Only One I Call Home

Chapter 2 - "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."

Chapter 2

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

-       Anais Nin

I woke up the next morning with a headache and a growling in my stomach. I got changed into my green tracksuit and tied up my hair in a bun before leaving the room. Slowly, I walked towards the cafeteria and grabbed a piece of toast and a bowl of porridge before taking a seat by myself in the corner of the room.

I began eating my porridge quickly. In the middle of a mouthful I was interrupted, someone sat down in front of me with two glasses of apple juice. I looked up to meet Trey’s eyes. He smiled small and handed me one of the glasses.

“Hey.” He said.

“Hi.” I whispered.

He sighed heavily and looked away for a moment. “Look, I’m sorry about last night. I was tired and pissed off and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. You were the only one nice enough to talk to me and I shut you down.”

I put down my spoon. “Look, I wasn’t being nice last night. I was doing Rob a favour.”

He looked slightly disappointed. “Oh, don’t worry about it then.”

Just as he was getting up I shook my head. “No, stay. I’m not in the mood to talk right now, it’s too early, but stay.”

He sat back down and took a sip from his glass. “Thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me. You have just as much right to sit here as anyone.” I told him without looking up from my food.

Nothing else was said for the rest of breakfast. We both sat there in silence, eating our slop and drinking our juice but it wasn’t awkward. It was nice to just sit there, quietly with someone I didn’t know. Just to have some company for once.

When I was done I stood up. “Look, just so you know. I’m still not sure I like you.”

He blinked a few times, not showing any emotion.

“But I’m prepared to give you a chance.” I told him. “Don’t bug me.”

He rolled his eyes and then met mine. “Well just so you know, I’d be careful not to bug me either.”

I smirked. “I’ll see you around, Jackson.”

He didn’t even flinch at the fact that I knew his last name. He just smiled. “You too, Laurel.”

When I got back to the room Bianca was sitting in there flipping through one of my books quietly. She didn’t look very thrilled by what it contained but she never really did. I sat on the floor in front of her.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Waiting for you. How come your breakfast took extra long this morning?” She looked up at me. “Oh that’s right, you were eating with the newbie.”

I groaned. “Shut up.”

She laughed. “Come on, don’t be like that. He’s cute, really cute. And he likes you. I can tell. I have a good radar for that sort of thing, you know.”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. A prison isn’t exactly the greatest place to start a relationship.”

She shrugged. “Who cares? It might work, you never know.”

I groaned. “Just stop! Seriously, do you ever just take a break from being a pain in the arse? Like come on Bianca, just let me run my own show.”