Stepbrother

Chapter Twenty Three

Carter's POV

Journal,

I'm so happy that Andy came to visit me. Seeing a familiar face was so comforting, especially because I knew that I could trust him. However, I'm still not convinced that I tried to kill myself, It just doesn't sound like me. I know that things were hard the past two years and after Pierson and I broke up, but I don't believe that death has ever crossed my mind. Nick told me that journaling will help me control my emotions and get my feelings out in a different way other than crying or screaming, and I guess it's been working.

I'm thankful for Nick, he makes this place a little more bearable and a lot less lonely. I've learned a lot from him and he says that I'm making good progress. He's also the only one who believes me... which means that he's going to help me go home soon. I'm going to miss him, but not as much as I miss Andy, or my mom. I'd never thought that I would miss her, but I do. During free time Nick has been trying to help me figure out who it could've been who poisoned me, but so far, we've got nothing.

Since I've been here I've dyed my hair back to its normal color, put on ten pounds, and made a new friend, so I guess that mental hospitals aren't all that bad. I've also became a lot better at writing, sort of... I'm still working on it. Mr. Lenox would be proud. But that's another thing, school. What is everyone going to think of me now? Do people even know? They have to... why else would I be out for a whole month? I don't know what to do, but Nick tells me not to worry about it, so I guess I won't.

I guess that's about it, besides the raunchy details of the numerous amounts of medications I'm on, and the lack of privacy I get while showering and using the bathroom. It sucks, but I don't really have a choice. Only one more week until I can go back to my normal life and just be me again, it's hard pretending to be someone you're not, I don't quite understand how people do it. Free time is almost over, and Nick thinks he found a lead.
Yours sadly, Carter.

"Wow, writing is exhausting. How do you do it every day?" Nick looked up at me from his laptop with a smile on his face. "It gets easier, eventually the words just flow right out of you and onto the page, it's just... natural." I shake my head and close my journal, looking at Nick's computer screen. "Hmm, you said that Andy and all of his friends showed up right before you blacked out? Isn't that a little suspicious?" I nodded in agreement.

"Nick, we've been over this a thousand times. We've typed out a million different possibilities and only one makes sense-" Nick cut me off. "So that's it? You're just going to give in to everyone else's beliefs? You were convinced that you were set up... why are you changing your mind now? Because it's hard?" He slammed his laptop shut and looked at me, his eyes grew dark.

"No, because there's proof. The bottle was in my bag, Nick. No one else had access to my bag that night but me. Maybe I've been in denial. Me and Pierson's break up was rough, and then my mom just sprang a whole new family on me... I'm just saying that it's a good possibility that they're right." I sighed and accepted defeat, knowing that it meant that I was going to be here a lot longer than I had hoped.

"If that's what you believe, than I support you. But that means that we have a lot more work ahead of us, which also means that it's gonna be a while until you go home..." I nodded with a sad look on my face. "Which means more time that we get to spend together." Nick added, which made me smile. "And more medication I get to take." I joked, Nick nudged me with his shoulder in response.