eyes slowly. "Everything is going to be okay," She murmured.

"I know," I whispered, but I didn't even believe myself.

A beautiful girl walked in, dressed in combat boots and a big sweater with jeans. She had three coffee cups in hand, which she struggled to carry. Kira immediately perked up, pecking my cheek before taking two of them from her. I watched with a raised brow- did they know each other? But my suspicions were confirmed when the purple-streaked girl leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips.

What the hell. . . ?

Kira and the girl both sat down after checking in, only this time, it was across from me. I noticed their intertwined hands, how close they were to each other. It was a little closer than 'just friends'. "Hey," The girl greeted cautiously, as if she would shatter me with her words.

I smiled. "Hi."

Kira cleared her throat, shifting awkwardly. "R-Alexxa," she started, "I, um, i've been keeping something from you."

I felt a grin come onto my features. "You're a lesbian."

Her eyes shot up to look at me, before relief flooded her face. ". . . You're okay with that?"

I scoffed. "Why wouldn't I be? That's awesome!"

"Well, in that case, i'm Georgia, her girlfriend."

I shook Georgia's hand, watching them be all lovely to each other. It was kind of. . . Therapeutic, really, to see such puppy love and know that people can still experience it, despite their gender. A sigh escaped Georgia's lips and she laid her head on Kira's chest, eyes fluttering shut.

Kira gave me a love sick glance that made me melt a little. This wasn't a phase- This was real, and pure. Kira liked Georgia, a lot, and I understood why she didn't want to come out to me in the first place. The fear of rejection overpowers a lot of other things.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Alexxa, get your ass over here right now."

I rose a brow. "Why should I?" I questioned, smugly crossing my arms over my chest and running my hand down my hair.

Her eyes narrowed. "If you don't, I'll tell Luna about that hickey."

I bit the inside of my cheek, giving in. Tilting the collar up higher to cover it, I sulked over to her, wincing at the irritation in my stomach. "What do you want?" I mumbled as not to disturb the peace between the lovers.

She pulled back my shirt, staring at the mark. "It was Gabriel, wasn't it." She said it more like a statement than a question.

I blushed, reddening furiously. "No!" I said, a little too quickly. It attracted some attention, which was completely idiotic, since when Alice was screaming nobody gave her a second glance. She grinned, taking my other hand in hers.

"What was it like?" She asked softly.

"What like?" I asked, confused.

"To kiss a boy." 

I felt like such a whore now. I wasn't going to lie, but I couldn't say we hadn't kissed, not on the lips, anyways. So instead, I forced a small smile on my face, closing my eyes in remembrance.

"Perfect."

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D'awww ^ I had to put a cliche moment in there somewhere! 

I updated early, because im going to Storyland tomorrow and wont be able to update. Y'know, that place for four year olds where stories come 'to life'?,

ima go mad rachet on the mad hatter.

Ahah :) I promise, Alexxa and Gabriel will get closer soon <3 Give it a little time, this story is only 60 pages long as of now!

Author Confession #4: 

I took this entire chapter from an excerpt of a different story I once wrote for my best friend x3 I changed some names, mashed up the details, and made it into a new chapter. 

Question for you lovely people who made it to the bottom of this extremely long author's note..

If you were writing this story (never gonna happen, it's all mine, bitches xD) and you could change one thing about Alexxa OR Gabriel, what would you change?

Song is Same Love by Macklemore and Mary Lambert. The song is self explanatory to the chapter. Stupid moving videos, making me cry.

xxx