Healing Myself

Knowing the girls

Now that I have mentioned the word group, let me tell you exactly how I know this one.

Danielle was the first girl my parents introduced me to be friends with. She was a girl and lived nearby, and was only a year older than me, so she fit the criteria of being a friend. An unknowingly wrong move on my parents’ part, although I am thankful for it. Danielle was 13 and a little more aware of her “preferences”, if you know what I mean. 2 months into our friendship and she had kissed me, a little too close to my mouth to be friendly. It was then I realized exactly how she thought of me. And then I fainted.

It wasn’t as much the shock of the realization as I had hoped it would be. My parents had taken me to Dr. Phil first, and then to Lily, my regular psychologist that I saw for my nightmares and triggers. All the questions she had asked me made me realize I wasn’t okay with touching girls, because what had happened with my step-mother and half-sister had triggered something in me. A protective instinct, she had said, my subconscious had activated to prevent such treatment in the future. We had worked on it a lot, though, and now I was much better than I used to be.

Danielle and I remained friends after that, but with a lot less touchy-feely. She’s also my link with Karen, although I used to be the link between them. Karen and I had met in P. E. class in freshman year, she was a new student back then, and I had invited her to have lunch with us.

She had dated boys for exactly 2 months, a new boy each of those months, before she’d told us that guys weren’t her thing. After that announcement, it didn’t take long for the two of them to get together. Danielle and Karen are different in practically every possible way, but that also allows them to compliment each other in a lot of departments, so I don’t see the two of them breaking up anytime soon.

Lake, who was in the bathroom freshening up during our little meet and greet, comes back and sits beside me on the love seat. She was someone I had been taken to be friends with, after she was rescued from her ‘home’. It was convenient, really. She was uncomfortable with boys and I couldn’t touch girls. I had probably been happier to meet her than she was to meet me, because I could actually touch her without feeling like a bunch of ants were crawling all over my skin.

“Ok guys, I don’t know about any of you, but I am starving.” Lake speaks up."Carla, if you would be so kind.” she says, gesturing toward the baking tray filled with sliders, that sat on the countertop of the small kitchenette their apartment had. Again, surprise, I had never seen the countertop so clean before. No grease, no stains and no takeout boxes.

Carla’s narrowed eyes were visible even as she stood in the kitchen and was obviously taking out plates from the cabinets. The girl liked to be in control, that much was obvious.

Carla was an addition that came barreling into our lives almost a year and a half ago. Her family’s business had gone bankrupt and both of her parents had turned to alcohol. She had been the one to do the parenting after that, but once her father had thrown a vase at her in a drunken stupor and even as her mother tried to help her, she was barely conscious because of the amount of liquor in her system.

Carla wasn’t like Lake or I, she had known when to act, and had approached the authorities. Guess what? Just like always, an Academy member had very conveniently been there and had offered to help. She hadn’t wanted to leave her family though, up until what happened they had been the perfect parents, and she believed that they could go back to who they used to be. Clearly, that didn’t work out as I had come to know just about an hour ago that she had been kicked out.

Meanwhile, Carla had come to join us and was now sitting on the single armchair in the room. The slider tray and plates were on the table in front of us, and Lake was already picking up the plate and putting the sliders on it. Danielle looked at the amount on her plate with wide eyes. “Where does all of this stuff go?” she asks as she looks her over. Lake just gives her a bored look and takes a bite. Danielle pouts and Karen whispers something to her that sounds like “It’s okay, babe”.

It’s times like these when I want to wish away my superhuman hearing. It’s a great plus, I have never doubted that, but it doesn’t sit well with me that sometimes I unconsciously hear things people wouldn’t want me to know. And even though what just passed between the two girls sitting side by side on the couch wasn’t something extremely private, the whispered words tell me that they weren’t meant for me.

Lake’s about to take another bite when she looks at all of us. “What are you waiting for? Eat.”

It seems as if that was the cue we’d been waiting for as Karen goes ahead and begins to add food to her plate. We all follow suit and that is when the question from Lake strikes.

“So, about that long story?”

She emphasizes the word long, looking at me meaningfully. I guess I had it coming, although I had been hoping the question would get lost somewhere in tonight’s talks. I didn’t see any harm in telling them though, and it would divert the topic from where it had been going a few moments ago, so I was up for it. I leaned a little forward, and began recalling the encounter that would no doubt bring upon a string of questions.

“So, while I was getting some sweets at the store, this guy…..”

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