Therapy - Septiplier

Two

"What's your name?" The stranger asked, but Jack couldn't find it within himself to reply. "Are you mute?"

Jack simply nodded, glad to have an excuse as to why he wasn't talking. In all honesty, he could've lost his voice forever and now could no longer speak again, but he didn't want to think about that. He had already lost so many things that day; his dignity, innocence, and hope were all taken away. He could only hope his voice wasn't lost as well.
"Can I read your medical bracelet to see your name?" He asked kindly and Jack showed him, Cry nodding with a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Sean. You're in my group, group B. I remember everyone's name in it."

Jack nodded, but he didn't understand. He hadn't attended any of the groups since he arrived and wasn't sure what to expect. He didn't know what would entail throughout his day. He decided he'd try to go with the flow. Even if he couldn't speak, he was desperate to get out of there and the only way to prove to the staff and doctor that he was ready to leave was by participating in whatever they wanted him to.
"We have OT right now, but staff is running late," Cry explained and read Jack's confused face.
"OT stands for Occupational Therapy, it's pretty much just an hour of crafting and making whatever you want. It's the best group of the day."

"Group B, it's time for OT!" A staff member, Lydia, announced and the group gathered closer to her. She made sure everyone was accounted for and smiled at Jack. "Good to see you slowly coming out of your shell, Sean. You'll love OT, I promise. Has anyone seen Dan or Phil?"
"They're both still sleeping," Cry informed her about the roommates.
"Alright, thank you, Cry. I suppose it'll be just you, Sean, and Ken," Lydia smiled and lead them towards the locked OT room.

Cry had been right, Jack actually really enjoyed OT. He spat out his nicotine gum right after group was over and went back to the corner by the window. Cry made a glitter bottle that contained glitter glue, several colors of glitter and hot water. The point of it was to shake it and watch it whenever you were feeling anxious and to wait until the sparkles separated from the water before continuing doing whatever it was you were doing. Ken decorated a stress ball with sharpies, drawing a bloodshot eyeball on it. Jack picked something more difficult, knowing he needed something that would take him a while if he decided to keep showing up to his groups. He started creating a dream catcher and he had to admit, the busywork really helped him keep his mind off of why he was there in the first place.

"Hey, Sean! Did you like OT?" Cry asked with a smile. Jack returned a weak one in return with a small nod. "I told you it was fun! Come on, I wanna introduce you to my friends. I promise they're great guys, you'll like them, just like I said you'd like OT."
"Hey, Cry," One of the two guys smiled, coming up beside him. The one who spoke frowned. "Shit, we missed OT, didn't we?"
"Yes, you did, Dan," Cry chuckled. "There's always tomorrow, though! Oh, I want you guys to meet someone!"
"Who is it?" Dan asked with a smile and Cry stepped aside, revealing Jack who felt as though his heart was about to burst from all the anxiety he felt when encountered with new people.

"This is Sean! Sean, this is Dan and Phil, the guys I wanted you to meet," Cry smiled warmly at him. "Trust me, they're great guys."
Jack believed him, he could simply tell by the genuine looks in their eyes, though the fear inside was still overwhelming. He trusted too easily, he knew that, but he felt as though he could relax around these guys. He felt guilty for not speaking to them, but he just couldn't.
"Sean's mute," Cry informed the two for him. He felt relieved when they smiled sympathetically at him.
"It's okay, Sean, we don't mind. Is that why you're here?" Phil asked kindly and Jack tilted his head both ways to show so/so. "Oh, I see. Dan was admitted here because of his depression, me for my anxiety."

"We have group therapy with Mark today! He's really nice, he always brings ice cream," Cry grinned, informing Jack who hadn't even heard of the therapist. "We have a late community meeting to go to first because everyone slept in this morning. We'll see him after lunch."
"Ugh, so I got up for nothing?" Dan groaned, knowing it meant they had an entire hour of free time until the other groups wrapped up before they could begin the meeting.
"Who's up for a card game?" Phil suggested with a smile and the other two shrugged and plopped down at the nearest table, Cry taking out his deck of cards from his back pocket and tossing them to Dan. For some reason he could shuffle them like a pro.

"Sean, do you wanna play?" Phil asked while beginning to shuffle the cards. Jack shook his head and sighed internally, feeling bad for turning them down. "That's okay, maybe next time! What game should we play?"
"Let's play Garbage, it takes a while," Cry suggested as Jack began tuning them out, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the window's glass. Images of that horrible night flashed through his head and his body began to tremble in response to the flashback. He couldn't control his thoughts that would always go back to that night.

The way he looked at him, touched him, hurt him, it was something Jack could never forget. He pulled his knees up and hid his face in them, bracing himself for the tears he knew would come if he couldn't stop thinking about him. He could remember the way he felt, the way he tasted, the look in his eyes when it would all start over again. The hungry, lustful eyes that would trail around his body and absorb any dignity Jack had left.
His tears began to fall.