The Student Therapist

Chapter 13

"I can't belive, you didn't tell me." Nayeon exhales as she watches me from the other side of the room. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I draw my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. "I didn't know it was serious."

Nayeon arches a genuinely curious eyebrow at me. "Really?"

"Seriously." I tell her. "I just... I don't know. I mean, I knew it was serious but I never thought of it as sexual harassment or assault, you know?" I shrug. "I barely had time to even process what it was before it started getting blown out of proportion. I just feel bad for not saying something sooner, especially because she did it to another girl."

"Probably more than one." Nayeon agrees and then looks at me intently. "I understand, though. It can be hard to differentiate assault and an accident. Besides, ultmately it's up to you whether to tell your story or not." After a moment, she asks hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

I nod slowly. "Yeah." I tell her. "It's just weird you know, now that all the girls on the team know the truth."

"I'm surprised Seulgi didn't throw a punch." Nayeon muses.

"Me too." I agree with a small smile. Seulgi was like my guard dog. She always took care of me and made sure nobody was messing with me.

We fall into lapses of easy conversation much less intense than the previous topic for a few minutes before a knock comes from the door. I glance at Nayeon and see she lifted her finger to her nose. A silent gesture meaning she wouldn't be getting the door and I roll my eyes.

I slide out of bed and cross the small room to reach for the door handle. When I open it up, I'm surprised when I come face to face with our height difference, it was more like face to chest with Lisa.

My brow furrows in confusion and I look at her with dazed eyes. "Lisa?"

"Hey." She says as her gaze floats briefly over my face and then slides over my shoulder where I'm sure she saw Nayeon sitting on the bed. When she looks back at me, she straightens and tells me. "I wanted to talk."

Not even seconds later, I hear a thud from behind me and Nayeon appears beside me with a smile. "I was just about to head to the library." Nayeon grins at me. "I'll see you later."

I stare at her incredulously as she moves past me and Lisa in the doorway and down the hall. "Without a backpack?" I call after her.

I can only hear a laugh come from her as she disappears down the hall, leaving me alone with Lisa. I look up at her again and see a small smirk pulling up the corner of her lips.

"Come in, I guess." I mumble and retreat back into my room.

I climb onto my bed half because there was nowhere else to sit and half because I liked being on my lofted area to force distance between Lisa and I.

She enters the room slowly. Her eyes scanning my half of the room as she walks. Her gaze lands on my desk where I had taped a bunch of photographs of me and Jisoo and my mom.

Lisa leans towards the photos to inspect them and I grab a pillow to put in my lap nervously. When I think she's going to ask about the images, she looks back at me.

"I came by to see how you're doing." Lisa reveals straightforwardly.

I blink at her dumbfounded that she cared at all, before replying slowly. "I'm doing good, thank you."

Which for the record I was. The only part about this whole thing that really sucked was that the whole team knew. If it were up to me, nobody would have known I was ever involved. But I was also well aware that Seulgi would kick anyone's ass if they said anything out of line, so at least I had that.