(Jalex) The First Step Towards Repair

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Alex

Jack and I left the school together. I managed to fuck shit up earlier, and now I'm probably going to relive last year in this high school after that incident. At least now I had Jack...but...

I was still paranoid that he would leave me to suffer, if --- when --- I get beaten up tomorrow.

I twiddled my thumbs nervously as we entered the cab that arrived outside the school, trying to summon the courage to ask him if he was genuinely going to stick with me. My heart was beating so quickly in my chest. It was odd. This never happened before...

"Jack?" I murmured as he entered the front seat and he turned to look at me with a smile.

"Yeah?"

I bit down on my lip. "You... You'll stay with me, right?"

I watched, rather nervously, as he chuckled and replied, "Of course I will. I'm your friend, remember?" I found a smile creep up my lips. Jack grinned as well. "You know, you're really cute when you do that," I heard him say and I felt my cheeks heat up from embarrassment. I changed the topic quickly by telling the driver where I'm supposed to go and we drove off.

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Once we reached the therapy centre, I got out of the car and pushed the door shut. I waved Jack good-bye and he returned that gesture as the driver drove away. I strolled into the building, walking to the counter. The receptionist looked up and me and gave me a smile. "Good afternoon, Alex," she said and I smiled back. It was pretty rare for me to be so... friendly, but Jack's words earlier had lightened up my mood. The receptionist's expression changed slightly, her eyes widening a bit in surprise to my sudden friendliness. "Take a seat and wait 'til I call your name before you enter the room, okay?" I nodded.

I took a seat on one of the plastic chairs and placed my hands on my lap, glancing around me. There were a couple of children playing with toys that were placed in an area, their parents watching them lovingly as they worked together to make a tower out of plastic cups. They stacked those cups on top one another, attemping to let the towers 'reach out to the sky' when it suddenly toppled over, causing every single cup to fall and the children to burst out laughing. I smiled fondly at them, remembering how I used to be so happy and carefree when I was younger. But now... I let out a sigh. Life was pretty crappy right now, and it seemed to be starting to go downhill. Then I remembered something.

Jack.

I had a friend. I had Jack.

Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all, I smiled to myself.

Suddenly, I heard someone calling my name and I looked up, noticing the receptionist motioning for me to go to the room. I nodded and got up from my seat before entering the therapist's room.

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When I stepped foot into the room, the therapist glanced up and flashed me a smile, gesturing for me to sit down on the chair and I did. I watched as he flipped over a page of his notebook and scribbled something on it. Probably my name.

"So, Alex! How was your day in school?" he asked and I hesitated before deciding to tell him about today.

"Well... I nearly got lost, and a guy named Jack helped me," I began and the therapist nodded. "I guess we became friends after that... and... the condition is better than the one at my old school." I didn't tell him about how I possibly made enemies with a jock-like guy, how I got punched and how I broke down. It was too bothersome anyway. From all my past therapy sessions, I learnt that the more fucked up your story was, the more they'll shower you with pity and concern. It was full of bullshit really, so it was best to keep things short and sweet.