Call Me Crazy by Quinn Loftis, M Bagley Designs Page A

make me tired, so usually I have been taking a nap about this time.”
    I help her stand and walk with her back to her room. It’s small, square, and has a simple twin bed with a grey blanket. The walls are a light tan, I think in an attempt to make it feel less clinical. There is a sink across from the bed and a small dresser next to it. There is no mirror, and I notice that the bed is bolted to the floor as is the dresser. Apparently MPF takes no chances to ensure that a patient will not be able to use anything in their room to harm themselves.
    “Thank you for coming today, Trey,” she turns and hugs me quickly. Her hugs are always quick as if she can’t stand the physical contact. I stopped being offended by it once I realized that I wasn’t the only one she refrained from hugging.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay,” I tell her as I step back and watch as she nods and then closes the door.
    I don’t know how long I stand there staring blankly at the door. Part of me wants to go back in, pick my frail mother up and take her home where she can be surrounded by her family, but the rational part of me knows that is not what is best.
    As I finally turn to go I feel a slight tingling on my neck, the kind a person gets when he knows he is being watched. I slowly turn my head, attempting not to alarm my admirer. Just as I make a full one eighty, I see pink hair darting around the corner. I grin to myself; apparently I’m not the only one who is curious.

Chap ter 5
    “I find myself replaying the scene over and over in my mind. Fi rst I bump into him, then I realize who it is and my mind seems to lose all rational thought as I imagine flinging myself into his arms. Then I have the intense desire to crawl into a hole, worried that he is able to see the freakish obsession I already have with him.”
    ~Tally
     
     
    Candy and I sit at our usual spot, poking at the stuff on our plates that they attempt to convince us is food. I’m almost convinced that at any moment it’s going to grow legs and walk off my plate, all the while giving me the finger for even attempting to eat it. After my hasty retreat from our encounter with Trey I had been subjected to Candy’s endless sexual commentary on my future relationship with said guy. The most important thing to know about Candy is the more annoyed you get with her antics, the more she will provoke you. So naturally I did the responsible thing and ignored her―not. No, instead I had a perpetual shade of red coloring my face, complete with burning ears, which only served to encourage her more. I will admit that, though it was quite embarrassing to listen to an old, crazy lady divvy out details that I did not need, it was educational. But there was no way in hell that I was confessing that to her.
    “All I’m saying is that if you were ever going to experiment and explore your feminine wiles, he is the piece of meat you should gnaw on.”
    Her words hit my ears as I’m taking a drink of water and I choke trying not to spew it from my nose. This is what I’ve been dealing with all day. You would think that I would know better than to try and eat or drink while she was on a roll.
    “I think you have scarred me for life,” I say, nodding my head vigorously. “Yep, uh-huh, I’m pretty sure that I will never be able to look at you in the same light again, and there is a strong possibility that I will never be able to have a normal relationship and will become and old spinster reading trashy novels to get my kicks.”
    Candy freezes in mid bite, her fork stopping just in front of her lips. She stares at me briefly and then erupts into robust laughter. I frown at her as I try to figure out how my words could possibly be that funny.
    She sets her fork down and wipes the tears from her eyes that the laughter has evoked.
    “Oh honey, if you think I get my kicks from trashy novels then I have not given you near enough education today.”
    I groan and slam my head down on the table.