You're The Reason | Scott McCall [ 1 ]

46. That Night

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
THAT NIGHT

||||||||

"Is this really necessary?"

"The police found you with an arrow in your back."

"So, that results into a therapy session?"

"I am a counselor, Anabelle."

"The term counselor is always used interchangeably with therapist. So, yeah, this seems like therapy."

"Would therapy be the wrong result for what happened? You're here to release all of your feelings on that night. So, release them."

That night.

That seemed to be the only viable name for what happened a few nights ago. I will always remember it as that night. That night that we were held at gunpoint by one of our classmates, my brother and my boyfriend were shot in front of me, and one of my best girl-friends shot with me an arrow, making me fall to immediate unconsciousness. Ms. Morrell leaned forward in her seat, her insightful brown eyes on me. I was looking down at my fingers, trying not to choke up as I thought about what happened while playing with them.

"Anabelle, you haven't done what I've told you to."

I snapped my head up with daring eyebrows, "I don't have to listen to you."

"We have a lot of minutes left", she checked her watch and leaned back with a tired sigh, "Either you speak or we continue to sit here in an uncomfortable silence."

"Who's going to stop me if I get up and leave this stupid session right now?"

"That's it, Anabelle", a proud grin spread across her face, "Let all of that pent up anger out about that night. Let it all out."

"I'm not letting out anger about that night", I shot down her excitement, "I'm just... mad that I have to do this."

"It's called post-traumatic stress disorder."

I stopped playing with my fingers in confusion, wondering what she was on about this time? "I'm not traumatized nor am I stressed–"

"You are angry. Post-traumatic stress disorder and anger often occur together. It's called a hyperarousal symptom."

"This is so stupid", I naively spewed out but I knew exactly what she was talking about.

"See", she innocently smiled, "You're stubbornness is correlating with the anger and the traumatic stress. You don't want to talk about that night because it hurts you."