STAY WOKE ✔︎ || A. Grande

sɪxᴛᴇᴇɴ

"Why do you want to know how to make friends?" The question came out a bit more brutal than planned. Briar looked up at Ariana and frowned. She didn't know why Ariana had asked that question. Wouldn't Ariana be proud of her for wanting to make friends?

Ariana let out a sigh from seeing the girls face. She didn't mean to scare her, something in her just didn't want to share her patient. "Im sorry, Briar. I just- there aren't many people to be friends with here. But I'll be your friend." Ariana suggested with a kind smile making Briar shake her head, "no no, I want real friends. F-Friends my age."

Ariana sat down on Briar's bed and looked at the girl in the eyes. "Briar, friends aren't anything but a huge waste of time. You have me and Zach, alright? That's all you need at the moment." Ariana didn't know what was getting into her. She would definitely be onboard with Briar, but it seemed like her mouth was talking faster than her brain.

"But Zach said-"

"Nobody cares about what Zach said! You don't need friends. I'm the only one you need, got it?" Too scared to argue, Briar nodded her head. "Good girl. Now I think it's time for you to go to sleep, don't you agree?" Briar didn't say anything. She got up and got into bed. Ariana tucked her in and said Goodnight. She was expecting for Briar to say Goodnight back like she usually did, but she didn't this time. Ariana frowned but shrugged it off knowing that it was Briar being temporarily mad at her.

She walked out the cell and went to her dorm. As soon as she was in her dorm and the door was closed, she slid down the back of her door and began to cry. What she said wasn't her. It wasn't her at all, it must've been,

A demon.

———

Briar was on her bed playing with a shoelace. It was pretty embarrassing that she still didn't know how to tie a shoe despite being 23 years old. She began to get angry at the shoelace and threw it across the room in anger.

She frowned but continued to wait for Ariana. She looked up at the door when she heard keys jingle in the lock, but her gaze was immediately turned towards the floor when she saw Courtney. She was still a little shaken up by what had happened last time she was with Courtney. Why would Courtney want her to use her demons as a defense?

"Hey, Briar." Courtney said with a smile as she walked towards Briar. She kneeled down in front of Briar while resting her palms on her knees. "Ariana is a little sick today so I'ma be watching over you! Just like the old days, right?" However, Briar didn't say anything. Her eyebrows furrowed in a bit of anger. She stood up and balled her fist, "you made her sick, didn't you? You just wanted to get to me!" Briar said, her eyes turning a darker shade than usual.

"You know I would never do something like that. She said she wasn't feeling like herself, literally. Why don't we go take a walk outside and smell the flowers?" Courtney suggested making Briar's eyes turn back to normal and her fist come undone. Sniffing flowers was always something that her and Courtney use to do everyday in the mornings. When Courtney was her caretaker she had a tight schedule which always took her mind off of her demons.

"O-okay!" Briar exclaimed happily making Courtney laugh. "Alright, let's get you ready." Briar put on her sweats and jacket and was about to sneak away with no shoes on but Courtney caught her just in time.

"Briar, put your shoes on." Courtney said making Briar shake her head. All the other patients were gonna laugh at her for having Velcro shoes on, or thats what she thought.

"No velcro." Briar said while shaking her head, still looking at the door. Courtney sighed, "I see, you want your laces. Well I'll help tie your shoe." Briar's face lit up. She turned around and looked at Courtney and could immediately tell she was serious. She practically bounced over to the wooden chair and sat down in it. Courtney got Briar's lace ups and helped her tie them. They then walked out of the room together and walked outside to the field and then to the garden.

———

"If you eat all of your food then you'll get some dessert. But until then, you're stuck chuck." Courtney said as she continued to chop up cucumbers. Briar frowned, "b-but-"

"I'm not going to spoil you like Ariana does, alright? As much as I love Ariana, I'm gonna have to teach her to not spoil you. Now eat." Courtney pointed to Briar's plate with her knife. Briar let out a whine before picking up her food with her hand. Courtney quickly caught her though. She got out a fork and spoon from the drawer and put it in front of Briar, "eat with your utensils."

"You eat with utensils." Briar said, pouting cutely making Courtney chuckle. "Yes, but I'm not eating, now aren't I?"

"Butthead." Briar 'insulted' while crossing her arms and looking the other way, away from Courtney. Courtney shrugged her shoulders and continued to cut up the vegetable. She wasn't going to spoil the girl and tell her that she could eat with her hands and then give her chocolate after eating one piece of broccoli. Ariana could do whatever she wants, but with Courtney, things will stay the same.

———

Courtney was walking in the hallway of the hospital when she bumped into someone. She thought it was a patient due to the clothes the person was wearing, but it was actually Ariana.

"Oh- hey Ariana! Briar is asleep if you were going to see her." Courtney told the Italian, not questioning her clothing. "O-oh, okay..." Ariana whispered and was about to walk away when Courtney caught her just in time. She stepped in front of Ariana with a concerned look on her face, "is everything okay, Ari?"

Ariana gulped and nodded, just wanting to walk away but she knew that Courtney wasn't going to let her do so. "You're lying. And... crying? Did something happen? Did you get hurt?! Don't tell me you slept in Briar's room with her in it, if so I'm surprised you're not dead."

Ariana didn't say anything instead, she grabbed Courtney's arm and led her to the bathroom. Once they were inside the bathroom, Ariana locked the door and looked straight at Courtney.

"I think one of Briar's demons got to me."