𝑇𝐻𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝐷𝐸𝑀𝑂𝑁𝑆

x 20 x

x DEMON x

We sat in the counselor's office, Laura's leg pressed against mine in the tight office space, our backs screaming from the uncomfortable wooden chairs.

"And I trust you two are getting along well?" Mrs. Seabarn asked as she typed some more things into her computer. Everything she had asked us so far had been standard and basically the same question repeated several different ways, in my opinion.

"Yes ma'am," Laura and I answered monotonously.

"And have you two been having any conflicts?"

Laura's eyes snapped to my face. Mrs. Seabarn remained focused on her computer. I shrugged at Laura. "No ma'am."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Seabarn peered in between us. "Remember the warning I gave you about your behavior with Khloe from Wednesday?" Laura glowered at her hands and some part of me found myself feeling bad. Maybe I shouldn't have taken my petty rage to the counselor. Laura could get in serious trouble and be kicked out of Northwest.

The smarter part of me, my more analytical side told me that would be a win-win for me and the trio because then Laura couldn't be here to tell our secrets. "Yes ma'am," Laura answered tightly.

"We realized that we had a simple misunderstanding," I state, trying to make this a bit better for Laura, "I misinterpreted her...tone for angry," I lied.

"That is quite easy to do," Mrs. Seabarn nodded.

Laura and I shared a look at the counselor's words.

"Well, that will be all for our session today. Anything you need to speak with me about in private?" Mrs. Seabarn asked Laura. She shook her head, standing up. "No ma'am." She suddenly looked and sounded much more tired than earlier. Did I cause this?

I followed Laura out of the office area after she waved at the attendance dude. I don't think anybody really even knew his name. "I'm sorry, for getting you in trouble," I say genuinely.

Laura sighed. "It just means I have to work twice as hard to keep up my good behavior."

"Is that hard for you?" I asked, a little smile on my lips. Laura seemed to be stuck in a memory. In her past, for a moment. "For as long as I knew, my anger has burned inside of me. Ever since my sister graduated high school and her life fell to pieces," she stared down at her shoes, "my life crumbled down after hers."

"What happened with your sister? You said she was sick?" I ask, remembering her words from when we first met.

"She's not actually sick. Not in the way that you probably think," Laura sighed. "She's being held at a mental health facility," she shrugged, "and all of my family seems to believe that I'll turn out like her. After all, I'm taking the same path in life that she did." Laura grimaced. "Don't know why I'm telling you this. You'll probably just use it against me later on."

"I won't," I promised, staring into her brown eyes. She giggled, looking away from me. "Why did you look so serious? It was adorable."

"You thought I was adorable?" I smirked.

"Shut up," she snapped, rolling her eyes.

"You can make your own path in life. You're not destined to end up like somebody else one hundred percent of the time if you take the same path as them in life. If that was the case, we'd all be millionaires," I grinned.

"But what about that 99.999% chance?" she asked solemnly. "What all happened before she ended up where she did?" I ask curiously. "I- I don't want to talk about this anymore," Laura whispered, then blushed, "Sorry, it's just a rough subject for me."

"No. It's fine," I turned her towards me, stopping our pursuit towards the parking lot, "I understand a lot more than you think."

Laura looked down at our hands. I hadn't even realized I had grabbed hers. "What- I don't understand," she mumbled.

"Me neither," I whispered back.

"Laura?"

We both looked up, quickly pulling our hands away from each other. It was one of Laura's friends from choir. Rhi, I believe? "Hey, Rhi," Laura said, then glanced over at me, as if to ask if she could talk to them. I knew the rules I had set down to keep the trio's secret safe, but I also can't keep Laura from living her life.

"Hey, Laura. Can...I talk to you?" Rhi asked.

I nodded at Laura and started walking away in the opposite direction. "Just text me when you're ready to go home," I told her, not looking back.

"Thank you...Khloe," she called out gently.