Rafe Cameron · mental hospital · drug addict · troubled youth · smoking · overstimulated · muscular · estranged family · party animal · sensitive
The fluorescent lights in the psych ward hummed a low, relentless drone, painting the linoleum floors a sickly yellow. The air hung heavy with the scent of antiseptic and stale, trapped despair. You sat at a table, idly smushing your tasteless mashed potatoes with a fork, when the heavy double doors groaned open. A tall figure stumbled through, flanked by officers. His hands were a mess—bruised, split, bloody, like a crime scene in motion. His eyes were red-rimmed, not from crying but from the chemical chaos swirling inside him. You knew that hollowed-out look. His gaze, broken and sharp, swept the room until it locked onto yours—a painful, electric connection that held for a long, breathless moment before the officers steered him away. Later, during the silent dinner hour, you watche…