Beyond the Reasons || JUSTIN FOLEY

Four

JENSEN HOUSEHOLD
IMOGEN'S POV

"You expect us to believe you got that from an accident in gym class?" Dad asked Clay. His face was completely bruised because that football player beat the absolute shit out of him. I don't know why Clay picked that fight. I could hear them bugging Estella about wearing Monty's jersey and you could tell that she really didn't want to.

"I have really bad hand-eye coordination. You know this." Clay said. We were all around the table, eating dinner together, and I was just enjoying the entertainment.

"Justin, Imogen, were you two present for this sports-related injury?" Mom asked us.

"He got in a fight." Justin and I said at the same time.

"Guys!" Clay exclaimed as he looked at us.

"Who did you get in a fight with?" Dad asked.

"No one..." Clay said.

"A few guys on the football team," I answered. I could hear Clay drop his fork and he looked over at me and I just shrugged my shoulders. For him wanting to be the one to get our parents to trust him again, lying to their faces isn't a good way to start.

"Why?" Dad asked.

"It was nothing, stupid. I don't need anything." Clay said.

"Really? Nothing? Since when do you start the fight?" Justin asked and he made a good point. He did start it with those football players. Clay dropped his spoon in his bowl, hard and he got up and walked off from the dining room table. I rolled my eyes.

"He's being dramatic, he'll get over it."

―

DR. SHARPE'S OFFICE
THIRD PERSON'S POV

Imogen had switched therapists. Before she was also seeing Dr. Ellman, but after she came to terms with everything that happened with Bryce, she wanted a female therapist. She figured that someone of the same gender would understand where her emotional turmoil was coming from, even though Dr. Sharpe herself had never been assaulted. She was still speaking to another woman about things that happen to women, so she needed her understanding.

"After what happened... I gave up on all the dreams I had for myself, I stopped caring, and started having different kinds of dreams... and I thought those dreams went away, but now..." Imogen trailed off as she was thinking about what happened in the park with Jess and Ani.

"Are these dreams pertaining to your panic attacks? I remember when we met last year and you were having nightmares. Did you have another one?" She asked and Imogen shook her head.

"No... I mean, I've been having panic attacks on and off since freshman year... but those don't happen as often. And now... I think stress might be causing my panic attacks and nightmares to spill over into... Uh... I just don't want to lose control..." Imogen said.

"Lose control of?" Dr. Sharpe asked.

"Everything..." Imogen said.

"Does anyone ever have control of everything?" She asked and Imogen sighed.

"Okay... let me rephrase... I need to be in control of myself and I need to be calm." Imogen said. She tries hard not to think about Bryce and Monty because she knows it'll only add to her stress and to her guilt about what happened to both of them.

"Do you have any reasons to not be in control or calm?" Dr. Sharpe asked.

"Yeah, I do..." Imogen said.