TO THE STARS

Chapter 16

Aidan

     They say it takes one second to fall in love and one minute for your life to drastically change. One second for your heart to break and years for a broken one to heal.

     I walked in and a pair of gorgeous green eyes were the first thing I noticed. I shut my eyes and she's right there behind my lids. I wake up and she's my first thought. She wasn't mine but I wished she was.

      Since the first time I laid eyes on her, my mind had been playing clips of every little details, like the fact that she counts when she's nervous or upset. I looked forward to every slight chance of having her near me. She was like a breath of fresh air to my raging mind. She brought out the best version of myself, something I hardly knew existed, even my therapist noticed a change in my behaviour. I'm not saying I went all hippy and happy, no. I was just less agitated, conflicted.

     Going to the cafeteria used to be one of my least favourite time of the day before her. Now I couldn't wait for the minutes to rush by. It most certainly wasn't the food, it was all her.

     I just rounded off my individual counselling session. My therapist encouraged me to recite a calming mantra anytime I felt it coming, a word or phrase that would quiet the storm.

"Violet... Voilet... Violet," I chanted lowly. I thought the colour would look great on her. I was about to enter the cafeteria when my nose whisked up her scent. She was unconscious and in the arms of another. I could slowly feel the storm brewing as I watched the male nurse wrap his hands more tightly around her petite frame. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down before storming over to them.

     The other nurse, a woman was telling him to place her on a gurney and wheel her to the inward clinic when I got to them. I asked them politely if I could carry her instead, the idea of the male nurse being in close proximity to her was unsettling. They didn't listen to me so I asked again. They didn't agree, they placed her down so I picked her up and zoomed off. I could hear Camila and Madison calling after me, the nurses behind them.

~•~

     The last word I remembered Father saying before I was shipped off here was "You're a disappointment. "

     I had been arrested yet again and as usual, it wasn't my fault. Some guy made some rude comments about my little sister and the rest was history. The cops were called, they found the other guy all messed up and me still looking as good as day so they did the obvious, they arrested me. Like the other countless times before, I was released on bail thanks to my father's influence. You can say being rich comes with its perks.

     The weather was a little windy and the sky cloudy as we silently marched to the car. We got in and not a word was altered. We arrived home,  still nothing. We got out of the car and stalked up the front steps.

     Father turned to me, his hand on the door knob. His face gave away all the emotions that were racing through his brain. "My study, now!" He altered in a firm voice, his index pointed at me.

     Before he could turn the knob, the door swung open. Mom. Her face was smeared with worry. She quickly pulled me into her warm embrace, still cradling my face when she pulled back. "My boy, " she cooed, moving loose strands away from my face.

     Since as long as I could remember, Mom had always told me I was special, a little different but special nevertheless. I was diagnosed at an early age with bipolar disorder, the anger stuck on as I grew older. My father thought I was a mistake, a disappointment. My brothers saw me as odd but my sisters and mother were truly all I had in the world. They were my biggest supporters, cheering me on even on my moodiest days.