ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ || Zig-Zag

Chapter 10| Therapy Session

Tara's P.O.V

           I sat in front of Squid and Magnet, with Ziggy straight across from me as we were all in our little therapy meeting. I guess you can call it that. Everyone was slouching or slumped over in their seat, Zig-Zag leaned back on the table behind him with little care. I leaned back in my own disinterest, my arms crossed as my foot wiggled in its spot mindlessly.

"So, what about you, Jose? What do you like?" Pendanski asked Magnet, turning the attention to him this time.

"I like animals." He grins, causing the others to laugh. I smiled at this.
"That's what got Magnet in here in the first place." X-Ray pokes.
"Aw, come one, man. It's criminal the way they keep them locked up in cages." He pouts. I nod.
"Now, Jose. What you did was criminal." Pendanski points, causing me to roll my eyes.
"Aw, tell' em, Magnet. They wanted a thousand bucks just for a puppy." Squid speaks up for Magnet, looking at him in agreement.

"Yeah. I would have made it out, if my pocket didn't start barking." Magnet responds, still looking serious. I laughed with the others.
"You boys get- uh and girl- get one life. So far you've done pretty good at screwing it up." I slightly glared at him with disdain.

"So, you're Caveman, now. Big shot name. Well, let me tell you something, Caveman, you are here on the account of one person. You know who that person is?" Pendanski asked, Zig-Zag gave him a wide eyed side glance, while everyone else just stared at him as it seemed to be his spot light now. Caveman nods slowly, Zero's eyes quick to turn to him.
"My no good, dirty rotten, pig stealing, great great great grandfather, that's who it is." He smiles. I sighed, but thought that was a rather odd thing to come up with. Something about it seemed.. specific.. Familiar.
"No, you screwed up your life, Stanley Yelnats, and it's up to you to fix it. It's not going to be easy, but you'd be surprised what can be accomplished when you set your mind to it. Even Zero here ain't completely useless. What about you, Zero? What do you like to do?" Pendanski lectures, finding a chance to turn the spotlight to insult, pointing it directly at Zero. My attention was quick to turn to mom, a glare also quick to form as an instinctual need to defend the boy emerged.
"You just won't talk to me, will you?" He pushes as Zero stays silent.
"I can't imagine why." I threw snidely. He gave me a sharp look.
"And what's that supposed to mean, Jumpy now, was it?" He turns the attention to me now, my foot wiggling turning into a leg bounce subconsciously as I shift in my seat.
"You'd have to be a fool not to see the way you treat him. No wonder why he ain't talking much, let alone to the likes of you." Some of the others exclaims to the sudden tension, moms glare sharpening as he keeps a smile forced on his face. One I wanted to knock off his face so badly, it hurt.
"Alrighty then. What about you? What do you like to do, Miss Jumpy?" He asks sarcastically, folding his arms. My leg stops and my arms drop to hold the seat beneath me as I lean into the glare, my breathing deepening from the aggravation and adrenaline I felt.