Chapter 6

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When I wake today, there's a little pit of anxiety in my stomach, making me feel sick

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When I wake today, there's a little pit of anxiety in my stomach, making me feel sick. I think it's purely because of my overreaction yesterday, and knowing I've got to see Mr Blackbourne today. I don't know if I just misread the situation with Brandon, but it just shows how much I struggle with human interaction. I've never really had any friends, and the only people I used to communicate with were teachers, my father, stepmother, and Marie. Even then, that wasn't a lot. Working at the diner has helped my confidence with people, and I hope that this is just a small setback.

It could also be worry over my appointment with Mr Anderson, but I don't think so.

I get ready and grab my things, heading to the bus. I'm grateful that today is the last day before Christmas break, and I'm looking forward to going to the hospital after school. The bus ride is quite quick and when I arrive at school it seems emptier than usual. I think people are skipping the last day, as attendance has been progressively getting lower as the days have went on. Homeroom passes quickly and I'm not surprised when I'm handed a slip to go see Mr Anderson. I make the quick walk to his office and I'm waved straight in.

"Good morning, Mr Anderson," I say softly.

"Hello, Sang," Mr Anderson tells me. "Take a seat, take a seat." I slide into the chair opposite his desk and he smiles at me. "I spoke to Owen last night. He said you were willing to join us at camp?"

"Yes," I reply. "I want to come. I want to learn about what the organisation stands for, and see whether it's in my future."

"Good. I like that you're taking this seriously," he replies. "I'm happy you're joining us this year. Owen said he would take you up there with his team. Is that okay with you? I don't want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

"I'm happy to go with them," I tell him. "I'm friends with a lot of them."

"I'm glad. Owen also mentioned your dad could be a problem?" he says, an eyebrow raises. Mr Blackbourne has really done what he can to assist me. I make a mental note to thank him.

"I don't know," I murmur, looking at him seriously. "I don't know if he would let me go camping with people he doesn't know. Or whether he would care enough to stop me."

"I see," he says, and he definitely caught something from what I said. "I have a way around that if you're wiling. I can call him today and say we're doing an educational retreat and you've been invited. Hopefully, he will be happy with that."

"That could work," I muse. "It's not really a lie either." This makes me feel better about the plan. I don't want to lie to my dad—Marie did enough of that for the both of us—but I really want to go to camp.

"It's not," Mr Anderson says. "Leave it with me. I'm leaving early today so I won't see you again until camp, but I'll give Owen a call and let him know whether or not your dad agreed. Or Dr Roberts if Owen is unreachable. Believe me though, we'll do everything in our power to get you there, since that's what you want."

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