A week later

It was mid afternoon and Kian and I were just sitting there talking. I wanted to ask him why he was here since he never answered me before. I thought that it might have been because we hardly knew each other. It was probably wrong of me to ask then.
"Ki, why are you? What did you do to get here? You can tell me. Nothing leaves this room. I promise," I said. He wouldn’t look at me. I sat and waited for an answer. He opened his mouth to speak but words never came.
The door to the room opened. "Laura, Dr. Richardson wants to see you."
I had already been down for one of therapy sessions today. There was never more than one each day. Either something was really wrong, or there was some good news to come of this.
I took my usual path from my room down the stairs. I went in and shut the door behind me.
"Well, Laura, it looks like I have some good news for you. All the things you’ve been telling me have been true. I have to admit that I doubted you, but I received a phone call. Your friends told some of the wrong people about what they did and are in some pretty serious trouble right now. More than serious really. So I guess that means you’re free to leave. Your parents are coming to get you tomorrow."
"Ok. Thank you God. I’m outta this place," I said and walked away like I was walking on air.
As I was going back up the stairs I thought about Kian. What would become of the both of us?
"So what’d she say?" he asked. I hadn’t even realized that I’d been through the door.
"I’m leaving tomorrow," I said in a strangely sad tone.
"That’s great," Kian replied trying to sound happy for my sake.
"My so-called friends got caught. They told someone."
There was an awkward pause of silence.
As great as it was that I was getting to go home, I didn’t want to leave Kian. I didn’t want to leave him behind. I needed him. He was the only good thing to come out of my nine days in this place.
"I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna leave you," I blurted out exactly what I was thinking.
"I don’t want you to go," he replied, "but I can’t keep you here. It’d be selfish of me."
He embraced me. Would this be the last time he ever held me? I didn’t want it to be. I wanted us to be together forever. I thought about how everything would be when I left here. I had nothing left. No boyfriend. My best friends were going to be in juvenile hall. And by leaving this place, I wouldn’t have Kian anymore either. Nothing left.
I looked up into his eyes. Enchanting as they were I was under his spell. I’d been under his spell since day one. I might not have known it then, but I knew it now. I wanted him to kiss me. That he did. It was long and passionate. So sweet and fulfilling. Our lips pulled away from each other. I couldn’t believe how attached I had become.

***

Somehow we ended up watching tv that night. There was one room in the whole place that had a tv. CNN Worldbeat was on. I reached to change the channel.
Kian and I sat together on the couch. There was one other person in the room. A middle-aged woman sat there clutching a novel and a teddy bear stared straight at the television. I wondered what was going on in her head.
"I’m changing the channel," I said getting up.
"No. Don’t," he whispered. "She’ll have a fit."
I sat back down and cuddled up to Kian’s side. The reporter started to mention something about Westlife. Kian closed his eyes trying to block it out.
"World famous boyband Westlife is suing Louis Walsh," the reporter said.
Kian opened his eyes and stared at the tv. Mark was on and saying a few words on the suit and everything that was going on.
"It’s a shame it has to come to this," he said. "We were hoping to settle this out of court but it just can’t be."
The rest of the interview was cut short. It went on to say how Mark saw it as an injustice for Kian to be cut out of the band.
"Do you think that you could go back?" I asked.
"Yeah. If Louis is out of the picture."
He had to have something to do with Kian being here. I could tell that much.
"I know you were gonna answer me upstairs. What happened?"
"Louis kicked me out of the band. He told everybody that I had quit. He checked me in here and told them I was mentally insane. The tabloids dug up everything they could. Everyone knew I didn’t quit. The tabloids had me threatening to kill Louis, fighting with the other lads, everything imaginable. And that’s why I’m here."
"So there’s nothing wrong with you?"
"No. I’m perfectly fine."
"Then, why are you still here?"
"These people are making so much money from Louie for putting me in here that they just say I’ve lost the plot. I’m fine. And the way I see it, why fight it?"