Breaking Bedlam (Beautiful Bedlam Book 2) (17 page)

She was determined the next few days to show her progress. She took all her medication, participated in group therapy, lied expertly about she was feeling much better and more awake. So when she heard her doctor tell her mother she still wasn’t ready three weeks later Sienna decided that drastic measures needed to be taken. She had spotted a large piano on the side of the games room for weeks.

“Do you play?” Ebony asked as she saw Sienna eyeing the instrument.

“Do I play?’ Sienna chuckled.

“Yes, I play.” She replied politely realizing she was sounding slightly manic.
Tone it down! You want to go home don’t you?
She took a seat on the bench and let her fingers lightly graze over the keyboard.

“Would you like me to get you some music sheets?’ Ebony asked perplexedly.

“No, that won’t be necessary. Thank you.” Sienna replied and closed her eyes briefly.

She began playing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini in A minor op.43 variation 18 on the piano giving it her all, her long elegant fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard as the song built up more and more in tension Sienna began nodding her head along only stopping to she pause momentarily to hear the beautiful sounds of the violins in her head. She looked around to see the patients intently looking and listening to her play. They applauded eager for more. Oh boy. Sienna did not like the idea of an audience but Dr. Nichols was standing by the door watching intently seemingly pleased by the ‘progress’. She continued to play a little more. It had always been her favorite. Her father had taught her how to play. They even owned a Yamaha once but ended up selling it due to her mother disliking it taking up so much space.

“That was beautiful. How do you feel?’ Ebony asked happily.

“Good. I feel good.” Sienna admitted honestly. She had forgotten the euphoric feeling playing music gave her. It always soothed her down. Later that night Sienna slept soundly for the first time in what felt like forever. Dr. Nichols finally let her go home. After staying in the hospital for six weeks, Sienna almost forgot how it felt to walk outside freely without anyone minding and supervising her, watching her every move. She sat on her porch enjoying the cold autumn breeze against her face.

“Sienna, you can’t keep missing school. You can’t just sit on that porch forever.” Her mother told her as she shut the front door behind her and wrapped a blanket around her.

“I know. Tomorrow, I promise.” She whispered.

“What are you thinking about?” Maria asked wishing she knew what on earth went on in that mind.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Sienna replied quietly and stood up to leave. 

“If you keep pushing everyone away you’ll end up alone.” Maria said.

“That’s the idea.” Sienna mumbled and went inside.

“You ready?” Candice asked as she drew up in to the high school parking lot. Her mother didn’t trust Sienna to drive yet just in case she decided to drive off a cliff somewhere someday. Great.

“No. But I just have to get through the next few moths than high school will officially be over.” She replied and took a deep breath before getting out of the car. ‘I can do this. I thought I’d be really nervous to be back in school.” She chuckled and looked around.

“High school’s not that bad. It’s so overrated.” Sienna smiled at Candice. A red blur at the corner of Sienna’s eye caught her attention and she jumped back in to the car as Logan’s cherry red Mustang drove past.

“Give me the keys!” she hissed getting in to the driver’s seat.

“What? No! Sienna! Get out of the car!” Candice hissed as Sienna locked the doors.

“What are you going to do sit in the car all day? You’re supposed to be the smart one!” Candice chided and unlocked the door with the key.

“No. I’m the
crazy
one. Which is why I think it’s a better idea to stay in the car.” Sienna instantly replied trying to shut the door but Candice’s body was firmly lodged in between the gap.

“Fine!” Sienna hissed and got out of the car. She could see Logan behind his car laughing with Trent about something. ‘
Probably about me’
she thought miserably. She hated him. She loved him. She hated him again. It was an endless cycle. He was on the passenger side of the car and as he moved out she could see him on his crutches.

“It’s his first day back as well, from rehab.” Candice whispered following her gaze.

“I thought mom said he was perfectly recovered.” Sienna said.

“I think it’s just his leg but he told me the cast is coming off next week.” Candice replied nonchalantly.

“Come on, we’re going to be late!” she nagged and went ahead without her.

“You spoke to him? When?” Sienna asked confused but Candice had already sprinted off to Logan and
Trent.

Sienna couldn’t believe the betrayal. She was
her
cousin, not his. Yet she was laughing and talking and comforting him after the way he had treated her. Sienna could scarcely believe her eyes. Almost as if sensing her presence, Logan looked up and found himself lost in those luminous green eyes he loved so much it scared him. The icy look she gave him hit him like a dart to the chest. This look was absolutely foreign and new to him. She quickly walked past without so much as a glance back. Sienna walked through the halls, her heart hammering in her chest. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she made her way to her locker. Someone had spray-painted the word “Skitso” on her locker. She turned around to find Bethany and some of her other cheerleading friends like Becca and even Rose giggling and smirking at her.

“Poor little Beth still can’t spell, can she? It’s S-C-H-I-
T-ZO. If you’re going to spray it at least spell it right,
moron
.” Sienna hissed loudly enough for everyone in the hallway to turn and stare.

“Uh, yeah whatever crazy pants like I care. Everybody knows you’re insane.” She said in that annoying high-pitched haughty tone. She scoffed at her friends saying, “Am I right?” and laughed.

“Shouldn’t you be in a special retard school? Or at least somewhere they keep electric chairs?” she asked. “Says the special needs dyslexic who can’t even spell schitzo.” Sienna replied smugly and turned to open her locker. Bethany so was not worth it. Sienna took her notepad out as the girls continued to taunt her. “So how was the nuthouse anyway?” Bethany asked out of morbid curiosity. The hallway was filled with half the youth of Haven Falls who were all staring at her intently.

“It was fine.” Sienna replied and moved to pass them but it seemed as though the entire cheerleading squad seemed determined to block her way.

“I heard you got electroconvulsive therapy. Is that true?” she asked eagerly with her hands on her hips. She even flicked her ponytail over her shoulder.

“Beth! Electroconvulsive! You know a big word! Good for you!” Sienna said mockingly and smiled spectacularly at her. Bethany’s screwed her eyes at Sienna angrily. The school bell rang but no one was going anywhere. The hottest girl on girl catfight was about to go down. No one was wanted to miss this.

“You think you’re so smart don’t you?” Bethany sneered and came only inches away from Sienna’s face. “Well not smart so much as intuitive, ingenious, intelligent, attentive not to mention freakishly strong.” Sienna hissed.

“People like you shouldn’t be allowed to set foot in schools. My mother has already started a petition to get you out of this school. You and your people, you’re a danger to society. You should all be put down.” She sneered. Sienna looked around, at the curious and some worried faces that stared at her as if she were a ticking time bomb. She suppressed the urge to start singing ‘Pumped up kicks’ just to watch them run.

“Look, I don’t want to hurt you little girl. So run along and play with your dolls.”

“There are seven of us and only one of you.” Bethany retorted adamantly.

“Yeah but like you said I’m crazy. Crazy equals to at least five people. Must be all the superpowers I picked up from the electroconvulsive therapy.” Sienna smirked at Bethany’s immaturity and stupidity. She looked behind Bethany’s shoulder.

“Six.” Sienna remarked as Rose took a couple tentative steps back.

“We’re going to kick your scrawny little ass.” She hissed.

“You will? Well all I can hear is all talk and no action. Sorry nerds no hot girl on girl action today,
nothing
is happening today, you might as well run to your physics class now.” She shooed the masses away just as Bethany pushed Sienna back against the lockers. Sienna didn’t like it when anyone touched her. She didn’t like it one bit.

“We’re going to kick your ass til you’re crying out on the floor.” Becca one of Bethany’s sidekicks hissed.

“Mm, you said. And you’re probably right. But I wonder how many
noses
I’ll break and how many faces I’ll rearrange before then?” Sienna retorted before she sucker punched Bethany square in the face causing her to fall to the ground with blood spurting out of her broken nose.

“I guess only one.” Sienna said unsurprisingly and picked up her books as the others instantly backed away.

“My nose!” Bethany cried.

“I’d get some ice on that if I were you.”
Sienna said nonchalantly and shook her hand.

“You frickin’ crazy bitch!”

“Yes, I thought we had already established that.” Sienna chuckled and left the shocked hallway behind her as she made her way straight to the Principal’s office. She knew she would be sent there anyway. Principal Sharpe was dressed in her usual grey pantsuit and called Sienna in after a few minutes and asked her to sit down.

“Sienna, it’s your first day back and
already
you have grievously attacked a student.” Sharpe sighed. She was sick and tired of seeing the same face in her office all the time. In all fairness Sienna was getting pretty fed up of seeing Principal Sharpe’s wrinkled face too.

“Perhaps your doctors were wrong. Perhaps you’re still a danger to yourself and to others around you. Perhaps you’re not ready to come back to school.” The Principal supposed. “Or perhaps doctors are more qualified than high school principals in the art of psychiatry and diagnosing and treating their patients!” Sienna screamed in her head. Instead aloud she said, “You may be completely right.”

“What?” Sharpe said confused. She had expected Sienna’s usual outrageous retorts and remarks. “You know best. I mean you are the high school principal. You’ve heard Bethany’s side of the story so obviously you know the
truth
of what happened. So if you want to expel me than by all means go ahead.” Sienna replied politely and looked at Sharpe with her big Bambi eyes and angelic expression. “Your father’s death hit us all pretty hard, Sienna.” She said somberly.

“Perhaps suspension will be a more fitting punishment?” Sienna suggested
ignoring Sharpe’s attempts to bind over the late not so great Phillip Rivers.

“No. Not after you’ve made all this progress. You will have detention everyday for a month straight. If I hear of any more about you fighting again, you’ll be in serious trouble. Do we have an understanding?” Sharpe sternly asked.

“Yes.” Sienna replied and stood to leave.

“Oh and one more thing. I expect a full apology to Miss Simmons today.” Sharpe said quickly before she could leave.

“Sure.” Sienna sighed. She knew there was an evil undermining catch.

“At the prep rally.” Principal Sharpe said unable to hide her amused expression.
Today? Pep rally? In front of the entire school who already hate me?

“Of course.” Sienna smiled tightly and went to her class. She took a deep breath before she knocked on the door. Miss Bloom appeared at the door and ushered her in, she must have already been informed by the rest of the excited class about what had just occurred in the hallway earlier on as she looked at Sienna disconcertedly.

“Sienna the killer.” she heard a goofball sitting at the back cough in to his fist and everyone laughed. She ignored them and sat in the only available seat left between Logan and Noah.
‘Naturally. Just my luck
’ she thought bitterly as she sat at the desk between her two ex-boyfriends. She flipped open her math textbook quickly to her page and started working on the calculus questions in silence resisting the urge to glance at Logan.  He didn’t deserve the slightest bit of attention from her. She refused to spend another second looking at his smug smirking face. She could feel the warmth of his penetrating gaze upon her as if he were compelling her to look at him. She didn’t. She couldn’t bear to even glance at Noah. The guilt was overwhelming her as she remembered his despair and pain when she cheated on him with Logan.

If she could go back in time she would never have even dated Noah in the first place. It wasn’t fair to him seeing as she was already head over heels for someone else. As soon as the lesson finished Sienna picked her books up and put her earphones in blocking out all the sounds that made up high school, the rustling of papers, the shuffling of bags, the teenagers gossiping, laughing and the scraping of chairs. Instead she replaced the noise with music. She quickly left in silence returning to her vandalized locker and replaced her math textbook for her copy of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: A Prince of Denmark. She slammed the locker door shut to find Candice standing right in front of her.

“What?” Sienna said and pulled her earphones out.

“Don’t what me? I can’t believe you took on Bethany in front of the entire school!” she said in a hushed excited tone.

“Oh? I’m surprised you even noticed seeing as you were too busy fraternizing with the
enemy
.” Sienna said arching her eyebrows at her.

“Oh stop being so dramatic. He’s your ex-boyfriend, not your nemesis.” She scoffed “Candice he didn’t just dump me. He used me. He lied to me. He
cheated
on me. How can you stand there and defend him after you saw what he put me through?” she asked feeling the sting of betrayal.

“Well, he’s hurting too. Why can’t I be both of your friends?” Candice asked. Sienna wondered if this was how Rose had felt when she had cozied up to Logan after their break up. “Karma’s a bitch.” She mumbled to herself.

“Do whatever you want. We’re going to be late to English. Let’s go.” She replied swiftly.

“Oh my God, I completely forgot to ask. What’s your punishment from principal Sharpe?” Candice asked. “A month’s detention. That’s harsh. She was the one that started it and attacked you first!” exclaimed Candice.

“Yeah well, she was the one with the broken nose. So apparently she and her minions are the victims and I’m just the mentally unfit and unstable bully.” She sighed.

“I wish she had suspended me instead.” Sienna admitted as they entered their English class. This time she had beaten Logan to class and took a seat in the front row. She had a lot of reading to catch up on. That’s what happens when you get locked up in the psych ward for seven weeks.

“Good morning everyone, come in, come in, you’re late Mr. Jackson.” He said as he closed the door behind Logan. He spotted Sienna instantly and took a seat behind her. Her back instantly went rigid. She clearly didn’t like his choice of seating. Well tough, he didn’t exactly like it when she tried to leave him.

“Right, class. For those of you who have been way, Mr. Jackson and Miss Rivers you have a lot of catching up to do. Hamlet is arguably Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. It’s about Prince Hamlet of Denmark who sees his father’s ghost who informs him that his brother Claudius, the new king who married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude
murdered
him. It is a tale of revenge. Today we’re going to discuss and analyze the love that Hamlet has for Ophelia. Or if he even loves her at all? And also whether or not Hamlet is really insane or not?” Mr. Collins said dramatically.

“Think of it as a debate of some sort. I want everyone to participate and ask and answer each other’s questions.” He said leaning against his desk. ‘
Oh lord, not another debate,
’ Sienna moaned in her mind.

“Well, I think Hamlet does love Ophelia, he just doesn’t trust women after seeing his mother marry his uncle so quickly after the king died. So he distances himself from her. He even tells her to go to a nunnery.” Logan stated speaking proud and boldly like no one would even challenge his ideas. It irritated her to no end.

“He meant that as an insult. By nunnery he meant whorehouse. He wasn’t protecting her at all. He was taking his anger out on her. What kind of love is that?” Sienna retorted unable to hold her tongue. She continued to stare ahead knowing she’d lose her nerve if she so much as looked at him.

“Excellent point Miss Rivers. Excellent!” Mr. Collins praised completely unaware of what was really going on.

“He wants her to go to a nunnery probably because he knows the nature of men and he knows that there is no man deserving of her except Jesus himself.” Logan retorted back instantly. “Hamlet constantly ridicules her throughout the entirety of the play. He’s a misogynist.” Sienna countered immediately.

“He even tells her he loved her in Act III somewhere. Hamlet did love Ophelia.” Logan said straightaway.

“Oh read a few more lines. He takes it all back and says he never even loved her. He’s either lying or telling the truth. Which is it?” Sienna snapped and finally turned around to face him. Her long shimmering dark hair flowed all the way down her back, her emerald eyes were looking at him intently, her lips puckered slightly as they did whenever she was angry.

“How the hell would I know?” he asked rhetorically and leaned back in his seat yawning pretending to be the dumb jock she knew he wasn’t. He couldn’t bear to look at her disappointed face.

“Okay, let’s have some other people. Jodie?” Mr. Collins called as other students slowly started giving their different opinions. Sienna quickly jotted down all the arguments and counterarguments in her notebook.

“And of course we have to discuss the million dollar question: was Hamlet sane or insane?” the ecstatic eccentric English teacher said as he scrawled the question on the board.

“Of course he’s sane.” Sienna answered just as Logan replied the opposite.

“Ah, it seems as though we have another debate today. Excellent. Let’s hear it from you first Mr. Jackson, why is Hamlet insane in your opinion?” he asked.

“Because first of all he sees the ghost of his father whom no one else can see. He’s clearly having hallucinations. That’s obviously insanity!” answered Logan adamantly.

“Sienna? Your rebuttal?” Mr. Collins said as Sienna suddenly went blank.

“Er, yes. Well he only feigns madness initially anyway and it all depends on your view on sanity or insanity. Nowadays anything is insanity. You feel a bit blue; you go to the doctors and come back with a tablet and a labeled diagnosis and apparently you’re insane. He isn’t insane; he’s just determined to avenge his father’s death! So he acts in an unusual way. Does that mean he’s insane? No.” Sienna insisted and turned around yet again to face him.
God
. He irritated her. She didn’t know what she found more frustrating the fact that he refuted all of her comments or the fact that as soon as she turned around she felt that familiar desire pool in her stomach? Her heart rate sped up as it usually did whenever she found herself trapped in those dark brooding eyes.

“Its like they never left.” Trent commented wryly causing a few chuckles.

“The real question is of course whether Ophelia even loved Hamlet!” Logan retorted as he leaned forward. His eyes were hungry for her. He hadn’t seen her for seven weeks but it felt like seven years. His eyes lingered over her smooth olive complexion, her green eyes, her sharp cheekbones and finally settled on her soft pink lips.

“You know that’s a perfectly good question because somehow as soon as Ophelia found out about Hamlet’s madness she ran for the hills and left him.” Sienna hissed as the familiar hurt and pain crept its way back in to her broken heart. The bell rang and just like that the magic spell was lifted. Sienna jumped back in her seat away from him, gathered her belongings and was out of the door before he could even wet his lips.  Her heart was pounding as she sped up down the hallway.

12.

“Sienna! Wait up!” Candice yelled and ran after her.

“Whoa slow down. What the hell was that back there?” she asked breathlessly as she put her hands on her knees. “I was just participating in class.” Sienna replied nonchalantly in her usual blasé attitude, pretending that everything was fine especially when it wasn’t. “That was like watching couple’s therapy using Shakespeare as a mediator between the two of you. That was…intense.” Candice said slowly waiting for her cousin’s response. “Was it? I hardly noticed.” She replied as she continued to walk towards her Chemistry lab. “Everyone was watching the both of you. Bethany’s going to freak out when she finds out!” Candice gasped.

“Finds out that I whooped Logan’s ass in an English debate? Big deal.” She scoffed.