Learn To Cope

Hannah's POV

I woke up later on the afternoon with aching eyes from crying. Brilliant start I have managed to be disliked by someone already. I counted on staring at my new room to pass the time, I noticed a box in the corner and I didn't have a clue what it could have contained. My body slumped over off the bed and towards the box; I grabbed it and wandered back to my bed to sit down on the lumpy hard mattress that made my sleep slightly more uncomfortable.
I opened the slightly torn lid and the content of the box surprised me. There were a pack of colouring pencils, a colouring book, pens, a note pad, a jigsaw and a unsolved rubix cube.
"It's supposed to keep your entertained when you’re not doing anything here; I call it a pile of crap." A voice growled at me. My head snapped up to find the source of the voice. It was him again. He stood there tall, very tall leaning up against the door frame. I could see the muscles in his arms tense making all his tattoos come to life on his pale skin. His hair still tucked into his beanie and a natural frown on his face. He was beautiful. He was also in my room. Wow.
"I like puzzles," pointing towards the jigsaw puzzle next to me in an attempt to make conversation. I was awful at talking to people since the majority would dislike me anyways.
"Well one of the Doctors here heard about what I said to you this morning and they said I should apologise," the boy stated "He also said that because me and my friend Alan are the only people you have actually talked to here we have to let you come along with us so you're not alone," He tucked a stray hair back into his beanie before looking at me for an answer. I ducked my head down embarrassed of the fact that I have to be around two boys who upset me this morning. It reminded me of my childhood, when I had to stay with my brother because he was the only person who would talk to me. He's gone now, he went far far away and all I remember is that he had the same shocking blue eyes as me.
A tear ran down my face as I felt the need to have my brother by my side, he could be anywhere in the world and he was my only friend. The only person who would listen and he's gone.
"What's your name?" I heard the boy ask next to me. I didn't noticed he sat down next to me, being to busy thinking about my past. "I'm Hannah," I whispered holding back my outburst of tears. "I'm Austin," Austin stated looking rather proud of this next step of communication towards each other.
My breathing started to become noticeably unstable as my tears finally started to roll down my face; I dropped my head into my hands to prevent Austin from seeing me. Why did I have to cry now? He probably thinks I'm such a freak. I remembered about how I was going to be here for 2 years and how when I get out I will still have nothing.
"Hey don't cry, what did I do wrong?" Austin cooed thinking of himself as being the reason to my tears.
I shook my head "I'm....I'm scared," I stuttered out through my sobs. Austin pulled my body into his lap and laid my head down into the crook of his neck. He let me cry until my sobs subsided and I lifted my head up to find him staring at me with guilt in his eyes.
"I was scared when I came here, I was 19 and I thought I had everything. But all I really had was drugs. That's what kept me company the drugs. I lived in a small dark flat in one of the ugliest estate in California. I would go to work in a tattoo and piercing shop down the road from me; I used to tattoo people and sometimes pierced if there was nobody around to. I would then go home, buy my fix from the flat two doors down from me then I would take whatever I was given and be on cloud nine for the rest of the night. I would wake up again in the morning fighting through my need for more drugs with cigarettes and go to work. When I first came here I was angry at everything, I was tranquillized and put into an isolation room countless amount of times until Alan came. He's the only guy who could tell me to stop and I would stop, he looks out for me like a brother and that was what kept me going knowing that someone gave a shit about me. The doctors didn't they just wanted to stick needles in me and send me back to my room. But Alan understood," Austin looked down at me "You can't be scared now, I will be honest with you the doctors will put you through some horrible things and make you feel unwanted but once you come out the other end of this you have your life back and you won't have to come here again." Austin finished. I was shocked. Yesterday he seemed so secretive about what had happened to him and now he's spilling it all out to me.
Austin started to hold onto my body like it was a life source, I felt wet on my shoulder from his tears. My hands slowly rose up and around his neck as I pulled him closer to me. We were both crying for the exact same reason. Believe it or not but Austin was scared.
Austin rocked us both from side to side, the motion was quite comforting.
"Fancy doing that puzzle? Might cheer us soppy twats up?" Austin smirked at me. I laughed and nodded my head. We both sat cross legged on the floor with the puzzle pieces surrounding us.
I was actually happy, smiling and laughing for once. I felt normal, Austin made me feel normal. It's all I ever wanted and it's what I finally got.

Notes