Team Catradora

34 -BrightLight

Adora emailed her former social worker. At first, she was anxious to reach out after so long, but she felt better after doing so. This was a step in the right direction.

She mentioned it briefly to Dr strong, and they liked the idea. As soon as they asked about Razz, though, Adora was quick to change the subject. The last thing she wanted to do was cry again-it was bad enough that she sobbed in front of Glimmer. Instead, she cleared her throat, and said, "so I think I might be a perfectionist after all."

The change in subject was obvious, but thankfully, they let her. "How so?"

"Oh, uh, you know. Like you said." She squirmed a little in her seat. By now, she didn't feel like crying, so that was a win. "I want to be the best at everything. We talked about this last week."

They smiled. "I remember. But I was wondering what made you think that."

"Oh." Adora frowned. "I was playing monopoly with my friends, and I asked my friends if they thought I was a perfectionist. They pointed out that I only do things I'm good at, and that I'm super competitive at games. I used to think that I was like that because winning is the point of playing. But maybe it's not."

"What is the point of playing a game?"

"To have fun." Adora couldn't help but scoff. "Sorry. I'm being serious. It's just...it's one of those things people always say, but I never really got it."

"If you still don't agree with it, it doesn't have to be your answer."

"No, it's not that I don't agree." Adora shrugged. "But what's the fun in not trying to be the best? That's what makes me happy, knowing I'm doing good."

"Are you only ever doing good if you're the best?"

"Hm." She leaned back in her seat, staring at the fish bowl on the coffee table. It took a minute for her to collect her thoughts. The right thing to say would be no, of course not. But a part of her couldn't help but feel differently. "I guess so. I mean, I don't like being bad at things. And what's the opposite of that? Being the best. So really, it's not that complicated. I'm just...a little extreme sometimes."

"What happens when you lose? Do you give up?"

Adora's gaze dropped towards the fish again. "Uh...maybe." 

Their clipboard dropped to their lap. "You should try something you're bad at."

"Uh..." Adora startled. It made sense why they would point that out, but it didn't make the suggestion any less difficult to hear. She leaned back. "Sorry, I just-it's a lot to ask, I mean, I hate doing it, so why would I do it voluntarily?"

"I can't force you if you don't want to," they said. "But I think it could help you understand that not everything is about winning. Sometimes people do things because they enjoy them, and that's it. Something you're bad at-or even something uncompetitive can still be fun."

"Like what?"

"There are video games that don't involve competition." They pulled out their clipboard, which was filled with a list of games. Did they really do research on video games when Adora wasn't around? She wasn't sure if she should be flattered, considering they were paid to make Adora feel better. 

They said, "Stardew Valley, for example, has a lot of relaxing features. It's a farming game. It has romance, a loose plot, can be done individually, but also-"

Adora stifled a laugh, but a chuckle came out. She quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry! It's just...that game has a perfectionist scale. It's how you beat the game. By crafting every item, selling every item, doing everything you could possibly do."