Meanwhile, in group therapy with yours truly...
We sit in a small circle. A banner hangs on the wall, saying, Welcome to group therapy!
"Alright, everyone." Smiling way too brightly, I scratch a few things down on my clipboard. "How are we doing so far? We've gone through a lot of character development, a lot of betrayals, plenty of background stories... How's it going?"
Uri stares into the abyss. Delilah's sitting on the floor. Uncomfortable silence fills the air.
"Ummm," I glance down at my notes. "maybe we need another icebreaker?"
The group groans in unison.
"Okay, let's go around the room and say what our favorite ice cream is-"
"Can we... not?" Delilah whines, tears welling in her eyes. "I just wanna go home."
"Shut up," I say, a glare surfacing. "You can go home when I say you can go home." I smile again. "Hi everyone, I'm Cat, your group leader for today. My favorite ice cream is mint but sometimes I like the kind with the big chocolate bits with the peanut butter in the middle. What about you, Uri?"
Uri sighs loudly, rubbing his face. "Ugh, why do I have to do this?"
"Hey, sunshine, you better brighten up. All the readers are relying on you to be the comedic relief and I, for one, think you are doing a terrible job, don't you think?" I snap my clipboard in warning.
"Right," Uri plasters the fakest, widest smile right as a big tear slides down his cheek. "is this good?" he pushes through his teeth.
"That's good. Now, what's your favorite ice cream?"
His shoulders shaking softly, he says, "Chocolate..."
"Good job, Uri. I'm proud of you for staying so strong." My eyes slide to the next person as she braids her hair in boredom. "Your turn, Agatha."
"Um, question: Why am I here? I'm probably the most mentally stable character in this book. I don't think I need group th-"
"Good question but not relevant. Ice cream flavor." I tap my pen on the clipboard.
Agatha chuckles uncomfortably. "Matcha, I guess."
"See, everyone? It's not so hard. Look how easy it is to just cooperate." I smile brightly. "Okay, Delilah, your turn."
"I don't like ice cream."
"Liar!" I point my pen at her. "Everyone likes ice cream! You have to start being honest with your feelings. Remember why your chair privileges were taken away?"
Delilah glares at the floor.
"You were being mean to Uri." I shake my head.
"Do you blame me? I have major trust issues! It's not like I'm gonna easily trust someone capable of smiling through their tears like that!" She waves in Uri's direction as his face is stuck in smiling position. It would look genuine if his eyes weren't watery.
"Hey, no complaining," I say. "This is group therapy, not someplace where you can share your true feelings without judgment."
"But Delilah's okay, really, I can handle-"
"Hey, did I tell you to speak?" I turn my warning eyes to Uri and he sinks into his chair.
"I'll keep my chair, please," he mumbles timidly.
"That's right. Now, Delilah's going to tell us what her favorite ice cream is."
She hesitates, fear running rampant in her eyes.
YOU ARE READING
Pain Killer
Romance[Completed AND EDITED Novel] "You sure you're alright?" "Yep, I'm okay." I purse my lips, watching the little dust particles float in and out of the phone's light. "I got my required dosage for the night." "What is that?" "You." For as long as she c...
