Free Asylum by Kristen Selleck Page A

So this brilliant guidance counselor
starts asking my friends all about it.  Brilliant.  Because this is just what I
want, for everyone in the world to know everything that happened, and of course
I had never told any of my friends what had actually happened, so Sherlock Guidance
Counselor deduced that I was the one lying.”
                “Oh,
that sucks!” Chloe steamed.
                “Yup. 
It really sucked, Chloe.  Because after that, I still had another year of high
school left, and the whole time I was the slutty girl who had tried to say a
guy raped me, because he didn’t want to be my boyfriend.  I even had girls
coming up to me and saying that I was scum because I was the type of girl that
made it harder for all the poor girls who actually were victims to come
forward.”
                “I’m
so sorry, Sam.”
                “For
what?  I learned a lesson, don’t trust anyone!  That shit is all behind me
now.  We’re in the same boat, we’re both starting over.  I need a refill, how
bout you?”
                Chloe
handed over her mug, and watched Sam divide the last of the two liter between
their glasses.  In the parking lot below, an engine roared to life and a pair
of headlights snapped on.  For a minute, Sam and every tiny thing under the
cupola were thrown into sharp relief, casting long, black shadows across the
roof.  Chloe watched the car back out and speed away. 
                It
seemed to her that there was a strange sort of rawness between her and Sam. 
Everything was out on the table, and neither of them had anything else to say
at the moment.  They could each hurt the other now.  We can each help the
other, she immediately corrected.  She wasn’t sure how to start conversation
again.
                “We’re
out of pop,” she ventured.
                “I
know, and we still have vodka, I would almost go down and get some 20 ouncers
out of the machine, but if one of the girls catches us-”
                “We’re
stuck buying all Jen and Melanie’s drinks,” Chloe finished. “Wish there was
somebody walking around down there.  We could flag them down.”
                “Yeah. 
Help us!!! We’re out of mixer!!!” Sam waved her arms
                They
both laughed at the idea.
                “What
time is it anyway?” Chloe wondered.
                Sam
glanced at her watch.
                “Ten
to two.  Two more hours of this.  Just sitting here,” Sam let out a frustrated
sigh and fell over on top of her blankets. Her shoulder crushed the Ouija board
game box.  She pulled it out from under her and held it out to Chloe.  “Let’s
at least do this Ouija thing.  I’m bored.”
                “I
don’t know, I think Ouija is kind of-”
                “Bawk! 
Ba-a-a-wk!” Sam clucked like a chicken.
                “You
must not watch a lot of scary movies,” Chloe talked over Sam’s taunts, “because
that’s always what happens.  Someone says ‘Hey, let’s do this Ouija thing’ and
the other character goes ‘no, I’d rather not,” then the first one taunts them
until they give in and then BAM! Time to call the exorcist.”
                Sam
laughed again, but sat up and opened the box anyway.
                “Sam…”
Chloe complained.
                “Oh,
stop!  It’ll be fun.  If you get scared and hear voices or anything I’ll smack
you around a bit and remind you that you’re crazy.”
                “Thanks,”
Chloe snapped, but all the same she scooted closer and sat cross-legged as Sam
moved the instructions from side to side, trying to find enough light to read
by.      “Use the flashlight, genius!” Chloe reminded her.
                “Oh
I almost forgot,” Sam grabbed the flashlight and snapped it on.