The New Girl

Therapy

Therapy is a drag. We've been going every Wednesday since we got here. We don't really talk much about Dom, in specifics, but our life in general.

AKA, things like my dad dropping by to give us an unwanted surprise on Christmas.

"I'm very impressed with how you went back to handle it in a more mature way." Britney Thorpe, our therapist, praised me after I told her how I reacted the first time and then the second time.

"How did that make you two feel?" She asked my mom and brother. They have not conceded the situation since the moment it happened, to my knowledge.

I, too, was curious to see how they felt in the inside about this whole debacle.

"Eloise?" Britney rose her eyebrow at my mom who fidgeted with her hands.

"It was the first time I've seen him since the day before he left. I...could feel my heartbreaking all over again when we locked eyesight. My mind, it's accepted that feelings change, but my heart hasn't. I realized that the other day."

Dom and I both looked at her sadly.

It's clear that everything we have been through has emotionally destroyed her, but this is the first time she's ever admitted it aloud to us.

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to get the haunting image of her crying on the old couch in our living room out of my mind.

"What about you, Dominic? Can you explain your feelings to us?"

"Nothing." He replied, his voice low and laced with sadness. "I stood there glued in my spot, but I didn't miss him, I didn't hate him, I didn't love him. The man I was staring at was a stranger." I squeezed Dom's hand in my best attempt to comfort him.

I can't imagine it worked so well when I'm not even comfortable in this moment either.

"Have you all given any more thought of Dom's second semester plans?"

As soon as she asked, Dom and I looked at Mom with hope evident in our eyes - Dom said he's ready to go back and I believe him. He surely knows what's best for himself.

"I don't know." Mom sighed under our gazes.

"I want to go back to public school." Dom reminded Britney and Mom. "I want to feel normal again. I can't do that when I'm isolated inside my house 24/7, only knowing the people Gabby or Bennet happen to introduce to me."

"He makes a solid point, Eloise." Britney smiled, apologetically. She could sense my mom wasn't ready to take the risk again. "What's your opinion on this, Gabby?"

My opinion? I didn't know I was allowed to have an opinion on this situation.

"Why does it matter what I think?"

"You're a part of this family, Gabs. You have as much of an opinion as either of us. That was one the things we all agreed upon moving here." Mom reminded me softly.

Oh, yeah. Britney made us promise to be more open with each other and make all decisions family decisions.

"I think we need to take Dom's feelings into consideration. He's one of the smartest people I know and he would never commit to something that he wasn't ready to commit to." I bit my lip and looked at my mom and Dom from the corner of my eye.

Dom had a small smile on his face and, surprisingly, so did Mom.

"I agree, Gabby." Britney said. "I think we will end on that note. Maybe next week when you all come in, we will have a finalized decision."

The suggestion sounded great to me.

We arrived home not more than 20 minutes later, but before Dom and I could flee to our bedrooms, Mom stopped us.