A relationship between an internationally praised athlete and a straight A student who hates any kind of attention is bound to go wrong. But these two college students don't care about the odds.
While Link works hard on recovering from a traumatic...
I stop to watch them for a moment. Preseason tryouts ended last week and the new team has been selected. I spot a mix of familiar faces and some newbies I've never seen before. Part of me wants to be one of them, part of me never wants to touch a soccer ball again.
I watch as one of the rookies makes a blunder. The pass he attempts is way off the mark, angle and timing messed up. A through ball would've been the way to go there. Shit, it's like I'm coaching in my head, even though I'm not in the game anymore.
I pull the hood over my head, keep my hands in my pockets, and keep walking. I don't want to get recognized. I'm not ready to get bombarded with questions about my career. Or my messed up face.
When I arrive at the counseling building, the lady at the reception makes me fill out a form. It starts off with my personal information and at the bottom it asks me for my reason for referral. I check a couple boxes:
☐ Bullying ☐ Stress ☐ PTSD ☐ Sexual violence ☐ Mental disorder ☒ Aggression ☐ Absences ☐ Grief and loss ☐ Sexual orientation ☐ Gender Identity ☒ Offense/felony ☐ Depression ☒ Academics ☐ Family concerns ☐ Peer relationships ☐ Pregnancy ☐ Anxiety ☒ Career/Degree uncertainty ☒ Finances ☐ Homelessness ☐ Self Harm ☐ Health issues ☒ Drugs/Alcohol ☐ Relationship
I almost check the last box too, but I think this is plenty to discuss for now. I'm here because of the fight with Karusa, not Zelda.
I hand the form back to the receptionist and she tells me to take a seat and wait.
I take a seat and I wait.
I guess I can use the time to clear out the flood of notifications on my phone that's been building up since Saturday.
43 new messages in the fraternity group chat, 99+ Instagram notifications, 9+ Snaps, 4 score updates from games I missed, 2 game reminders for games I haven't missed yet, and the fantasy football preseason updates.
I skim the group chat even though I'm not in the fraternity anymore. I also delete the Instagram notifications because I'm not really active at the moment.
"Link Miyamoto," the receptionist calls my name. "Dr. Deku is ready for you." I get up and she points me down the hall. "Third door on the left, hun."
I walk down the hall feeling a bit out of place. I've never seen counseling or therapy. Except physical therapy.
The door is open, so I sneak a peek into the room before I step in. The place is a jungle. Plants everywhere, like I got lost in the woods. There's a giant bookshelf taking up a whole wall, stacked with a bazillion old, dusty books and more plants and figures. Sunlight's streaming in, like a disco for specks of dust floating around. Right in the middle of it all, there's this green rug, a brown couch, and a triangle shaped stone coffee table with a tall scented candle. It's got a cozy vibe, not at all what I expected from a counseling office.
I knock on the door and introduce myself even though he's expecting me already.
The man sitting in the chair looks ancient, with bushy eyebrows and a white mustache. His eyes smile up at me, instantly calming me in a mysterious way. "Hello Link, please come in and have a seat." He sounds as if he just woke up from a long slumber, but somehow that's relaxing to me.
I do as he says and wait for his next command because I have no idea how to approach this.
"My name is Dr. Deku, and I'll be here to help you navigate through the challenges you're facing. Today was the first day of the new semester, how are you feeling?"
"Good," I lie. Not sure why I'm lying. Guess it's sort of an instinct to answer that question with 'good'.
"What year are you in now?"
"I'm a junior."
"Halfway there," the doc nods. "Are you excited to graduate?"
"I guess."
He nods again and takes a look at the paper in front of him. "Let's start by addressing the reason you're here. I see there was an incident on the baseball field that led to a fight. Can you tell me more about what happened and how you're feeling about it now?"
"Don't you already know?" I ask. "It was all over the news for months. This guy-Karusa-he started to provoke me and said some things about my girlfriend that triggered me to throw a punch. He broke my leg and everything went red from there. I don't remember what happened next but I know I ended up in a coma, having to learn how to walk again. I lost my career and scholarship, disappointed everyone around me and gave the school a bad reputation, meanwhile the other guy got away with a couple of minor bruises and a suspension from playing baseball for the rest of the season... I don't necessarily feel great about it, you know?"
Dr. Deku listens to every word before he answers. "I understand that this was a highly publicized incident, and I do have some background information. However, I'm here to hear your perspective and how you're processing everything. It sounds like there were strong emotions involved, and it's completely natural to have mixed feelings about the situation. Let's explore your feelings and reactions. For instance, are you experiencing guilt, regret, anger, or any other emotions related to this event?"
"Yes. I feel guilty for making the school look bad, and for disappointing my fans and family that day. But I don't feel guilty for hurting Karusa. And sometimes it makes me wonder if that makes me a bad person."
"People make mistakes, and it doesn't necessarily define your entire character. What's essential is acknowledging what happened, taking responsibility for your actions, and working towards personal growth and self-improvement."
"It wasn't just a one time thing though... Karusa and his friends have been harassing me for years. That was all fine until they started to attack my girlfriend too. This," I point at my bruised face, "is from a recent fight with Karusa. I don't even know how it happened, I didn't have any control over myself. I'm scared that my actions will hurt the people I care about."
"Feeling threatened and provoked over an extended period can certainly take a toll on anyone's mental and emotional well-being. But you're right, it's concerning that you've felt like you've lost control in these situations. In our sessions, we can work on strategies to manage your anger and emotional responses, as well as help you find ways to protect yourself and your loved ones without resorting to violence. Does that sound like a direction you'd be willing to explore?"
"Yes," I say and I mean it. "I want to be better for my girlfriend."
"That's a positive step forward, and I commend your willingness to work on improving yourself for the sake of your relationship. Is there anything specific you'd like to discuss right now regarding this process?"
"Actually, there is one thing I could use some help with."
"Of course," he says kindly. "I'm here to help you."
"I don't know if you know this, but the girl I'm dating is Zelda Hyrule," I start and he nods, either to tell me he's listening or that he did already know that. "Well, tonight I'm going over to her house to deal with a difficult situation. She doesn't know yet... But, yeah... I'm kinda nervous, I guess, because I don't know how to handle it. I'm scared that I'll mess it all up. Do you think you could help me find the best approach?"
"Feel free to share the situation you are dealing with, and we can explore it together."
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