Francisco slowly escaped his dazed state as he looked up towards his room. It was still dirty even after days of cleaning. Of course, with how cluttered it was, it would take much more time to truly cleanse it; however, no matter how much he tried to reason with himself, he was rushing himself, and for what?

To please others? To please himself? He had never done anything for the approval of others. He only sought to better himself and richen his experiences, yet now he seemed to do the opposite.

Seeing her made him reminisce, reminding him of his lost ideals and of what he once was. Since the day Alejandro had let him live, he had moved through time motionlessly, following the desires of what others dictated.

Francisco stood up and walked towards the cluttered mess before kneeling down, picking up every piece of junk before sorting it. He looked up to see the true mountain he had to move through. However, even though it towered over him, he did not lose will; instead, it strengthened, wondering what he would find.

———————————————————

It was a gloomy day outside the pastel-colored hospital. Yasmine glanced out the window to see drops of rain pelting the thin window. It seemed as though the heavy rain would shatter the weak glass, pouring it into her room.

Outside, the once lively garden was now empty, not a single soul present during the heavy storm. Well, of course, no one would be outside during the rain; no one wanted to get soaked. But for Yasmine, she thought about stepping out there for a dance in the rain, completely alone. Comfort could be found during the solitude of being outside currently, transforming her body and mind in the rain. However, no matter how much she wanted to be outside, the tubes and wires attached to her chained her to this uncomfortable bed. The moment she ripped it off, multiple nurses would storm in and check on her, worried she may have done something to herself.

Yasmine took her mind off of everything and turned the mounted TV on. She flipped through many channels before settling on an old movie. Time passed slowly as Yasmine sat bored. Days had passed since she had arrived here, and even though she was promised freedom soon, she was absolutely bored, sitting here every day. She had not seen her phone for days, disconnecting her from social life, even though she no longer had much of one. However, at least with her phone, she could watch videos or maybe read a little. Without it, she was forced to pass her time by either sleeping, sitting motionlessly, or watching TV.

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“Haah.”

With a deep sigh, she thought about the day she cut herself to the point of being hospitalized.

It was never her intention to be stuck here, in this constant loop. She wanted to die that day and end this vicious cycle she had once and for all. She knew the amount of stress she put on Everett every day. She knew he would truly snap soon; that was why she wanted to leave. She wanted to go to a place far away, where no one would know her, recognize her, or even care. All she wanted was to be left alone. But not by him. She yearned to be embraced, loved, and appreciated by him. If only she could sacrifice something, anything, for him again.

She continued watching the movie that was playing motionlessly as the storm outside continued even harsher. Minutes passed by, and lightning flashed in the surroundings, sending deep tremors through the hospital. Each shake woke Yasmine up from her focus on the TV as she frowned. Moments after the tremor, the thin piece of glass protecting her from the outside elements cracked. She looked over to it and saw the small crack before thinking nothing of it.

That was until the crack enlarged, spreading from end to end. Noticing this, Yasmine thought of calling a nurse over but did not do so. She stared at the cracked glass more and more. Then she stood up, delicately minding the various chords and wires on her, before walking towards the glass. She stayed in front of it before slowly placing her hand on top of it. She stood still for a moment before pulling her hand back and rapidly swinging it towards the glass. The first hit did not do much to the glass; rather, it was her hand that suffered more damage. Small bruises formed at the point of contact between her hand and the glass as it radiated with pain. Nevertheless, she continued; she threw her fist towards the glass again and again, until ultimately, it shattered. Glass flew everywhere in the room before heavy wind and rain poured in. Some of the glass cut her lightly while it was flying, leaving light trails of blood in its path. Yasmine did not mind it though; she knelt down on the floor, sifting through the multiple glass shards before the perfect one. It was long and sharp, perfect for what she wanted. Because they knew she harmed herself, they ensured that there was nothing that could cause her to do it here. However, with this shattered window, she could finally end it.

She gripped the glass tightly, to the point it pierced through her fingers, causing blood to rain down from her palm.

With no hesitation, Yasmine lifted the glass shard up to her neck before making contact. Rain pelted her body as she stayed still, right at the point of contact. She had never hesitated when she was so close before, so why exactly did she now? It was her desire to free herself from here, yet when she had the chance, she could not bring herself to do it.

It was pitiful logic, this internal struggle she had. In the end, though, she slowly took the piece down from her neck and called a nurse to come in.

With a deep sigh, she stood up and went back to her bed before lying down.

“I really want to try some coke.”

Moments after saying that, a nurse stepped in to see the mess present before checking up on Yasmine.