The Truth In My Lies

10

MADISON

DR. JACKSON'S office is a thirty-minute drive out of the city. I don't really mind the drive considering how good of a therapist she is. Sometimes she asks questions that challenge me and I don't want to answer them, but the sign on her office door says, "We don't grow when things are easy. We grow when we face challenges." I guess that's true.

Another thing about Dr. Jackson is that she is obsessed with cats. Her whole office is decorated with cat paraphernalia. She has small stuffed animal cats, glass cats, statues of cats, and she has pictures of her holding her cats on her desk. Take a shot every time I said cats.

Despite her cat obsession, she's the best therapist I've been to. Well, I've only been to three, but she's been the best. She's very open-minded and has a positive aura around her.

When I knock on her office door, she calls, "Come in!"

I open the door and step inside. Her office smells like cinnamon today. She's sitting behind her desk, her red curly hair tied into a loose bun with tendrils falling down to frame her face.

"Good afternoon, Madison. Just take a seat and I'll be right there." She nods to the leather couch against the wall. She usually sits in the recliner a few feet away.

The leather is cracked in a few places, but I know she keeps this couch clean. There's a case of disinfectant wipes in the corner of her room and she once told me she wipes her office down every time her patient leaves.

Dr. Jackson grabs her notebook and a pen before she takes her seat in the recliner. Today she's wearing a white blouse with black dress pants. It's funny how often she changes up her style. Last session she wore a bubblegum pink long skirt.

"How have you been since our last meeting?" She smiles. Her voice is very soothing. I told her one time she should consider recording audio books.

"I've been okay. I finally met Andrew's roommate. He's not my favorite person, but he's manageable." Last time I was here, I had yet to meet Kaiden.

"Why is not your favorite person?"

I think for a second. "He's just not. He's very arrogant and annoying. I can put up with him for Andrew's sake, but I couldn't live with him."

"Hm, well if you could wave a magic wand and make him perfect, what changes would you make?"

I hate this question. She always asks this whenever I tell her I don't like someone.

I fiddle with the hem of my shirt. "I would make him less arrogant, nicer, more respectful."

He should be more respectful to Alyssa, but she should be more respectful to him as well.

"More respectful? What do you mean by that?"

"He cheats on his girlfriend, but she cheats on him as well. It's just a very messy situation." I sigh. I don't want to tell her I kissed him, but she's here to help me sort through my problems. "And I kissed him when I was high out of my mind."

She looks up at me from her thick rimmed glasses. "You kissed him? When you were high? When did you start doing drugs?"

I shake my head. "I smoked some weed. I don't use regularly. This was my first time."

She nods. "I see. So, do you believe the high is what made you attracted to him? Or were you attracted to him beforehand?"

"I've found Kaiden attractive from the second I met him but wouldn't say I was attracted to him. There's a difference, right?" I look at her for reassurance.