Group Therapy

28 - IED.

"Be more sepcific, will you?" he says, running his fingers through his wet hair.

"For starters, you need anger management."

Then everything fell silent.

I'd expected him to have a cocky reply for that, but when l saw the serious look on his face something didn't feel right...

"D-"

"l have IED." he blurts out "You probably don't even know what that is..."

"Intermittent Explosive Disorder... " l mumble, unsure of how to react.

"Yeah... " he mutters, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?" he asks.

"l.. I'm sorry?"

Sorry?? Seriously Laynie!!??

Hopefully my brain decides to cooperate with me more next time.

A small smile tugs at his lips before he brusts out in laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" I chuckle along with him.

You dumbass, he's laughing at you.

"Sorry?? Your social skills are non existant Laynie."

I blow out a huge sigh, l definitely didn't expect him to laugh but I'm glad his reaction was just laughter.

Once he sobers up from his laughing fit, there's a minute of silence before he says "I'm assuming since you know what it is you also know that it has no cure. Therapy can help with dealing with the symptoms but can't cure it."

"Why don't you go to a private therapist then?" l ask.

"l stopped going a few weeks ago."

I want to ask why but l know it's not my place to do so; if he wants to tell me he will.

"But please Laynie, stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I'm some sort of monster." he answers.

"It's not your fault that l look at you like that. I'm sorry, I can't really help it."

"What do you mean?" he glances over at me.

"Yelling, violence, anything that associates with anger in general can send me into a full blown panic attack. So naturally when I sense the slightest hint of anger in someone it scares me away." l explain.

"Why..?" he asks hesitantly.

"Well... Let's just say anger brings back flashbacks of not-so-great memories." l laugh, almost painfully.

We're both visibly uncomfortable so l decide to change the subject

"But anyway, l don't care if you have IED or PTSD or whatever other mental illness, you have to promise me that you'll stop messing with my head like that. I want to get to know you, the you."

Never in a million years did l think l would be saying that to Ryder Max Stone himself.

He nods slowly, almost as if doubting whether or not he should do this.

"Need a ride home?" l ask.

He shifts uncomfortably in his seat before saying "Nah, I'm good."

So much for saying thank you huh?

"Do you even have a car?" l ask, raising an eyebrow.

I mean sure, he's rich and all but i don't think I've ever seen him in a car before.

"l have a motorcycle." he smirks.

My mind immediately pictures him on a black motorcycle looking like a snacc.

Wait, what the fuck is wrong with me? When did l start thinking Ryder is hot??

I shake the thoughts away as soon as I realize I'm having them.

"You obviously can't ride that in such weather." l state the obvious.

"Watch me." he opens the passenger door and climbs out of my car.

Almost immediately rain starts pouring onto the ground of the car, the sound of the thunder striking three times louder.

"Ryder I'm serious! Do you even know how dangerous this is?!" l yell after him.

He bends down to meet my eye level and yells over the loud noise of the thunderstorm "So am I! And yeah, I do. That's the fun part! " before slamming the door shut.

"Asshole!" l call after him despite knowing he can't hear me.

I watch him through my windshield as he runs over to his red and black 2019 Harley Davidson FLHXSE CVO Street Glide Special and hops on it before strapping his black helmet on and speeding away.

I know what that is thanks to my weird motorcycle phase in 7th grade.

° ° ° °

Hey babes, so ryder and laynie know each other a little better now!! I'll let you guess why Ryder has IED.

If you didn't already know; Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is an impulse-control disorder characterized by sudden episodes of unwarranted anger. The disorder is typified by hostility, impulsivity, and recurrent aggressive outbursts. People with IED essentially “explode” into a rage despite a lack of apparent provocation or reason.
The exact cause of the disorder is unknown, but it's probably caused by a number of environmental and biological factors. Environment. Most people with this disorder grew up in families where explosive behavior and verbal and physical abuse were common.

- Google

° ° °

Ryder's wheels :

Just imagine Ryder on that babe, A full on snacc. Lmao sorry not sorry.

Also I'm really sorry this chapter is shitter than the rest, I've been having constant headaches lately and focusing on anything for a long time makes it worse so l can't write for long :/

But for those of you who made it this far; y'all are legends.

Lots of love to all you beautiful souls, Sera xxx 🖤 🖤 🖤