Chapter One
I do not need a therapist. Sure, my parents disappeared when I was two and my great aunt who raised me died two months ago, but I DO NOT need a therapist. But sure enough, here was my mom’s best friend, Lisa, pushing me through her front door and dragging me to the car.
“Scarlet, going to a therapist does not make you weak or whatever you may be thinking. You can vent and get your feelings out. Doesn’t that sound nice?” she excitedly babbled. Lisa enunciated every word, and that was just one of the reasons why I couldn’t stand her.
“Not really, Lisa,” I sighed. I would just have to put up with her until I graduated. And then I could go wherever I wanted. Paris sounded nice. But it was only October, which meant I had a whole school year left.
“Well, you know what, Scarlet? I’m your guardian now and you have to do what I say. I know this is what your mom would have wanted if she were here,” she half yelled, half spoke. Her voice took on a certain sternness that made me shiver.
“If my mom were here right now, I wouldn’t have a reason to go to therapy,” I quietly retorted. Lisa whipped her head around and looked me straight in the eye.
“Enough,” was what she told me. A long while of the car ride was spent in silence.
After my great aunt died, I had to move from my home state of Michigan to New York. Lisa lived in a suburb just outside of the city. Moving to New York also meant leaving behind my best friend, Amanda, and my almost boyfriend, Josh. Lisa suddenly broke the silence, pulling me out of my memories.
“I’m trying Scarlet, I really am. I don’t have any kids, and I’m not even married, so living with another person is a big transition. I’m sure this is difficult for you too, but I understand,” she gently said. I looked over at her.
“You understand? Did both of your parents vanish before you were three? Did your guardian die last week and did you have to move in with your mom’s best friend because you had no where else to go? You don’t understand. Not at all, Lisa,” I snapped. But immediately afterwards, I regretted saying this. Instead of displaying anger, her eyes looked hurt. She simply turned up the radio and looked straight ahead.
After about ten minutes of awkward driving, we reached the plaza that contained the therapy office. I slowly unbuckled and got out of the car. Lisa made a point of slamming her door before proceeding ahead of me to the entrance.
“We have an appointment for Scarlet Hayes,” Lisa informed the receptionist.
“Have a seat, and we’ll call you when the doctor is ready.” Ooh, doctor. So my new therapist had a PhD. Impressive. Just as I was turning around, I caught the receptionist eyeing me up and down. I sighed and went to sit down next to Lisa.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to her. She nodded coldly and leaned over to grab a magazine off the table. I didn’t mean to be this bitter all the time. But it was hard not to be when so many bad things had happened to me. If only Amanda were here with me now. She got me. It was like our brains were connected. I would look at her and she would automatically know what I was thinking. Or Josh. He always knew what to say when I was sad.
Out of boredom, I played with the Lego set on the table until my name was called into the office. I strolled in, ignoring the therapist’s outstretched hand. But her smile didn’t waver. After I had passed her, Lisa walked in.
“Oh my God. Lisa? Lisa Grimpkin? From Florence High School?” the therapist shrieked.
“No way! Donna Greig? I haven’t seen you in twenty five years! Look how far you’ve come,” Lisa shouted. They embraced and sat down next to each other on the couch. I was left standing in a corner by myself. So, I began looking at the books in the bookshelf. Their babbling continued on for twenty more mintues, and I couldn’t take anymore of it. Wasn’t this supposed to be about me? Finally, I snapped.
“Shut up! Both of you. This was supposed to be for me to talk about my problems. But both of you just used up all of my time talking about your stupid high school memories. I’m done,” I bellowed as I stormed out of the office.
“Scarlet!” I heard Lisa call after me. But I didn’t turn around. Instead, I continued through the hallway and out the door. Across the street, I saw some woods. Quickly, I ran through the crazy rush hour traffic and sprinted until my legs and lungs couldn’t take it anymore. Stopping deep in the forest, I gasped and sat down on the cool earth to catch my breath. It was starting to get dark, and the spooky October Halloween feeling crept over me. What if there was a serial killer hiding in the trees? I hastily stood up and started walking in the direction I thought I came from. I hadn’t walked for five minutes when I began to hear sounds. At first it was faint, and then it gradually got louder. Somewhere in this transition, I noticed that it was the sound of a guitar playing. I slowed down, and tried to make my steps as silent as possible. I strained my eyes to see in the fading sunlight, but I could finally make out a figure. It was a boy, about my age, sitting on the ground with a guitar in his hands. He would play, and then pause to write something down on an open notebook in front of him.
The things he would play were amazing. I stood there silently for twenty minutes. But, I wanted to get a better view of his face, so I attempted to switch positions. Through this process, my foot caught in a fallen branch, and I tumbled to the ground, screaming. I lay there, seeing stars in my eyes. Suddenly, the boy was at my side, his eyes sympathetic.
“Are you okay?” he questioned as he helped me get up.
“Yeah,” I quietly muttered, pulling twigs and leaves out of my hair.
“What are you doing here? Were you spying on me?” he coldly asked, his tone changing from gentle to agitated now that he knew I was alright.
“No, I heard someone playing, so I just decided to follow the sound. I didn’t mean to interrupt you, but my foot decided it wanted to get tangled in a branch,” I said as I defensively held up my hands, palms facing the boy. Now that I could see him clearly, I realized that he was probably the most attractive boy I had ever seen. He had messy brown hair, and icy blue eyes. And his bone structure was to die for. His lashes were long, thick and black. Any girl would have killed to have them.
“Fine, but now you have to leave,” he responded as he turned away from me.
“I haven’t seen you around in school,” I called out to him. I just wanted to talk to him a little longer.
“I don’t go to Florence. I go to Ace Reconstructive,” he informed me. He seemed annoyed. Ace Reconstructive was a school for delinquents. Kids that had committed intense crimes.
“Oh, I di-” I began but was cut off by his melodic voice.
“I thought you were leaving,” he said over me.
“Yeah, sorry,” I mumbled. Pretty boy was really rude.
“Which way is Plamaggio Lane?” I shyly asked.
“Straight ahead,” he said, eyeing me. He looked irritated. I nodded thanks and proceeded forward.
After a short distance, I could see a clearing. And after walking a few more yards, I could see Lisa’s large brick house on Plamaggio Lane. Somehow, with all of the winding through the woods, I had managed to reach her house without crossing the large highway. Through the trees, I could see bright, blinking blue and red lights.
“Crap,” I thought as I emerged from the woods. The police were parked in the driveway.
