"I'm here to spread the word of Christ to a bunch of patients. Before I go on my mission, my mom wants me to practice converting people. I have a name tag and everything. See?" Kevin asked as he pointed to his nametag the second time that day.
"Yeah…" The patient answered, his voice lowering and his expression changing a little. "You're a Mormon?"
"Yeah! How did you know that?"
"Um, well, I'm a Mormon too. Surprised?" He said, facing the ground the whole time. He only looked at Kevin when asking him 'surprised?'. Shockingly, Kevin was grinning like an idiot at him. He laughed with his mouth closed at the expression.
"A little, but that's great! Now I have someone who I can relate to!" Before Kevin pounced on the guy with a hug, he realized something. What would a good Mormon like him be doing in the nut-house? "Wh-why are you here?" Kevin could tell the subject was very serious and personal by the way he turned his head back to the floor.
"Because I'm a horrible person who shouldn't be alive." He answered, choking on each word. He cleared his throat, whipped his eyes, and turned to Kevin with fake smile on his face. "So, where are you going on your mission?"
"We'll we don't really get to have final say over where we get sent, but I have been praying to be sent to my favorite places in the whole world." Kevin answered. "Why would you think you're a horrible person? I mean, I've only known you for what, 10 minutes? And I think you're an absolute delight. In fact, I've talked to you more about my personal feelings then I do my own mother!" Kevin said as moved closer to him.
"Wow. You really think that way about me?" He asked, astounded by how welcoming and understanding Price was.
"Of course! Why would I think other wise?" Kevin told him. He placed a comforting hand on the guy's knee. Little did Kevin know, the man didn't feel 'comfortable' once Price made the gesture, but instead he felt a rush, then shame and guilt. He blushed and looked away quickly.
"I don't know. Can I leave?" He asked very stiffly.
Before Kevin could ask 'what?', he remembered the rules to the game and how he had to answer the question first. He also remembered how you needed permission from the other before leaving the game.
"Uh, sure. See you later?" Kevin asked. He didn't get a response. The man already turned the corner and left. Kevin felt empty and lonely. He was having such a wonderful time, and then it was taken away so suddenly. And he didn't even know the guy's name! The guy who made Kevin feel safe and free to be himself. The guy who showed Kevin that the corrupted Mormons his parents warned him about aren't bad at all. The guy with the most beautiful eyes he has every seen.
"THERE YOU ARE!" a voice shrieked. It was Arnold. Kevin snapped out of his daze and focused his attention to him.
"Arnold! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Well, apparently not everywhere since you never found me. For a second I thought you left me, like all my other friends." Arnold said jokingly, but Kevin sense it meant more then that.
"I would never do that Arnold. Now where is room 242 anyway?"
"You were close to finding it. Here, follow me." Arnold said as he turned the corner, the same one as the man from before. Kevin kept an eye out to find him while walking down the hall. The further they walked, the more familiar the walls seemed. Then the puzzle pieces came together, it was the same hallway that he saw the Poptart guy in. The memory made Kevin flinch and grit his teeth. With each step they took, they came closer and closer to the room of that psycho. When they did pass the room, Kevin glanced in the window. There were spit marks smeared from when, he guessed, someone cleaned up his mess. But the crazier thing was that the Poptart guy was sitting on a bed staring at him, like earlier that day. His glare wasn't a creepy one though; it looked more helpless and trapped. And the even crazier thing was that a man walked out of what Kevin guessed was the bathroom. With tears streaming down his face and biting his lower lip hard enough to draw blood, Price recognized who it was. It was the red-head from earlier. Kevin stopped in his tracks when his eyes and the other's met. Those blue eyes, he couldn't get enough of them. What Is Going On With You, Kevin Price!? You Came Here For A Reason, Remember!? Get Your Act Together! His mind commanded. He tried to form a full smile, but only managed to lift the left side on his mouth up.
"Come on!" Arnold said while tugging at Kevin's tie. Before losing complete sight of him, Price mouthed 'Hi'.He wished he could've said more. So much more.
'What's your name?'
'Are you a natural red-head, or do you dye it?'
'Why do you think you're so terrible?'
'Is there anyway I could help?'
'Do you know that Poptart guy?'
'Are you not aware of how crazy you're making me? And it's not even 2:00 p.m. yet.'
