Rain poured down heavily on the roof of Chris� deck; the remnants of the recently passed hurricane. He sat in a reclining deck chair watching the water trickle down, wishing he could walk out and drown in it. A fierce wind blew and sprayed water in his face.
�Nice,� he said darkly.
He got up and walked into the middle of the yard. He looked up at the sky and let the water pour onto his face and into his open eyes. He opened his mouth hoping that all the stories of turkeys drowning in rain were true.
�Chris, what in the hell are you doing?�
He slowly tilted his head back down and all the water spilled out of his mouth. He turned around and saw JC standing safely under the protection of the deck.
�I�m trying to drown. So please, leave me to myself,� he said turning back to the sky. Slushy footsteps made their way to Chris and a hand appeared on his shoulder, guiding him back to the deck.
�You�re being stupid. Come inside and get dried off.�
�I don�t want to.�
�You�ll get pneumonia if you don�t.�
�That�s the whole point. Maybe it will progress far enough for me to die.�
�Cheer up! You�re giving off a nasty vibe.�
They got into the living room and Chris fell onto the couch. Soon it was soaked as well. JC sat down in a recliner across from him.
�Are you doing ok?�
�You just pulled me inside from trying to drown myself. Do you think I�m ok?�
�Well� I�m just trying to be polite. I�m really worried about you.�
�Don�t be.�
He laughed. �Do we have to bring up what you were just doing again?�
�I don�t see what the big deal is. I�m a little upset that the girl I thought loved me left. So what? There�s nothing to be worried about.�
JC sighed and put his head in his hands. �I don�t know what to do with you. You won�t leave your house and when we do manage to get in here to see you you�re doing something stupid like that. We�re all worried about you and we only want to help.�
�Well you can�t, so stop trying. The only thing that�s going to make things better is getting the woman I love back. And I�m sorry that my sorrow is bringing the group down.�
�God, don�t be like that.�
Chris sat up and shook his head. Water went flying all across the room and JC protectively put his arms across his face.
�Hey! Quit it!�
�Sorry. It was your idea for me to dry off.�
JC got up and sat next to Chris. �Things are going to get better.�
He sighed. �I know, but right now things aren�t and I don�t think I�m going to get through this.�
JC put his hand on Chris� back. �Don�t worry buddy. We�re all here for you.�
�Sure could have fooled me. You�re the only one who�s even bothered coming over.�
�They don�t know what to do. They all decided that we should give you a little time to yourself. But from what I�ve seen tonight, that doesn�t seem like a good idea.�
�Thanks.�
�No problem. And if there�s anything you need, don�t hesitate to ask.�
Wind howled and the moon shone brightly through Chris� bedroom window. He groaned and turned to look at the clock. 2:45. He hadn�t slept for more than twenty minutes since his love left him. He sat up, frustrated as usual, and threw the blankets onto the floor. He tugged at his hair as a single tear fell down his cheek. A sense of emptiness filled him and he looked down at her side of the bed; empty, just like everything else. Anger raged through his body and he started hitting her side of the bed as hard as he could.
�You said you loved me! We used to be happy! I used to make love to you with all my heart and soul! What happened?!� he slowed down and lowered himself closer to the bed. �What� happened?�
His head jerked up quickly and he threw his arm outward and the clock went flying across the room and broke into pieces when it hit the wall. He jumped up and ran out of his room. A hammer lay on a table where he had recently hung a picture. He decided that the house needed remodeling. The hammer went flying into the wall, one fierce blow after the other. In an hours time the whole wall to the kitchen was missing. He fell onto his knees, exhausted, and breathing with fury. He looked up at the once-was wall and fell onto the floor, passing into unconsciousness.
�Chris? Chris!�
Chris opened his eyes to see a blurred form of a person. He rubbed his eyes and saw that it was Justin. He looked at the wall and groaned.
�What happened?�
�I decided it was time for some renovation. So me and my trusty hammer went after this wall.�
�Come on. We�re going to take care of you.�
Only then did Chris realize that there were three other people in the room. �So you brought the whole menagerie to come and get crazy Chris?�
�Shut up and stop being an ass. You need us whether you realize it or not.�
He submitted to their pressure and let them carry him out to the car. He was shoved into the backseat between Joey and Lance. Lance looked the most worried out of the bunch, even more than the one who was supposed to be his best friend. Justin never seemed to care anymore. Past promises meant nothing to him now that he was a superstar on his own right. No, Justin had a new life, void of anything even resembling Nsync. Had it not been for Chris however, Justin would be nowhere. He seemed to forget this fact quite often.
�Where are we going?� Chris asked.
�Somewhere,� Justin said from behind the wheel.
�Stop doing this beat around the bush bullshit. Where are we going?�
�You�ll find out soon enough.�
�Where are we going?� he asked with annoyance rising in his voice.
JC turned around from the passenger seat and looked at him with pity obvious in his eyes. �I�m sorry this is happening, but after what I saw yesterday I knew some outside intervention was needed. And the sight of your kitchen this morning confirmed that.�
�Are you committing me?� No one said anything. �Oh my God, you are. Let me out of this car right now. I do not need to be institutionalized.�
�You�re a danger to yourself,� JC said returning to looking out the windshield.
�What?! This is crazy! You�re the ones who belong in a crazy house!�
�It�s not a crazy house. It�s a place you can go until things get better,� Lance said.
�You all don�t seem to understand, I can�t go to an institution.�
�It�s not really so much of an institution. All kinds of people go there, on their own free will I might add,� Justin said.
�Please, enlighten me. What kind of people exactly?�
�People who are overwhelmed with life. People too stressed out to cope with the pressures of life. People who, like yourself, have experienced a hard blow and need to get away for a while.�
�And crazy people.�
�There may be some unstable people there, but you won�t be in contact with any of them,� JC said.
�I can�t believe you all are doing this to me.�
�Chris-� JC started.
�No! Don�t talk to me. I don�t want to hear how you all don�t have any trust in me. And if I never talk to any of you again, don�t be surprised.�
�Chris-�
�No! I said don�t talk to me!�
The rest of the trip was in complete silence. Chris stared out the window looking at something he may not see for a while. After what seemed like eternity they reached a large hospital-like building in the middle of a forest.
�Why not? You all pick somewhere in the middle of nowhere so I can�t run away. Just god-damned peachy.�
�It�s-� Justin started.
�Does no one here listen to me? I said don�t fucking talk to me!�
The tour of the building was completely ignored by Chris who was deep in thought contemplating how those he called his best friends had betrayed him. Joey appeared at his side and leaned close to his ear.
�I told them not to do this. I�m so sorry.�
Chris looked at the ground and said nothing. He was taken to his room which was surprising comfortable. A soft blue carpet on the floor and light blue paint covered the walls which Chris thought would be concrete blocks. The desk and dresser were dark mahogany and the bed looked more comfortable than lord knows what. He smiled on the inside but didn�t on the outside so the others wouldn�t get any pleasure out of this fiasco.
�Your things are already here and will be brought up shortly,� the woman who was giving the tour said.
Chris looked at the others with a look that would send a shiver down anyone�s spine. They all smiled innocently and backed up slowly.
�So if you all will just come down and sign some papers you can be on your way. You can stay here and get settled in. I�ll come get you for your first dinner in out excellent cafeteria. I�m sure you�ll enjoy your stay here.�
She led the others out and closed the door behind her. The first thing he did was fall onto the bed. His eyes rolled back into his head with pleasure.
�At least I�ll be comfortable in the loony bin.�
The cafeteria was large and full of seemingly normal people. He was reminded of his first day of college and he shivered. That was one thing he did not want to remember. He got a full tray of decent food and surveyed the room for an empty table. None in sight. Now he would have to socialize. His look of fear must have been apparent because a younger girl came bouncing up to him.
�Hi! You new here?�
�How could you tell?� he asked in a monotone voice.
�You look scared out of your mind. Come on, you can sit at my table.�
He followed her to a table at the back of the room. It was filled with three of the most different people Chris had ever seen. He took a seat next to the girl and remained quiet.
�So, why are you here?� an older man asked.
�My friends seem to think I�m a danger to myself. Screw them,� he said taking a bite of his apple.
�Ah yes, the old �danger to themselves�. I�d say that�s why a majority of the people are here. Me, I�m one of the stressed ones. When my hair started falling out and I had my first heart attack my family decided it was time for me to be committed. I�ve been here for two months now. It�s like a damn spa.�
A woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties spoke up. �My family started to get to me. I got to the point where I wanted to strangle my husband and kick my kids whenever they spoke to me. I committed myself. It seemed to be the right decision.� She laughed. �My husband has a new girlfriend and I�m in no hurry to get out of here. Four months, and like he said, it�s like a vacation. I�m sure you�ll enjoy yourself here. Oh, by the way, I�m Margaret.�
�Oh yeah! I�m David,� the older man said.
�I�m Chris.�
�Damnit! I knew I knew you from somewhere! You�re in Nsync!� the young girl said.
Chris smiled and took another bite out of his apple.
�No wonder you�re here. I�d kill myself if I were you. No offense or anything,� David said.
�None taken.�
�Well Kandi, tell him why you�re here. She�s a great one,� David said.
�I have uncontrollable rage.� Chris raised an eyebrow. �Yeah, I know, hard to believe. But when someone pisses me off I hold nothing back. I gave one girl a broken nose and jaw bone. It was either here or a juvenile delinquent facility. You know, too young for jail. I�ve been here for six months. They�ve even started to home school me. I have a feeling I�m going to be here for quite some time.�
Everyone turned to the quiet teenage boy in the corner.
�Kyle, are you going to join in on the festivities?� David asked.
�Sure, why not. I�m suicidal. Tried to kill myself at least five times, and I�ve been here as many times. All on different occasions. This particular one has lasted about two and a half months. I just don�t see why they care. I�m going to try again as soon as I get out of here. God damned dumb asses.�
�Kyle would be our little ray of sunshine,� Margaret said sarcastically.
�I don�t blame him. Being a teenager is hard. I think people forget that,� Kandi said.
�Oh God, being a teen sucked ass. I�m surprised anyone can make it through that,� David said shaking his head.
�See? He understands,� Kyle said.
The clock read 12:30 am when there was a knock at his door. He groggily got out of his bed and opened it to see Kandi.
�Were you sleeping?�
�No.�
�I didn�t think so. Hardly anyone here does. Come on,� she said turning around and walking down the hall. He followed her while still in sweat pants and a wife beater.
�Where are we going?�
�The most happening room in this god forsaken place.�
They rounded a corner in the long hallway and came to a halt in front of room 217. She knocked three times, very slowly, and the door opened with a cloud of smoke to greet them. A red-eyed David stood in the door with a huge smile on his face.
�Welcome,� he said letting them in. �Isn�t glaucoma great?�
Chris smiled and the door behind them was closed. He was handed a joint and he smoked it gladly.
�Is this what you all do all night?�
�Pretty much,� Kyle said from a dark corner.
�Oh man, this place rocks.�