Discovery. Flower Crowns And Stars Prequel

Chapter 15

I'm so tired

"Hello, I'm Zoe! I will be your therapist!" Zoe chirped, smiling brightly. She, over all, looked very friendly. Her clothing choice was bright and optimistic, obviously representing her personality. Her sparkly eyes were filled with generosity and her cheerful smile showed off her
perfect white teeth. Dan didn't exactly mind that she as overly kind but he still didn't plan on saying a word to her. "How are you?" Zoe asked in her sickeningly sweet (like honey) voice. Dan shrugged. "Come on, the whole reason why I'm here is because you need to talk about your problems. If you don't talk, what's the point in you coming here?" When Dan didn't respond, Zoe sighed, clicking the pen in her hand. "Dan, lots of people come to me with problems similar to yours, I won't judge you."

"That's not what I'm scared of." Dan's voice was quiet and almost inaudible but it was there. Progress.

"Then what are you scared of?"

That was a good question... what was Dan afraid of? Being treated differently? Standing out? He wasn't entirely sure but he was scared, petrified even. He would probably be less frightened if he was standing in a room full of his biggest fears. Perhaps his terror was based off of a combination of things.

"A lot of things." Dan ended up replying, avoiding Zoe's gaze.

"Yes? Like what? The first step to conquering fears is to admit what you're afraid of."

"Well, I'll be judged for one and I''ll stand out."

"Why would you be judged? Many teenagers are going through similar things to you so how can they judge? As for standing out, everything you say is strictly kept between us. It's confidential."

"So no one needs to know?"

"No. Dan, we can get through this, okay? Just take a deep breath and stay optimistic."

"Trust me, I'm trying."

"Trying is the start of your recovery. Now, tell me, why did you decide to see me today?"

"My parents."

"Did they force you to come here?" Zoe jotted something down in her mini notebook as Dan nodded. "Why do you think they made you come here?"

"They were worried about me." Dan diverted his gaze down to his lap, suddenly embarrassed.

"Why?"

"There was an incident at school and I've had a couple of breakdowns throughout the last couple of months."

Zoe nodded and suddenly Dan wasn't sure why he was saying all he had just said. He was meant to be secluded! No one was meant to know his secrets and he most definitely wasn't meant to be sitting in front of a therapist, talking about his problems. That was a big NO in Dan's books.

Yet, he couldn't help but already feel a little better: he had nothing to hide anymore.