Serotonin

Chapter One

"Think of your head as an unsafe neighborhood; don't go there alone."

Camila sat in the passenger seat of her mother's sedan, absentmindedly staring out the window. Her thoughts were all over the place as she bit nervously at her fingernails. She watched as houses passed by before her, wondering if the people living there felt as lonely as she did. Beside her, her mother attempted conversation but the words barely registered with the brunette.

"Karla, did you hear what I said?" Her mom huffed her annoyance. Camila shook out of her thoughts, turning her attention to her mother. She should be annoyed at her mom for dragging her to this, but she knew that her mom cared for her. She couldn't fight back on it.

"Of course I did, mom." She answered in a bored tone.

"What did I say?"

Camila sighed. They both knew the younger girl hadn't heard anything her mom had just said.

"That's what I thought," she remarked, pulling into a parking space. "I told you I would go inside with you." Her voice softened at the offer.

Camila shook her head vigorously. "This is something I need to do myself, mami. Plus, you wouldn't be allowed to be with me during the actual session. Everything is confidential."

Sinu reached over to give a reassuring squeeze to her daughter's thigh. "I can wait for you here then. The appointment shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Alright, mami." Camila nodded and opened the car door, giving her mother a blank look before exiting the car.

With a shaky hand through her hair, Camila slowly made her way up the steps to the large building. Why was she nervous? These people were here to help her. But it was regular to be nervous for the first time going to therapy. She walked through the double doors of the entrance and was met with a bored looking receptionist. Camila approached timidly, already feeling out of place.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked, not taking her eyes off her magazine.

"Uh, yeah. I'm looking for Dr. Jauregui's office?" She asked in a tone close to a whisper.

"Dr. Jauregui is located on the third floor to the right," she gestured, her eyes still scanning the magazine.

"Thanks," Camila said quickly as she decides to take the stairs instead of the elevator. The last thing she wanted was to be crammed in a small space with strangers.

She began the ascent to her therapist's office when she heard a voice behind her. She ducked her head, moving faster to get to her destination. She was only here for her appointment, not to meet people. The sooner she would avoid anything else but that, the sooner she could get out of here. She thought she lost sight of whoever was calling her name, but all of a sudden the voice came back.

"Hey, wait up!" The voice said, this time catching up to her and lightly grabbing her arm. Camila sighed irritatedly.

"What?" she demanded as she whipped around to face the owner of the whiny sounding voice. A tall, lanky boy stood in front of her, balancing on the balls of his feet. 

"Wow, can't a guy just say hello?" He asked, sounding offended.

"You realize where we are right? This isn't a social gathering." Camila said expressionless. She turned back around and made her way up the flights of stairs, finally reaching the office. The small little office was nicely decorated, with pretty paintings on the wall and some flowers as well. Quiet, calming music was softly playing.

This time, a blonde woman with bouncy curls was behind the desk. She smiled widely when the brunette walked through the glass doors.

"How can I help you?" She asked politely. Her smile was infectious and Camila couldn't help but smile slightly at the friendly receptionist. Camila was in relief, at least someone looked nice and wasn't rude or annoying.