They Told You To Stay Away (Jalex)

Safe

Chapter Twenty Three
Title from Stay Awake by All Time Low.

I looked at my food, feeling more sick with each second.

Twenty pounds. I've gained twenty pounds by eating stuff like this.

I can't do it. I can't.

Why can't they let me skip one meal?

I didn't realize how long I sat there until Alex came back in. "Hello, how are you?" Tammy asked as he walked in.

"I'm good, how are you?" He asked in a tone that sounded sweet.

"I'm good" she said, her eyes falling to me.
Alex looked at me, and looked at my tray.

"Jack?" Tammy asked.
No. Please. I really can't eat it.

I can't do this. I got up from the bed and walked out of the room, walking myself into the day room. It was fairly full, as a lot of people like to hang out after they eat.
I sat down for a moment until I saw Tammy walk to the nurses counter, grabbing her bag.

Almost as soon as she disappeared, I walked out of the day room and back to my room, ready to accept the punishment of the tube.
I hope they kick Alex out for that.

When I got in, I realized that Alex wasn't in there, but when I sat down I was confused to see that he was behind me, walking to his bed.
"I told them that your plate was mine" He said simply. He did what?
"I told them that my plate was yours and your plate was mine. So you ate all of your dinner tonight, go along with it when Dr.Grace brags on you" he explained.

I won't have to be tube fed now. He helped me skip a meal?
"T-thank you" I stuttered, watching him smile.

"No problem" he said, looking at the ground for a second. "Why didn't you eat anything, Jack?" He asked after a moment.

How am I supposed to answer that?

I didn't.

***

"How do you get out of here, Jack?" Alex asked as he got in his bed.

I glanced at him, remembering everything I've collected over the past year about this place. "If you make straight A's for one week they start considering, unless your therapist holds them back from a decision. If they're considering and you make it another week with all A's then I think they'll probably let you out" I said.

Alex looked at me with a small smile.
"How do you make straight A's?" He asked next.

"You get three points off for not finishing your food, five if you didn't eat at all. If you have an eating disorder it's five points for not finishing and ten for not at all. If you make physical contact it's five points, if you're rude or insult someone it's five points, late to therapy it's three points, go against the dress code they'll take off three and tell you to change, if you don't you'll lose ten points and be forced to change. If you panic or something you'll be sent to the quiet room and from there your therapist will decide if you need to lose points so he can keep you longer. If you don't participate in therapy it's five, if you relapse it's ten" I finished, going through everything that I've discovered from being here.

If you ask how many points you lost, they'll tell you, so in order to find that out I paid attention to how many points I lost after each thing I did.

"You're like an expert" Alex laughed looking at me. I nodded as I smiled.

That's not exactly a good thing.

"What's your favorite book that you have here?" Alex asked, laying on his side to look at me as he spoke.

I smiled "uh..well I like a short story out of Different Seasons by Stephen King" I said. "The Body"

"Oh, nice. I've never read it but I know what you're talking about. My brother loved the movie Stand By Me, and it's just a movie based on the short story" Alex said, finding ways to relate to what I said.

"really? That sounds really cool, I'll have to watch it when I get out" I said, making him pick his head up a little and smile.

I just talked about getting out.

"I'll watch it with you" he said, a slight blush on his cheeks.

We sat in silence before I decided to add on to Alex's original question "besides that short story I have a book in there called Rose Madder by Stephen King. It's about a woman called Rose who has been in an abusive marriage with her husband for fourteen years. He would beat her, rape her, and he even made her have a miscarriage, but one day she decided to leave. She runs away from him and stays in a home for battered women until she can get on her feet, but he's still looking for her. And shit happens" I said, telling the story of the book that I loved so dearly as Alex intently listened.

He smiled his delicate smile, and I felt my heart melt a little bit.

How do things change so fast?

So sorry, this chapter is so much shorter than the others. Forgive me!!