Chapter Text
Charlie stared around the small classroom with its dingy whiteboards and desks with rusty legs. One person was knitting; another was crocheting; multiple people were coloring with pencils or markers; everyone was somber. He could see the "rules" posted on the wall, about respect and privacy and safety.
"Let's get started, everyone." A slight, bearded man looking to be in his late 50s called the group to order. "I'm Colin and I'll be your facilitator for the next three weeks." he explained. "Please introduce yourself and give us one sentence about what you're looking to get out of this program. I'll start with you." He pointed to his left.
Charlie's brain transformed the voices into a meaningless buzz. He couldn't be bothered to work on changing the noise back into actual words. He didn't belong here. He was fine.
"My name is Nick." The gentle tone cut through the humming, and Charlie suddenly focused on a shy and tentative teen around his age. He was freckled and had broad shoulders and muscular arms that Charlie wanted to touch. To caress. What he wouldn't give to be close to someone like Nick.
"Hi Nick," said Colin. "What brings you here?"
Charlie could see Nick struggling to answer. "There was an accident." he finally said, and went silent, his face like a closed door.
This piqued Charlie's curiosity immediately. He had hoped to hear more. And the annoying thing about programs like this is that no one is allowed to ask each other for personal details. It was supposed to be superficial relationships only, because "everyone is focusing on their own treatment." Aggravating. No one is supposed to share contact information, either. No friendships outside of the program.
"Are you Charlie?" Colin asked, snapping him out of his trance.
"Oh. Yes, I'm Charlie. I've been struggling with self-harm and my eating disorder." He couldn't help but notice Nick look over at him. Maybe Nick would be curious about him, too. Maybe they could snog in one of the gender-neutral bathrooms. Jesus, Charlie, is that all you can think about?
"All right, now that everyone has talked, we're going to get into the schedule for today and in general. Each morning, we'll have a check in for about 45 minutes-1 hour, and that will be an excellent chance to offer support to each other. We'll have two classes before lunch. After lunch today, there's a tai chi session in the main space, and we'll have a couple more classes before you all go home for the evening. Most days are structured similarly, but some days you'll be pulled out of class to meet with your assigned therapist or medication specialist."
Charlie felt a rising tide of anger. Everyone had overreacted. He shouldn't be here. Now he was stuck for three weeks -- or more -- being forced to talk about himself and his mental health to a bunch of strangers. It would have been so much better to be left alone so he could work things out himself. He glanced around the room and became aware that Nick's eyes were on him. Nick's eyes were maybe the deepest brown he'd ever seen. And the kindest. Charlie softened. Maybe he could get through this stupid place if Nick wound up being a friend. As he looked back at Nick, he let the edges of his mouth lift a little to approximate a smile.