"Why did you slit your wrists, Cindy?" The hospital's resident psychiatrist, Dr. Lyndon, gave her an appraising stare that she matched angrily.
"It's not Cindy, it's Cinder. C-I-N-D-E-R," she spelled out. "I did it because I was attempting to commit suicide, which should be obvious to a professional like you. But I can't even do that right." Cinder flopped back into her chair and glanced at the door. Just outside, Zac was waiting with her mother.
"Cinder, I'm sensing some feelings of inadequacy from you." Dr. Lyndon, Cinder thought, had an owlish look to her. Her curly hair was the same boring brown color as her eyes, and those glasses on the tip of her nose were enough to make a dead guy laugh until he came back to life. "Would you like to tell me about those feelings?"
"No, I would not." Cinder glared at the woman across the desk. "If I wanted to talk about my feelings, I would go to summer camp and sing Kumbaya and shit like that. I just want to be released from here, go back to my boyfriend's, and sleep. Do me a favor and fuck off!"
"I'll have to report this to your other doctors, you know. For now, you'll be taken back to your room, where you will remain until such time that we see fit. You're dismissed." Cinder stood. "But Cinder? I really want to be your friend and help you. Please try to let me."
"Listen, Dr. Lyndon, nothing personal or anything, but I've been through this whole thing before. Give me and yourself a break, sign my dismissal papers, and you'll never see me again." Cinder slammed the door behind her.
"Poor girl," Dr. Lyndon muttered as her next patient came through the door. She gave him the same appraising stare. "So, Nicholas, why did you..."
Zac was ecstatic to see Cinder standing up on her own. "Baby, I am so glad you're okay." He looked to make sure Cinder's mother was out of hearing range before asking. "It didn't have anything to do with me, did it? Because you know that I love you more than anything and it would break my heart if I thought that I hurt you."
Cinder took a deep breath and prepared to lie. "No, Zac, it wasn't your fault at all. You are so perfect that I would never want to hurt you like that."
"Good, 'coz I love you too much to let you die." He hugged her and wrapped an arm around her waist, supporting her as they walked down the hall. Cinder looked into his eyes and tried to believe him.
Mrs. Manchester, Cinder's mother, watched from a distance. She knew it was that boy. It had to be him. Cinder had gotten over the suicidal tendencies. She didn't have to do that anymore. Yes, it was definitely the boy. "Well, we'll just have to take care of him then," Cinder's mother told herself.
Ike looked at the sleeping beauty leaning against him. "My beautiful Skye," he whispered as he caressed her cheek lovingly. "If you only knew that I'm crazy for you, then you'd understand. I know the truth. If only you trusted me..." But that would never happen.
Skye smiled in her sleep. She could feel someone rubbing her cheek with such tenderness and care that it gave her chills. But it wasn't Tay. It was Ike. And she was glad. She was not at all in the mood to deal with her boyfriend and his overproductive hormones.
Taylor was, at the moment, attempting to seduce a sweet young fan. "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen," he told her.
"But don't you have a girlfriend?" She was happy and excited and scared and confused all at the same time.
"I will break up with her as soon as I leave." He trailed soft kisses down her neck in that way that only he could. "I promise."
The young girl was easily convinced. "Okay. I believe you. I want you to." A few minutes later, she whimpered, "Don't hurt me too much." "Don't worry, baby. I would never hurt you." He gave her that sincere smile that had won the hearts of millions. "After all," he said so quietly that she didn't hear, "I've had a lot of practice."
