I Think I Love You

Chapter 7: Mia

Chapter 7: Mia

Ouuff!!! Oh no! I almost dropped my phone! I look up to see that it's someone I know. Okay, I don't really know him. But who really knows anyone? For some reason, I'm surprised to see that it's Brayden. Of all people, I bump into him. He has a tall stature that's somewhat built so it felt like I bumped into a wall. After what happened in the library, seeing him feels forbidden, like we both share a secret no one knows but us. We're two survivors who weren't supposed to make it. I stare for a moment before deciding to say –

"Hey Brayden! Over here!", a voice motions him over, cutting my voice before I even get to speak.

Brayden nods his head up in acknowledgement, giving me one look before walking away. He gives me a smile that somewhat looks confused– the one where you press your lips together when you pass by a stranger. I mean I guess that's what we technically are to one another. We never really spoke.

Just then, I get another buzz from my phone, remembering that I was halfway through sending Mac a text. He's been texting me all day to see how I'm doing. Actually, he's been texting me non-stop since it happened. He heard about it all over Instagram and Twitter and thought the worst when he hadn't heard from me when it happened. But I didn't have my phone on me at the time. I didn't mean to make him worry so much. Every hour or so he'd ask how I'm doing. Right beside dad and Abuela worrying about my safety, is Mac. One time, when we were kids, we were riding our bikes downhill and I fell over and scraped my knee. He jumped off his bike and rushed over like a junior paramedic. He cleaned off my scrape with some water and used his flannel shirt to wrap my knee. He's always been that guy and it's partly why I fell for him. He's always made me feel secure.

buzz

Mac: I hope your appointment with the counsellor goes well. I trust they might be able to help you work it through.

buzz

Mac: I'll see you later before dinner?

Mia: Thanks Mac <3

Mia: Yup, I'll see you later today

I send him one last text before putting my phone away. Ever since the shooting, everyone has constantly been checking up on me and so when I heard that Forest Glade High was going to be offering online courses for students to finish their classes, I knew I couldn't take the offer. I have to be away for parts of the day to have some space. I love Abuela and Mac, but I don't want them to feel like they have to worry about me every second; staying home would be a sign to them as a call for help, so going to school is my little break. The texts, I can handle. Part of me wants to forget that the shooting ever happened so that we can all go back to our normal lives, but that won't happen since everyone else seems to remember it like yesterday. It's been about a week, and I don't think anyone will forget any time soon.

"Mia? Hi, it's nice to see you", a young woman with long brown hair calls me to join her in her office. She's one of the newest psychologists that the school hired for counselling. Mr. Donald said that these sessions will be ongoing for students, I suspect until the end of the year. They're especially keen on getting students and staff who have been directly affected by the shooting. Since I was one of the students in the library, that makes me someone to watch. I'm not necessarily opposed to these sessions, but I've also never thought to get counselling before. For the most part, I can deal with it on my own. When I'm having a bad day, I usually pick up the brush and start painting, whatever comes to mind, with whatever colours I have at the time.

"I'm Dr. Patel and I'm here to offer support during this time", she says warmly with a smile. She doesn't ask me to recall any events, which I'm quite thankful for since everyone else has been asking me for details about the shooting. Re-telling the events drags me back into a place I'm not ready to visit so soon. For the next half hour, she asks me about how I'm feeling and what I've been doing to take care of myself.