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When she’s not crossing and uncrossing her legs, fussing with her cuticles, and/or riffling through her bag, Jennika tries to engage u between her back teeth when she says, “Reas”

I survey the place Taking in walls glossed with pale green paint—the color of cucurey tiled floors left to bubble in the places where they’re not already torn Her assesslaas, I don’t even respond

I just close e of the curved plastic seat that’s attached to both the floor and the wall Everything in this place is bolted to so the furniture at the white-coated doctors prowling the halls

This is the house of crazy

A place to contain the insane

“Doesn’t it rerows louder, nored, especially by

“You mean because of all the slotline for the all-you-can-eat pri as her eyes roll in their sockets, her brow shooting well past her platinus with the chunky pink stripe Then I closemore pleasant, try to conjure the beautiful boy fro me, only serve to keep him at bay

“I meant the absence of s And, if you’ll notice, there’s not one single clock—not anywhere!” She shakes her head and scowls, annoyed with the decor as much as the predicament I’ve sunk us both into

“What’d you expect? Ocean views and whirlpools? It’s a mental ward, Jennika” My voice sounds listless and bored—as though I can barely druy to participate “Best not to keep track of how many days they lock you away”

Jennika sighs, and leans towardit around h it’ll make some kind of difference to anyone other than her “It’s not a mental ward, Daire—it’s…”

I slantto see where her hunt for the perfect euphemism will end

“It’s a hospital” She huffs “A renowned research center Nothingless Besides, it’s not like you haven’t been here before”

When she starts to dig through the contents of her purse, searching for sohten my cheeks, I know it’s time to flee

In “The World According to Jennika” there’s nothing a good ht-after ick a little spackle and glitter can work But no ae the fact that this place is, indeed, a nosis as crazy