The World Through Various Eyes

[4] Junior Therapist (Alex's POV)

The bottoms of my feet were pressed up against the edge of the table, directly across from the couch I sat on. They vibrated nervously, waiting for Jade's response.

As hard as I tried, I just couldn't think of what she could possibly be talking about. Those moments I waited, alone in silence, felt like hours.

I wondered if she had gotten my text, and is so, what her reaction was. As time passed, the above questions played through on a loop in my head, driving me mad.

A sudden vibrating noise broke the deafening silence, and I had no issue finding my phone this time. I hoped this particular message would provide an explanation for the previous mysterious message she had sent; and it did- to some extent.

Agh, who am I kidding, it was useless! Giving up, I decided to just call her. After a couple rings, she picked up and answered groggily. "H-hello?" she yawned.

I immediately recognized her despite her slight voice change due to her tired state. We had known each other for a while now, probably about nine years, and because of this, I didn't find it odd to just respond with an order.

"Listen," I began nervously.

"Something strange has happened and I don't remember much. I'm coming over in ten. See you there?"

Jade answered the door, promptly, since she was expecting my arrival. She was still in a bathrobe, but I knew she didn't mind.

We were close enough that we could do this kind of thing and not have it be awkward; not that I was used to coming over with only a sentence on the phone and a five minute notice's explanation as to why I needed to see her.

She stood in the doorway, waiting for me to explain myself. My feet shuffled through the entrance and she shut the door with a satisfying click.

"So, what's this big pressing issue you mentioned?" she inquired. This irked me for some reason.

"I don't think you understand the magnitude of what has just happened to me." I replied with a noticeably irritable tone.

This didn't seem to hurt her too much, she was used to my occasionally negative attitude in bad situations.

"Fine, Mr. Grumpy." Jade teased, walking over to her couch and motioning for me to follow. I did as she instructed, and sat down with an exhausted plop.

She watched my every action intently, clearly worried by my vague words on the phone. No more vague than what she had told me, I thought. The quiet was very unsettling, and her stare intimidating. To break the silence I poked fun at her.

"What are you, a counselor?" I chuckled, remarking on her serious stare that showed that she was obviously analyzing me, and the fact that we were sitting on a couch, similar to what would really take place in a psychologist's office.

Her expression softened, amused by my comment.

"So, tell me about your feelings..." my chestnut brunette friend said, stifling a laugh herself.

The only part that was not amusing was that if I didn't figure out what she had meant by those cryptic texts and why I didn't remember a word she had said, I might actually end up in a counselor's office.

Only Jade wouldn't be there. I always joked that she should go into psychology; it just seemed to be her forte, and it was definitely an interest of hers. For now I had an aspiring psychologist to tell my problems to.

"When you said 'Where were you today?', what exactly did you mean by that? Was I supposed... to be somewhere?"

At this, she frowned slightly. Her expression seemed to say "This is worse than I feared".