· N E R D ·

t w e n t y - o n e

For @ThikcPineapple, who said I should focus on "NERD".

Evan was quite nervous. He'd never been to a therapist before. Sure, Jonathan went with him, but he knew he wouldn't be in the room. It would just be him and the therapist, Dr. Kirsche. The name made him chuckle internally. Ironically, she had red hair.

"Evan Fong?"

His heart began pounding all over again. Jonathan squeezed his thigh and nodded at him, so Evan got up and walked over to the lady who had called his name.

"Hello, Evan. I'm Dr. Kirsche. Did you come with anyone?"

"Um, just my b-boyfriend."

She smiled, nodded, and led him to a room; he stepped in and she closed the door behind him, making him jump a little. The therapist sat in a chair and gestured for him to take a seat as well, which he did.

"Your information form said you're eighteen, is that correct?" she asked kindly.

"Y-Yes."

She smiled more. "Okay. Don't be nervous. I'm aware that this is your first time seeing a therapist so today will be easy. I just want to go over some things with you and explain what our sessions together will be like. Okay?"

He nodded.

"The first thing I want to say is that I can help you best if you're as honest as possible. That doesn't mean you have to answer all of my questions. If I ever ask you something that you don't feel like answering, just ask to move on or let me know that you don't want to answer. I won't be upset, I promise. Another thing I want to say is that I and all existing therapists believe strongly in confidentiality. Nothing you tell me will ever be shared without consent, not even to family. If I ever find it necessary to share things, I will always ask you first. Do you understand that, Evan?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"Good. As we have sessions together, I will be taking notes on things that we discuss. Again, nothing I write will ever be shared; they are just notes to help me help you. With that being said, if you are ready, I would like to begin with some easy, basic questions. It's mainly just for you to get a feel for how our sessions will go."

Evan nodded again.

"Where do you live?"

"Um..." Technically, Evan lived on his college campus, but he didn't know if Dr. Kirsche was referring to his actual home, which was his mother's house. He just responded with his first thought. "I live in a dorm at Princeton."

"How long have you lived there?"

"About seven months, I think."

"Does anyone live with you, like a roommate?"

"My boyfriend Jonathan. He's a student as well."

"Would you classify your accommodation as 'stable'?"

The Asian gulped. "I-I guess so."

"Where did you live before you went to college?"

"I lived with my mother and my ex-step-dad."

"How were your relationships with them?"

Evan thought about how to word it all. "Well my mom and I are really close, but my ex-step-dad and I didn't get along too well."

Dr. Kirsche looked up from her writing; she switched which leg was crossed over the other. "Why not?"

"I don't feel comfortable answering that..." Evan whispered nervously. He didn't want Dr. Kirsche to get frustrated or upset, but he didn't like talking about Ronan.

To Evan's surprise, the therapist just continued to smile and nod. "Okay. That's okay. Thank you for letting me know." She wrote something down. "Are there any problems at either of your homes that worry you?"

"No, not really." Come to think of it, Evan and Jonathan had never really gotten into a fight before. Minor arguments, maybe, but nothing serious or concerning. Same thing applies to his mother.

More nodding. "Do you feel okay and safe at your dorm?"

Considering what happened with Luke, Evan really had to thing about that. "I used to, but not so much anymore."

Dr. Kirsche didn't ask what he meant by that and that surprised Evan, but it also relieved him because he wasn't ready to talk about... what happened in New York. Instead, she just closed her notebook and uncrossed her legs.

"That's it for today. Easy, right?"

"I guess so," Evan shrugged.

"You're in good hands, Evan, I promise," Dr. Kirsche laughed. "I think I recall you saying you came with your boyfriend...?"

"Y-Yeah, why?"

"Is it okay if I talk to him?"

"I-I suppose."

They both stood up and Dr. Kirsche put her hand on Evan's shoulder.

"Don't worry," she smiled, "confidentiality, remember?"

He nodded and they walked out of the room together. Jonathan immediately jumped up when he saw his boyfriend return to the waiting area. They hugged and then Evan told him that the therapist wanted to speak to him.

"Okay. We'll leave right after, okay?"

"Okay."

Evan walked away so they could talk privately. He sat down where Jonathan just had and looked around. He saw a girl by herself reading a book. She seemed to possibly be Evan's age based on her features, but of course he couldn't be for sure.

"Hey. Ready?"

Jonathan's suddenly loud voice caught Evan's and the girl's attention.

"Uh, yeah."

Evan got up and the couple began to make their way out; not before the girl locked eyes with him first. She waved timidly and he smiled back.

"Aurora Emerson?"

Dr. Kirsche called out the name and the reading girl rose to her feet, carrying her book with her to the back.

When they got outside, Evan began to wonder why he was so appalled by that girl. Her name was beautiful, yet also somewhat familiar somehow. A childhood friend, perhaps? Maybe. He didn't think too much further on the matter. Instead, he thought about the book she had been reading.

"So how was it?"

The clicking of seatbelts filled the car as it turned on, along with the radio, which provided background noise.

"Good, I guess. I don't know."

Jonathan smiled and started to talk about dinner ideas while Evan simply watched the view go by.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, the cover of the book had read.