Black (H.S)

4. Broken

"How was therapy yesterday?" Annora asks from across the table. We are currently in the library, for research.

I shrug at her, "It was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yeah, did you expect more?" I roll my eyes at her.

"No, I thought you'd say something on the lines of amazing. But guess I was wrong." She shakes her head.

"You are," I say, flipping through the pages mindlessly.

"How was he?"

"Who?"

"The counsellor, duh!" It was her turn to roll her eyes.

The very thought of him angered me. "Annoying."

"Annoying?"

I nod, "Annoying, Stupid, Cocky, and Intimidating,"

"Intimidating?" She asks me.

"Yeah, intimidating."

She looks very smug and has a smirk on her face. And I can tell that she is trying to hold in her amusement.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask.

Feigning innocence, she says, "Like what?"

"Forget about it." I mutter.

"So, you answered all his questions?"

"Yeah." I lie.

"Tell me truth, did you?" She asks again.

I sigh. There was no getting away from her. "No."

She sighs in exasperation. "Why won't you try? Why do you let yourself suffer like this? You don't seem to get the fact that he is willing to help you, and he is harmless."

"You think I fancy being like this?" I seethe.

"I know you, Adira. I know how you feel, but try. Try once. There is no harm in trying." She pleads.

Why does everyone want me to try? How could this man possibly help me? Would he fight along with me? Or would he try to convince me that the world is already messed up but we have to try and make the most of it? I don't know. I don't know how he is going to help me. And that's what scares me the most. What if he harms me in the process of helping me? What if he thinks I am too broken once he gets to know about me?

But the pleading look on my best friend's face has me hypnotising and I nod yes.

***

"How are you today, Adira?" Mr.Styles asks me.

"I'm fine." I say, giving him a small nod.

He seems shocked by my response. Maybe he didn't actually expect me to answer and was ready for another day of silence.

"That's good. How was school?"

"Fine." I am sticking to one word answers.

"Looking forward for graduation?" He asks.

"Yeah." I really do. I have so many plans figured out about what to do once I graduate.

"What do you plan on doing?" He leans forward in curiosity.

I am shocked that I am telling him all this. "I want to become a fashion intern."

He grins and says, "That's awesome! I am sure you'll be successful."

"Well, I hope so." I shrug nonchalantly.

He grinned at me for a second and placed a pen and a pad on the table. He removed a tape recorder from one of the drawers and placed it beside them.