It Starts With A Lawsuit

5

Glen

I look into her blue eyes. She looks as if she saw a ghost. It was obvious that something was wrong. So that's when I asked, "what's wrong?".
She stays quiet. So I ask again, "Brooke, what's wrong?"
She struggles to find the wright words. "Um, it's just that- I don't like the whole crowds and um flashing of lights so I just get into these- episodes from those things."

"Episodes?" I ask wanting to know more, no matter if me and her have our own personal issues I will pretend and make her feel safe no matter what. I need to know more.

"PTSD" is the next thing I hear from her mouth, she sees my eyes wondering her face, so she continues to speak, "I got diagnosed when I was 16, sophomore year, so now I get into these panic and fest episodes when in a situation where I don't feel safe in."

I don't know what to say. I'm speechless. I wanna help her, but how do you help someone when you don't understand what living in their mind is like. I wanna know more, I want to know everything about this girl. It's obvious to me now that she was more than a diva on a podcast. I know it's not right to ask more questions but I just can't help myself right now. "How? Why?" I start to ramble off the series of questions that were in my head.

"It's a long story, that I don't really want to talk about with a stranger." She's right. We're just strangers, we shared one forced coffee, this is just a stunt for us. I want to know her, but it's obvious she will never want to know me. And I would prefer to keep it that way. Nothing good as ever came from someone knowing the real Glen Grey.

After a couple seconds of silence, I ask, "what music do you listen to?"
She looks surprised, "huh?"
I pass her my phone with my Spotify popped up, she understands what I mean now as soon as I start to drive.

"Wow! I'm holding the GLEN GREY'S phone!" She says acting like an excited fan.

"Will you just play something already." What I have learned so far from this car ride together that Brooke is a very picky person when it comes to her music. She explained it to me pretty easily, she likes all music but it just depends on what her mood is in the moment. But the problem is, she doesn't have to song for the mood of "PR stunt PTSD episode coffee situation"

"I'm going with my safety option." She said as soon as I heated the first few keys of the start of the song paper rings by Taylor Swift.
"You're a swiftie?"
"Obviously, wait-" she starts to say as Taylor starts singing, "how'd you know this was Taylor before you even heard her sing- wait omg!"

"Shut it." I say. I screwed myself over with this one.
"Glen's a swiftie." She has been teasing me, and I have a feeling for as long as this stunt goes for, it will continue on.

"Okay just one more question then I promise I'll shut up about it" I glanced at her by my peripheral vision, she looks excited like a kid on Christmas morning. "Go ahead."
"What's your favorite song? Favorite era? Favorite album?"
"That was 3 questions." I point out. Then I start to answer, "Peace. Red TV. And Evermore."
"Wow. Evermore?"
"If you dare say anything bad about that album in front of my right now, I will pull over and make you walk back."
"Someone's defensive. Where are we even going?"
"My house."