Therapy (Jalex)

Session 4

Patient: Alexander William Gaskarth

Notes: extremely depressed and feels hopeless

-Dr. Bassam Barakat

-

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and strolled towards McDonald's. Mom wanted me to get out of the house, so I naturally opted for a place with food and free wifi. My feet scuffed the ground as I approached the restaurant, the giant glowing M a beacon of yellow light in the otherwise gray day. My hand reached for the door, the handle cool to the touch.As soon as I opened the door to the air conditioned restaurant, the scent of fried food invaded my nostrils. My mouth watered. I hadn't eaten fast food since... well, the incident.

Apparently, a bunch of other teens were kicked out of their houses as well, as nearly all the tables were crowded with adolescents. Anxiety coursed through my veins, but I inhaled deeply to calm my beating heart. It was fine. I was going to get food, like every other normal person here. I didn't stand out much, anyways. I was clad in gray and black, so I blended in fairly well with the groggy sky.

I walked up to the counter. "Yes... Um... Can I have a McDouble and erm... A small drink?" The girl, who looked only a few years older than me, nodded, clearly bored out of her mind.

"That'll be 3.99," she deadpanned. I nodded and fished a five dollar bill from my pocket. She gave me my change and handed me a cup. I went to the fountain to fill up my cup with Sprite, and returned to fetch my burger. It was sitting in a cheery yellow wrapper, all alone on the tray. I snorted at the irony and proceeded to sit down in a booth in the back alone, facing absolutely no one.

"Hey, are you lonely?" A girl sitting in a table next to mine turned around. She had mousy brown hair, bright blue eyes, and she was sitting with three other girls. I recognized all four of them from my old science class, and I screamed inwardly. They were the most annoying girls I'd ever met. "Wanna join us?"

"Uh... No."

"Oh wait, it's Alex," said the one next to her. "Where did you go?"

"Homeschool," I replied curtly. "I hated everything about public school."

"But you didn't hate us, right?" giggled Mousy Hair. Even though they were popular, I never bothered to learn their names.

"Mhmm," I hummed, diverting my attention to my burger. "Totally."

"Well, you look different from how I remember you!" exclaimed her friend. "You're like... hot now."

Mousy Hair elbowed the girl and gave her the "oh my God you didn't!" look. I sighed and shoved another bite in my face. Man, calories tasted amazing.

"Excuse me, ladies." A tall, lanky figure slid into the seat opposite of mine. "Hey, Alex, what's up?"

I glanced up and flinched in surprise.

Jack Barakat?

The skunk haired boy was sipping a Coke in front of me coolly, not paying attention to the glowering girls. I almost laughed out loud. He was actually saving me from my misery by choosing to be my friend. I went along with it, just because I wanted those girls gone.

"Nothing, really," I replied nonchalantly, smiling. "You?"

"I'm great!" he exclaimed over-excitedly. Mousy Hair and her friends scoffed and left the restaurant, drinks in hand. I watched them go, not upset at all. I turned back to Jack.

"Thank you so much," I half-whispered, as if they planted cameras on their seats. Paranoia was my friend. "You just saved me."

"No probs," Jack laughed, waving his hand with dismissal.

"Why are you even here, though?" I asked, then realizing how rude I sounded. "I-I don't mean it that way! It's just that we were here at the same time and you kind of rescued me."

"Well," he sighed, still grinning like a fool, "I was getting a McDouble because my dad was too busy to cook for me, and I found you, and you looked like you needed help."

I chuckled nervously. "Well, thanks. I did need help."

"My pleasure."