healing

group therapy

TW: Slight smut, anorexia, body image, mention of drugs & alcohol, therapy, sexual assault

***
Everyone just came flooding into the door and Sally crept behind me and whispered in my ear.

"My lap is still open if you need a seat baby girl," she says, walking into the room, turning around, and shooting me a smirk. I just took a nervous breath and sat on a single chair, pulling my feel up under me, and sat nervously. Dr. Staple sits in a chair as well with a clipboard in her lap and another woman who I'd never seen before by her side.

"Good morning ladies," Dr. Staple chimed, holding her clipboard tightly on her lap. As most of you know, this is Alice. She normally guides group therapy," Dr. Staple says, looking towards me. Everyone just mumbled lazy greetings back to Dr. Staple and Alice, making Alice tilt her head and raise her eyebrows.

"Well. Thank you for the enthusiasm! And welcome to y/n, our new house member. Alright, it's a Friday so that's good," Alice mumbles with a smile. "Now, we're gonna go around and...share one thing we're achieving and one thing we're struggling with. Who wants to start first?"

Sally suddenly raises her hand high in the air, making almost everyone roll their eyes.

"Sally, go ahead," Alice says.

"Hi. Yeah, uhm achievement, I've got my eyes on something special that's not a new dealer for the first time in a while," Sally says, biting her lip.

I slowly look up and see her looking right at me. Dr. Staple can clearly see I'm uncomfortable and jumps in.

"Okay, that's great Sally uhm who's next?" Dr. Staple says.

"Hey Doctor, I didn't get to tell you my stupid struggle."

"I'm sorry Sally ...Go ahead."

"Thank you. My struggle is that some auburn-haired woman won't step the fuck off my little achievement. In fact, won't stop hitting on it either. And that pisses me the fuck off," Sally says with clenched teeth, glaring at Diane.

I see Diane just tense up with anger, glaring right at the blonde with a pissed-off look.

"O-okay ladies, maybe this is something we should save for later. How about y/n? How are you feeling right now?" Alice asks. My eyes just kind of widen and I shift in my chair, looking to her.

"No thanks," I mumbled, going back to fidgeting with my rings until I hear a hushed voice beside me.

"Everyone has to share..." Harriet says matter-of-factly. I look at all the women just staring at me and try to find words.

"Umm... struggle; coming here I guess...having to accept I had to come here..."

"So maybe your achievement... is that you're here," Alice says with a smile.

"Y-yeah. Maybe."

"Thank you y/n." I just looked back down as the women continued.

Ally talked about how much she misses her son Oz and she's pissed at her wife but is happy that she's going to be able to be okay when she sees him.

Audrey says she's annoyed she can't star in this movie she really wanted to be in and couldn't because she was here and her achievement was her husband, Rory, being really proud of her for dealing with her addiction issues.

Harriet says she's struggling with her extreme urges and withdrawals from alcohol and her achievement is she's not breaking her sobriety since she can't drink here anyways, making a few women laugh.

Amanda says she doesn't have any current struggles or achievements, earning a conversation with Alice and ending with a "We'll talk on our own time, Amanda. Thank you."