1.1 | daunting medleys

thirty | eerily peaceful

Tabitha was scared.

The past three days had been eerily peaceful. It went by fast, almost as if it hadn't happened, and she was left feeling scared for whatever that would happen. Her mother hadn't been home after a fight with her father, she'd stormed out and it'd been three days without her sharp eyes following Tabitha everywhere.

She was currently in the waiting room of the therapist her grandma had found. Talia sat beside Tabitha. Their father had been in the office for 45 minutes, and it seemed to increase Talia's nervousness.

"What if she thinks we're crazy?" Talia whispered to Tabitha. "What if she convinces dad that he should get back together with mum? What if-?"

Tabitha looked up from the brochure about depression she was reading, turned off the song she was listening to, and turned to Talia. "What are you talking about?" She asked, amused by her sister. The white walls fueled her calmness, and she hadn't felt the anxiety that was bothering Talia. Tabitha fingered the headphones that almost dulled whatever Talia was about to say.

"I dunno. Just worried, the school's counsellor isn't as high profile as this. This is a real therapist, for people, with like, trauma."

Tabitha smiled, and patted her sister's head. She was about to speak when her phone rang. It was Oliver, her lips pulled into a one sided grin and she picked it up.

"Hey." Oliver said, his voice dipped in honeyed care and as soft as the glow of stars at night.

Tabitha had discovered, over the past few days that she liked Oliver, and it scared her. Her first and last relationship with Aiden ended with her left humiliated and heartbroken, but with Oliver it felt different. He treated her nicely, and she wondered if he treated her the way he did because he pitied her or because he felt sad for her. Tabitha wanted to ask if he saw her as anything more than a friend, if he was nice to her because he had no intention of being more than friends.

Tabitha eyed Talia's expectant eyes, and looked away from her. "Hi." Her eyes were closed, and the AC pushed cold air against her fingertips.

"I know your appointment's today, and I wanted to just tell you that you've got this. It's okay to cry, and blubber if you want. It doesn't mean you are weak. You are so strong Tabitha." He said, and her heart melted into a puddle of blushes and shaking fingers.

She was speechless for a while. "I... Thank you so much. Do you have anything planned today?"

When Oliver replied, his voice was bitter and rigid. "Yes, I have lunch later with someone." From the tone of his voice, he didn't like whoever he was having lunch with. It shocked her to hear such hate from him, someone she thought was averse to something like that.

"I'll call you when I'm through, okay?"

Tabitha said, her cheeks never regaining the cold. "Okay, I'll talk to you later. I think it's my turn to see the shrink. Bye." He chuckled, before echoing her last word and hanging up.

She'd almost forgotten about Talia that was sitting beside her. She eyed Tabitha with her eyes, and was smiling mischievously. Tabitha avoided looking at her, her cheeks still burning. The flush crept up as she thought about Oliver, about to imagine the look in his eyes as he spoke to her. He always had the softest look in his eyes, like a myriad of paint dripping down the canvas.

"Ooh. Who was that?" She asked, poking Tabitha's forearm with her finger.

Tabitha pushed her hands away, with a grin. "It's no one. You should really mind your business."

"So was that Oliver? I've been hearing around school that both of you are dating secretly, and I'm like, shocked because you didn't mention it but now, this is very sus."