Ariel & Caesar

1

Thank you for reading my story! Really...I appreciate it sooo much! Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the story and I apologize for any grammar mistakes. I will post whenever I can.
• • •
You know when you eat too much and you feel like throwing up? That's how I feel right now. On the verge of throwing up.

"I've been talking with your father and I think we all should..." my mom's voice gets lower, "see someone." I feel sick. Why should we see someone? My eyes water and I try to blink the tears away. God damn. Why do I have to be so sensitive? It's annoying. "I mean I won't force you." I stare at the ground. My hair falls around my face like a curtain. Good. Now she won't see I'm crying. I hate being seen weak.

I swallow the lump in my throat but it comes back up. I can't speak with a dang lump in my throat! "I don't want," my voice cracks, "to 'see someone.'" More tears come down. My eyes burn. My eyes will be really puffy in the morning and now everyone will know I have been crying. Maybe I could say I don't want to go to school and make it seem like I'm depressed. Then for sure they won't force me to go to school. Then again, they'll probably send me to "see someone."

"Please...Ariel."

Snot comes rushing down and out of my nose like there was 50,000 years worth of it stored up there. I need a tissue. But I don't want to just walk out. "Whatever...fine," I say and run out to the bathroom. But when I finally reach the so wanted room, there are no tissues in sight. Damn it.

• • •

I can't believe I gave into my mom's cheap deal so easily. I didn't even get to ask for money if I agreed. I blame my stupid runny nose and my sensitive self. I rummage through my million sheets on my bed and find my iPod. I plug in my headphones and play 'It's a Good Day' by Peggy Lee. I like this song so much. It reminds me of the 40s. For no apparent reason, I've always wanted to be in the 40s. I guess I always loved how they dressed and their hairstyles. Plus, the music was good and everything was so retro. The only bad thing going on at the time was the war. I tap my finger against the headboard of my bed. I wish I were in the 1940s.

• • •

I wake up with the song 'Immigrant Song' by Led Zeppelin playing low and my alarm beeping over and over and over. I fell asleep listening to music. Typical. I don't even remember falling asleep last night. I tap pause on my iPod and snooze the alarm. But five minutes later-before the alarm can go off- I get up anyway and congratulate myself on actually waking up on time while I trudge down the stairs like molasses.

I manage to stick bread in the toaster and find butter for it. Then I wait and wait and wait. While I wait, my alarm goes off and I have to go all the way back up and turn it off. Right after, I go in "the zone." Like when you think for a long time and your thoughts get deep that it surprises you. The sound of the toast popping up from the toaster pierces the silence in the room so much, it startles me. I grab the toast, butter it up, eat it, and get ready for the day. When I'm done, I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder and start on my trail to school.

When I walk, I think of all the bad situations that could happen to me at school. That's when I remember I forgot to do my geometry homework. "Shit," I mumble under my breath. When I say this two things happen. First, I can see my breath come out of my mouth, which is cool. Plus, it is in the middle of winter, so that explains it. Second, someone comes up behind me and says "Hey." I shiver, mostly because it's cold. I manage to utter a hello back before I look up to see who it is. Caesar. That's who. I don't really know who he is. The only thing I know is that he's in my geometry class.

He then picks up his pace and walks ahead of me and into the school. That's when I feel my face burn. Am I really blushing? You're so stupid Ariel. Why would you instantly like a guy that's always been in your geometry class but never said anything to you and this one time he says one word, you like him. No way. I can't crush on him like every other sophomore girl. I pick up my pace too and head into the school with the rest of the students.

• • •

As I walk up the steps, my mom rolls down the window of her car and yells "Have a good time!" How could I have a good time with a counselor? I walk up a few more steps until I reach a pair of doors that say "PULL". I pull open the door and step inside. Then I walk up the stairway and look at all the doors and their name plates next to them. Mr. Frolleck...Mr. Grille...Ms. Joel...Ms. Guinese. I stop at Ms. Guinese. I guess that's my counselor. Haha. Who's last name is Guinese? I open the door and step inside.

"Hello, you're Ariel?" A women says. That's when I see Ms. Guinese. She's dressed perfectly. All suited up, black heels, red lipstick, and shiny black hair draped atop of her shoulders. She sits in a chair that's perfectly parallel to me in a perfectly neat room. Then I realize she was sitting, facing me when I came in. Does that mean she was waiting for me like that the whole time? A shiver goes up my spine at this.

"Yeah, uh that's me!" I utter and awkwardly laugh. I put on a fake smile. My cheeks ache.

She nods in approval and smiles a tight smile. "Take a seat." I notice one thing off about her. She has huge bags under her eyes like she hasn't slept in days. This makes me uncomfortable. I look at the arrangement of seats. Three chairs all the same and lined up in a row. But as you go down the row, the chairs are closer to her. Is this a test of comfortability? I've seen plenty of movies where they go to counsellors. And they always mention this but I never thought it was real. Which should I take? Hmm. Oh what the hell. Who even cares? Like I'm actually gonna come here again. I take the one farthest from her. I smile to myself at this.

"So," she says, "why did you come here?" My mom didn't tell you? I mean I don't want to be here but my nose just decided it needed to bring out thousands of gallons of snot.

"I don't know," I mutter. Why are you so stupid Ariel?

"It's okay if you don't know. You're probably not ready to tell."

"Um, sure."

"Hold on, sweetie." Ms. Guinese gets up from her chair and goes behind her desk and shakes a bottle of some sort of pills into her hand. She tries to hide the pills when she does this. But I can still see the bottle. She shoves the pills in her mouth and swallows. Um, did I get a screwed up counselor? Or maybe she's not really a counselor. She just took the identity of my real counselor and I'm in danger of being murdered by a psychotic identity thief. Finally, she comes back to her seat.

"So sweetie, tell me, why did you come here?" Oh my god.