Sheltered (h.s)

t w o

Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD), also known as anxious personality disorder, is a Cluster C personality disorder recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders handbook as afflicting persons when they display a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation, and avoidance of social interaction. Individuals afflicted with the disorder tend to describe themselves as ill at ease, anxious, lonely, and generally feel unwanted and isolated from others.

People with avoidant personality disorder often consider themselves to be socially inept or personally unappealing and avoid social interaction for fear of being ridiculed, humiliated, rejected, or disliked. Avoidant personality disorder is usually first noticed in early adulthood. Childhood emotional neglect and peer group rejection are both associated with an increased risk for the development of AvPD.

Those with this disorder may often choose jobs of isolation so that they do not have to interact with the public regularly, due to their anxiety and fear of embarrassing themselves in front of others. Some afflicted by this disorder may fantasize about idealized, accepting, and affectionate relationships, due to their desire to belong. They often feel themselves unworthy of the relationships they desire, so they shame themselves from ever attempting the relationship. People with avoidant personality disorder are preoccupied with their own shortcomings and form relationships with others only if they believe they will not be rejected. Loss and rejection are so painful that these individuals will choose to be alone rather than risk trying to connect with others. They often view themselves with contempt, while showing an increased inability to identify traits within themselves that are generally considered as positive within their societies. Childhood emotional neglect—in particular, the rejection of a child by one or both parents—has been associated with an increased risk for the development of AvPD, as well as rejection by peers.

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My head snaps back as I hear my father clear his throat, causing the other people in the room to turn their attention to him.

"Hey Ken, Sorry! I was outside." My father states, approaching Ken and shaking hands with him in a friendly manner. My father and the lady, Who I'm assuming is Ken's wife, Exchange friendly smiles as my mother enters the room.

"Hello Anne, Harry. Nice to see both of you." My mother smiles at Anne and her son. Anne smiles politely and looks back at her husband, touching his arm slightly to get his attention. he glances over at her for a moment then looks back at My father, Continuing his conversation.

As everyone is talking to each other, They migrate to the dining room and sit down, leaving me alone for a few moments in the living room. While I'm alone, thoughts begin to enter my mind. What if they think I'm stuck up?

What if they hate me?.. Oh gosh, They probably didn't even notice me after my father and mother walked in. What if they're talking bad abou-

"Elizabeth! Please come join us to eat, We're waiting to start eating for you." My mother's voice snaps me from my deep thoughts.

I mutter a quiet 'I'm coming' before entering the dining room. My eyes scan the table, searching for my seat. The only vacant seat is placed at the end of the table, where I would be sat by Anne and her son. I sigh and nod, reassuring myself that it'll be alright for me to sit there. As I walk past my father, he gives me a warm, sympathetic smile.

I sit down, flinching as my chair scrapes against the polished wooden floor. I look around and notice Anne looking at me, She smiles when I make eye contact with her. I give her a shy smile, It quickly falls from my lips when I hear my name.

"So, Elizabeth, How's school?" Ken speaks, causing me to look over at him.

"Uh, It's just Ella" I say,not making eye contact with him. "I'm homeschooled, I'm actually trying to get a new tutor for english." I speak quietly, not liking the sound of my voice. He nods in approval,

"Ah. Do you enjoy it?" He questions, watching me as I stay silent for a moment. "Yes, I do. I don't enjoy being around a lot of people daily." I smile a bit and look down at my plate. I pick up my fork, softly touching the spaghetti on my plate.

"Dad, can we eat please?" I attempt to change the subject. My attempt fails, as soon as the curly haired boy to my right speaks.

"Don't we all get to ask a question?" He smirks at me when I look over at him, causing my cheeks to heat up a bit. I bring the sleeve of my sweater up to cover a bit of my face, attempting to make my cheeks cool down.

"I'm kidding, Calm down." he speaks quietly, only talking to me now. I nod hesitantly in response as I feel his foot softly brush my under the table.

"Sorry.." i mutter, pulling my legs up and tucking them beneath myself so I've got my legs crossed under me. I sigh, glancing around the room quickly, taking in little details about everyone. Oh god, that sounded creepy, I didn't mean it like that. I just enjoy observing people.

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As everyone finishes the last bits of their food I stand from the table, excusing myself to the kitchen while everyone goes into the den. I put my plate in the sink, Usually Claire would just clean the table off, but my mother didn't want us to come off as snobby i suppose, so she told Claire to stay upstairs tell our guests left.

I decide to stay in the kitchen for a few minutes to keep myself calm. I push myself up onto the marble countertop across from the sink. crossing my legs in front of my self. I pull my phone out of my pocket, look at a few things like twitter. I don't really know why my parents got me a phone anyway, I mean it was very nice of them, but I never really go anywhere. I push a bit of my bangs out of my face, shifting around on the countertop to get comfortable.

I look up for a moment, thinking i saw someone walk past, and if it was my mother she may be upset because this isn't very 'lady like'. I shrug it off, looking back at my phone. I giggle quietly when I see a funny post on tumblr, biting my lip to keep myself quiet.

"What's so funny?"

I quickly look up, my eyes meeting Harry's as I twitch slightly, going to move off the counter. My feet meet the floor and I make a small huffing noise, trying to get him to go away. He looks at me with an amused expression, cocking up an eyebrow at me.

"What?" I say a bit confidently. I look up at him, memorizing his facial features. I continue to look at him, not saying anything after he speaks. I begin feeling a bit distant for a moment, but his voice brings me back to reality.

"Ella, You're staring." I look up, and he's wearing the same stupid smirk as he was at the table.