OK NOW here's chapter 14 again, you don't have to reread this if you've already read it.
CARLOS PARKS THE car and the moment I look up my smile drops.
"This isn't Golden Corral," I take notice of the small building made up of brown and red bricks. Stephanie McFarlane, a sign on the white door reads. I narrow my eyes.
"Carlos," I start warily. "Where are we?"
"Let's go." He opens his door and gets out.
"Carlos," I murmur, watching him walk around the car and to my door, opening it. "Carlos."
"Come on, Sadie," he sighs sadly. I look at the building, then at him, feeling my stomach twist.
"Where are we?"
"Don't make me carry you in there." He gives me warning look.
"Where are we?" I press, refusing to get out until he gives me an answer. Until I know I won't hate this.
Carlos sighs, reaching over and unbuckling me before pulling me from the car.
"Carlos!" I squirm in his hold, trying to jump free as he drags me to the door. I feel like a child who's about to get shots.
"Trust me, I don't want to do this anymore than you do."
"Trust me, you're going to regret this!"
"We'll see about that." He closes the door, leaving us enclosed in a small room with a couch and two loveseats. Like a waiting room. It is a waiting room.
"Carlos, where are we?" I ask for the hundredth time. A white door opens, revealing a young lady with long black hair tied into a ballet bun.
"Carlos and Sadie Colby?" She looks between us. Peering past her and finding a warm red couch against a warm beige wall, an olive green love seat across from it, and a box of tissues on a coffee table, I begin to understand where we are.
"That's us." Carlos takes a step into the room and I roll my eyes. Well, who else would it be? We're the only people in here.
Carlos and I take a seat on the red couch while the woman sits on the olive green chair, crossing her legs and smiling at us.
"So, what brings you two here?" I raise my hand.
"I was kidnapped and— "
"We're having issues," Carlos states nonchalantly. I look at him, gaping.
"No, we're not." I shake my head, turning to look at the woman. "No we're not." The woman types something into her laptop before looking at Carlos.
"And what are those issues?"
"Sadie's insane." Carlos shrugs and I roll my eyes. Of course I am, I'm Sadie.
"Insane how?"
"Well, she..." Carlos pauses before looking at me with narrow eyes. He leans towards the woman. "She's always drinking wine."
"I am not— "
"She drinks it when I wake up, she drinks it when I get home, she drinks it in the middle of the night when she sneaks out of bed and doesn't think I know."
"And Sadie, would you agree?" They look at me. I cross my arms.
"Well, I..." I do drink wine a lot. "What's so wrong with drinking wine?"
"She drinks it so much she isn't even affected by it." The woman, Stephanie, nods.
"And— "
"That's not all. The other night she snuck out to go fight!"
"I was— "
"She stole shoes and ran from the cops!"
"Shut up!" I snap in his face. "Just. Shut. Up." The two stare at me intently as I scowl at the floor.
"Do you have anything to say, Sadie?" I shake my head. "Alright. Well, let's try this." The woman hands us both a sheet of paper and a pencil. "You two take a minute to fill these out, and once you're done we'll come back together and talk about them.
I look down at my sheet, feeling a wicked smile form on my face. This should be fun.
"Alright," Stephanie claps her hands once we've both finished. "Who would like to go first?"
"I'll go first," Carlos beats me and I roll my eyes. But no one cares what you wrote Carlos! He clears his throat, making me want to roll my eyes again.
"The problems I am experiencing in my married life are lack of communication, addiction, stubbornness, and disrespect." I snort.
"Let's start with lack of communication. Can you talk about that?" Stephanie asks him.
"Sadie doesn't tell me things." I raise a brow at him. He keeps his eyes on his paper, either to avoid my gaze or read over his writing. "For example, she snuck out the other night. She wouldn't tell me about it. It's just, lately, she hasn't been telling me things."
"OK. Sadie, would you agree?"
"I can say what I want and when I don't want to I'm not going to." I cross my arms.
"This is what I mean!" Carlos huffs.
"You wanna talk about lack of communication?" I point at him. "You told me we were going to Golden Corral but instead you bring to a brain doctor!"
"Because if you knew we were coming here you would run away and hide." I groan.
"This is so pointless!" I slap my legs. "You want to know what I wrote? It's my turn."
"I wasn't— " I hold my hand up, making him shut up. Heh.
"The problem in my marriage is— "
"Sadie, I wasn't finished with mine." I groan again. "See? Disrespectful." I raise a brow.
"What? I'm disrespectful?" He scoffs.
"You're not seriously questioning that, are you?" I cross my arms, staring at him with a straight face.
"My turn." I decide after a while, looking away from him and looking at my paper.
"No, Sadie— "
"You know what!" I drop the paper to the floor, watching it gracefully flow to the floor by my boots. I was expecting that to be more dramatic.
"Sadie, you can read yours. Just let me finish." Carlos looks down at his paper, clearing his throat.
I sigh, dropping my face into my hands with my elbows on my knees. "I just... I don't want to do this." My voice comes out smaller, weak.
"We only have thirty minutes left." I shake my head.
"I don't want to do this," I whisper.
"You don't want to do what?" Stephanie asks in a careful voice. I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling the back of my nose burn.
"This."
"Well I paid for this so let's— "
"Wait a second," Stephanie stops Carlos. "What is 'this', Sadie?" I gnaw on my bottom lip.
"I just want out of this." The room turns quiet. "It's just so hard. What am I even doing?" I'm surprised by the words coming out of my mouth. Not only do they sound feeble, but they also don't sound like something I would say.
"What is it you want out of?" I feel my bottom lip quiver. The anger that rises in me makes it so much worse, the tears becoming stronger and stronger like a balloon about to burst.
"This..." I croak, sniffling. I shield my face with my hands. If I can't see them they can't see me.
"Sadie?" Carlos asks gently, all the annoyance, anger, and disgust gone from his voice.
"I don't know." I shake my head. "I don't know." I jump up from the couch and walk to the door.
"Sadie!"
"I don't need this!" I shout over my shoulder, marching out of the building and to the car, climbing in. Carlos is in soon after.
After a moment of silence, "Do you still want to go to Golden Corral?"
"No. Just go home," I murmur.