The Fall

Chapter 22

Sage, 1 week later

"Sage, come on in." Dr. Lawrence beams from behind her desk. I smile, my hands in the back pockets of my jean shorts. I've been at Hillcrest over two weeks and already I feel stronger than before. I take a seat on the plush leather couch and slide my shoes off, tucking my legs underneath me.

"When we last spoke, you mentioned a shift in your relationship with your parents?" She probes, her blue eyes searching my face. I swallow and bite my lip, remembering those last few days with my parents since I woke up. "Yeah.. it's been strange," I sigh and cross my legs, sitting Indian style. "Mom was super attentive and maybe a little nervous since I've woken up."

"And how does that make you feel?" Dr. Lawrence asks and I shrug, not entirely sure how I feel about it. I've been vlogging and journaling a lot since I've been at Hillcrest and all of this... This freedom to express my own feelings is still foreign to me. "It's strange and a little uncomfortable." I confess, chewing on my lip and toying with the braid, Kara, my roommate, did for me.

"Perhaps it's uncomfortable because you've spent so much time creating this distance between you two that any form of affection causes discomfort," Dr. Lawrence suggests and my brows raise in surprise, "I never thought of it like that." I scrunch my nose up and try to remember the last time I felt that strong emotional connection with my mother. Dr. Lawrence, ever so insightful, asks the very question I dread. "When did your relationship become so distant, Sage?"

My mind flashed back to that day I found Mom and Anthony kissing in the kitchen and the fact that she manipulated me into keeping her affair from my father. "I was ten and at the time my mother was very involved with..." I swallowed the lump in my throat, the anger and pain bubbling to the surface and my nails were digging into the exposed skin on my thighs, making me regret wearing shorts to this session. "Anyway, I found out my mother was a liar and shortly after that I'd discovered the same thing about my father."

Dr. Lawrence frowns, her gaze sweeping over me slowly, most likely picking apart the way I quickly dismiss this particular topic as I've always done whenever she wants to talk about Anthony. "You felt betrayed by your parents indiscretions." She states and I shuffle as unease prickles through my body. I shift my gaze to the large windows to the left of the room. It was a beautiful day out and even though the forecast calls for snow this weekend, I was able to get out to the stable to spend time with the horses and I smile as I recall the feeling of riding again. "Ah, I see I've lost you, Sage." Dr. Lawrence chuckles and the tension lightens in the room. "Mason tells me you've taking quite a liking to Shadow."

I grin thinking of the black haired beauty, who absolutely refuses to let anyone ride him, much like my Chestnut. "Dr. Lo, he's just misunderstood and requires patience and trustworthiness." Her eyes brighten as she nods and braces her chin on her hand. "I see you both have that in common. I'm glad that you will both be able to teach each other those things." Her gaze shifts to the timer on her desk as the warning bell dings. "Before we wrap up today, I would like you to record a conversation you'd have with your ten year old self. Go back to that moment with your mother and how you felt. You can write it down or vlog it and we'll discuss that in our next session."

Taking my legs from underneath me, I stand and stretch before sticking my feet into my slides. "Same time next week, Dr. Lo?" She points at me and her brows furrow, "I'd better not hear you skipping group again this week, Sage." I salute her on my way out the door just as Georgia, a tall, skinny, bottle blonde with green eyes barges by me as if I wasn't there. "Get the fuck out of my way, coke whore."

"Charming as always, Georgia." I mumble and close the door behind me. Before I could make it down towards the dining hall, I stop in my tracks at the three figures blocking the hallway. I resist the eye roll as Preston, his twin sister, Presley and Preston's roommate Holden stand shoulder to shoulder.

"What's up guys?" I keep the annoyance out of my tone. I shift my gaze to each of them and nod at Holden. "How's it going, Hol,?" I knew Holden from his days at Penhaven Academy when he was in the same year as Kyle. His steel gray eyes drop down my body with an odd familiarity and something in me freezes. I try to do a mental check if I've ever fucked this guy because the way he's looking at me makes me think he's seen me naked at least.

"You know the drill, coke whore. Pay the fee or forfeit meal time." Presley grins her dark hair fuller and shinier due to my last payment in the form of my shampoo, conditioner and hair oil. Her brother chuckles as he too, leers at my body, his gaze stopping on my tits and bare thighs and he licks his lips. "Come on, Pres. I'm sure princess over here is running low on stuff because you keep confiscating them." He glances at Holden, who's full on smirking now. "Perhaps we can come up with another way the princess can pay?"

I swallow hard, my pulse racing as I clench my fists at my sides. Most of my belongings have either been used as currency for access to the dinning hall, rec room and even the stables and that particular fee I paid often. "I don't have anything else to give you." Presley's green eyes flashes with malice and her grin is downright wicked as it mirrors the one her twin brother is wearing. I shift my gaze to Holden, who's golden boy looks could rival Hunter's and his muscular arms fold over his chest. "Come on, Sage, I seem to recall you being all about having a good time."

"I don't know what you heard, but I'm not that girl and I sure as fuck am not about to do what you're suggesting." I turn on my heel just as a hand grasp my wrist and yanks me into a wall of solid muscle. "Let go of me!" Preston tsks in my ear as his grip tightens and his nose grazes my neck. "I was trying to be nice, Henderson. You know people talk about you like you're a legend among addicts." Bile rises in my throat as he licks the side of my neck. "Some say you trade sex for favors while others say you get so loaded you don't care who's fucking you sideways."

Before I could respond, a high pitched scream fills the hallway and I'm shoved into the opposite wall. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" My roommate, Lindsey screeches as she storms toward us, her fist cocked back. Presley rolls her eyes and nudges her brother before holding her hand up to halt Lindsey's rampage. "Calm the fuck down, Pyro. The coke whore needs to pay her entry fee or no mealtime. You know the rules."

"Fucking street urchins!" Lindsey dug through her bag and pulled out a suspiciously sealed bag of chips and tossed them at Presley, who caught them without so much as breaking eye contact with us. "That cover it, Pres? Or do I need to take you back to my room and fuck it out of you?" Lindsey stepped beside me and threw her good arm around me. I'd heard the whispers about exactly how she'd earned the name Pyro, but never directly asked her. I nudge Lindsey and shake my head, dismissing her display, "Linds, it's not worth it."

"Shut it, Sage. It seems as though Presley forgot how good I make her pussy sing whenever she needs a fix." She smirks as Presley flushes from her neck to her face. "I thought I told you to keep your scarred fingers away from my sister." Preston narrows his green eyes and sneers at Lindsey before glancing behind him as a staff member wanders toward us. "Let her pass, Pres. But that favor we discussed will be happening soon, princess." He chuckles as he rakes his short dark hair and turns away.

"For the record, whore, this doesn't earn you rec privileges." Presley sneers as she strides behind her brother. Holden, however, licks his lips as he gazes down my body and I shudder, unease creeping through my body. "See that sweet little ass soon, Sage. If I were you, I'd take us up on that offer." He whistles with his hands jammed in the pockets of his expensive jeans as he walks down the hall.

I turn to Lindsey, who slings her bag over her shoulder and links her arm through mine and sighs, "Those psycho twins have been terrorizing this place since my first stint here. One day someone's bound to fuck them up...or light their ass on fire." She laughs darkly as we walk to the dinning hall.