Bliss

Chapter 18: Figure It Out

Chapter 18: Figure It Out
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I walked into the activity room, currently stuffing the last of my granola bar into my mouth.

You wouldn't think that I recently used to have an eating disorder.
Now I just eat when I'm bored, when I'm not bored, when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm having a shit, when I'm cleaning my room, when I'm sitting down, when I'm standing up.

I'm going to become obese, and then die of a heart attack from eating too much.

Ah, at least I'll die doing what I love.

I immediately stop in my tracks, when I see Margery. She's sat on plastic chair in the corner of the room, crying, whilst A Blank is stood next to her, with her hand on Margery's shoulder trying to comfort her.

Margery slaps The Blank's hand away and then continues to push her away. The Blank looks kind of startled and walks slowly towards another group of Victims, casting one wary glance back at Margery.

My eyes wide, I speed walk over to Margery (we're not allowed to run), and crouch down in front of her, throwing the wrapper of my granola bar over my shoulder.

Hopefully The Blank will walk passed behind me and slip on, fall, and break her hip or something. That might cheer Margery up.

"Hey," I say gently. "What's up?"

Margery shakes her head and starts crying harder, letting her head drop into her hands.

I just sit there, in shock.

It's not that it's unusual for Victims or patients, whatever you want to call them, to cry, it's just that it's unusual see Margery to cry.

I mean, she's basically emotionless. It took me months to get the girl to even acknowledge my existence for heaven's sake!

It's the knowing that her total disregard for my well being and that if I died she'd probably be indifferent, is what I loved about our relationship!

Now, this bombshell of a situation has just taking me utterly by surprise.

"Seriously, Margery, what's wrong?" I probe quietly, placing my hand comfortingly on her knee.

She shakes her head again, still crying, but this time she at least lifts her head from her hands, puts her hand into her pocket and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper.

She hands it too me with shaky hands. I open it up carefully, trying to keep my mind off the fact that it's soggy and I'm pretty sure she's blew her nose in it.

Just got to grin and bare it, I need to comfort my friend.

No matter how gross and soggy it may be.

I quickly skim my eyes over the paper, reading the smudged words scribbled line after line. I quickly realise that this is a letter from home, and it isn't bringing good news.

Apparently, someone called Jerry has died. From the way Margery's mother is going in about him in the letter, it seems that Margery was pretty close to him.

I think back to all those visiting days and I try to think of when I had seen someone called Jerry. The only people I can remember visiting Margery were her mom and dad, and I'm pretty sure dads name isn't Jerry.

Ah well, maybe he lived far away.

The letter doesn't give any clues as to who Jerry is, just that all of the family misses him a lot and they all sympathise that Margery hasn't really got to see him a lot and they're terrible sorry that The Bitch has denied their request to let Margery out for the 'small but homely' funeral.