When you woke up the next morning you didn't find the warmth from Souya laying next to you. Although you were pleased that the sun wasn't beaming into your eyes because the curtains were closed, which you actually don't remember doing last night.
Rolling over to the empty side of the bed and when you did you felt a piece of paper in place of where he should be. You had to blink to clear your vision and sit up so your eyes could adjust to the lightning in the room.
"Sorry, Nahoya called me real early because apparently something is up with the restaurant pipes... or the gas? I really don't know, or know how he found out this early but he wants me to help him figure it out or something. Kinda wish he told me more but I should be back soon."
You chuckled at the letter for multiple reasons. One, because he really went through to find a pen and paper instead of just texting you. Two, his handwriting was very neat and that was something you knew for a while. But it was crooked and rushed. Three, because it was only about ten A.M and he was already out and about, you weren't sure how he found the strength to get up.
Especially not after last night.
Now, you didn't remember the specific details, but you did remember after Souya dropped the whole channeling the inner Nahoya thing on you, you did feel less composed. So, when you arrived back, Souya barely got the car in park before you hopped over to his side of the vehicle.
But of course that didn't last too long because he insisted that you at least get upstairs and unwind before you lost self control. And which you did wait.
For about five minutes anyway.
So, that's how that ended up. And he was probably right because he did have a way with words as well as his other aspects but you really did almost turn the car upside down on the road. Though you will never let him verbally hear you say that.
Getting up from bed you looked down at Soba curled up on her own bed. She rarely ever looked so at peace because she just enjoyed being a nuisance at times so this was great.
You were able to get into the kitchen and start making yourself something to eat without her harassment. Her bowl was already filled when you checked it and you'd have to thank Souya for that since he really didn't have to.
You took a sip from your cup and relished in the couple of minutes of quiet bliss you received from not doing anything.
Until a notification popped up on your phone with a reminder. 'SHARI'S SESSION IN TWO HOURS'
You had nearly forgotten about that. Shari was one of the youth you worked with and you talked to all of the teens individually whenever you could. As long as they scheduled with you of course but once they get their time blocked out, it's all theirs. You've even given extra time in case they had anything else to share.
You never wanted any of them to feel like they were only talking to you because you got paid to do so but because you did really care.
The main reason you'd given yourself the 2 hour reminder was so that you could have enough time to get ready and of course have all the boring ass paperwork that was unfortunately required for the job. But you looked forward to meeting with her because you talked to her parents and they said instead of sitting up in a room, that an outside session would be beneficial. So you decided maybe a calm stroll around the park would be nice.
You took your cup over to your office so you could organize everything you needed for later on. The room was always kept neat because if anything was out of place you'd break down and lose your mind. Plus your job called for you to be level headed and organized. If you weren't it could actually screw things up badly.
You picked up the file from the top of your stack with Shari's name on it and skimmed through the color coded tabs to make sure they were all there. In which they were so you left them to look over them again after you were done getting ready.
——————
You decided to go with a casual but somewhat professional look when you went to meet with her. The plan was to pick Shari up from the community center and then bring her to the park which her parents gave their verbal and written consent to. There was a lot of legality to the whole job so you had to be walking on needles when you worked with the youth.
As you were walking out from the bathroom the front door clicked open. Soba immediately got up from her spot on the living room floor and went to greet the man who entered. Souya's eyes wandered down to the cat and scratched her head when she climbed on his leg.
"Back?" You smiled at him. His interactions with Soba were always so tender since he treated her like an actual child. Always spoiling her and that's why she acted so high end now. "Was the restaurant good?"
"Yeah. We called an actual professional to look at it and he said there was nothing too bad about it. Should be a quick fix but we're going to be closed today just to be safe." He looked over your outfit, "are you going somewhere?"
"Yup, I have a session with Shari today. We're trying... outdoor scenery."
"Interesting." He nodded. When you first mentioned to Souya a while back after Toman disbanded that you wanted to work with teenagers as a career he was supportive of it. How could he not? He was supportive of almost every damn thing you did. "Have fun."
You gave him a kiss on the cheek and got your keys out and left him and your cat to do whatever for the rest of the day.
You walked outside and over to the driver's side of your car. Swinging open the door and setting aside the files onto the other seat. Your car felt a lot more like a home than Souya's did. Mainly because you insisted on personalizing it to a whole different level than he did. Starting it up you connected your phone to the aux so turn on a song you wanted to hear on the way over.
You buckled in and pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.
——————
It was around a 25 minute drive because of additional traffic. But you still made it there somewhat on time. The community center had balloons hanging on a sign in the front welcoming everyone and anyone inside. You found a parking spot closer to the main entrance.
The doors were automatic and the cheery atmosphere hit you almost immediately. There were children, teens, adults and elders all in the same place. A couple of babies crying, and parents trying to get them to quiet down.
"Y/N." A voice called you over from one of the tables. You'd recognize the woman anywhere since that was Shari's mother. She was sitting with her hands folded and a cup of iced tea in front of her. It also looked like she was filling out a crossword puzzle.
"Mrs. Ruves, it is a pleasure to see you." You bowed your head slightly towards her. She was a dark-skinned woman who had her hair up into a high bun with a bandana wrapped around it. Black glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. She was wearing a floral print blouse and matching flower earrings. Always a delight to see her wide and welcoming smile.
"Thank you again for agreeing to go out of your way to take her out. I just really don't see another way for her to talk more freely."
"Of course, anything to make things go smoother for everyone involved." You reassured her.
The story with the family is that Mrs. Ruves and her two daughters are from Atlanta Georgia. Coming to Japan was such a big move for them but you were told it was because her wife had an opportunity they just couldn't pass up. So here they were.
"Shari! Y/N is here!" She shouted over to the lounge area which was covered with beanbags and other soft seating options and other miscellaneous items to entertain people with.
A person in a hooded figure poked their head up from the beanbag chair. Lifting your hand to her hood and sitting up straight. "Why does she keep coming back? I don't care about these sessions."
A bit of a sting, but it was nothing new.
"Don't disrespect her 'Ri. You guys are going on a nice walk and she doesn't have to do this for you. So be grateful." Her mother curled her finger to signal her over. "Don't let her efforts be for nothing please."
Shari was 16 years old. Her hair was in blonde goddess braids flowing down her shoulders but covered by the green sweatshirt hood. She had a septum ring in her nose and her gaze was rough but there was a gentle softness in them.
"I don't have any problem that needs to be solved." The girl shrugged.
Her mother sighed, "I never said you had a problem."
"So why am I with a therapist?"
You tried to calmly step in, "not a therapist." You clarified. "I'm like... a way better version of a school guidance counselor to put it simply."
Shari shifted her gaze from her mother over to you. "What are we doing today?"
You shrugged, "take a walk around the park? Or anything else you want to do. It's your time."
There was a hesitant sigh, but she did end up standing up and stepping over the other bean bags lying on the ground. "Can this please be the last one?"
You didn't really have a specified schedule for how long you decided to work with your teenagers because some had a harder time opening up than others. Or in Shari's case, they didn't wish to keep going after a while so you couldn't force them to keep meeting with you if they chose not to.
"Okay." You nodded. "We can close up today after this one."
"Thanks," Shari stuck her hands into her pockets. "And no more after this one." She turned back to her mom.
Mrs. Ruves raised her hands in defense, "that's okay with me. As long as you keep up the good behavior."
They had said their temporary goodbyes and you and Shari had started walking back to your car. She took the passenger side and didn't say anything while you took the seat behind the wheel. It usually started out like this. A bit of silence before you had to engage in conversation.
"Anything you want to put on the radio?" You asked while putting your seatbelt on.
She rested her elbow on the window sill, "umm..." She started tapping on her thigh. "DNA."
You tapped on your phone and put that into the search bar. "Little Mix, Kendrick, or BTS?" You said looking at the top options that came up.
She scrunched her face. "Who the hell is Little Mix?"
"A girl group I'm pretty sure." You clicked on their name to see the page pop up. "British girl group." You read the text.
"Interesting, but no. Kendrick."
You laughed and went back to turn on DNA by Kendrick Lamar. After, you put your phone in the cupholder and pulled out of the parking spot.
In the first five minutes you were surprised to hear that she was the one who started talking first. "Having a job like yours seems so easy. You just talk to a bunch of kids with problems and get paid for doing it."
You opened your mouth to respond but paused for a second. It was definitely a conversation starter and in a strange way you were proud she said something. "I don't talk to kids with problems. I encourage young adults to better themselves in a constructive way."
"Better themselves..." She said to herself but loud enough to hear. "I'm fine the way I am. I don't need to change."
"Well, strong behaviors show themselves differently. I definitely don't think you need to or want you to change. You have a fantastic personality when you're in your element. Your mother has told me that you excel in school academically."
"Yeah well good grades are just a letter on a paper and a percentage over my head. I don't want that to define me." She leaned back in the seat and crossed her arms. "I was doing much better in Atlanta."
Already you were starting to see progress whether she admitted it or not. "If you don't mind sharing, why do you think you were doing better in Atlanta?"
"Because–" She cut herself off. "See there you go. Trying to be a therapist."
You smiled but kept your eyes on the road, "just curious."
She groaned. "My sister. She keeps pissing me off. In Atlanta we got along so well, and now we're here and everything went downhill. But because she's older she gets away with it and my moms only focus on me exploding."
You nodded while listening to her. "Siblings piss each other off all the time. That's just part of being siblings. It's a new environment for all of you."
"But that's the problem. If we wouldn't have come here, things would've stayed the same."
"Things aren't bound to stay the same." You told her. "No matter where you stay or go. The world changes constantly and it doesn't care if you're ready for the change or not."
"Well then I say fuck the world."
——————
When you arrived at the park you pulled to the side where there were many other cars. Shari hadn't said anything else after her whole fuck the world comment so you didn't press further at the time. But now that you were outside perhaps it would be a little easier.
The park was more of a grassy terrain with trees and benches than it was a playground. However there was one in the far off distance on the same plain.
"So I know you've told me you don't do sports but what is your favorite outdoor activity?" You tried to ease back in.
"I don't have one anymore. I just don't like being inside."
"Anymore?"
She was walking in front and slowed down and lifted her head. "Did I say that?"
"Indeed you did."
Shari rubbed her forehead. "Well I used to enjoy going on picnics with Asia but I don't anymore. Wasn't even really planned. We would buy snacks from the corner store and lay out a blanket she would keep in her car. Could do it for hours."
She sounded sad when it was leaving her mouth. You've been able to pick up on people's emotions for a long time so if she tried to not sound it, it didn't get past you. "You must admire your sister. She sounds like a fun person to be around."
Shari scoffed. "She was. Until we moved and now she..." Though you couldn't see her face you knew she was thinking. "...She runs around with drug addicts and delinquents. How can I admire someone like that?"
That was it.
You knew this feeling all too well. So damn well it hurt.
"I understand–"
But she didn't let you finish. "I hate that phrase because nobody really understands." She kept walking ahead of you. Her head turned in the direction of a young man walking his dog. "You can say whatever you want for a check. But I can't do that. I'm stuck in a country that corrupted my sister."
You pressed your lips together. "Shari."
"I know you're going to tell me I'm overreacting. That's why I'm here. Why I've had so many unsuccessful sessions. Maybe I get bad enough, we'll move back and she'll be forced to stop acting like she's one of those unintelligent pieces of shit."
In a way she was right. There weren't many people that would see where she was coming from at all. Many who would tell her to stay strong and ignore it. But that wouldn't work, especially not if this was her mindset.
"I'm losing her." She stopped walking. "I'm losing my best friend."
You walked around to stand to the side of her and noticed she wiped her nose but disguised it as fixing per piercing. "Hey, you are not overreacting. You have every right to feel upset and the anger that you do. This area is highly known for gang activity and violence. And I'm sorry that Asia got roped into it."
Shari's eyes were filled with rage and sadness when she looked up. "Saying that doesn't have any truth behind it."
"It does." You said quickly. "Do you mind if I share my personal experiences with you?"
"Do I really want to hear your ancient stories?"
"It's a dramatic ancient story." You winked. "And it's all true, no lies."
You took a seat on a nearby bench and she sat on the other end. Hearing Shari's story made you think about your own life. This is the exact reason you're doing this job. It was to connect to the youth so they knew they had something to look forward to.
"This may be a shocker to you, but I was a 16 year old girl in Japan once too you know. So I can relate to you there. I also had a brother. Younger by a year and half, highly aggravating, didn't know when to shut up, getting into trouble, oh it was bad. He was on house arrest twice."
"14? What trouble can a 14 year old get to?"
"You'd be surprised. But despite him doing all of that, I still loved him. Because he was my best friend. Similar to you and Asia, he became very distant with me because he was out being a troublemaker."
"What did he do?"
"Are you intrigued by ancient stories?" You smirked.
Shari rolled her eyes. "You've gotten this far."
You chuckled, "alright. Well my 14 year old brother was actually...a captain for a gang. Not really the best choice to spend free time in my opinion."
"Oh my god. A captain?"
"A captain." You repeated. "So now imagine that. I see my little brother running around with a literal gang of children and beating high schoolers in the street." You turned your body. "So in my head it was more of 'if I can't beat them, join them' type of thing."
"YOU JOINED THEM?!"
"Hold on!" You laughed. "It was obvious he wasn't going anywhere and I was already friends with the other captains, the president and vice because of him."
Shari looked to be in disbelief. "So did you end up fighting alongside your brother? I bet he's hella strong now. But I don't know, what is he? like 30?"
You shook your head. "Nope 14."
She raised an eyebrow. "14–" Then her eyes softened. "Oh. I'm sorry."
"No need. I already shed all my tears 12 years ago." You waved your hand. "But I found a letter he wrote before he died. Gave me his uniform, and his motorcycle keys. And after that I was pretty, excuse my language, fucked up to say the least."
"Well no duh, I would be too." She sank back to the bench. "He was 14 though. What was going on that literal kids were dying?"
You didn't need to traumatize her, or make her think something would happen to her own sister. "Just a couple of kids who wanted to protect each other." Trying to move on from the sadness, "it wasn't all bad. I still keep in touch with them. But I won't sugarcoat it, it is very dangerous. However it's more dangerous to let yourself be negatively influenced because it can do more harm than good."
She looked over to you. "How did you manage? How did you cope with all of that? Losing your brother, being in a gang, all that violence and death around you. What did you do?"
Now that was a question.
Because in reality it was more like what didn't you do?
Looking back on it, not every method was healthy. Whether that was charging into a fight you knew you might not win, fighting someone armed with a gun, joining the damn gang in the first place, it was all a mess.
"I'll be real with you, it wasn't all the best decisions I've ever made. You need to know that you won't always make the best choices because you're still young. It took me losing my brother, my best friend I could call a sister, a very embarrassing Christmas party, a New Year's kiss, and a nice trip to the hospital to find out there was something for me in the future."
"You don't look like someone that carries all that shit on their back. You're way stronger than I ever will be because I'd just crumble and give up."
"I mean not all of it looms over my head. I have plenty of scars. Stabbed, slashed, shot, I mean hell I've escaped an angry mob of gang members while on the back of a bike."
Her eyes widened. "That's insane! Your teenage years were really like that?"
"Don't take those pages from my book though. I work with the youth now so people don't have to feel like I did. So from here on out that's my message to you. Take your time, make sure you tell your family you love them, make mistakes, have fun. And I hope you can take something I've told you and carry it positively."
She looked confused. "Wait, why do you say that like you're not coming back?"
"Didn't you want this to be the last session?"
Shari shook her head. "Hell no! After today, how can this be the last? Please keep working with me. I know how I am, but you're the only one I felt like I could relate to."
It was the moments like this where you knew you chose the right career path. "Of course."
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LOVE U SHARI <33333 But anyways, im a week late. My bad, I've been drained and exhausted, but I DID IT