The Therapist's Son // Ashton Irwin [AU] ✔

4.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, scrolling through my non-existent mentions and news feed on Facebook. I had messaged my father a short "hello" about ten minutes ago, but he was most likely at work, so I wasn't expecting an instant response.

Since the move, I've had one actual conversation with my father, but he thought I needed sleep, cutting the conversation off at fifteen minutes. That was just last night.

My head lifted when I heard my bedroom door open, and I noticed my mother standing in the doorway. I sighed, shutting the laptop down.

"Sorry for not knocking," She apologized. "I just wanted to remind you about your appointment tomorrow morning. You have to be up at nine-thirty, so you might want to get to sleep pretty soon. Its already eleven." I bit my lip and nodded in response. I had almost gone a full three hours without thinking about it, but of course, she just had to remind me.

"Hey, she's going to help you, okay? Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning." She waited until I had pulled the covers back and crawled into bed before she turned the light off and closed the door.

I laid in bed for at least two hours, trying to think of ways I could get out of my appointment tomorrow.

Fake sick? No, my mom would know something's up faster than I could fake a sneeze.

Sneak out and come back after its too late for my appointment? I would be the one to get lost.

Or maybe I could just play 'Silent Treatment' through the entire thing. Eventually, my mother would see that its a waste of time and money if I'm not going to talk about anything. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to work for now.

Feeling somewhat satisfied with my idea, I rolled over on my side and did my best to fall asleep.

*****

"I'm Debbie, and this is my daughter, Natalie," My mom said, giving me a small push of encouragement towards the woman. She looked oddly familiar, and I didn't like it. I didn't like her. I didn't want to be here - Not at a therapist or Hornsby, Australia itself. "Go on, Natalie, say hello."

I simply glared at my mother. I wanted to kill her for doing this to me.

"That's alright," The woman chuckled. "Debbie - You don't mind if I call you that, do you?"

"Not at all."

"Wonderful. Well, I'm going to have you wait out here while I take Natalie inside to talk," She explained. "Okay, Natalie?"

Instead of answering, I simply stared at her a blank look on my face. She opened the front door, motioning for me to enter first.

"Natalie," My mother hissed when I refused to move. "Go. Just act mature for thirty minutes, then you can do whatever you want."

In other words, thirty minutes of complete, stubborn silence. I willed my legs to move inside the house, and I jumped when the screen door closed.

"Why don't you come in here and have a seat, Natalie?" The therapist asked, walking into the main room. Reluctantly, I did as she said, and she sat in an armchair across from me.

"So, Natalie, I'm Doctor Irwin," She introduced herself, smiling. I pressed my lips together, showing no sign of interest whatsoever. "Um, how old are you, Natalie?"

I bit into the side of my cheek, and crossed my arms across my chest. I know my mom told her my information, so why the fuck is she asking me?

She sighed, moving onto the next "step" in the process of figuring out what the hell is wrong with me. I already knew, my mother already knew, this was pointless.

"Your mother told me you were diagnosed with depression awhile back, is that correct?" Rolling my eyes, I kicked my feet up on the coffee table in front of me. Doctor Irwin simply glanced at my shoes, before turning back to her notes.

"Natalie, is there anything you've been struggling with, or something you want to talk about?"

"No." I said stubbornly, short and to the point.

"Okay, at least we're making progress," She muttered, shuffling through the papers in her lap. "Tell me about your life back in the states, what was that like?"

"Better than this fucking hellhole." I snapped. If I wasn't being silent, my words sure weren't going to be pretty. I knew my mother would not approve of my language, but if this is the only way I can show her that this is how I'm really feeling, so be it.

"Well, what don't you like about here?" Again, I clamped my lips shut. I didn't have a response because in all honesty, I didn't know. Its not like I had left anything or anyone behind that I actually cared about. Its not like I did anything different, or went anywhere. I was miserable no matter where in the world I was.

Suddenly, a door from upstairs slammed, breaking the silence, and a person came running down the stairs and into the room, walking right past us. He seemed upset, but I couldn't see his face due to the fact that he wore sunglasses and a hoodie.

"Where are you going?" Doctor Irwin asked.

"Out. Why do you care?" He asked, as if he had just gotten in a fight with the woman, or just hated her. She sighed.

"Be back soon, okay, Honey? Call me if anything happens."

"Don't count on it." He muttered before the screen door slammed behind him. His voice seemed familiar, but I just couldn't seem to place it in my mind. I turned to look at Doctor Irwin, my eyes wide. I don't think I'd ever seen something quite like that happen before.

She had her eyes closed, breathing in deeply before letting it all out, then continued to ask questions as if nothing had happened, only getting answers to three of them.

"Okay, Natalie, I think that just about sums it up," She said, standing up. "I'll talk to your mother about scheduling an appointment for next week."

"Can I use your bathroom?" I blurted out.

"Of course. Its down this hall, farthest door on your right." She instructed, pointing. I nodded, walking in that direction, waiting until she had gone back out on the porch before going up the stairs instead.

I quietly looked around the upstairs area, curious as to where the boy had come from, and who he was. Stopping at a door that looked promising, I opened it, hoping it wouldn't squeak at all.

I sighed in relief and stepped inside, knowing I had to act quickly. I closed the door before looking around. The room was actually pretty neat, but you could tell it belonged to a boy - most likely teenager.
There was only one source of photography anywhere - a picture of five people. One of them I knew was Doctor Irwin, and then a girl, about twelve or so. And a younger boy. And a man with his arm draped around Doctor Irwin. And finally, my eyes widened when they landed on a familiar boys with twinkling hazel eyes, curly hair, and an unbelievably bright smile.

Ashton.

I was so lost in thought that I barely noticed the presence behind me until they spoke.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?"

*****

A/N: Yesterday was the last day of school so I should be able to update a whole lot more.

Please vote, it may not seem like much, but it really does make a difference. Also feel free to comment on anything I should change or improve.

Hoping to update in the next few days.

x Callie