Chapter 4: Group Therapy
*Bang*Bang*
"Lola, time for breakfast." I heard dad say through the door
"Breakfast?" I muttered as I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
My phone was laying right next to me with my earphones still in the jack. I quickly put it in the charger once it beeped 10%. 9:34 a.m. my phone read.
I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair, realizing that I slept through dinner last night.
"Lola," my sister knocked.
"What Lulu?" I asked as I opened the door.
"You're going somewhere today?"
I shook my head and creased my forehead. "What are you talking about?"
"Mom said to go down for breakfast." She walked into her room after that.
I blinked a couple of times before processing what just happened. I went into the kitchen and mom had waffles and pancakes made.
"Eat up." Mom said pouring orange juice "You have a big day today." she smiled
"I'm just going to Mikey's." I said sitting and filling my plate with waffles and smearing it with nutella "Oh yeah, I need 20 bucks." I said to dad with my mouthful.
He lowered the newspaper and gave me a sorrowful look "Can't today pumpkin."
"Pumpkin, you haven't called me that since..." Realization struck me "No," I dropped my waffle and stood up.
"I know you don't want to but the doctor said that this would be good for you." mom said trying to lighten the mood.
"The doctor doesn't know shit." I yelled.
"Lola, you're mouth." mom scolded me.
"I don't care, you're not taking me to therapy again, the first time was hell."
"How bad is it to sit with kids that are troubled just like you?" She asked putting her hand on her hip.
I scoffed "A lot and they are nothing like me." I crossed my arms.
"Lola, you're going, it's only for an hour."
I shook my head "I'm fine with being the way I am, why can't you just accept me?"
"Lola, just give it one more chance and if you don't like it, we won't take you there anymore." Dad suggested.
"Really?"
"Kenneth." mom yelled.
"Really, Lola." He said with a promising tone.
I nodded "Okay then, I'll go." I finished my waffle and downed my juice "Thanks dad." I went into the bathroom and took a quick shower.
"You have 10 minutes." mom yelled.
"I'll be out soon." I put on my black v-neck fitted shirt saying 'Don't Try To Talk To Me.' Mikey made it for me for my fifteenth birthday. I grabbed my converse and my bag, shoving my laptop and slipping my phone into my pocket. I went out to grab my hoodie.
"You're not wearing that." mom said putting her hand on her hip, again.
"Why not?" I asked, putting it on.
"I like it." dad said sipping his coffee "Keeps away the boys." He pointed out.
"Thanks dad." I smiled "Shall we?"
Once we were in the car, mom started going over the ground rules. "You can't scare them off, you have to participate," I nodded while texting Mikey.
Lola: Meet you for lunch. Mom's forcing me to go to therapy.
Mikey: Yeah, at 12.
"No going to the bathroom as an excuse." She continued. "Are you listening to me, Lola?"
"Yeah, something about bathrooms." I said. I knew heard what she said, I just choose not to react.
"And no texting." She tried grabbing my phone but I pulled away in time.
I rolled my eyes "Calm down, mom. You don't have to worry about me, you should worry about Lulu and Max."
"They're mature." she stopped the car in front of what looks like a clinic "Be good, I'll pick you up at 11."
"Bye mom." I said opening the door.
"Love you." She called as I got out.
"Love you too." I closed the door, pulling my bag onto my shoulder.
I sighed once I walked in "Kill me." I muttered when I saw a group of kids in a circle. Some smiling, some rocking in their seats, most trying to avoid contact.
"Lola," Mr. Stevens smiled once he saw me "Take a seat and we'll get started."
I sat in the seat between Oliver and Tammy. I set my bag down gently and waited. Oliver faced the other way and muttered things. Tammy on the other hand was smiling like she just hit the jackpot.
"Shall we do introductions?" Mr. Stevens asked. No one spoke "Lola?"
I looked over at him and he was giving me a pleading look, asking me to start it off.
I stood up and sighed "I'm Lola Heart, I'm pretty sure you know me as Heartless Lola or the Freak. 18, a Senior."
"Why are you here?" he asked.
The doors opened and he walked in. He apologized for being late and sat across from me. He stared at me and I looked at him.
"Lola?" I snapped out of my daze "You could continue now."
"Um... Yeah." I shook my head "My mom thinks group therapy can help me." I shrugged.
"What do you mean?"
"No one can help me, everyone knows why I'm like this and it's been that way for years now."
"Well, we can try to help you if you allow us." I shook my head "Okay, does anyone have questions for Lola?"
I crossed my arms and sat down. No one usually asks me what happened or bother really.
"Do you give them the option to help you?" I looked up to see the Australian across me looking at me "Do you?" He pressed the question.
"Well Lola?" Mr. Stevens asked, trying to get me to explain myself.
"Before I did." I answered.
"What happened?" Luke asked.
"He turned on me, started calling me a freak, obsessed." I said never taking my eyes off of him "He never understood what I was and am going through, he just assumed that I was a freak and so did everyone else."
"Okay, anyone else?" Mr. Stevens said breaking the tension from us.
He stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets "I'm Luke Hemmings. 18, Senior. I moved here last week from Australia."
"What brings you here?" he asked him.
"My dad."
He nodded "Why are you at group therapy?"
"My dad said it was a good way to talk out my problems but I think it's utter bull." he chuckled "My friend tried to commit suicide a couple of years ago."
"So what does that have to do with you?" I asked.
"I was there."
I was shocked, sure I didn't show it but inside I couldn't believe him. I didn't bother to pay attention anymore to anyone else's stories or problems, all I thought about was what the hell happened to him. Before I knew it, it was over, everyone was gone except one.
"Now do you get why I want to help you?" he asked staring at me.
"It's not the same thing." I grabbed my bag and walked out of the building.
"How?" he followed me out "How is that any different?"
I turned around "Your best friend is still alive, my best friend is buried six feet under."
He shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked his foot around. "I never said he was still alive." I stepped back "He over dosed while in the hospital."
I don't want to show sympathy. I don't want to give him the satisfaction. If I do, he's going to think I'm letting him in.
"Bye Luke." I turned around and spotted mom's car.
"I made a plan." he shouted. I stopped my tracks "I spent all night at Calum's and we figured one out."
"I'll see you later." I got into moms car and she was staring at me "What?" I asked while buckling up.
"He's in therapy?" she finally spoke.
"Yeah." I nodded.
"So are you coming back next week?" she drove out of the parking lot and I watched him standing there, watching the car drive away from the side view mirror.
"No." I mumble.
Mikey decided to pick me up and go out for pizza instead. We went to pizza hut and ordered two pizza's. Meat lovers for me to take home later and a pepperoni for him.
"How was therapy?" he asked while shoving a slice into his mouth.
"It was okay, I guess." I shrugged.
"Just okay?"
"Well, Luke was there."
He scoffed "It's like he's following you."
"I just want him to leave me alone."
"Why was he there?"
"He went for therapy."
"Why, what's his problem?"
"He lost his best friend too." his eyes widened "He thinks by telling me so that I'll let him help with Diana's investigation."
"He wants to help?"
I just remembered, I never told Mikey about Luke and my encounters with him. So I decided to tell him now
"It was his first day when he asked to help, he didn't even know what it was about." I explained to him "I told him no and he's been trying to help ever since."
"I think you should stay away from him." he said with a serious tone "I don't like him."
I scoffed. "Just yesterday you were telling me to give him a chance."
"Well, I changed my mind."
"Don't worry about him, he's not going to help for long, he just thinks he is." I chuckled "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"
"Eating, sleeping, look up more stuff." He shrugged and smiled at me. "What about you?"
"Rebel against my mom, stay in my room and watch Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU." I shrugged "The same old same old." I smiled.
"Let's go?" he asked putting he cover on the box.
"I feel like walking." I tell him.
"That's 4 blocks."
"I did it before... Basically every day." I shrugged "Just drop my pizza at my place, I'll call you tonight." I hugged him.
"Are you going to see her?" I nodded "Be safe." I smiled before walking out to the cemetery. It's closer then my house so I decided that instead of home.
If I go home mom would bother me by asking what happened at therapy. I can't go through that, I love my mom and all but she needs to know the meaning of space and how much I need it.
I sat in front of her and just sat there. I pulled at the grass from time to time but other than that, I just stared at her tomb stone thinking of ways I could've prevented it from happening. The thing is, I couldn't have. I lost her in the woods while running from the guy who could've raped me too.
"Would you listen to our plan?" I turned around to see him with Calum and rolled up paper in his hand "We mapped it out."
I chuckled "Really?"
He nodded and sat down next to me "Hello again, Diana." he waved to her tomb.
"So, the plan?"
He unrolled the paper, revealing a map of the hospital "Calum found a way to get you inside."
"How?"
"The place is strictly family only."
"So, you'll pose as Piper's cousin." Calum tells me. He hands me a paper "This is her."
"How could I pose as her cousin? She has pitch black hair." I tell them.
"Well, we'll just get you a wig." Calum said.
"Or you could say that she dyed her hair." Luke suggested.
"I've looked at Piper's family background and they all have black hair, none dyed." Calum explained.
I sighed "Why does this have to be so difficult?" I cried out, wishing I didn't have brown hair and blue streaks at the moment.
"Nothing is ever easy." Luke said stating the obvious.
"Some things were before you showed up." I muttered "I better get going." I stood up and dusted the grass off my jeans.
"Are you in? Will you go along with the plan?" he stood up and did the same with his pants.
"I don't know Luke."
"You wanted a plan and I got it." he tells me.
I look down at Calum "We stayed up all night doing it." Calum said.
"I'll think about it." I said to Luke.
"Okay, text me if anything. I'll give you my number." he pulls his phone out then hands it to me to put my number in.
I take it from his hand and handed him mine "I'll call if anything." I say to him as I handed his phone back.
"I'll be waiting." he handed me my phone and smiled.
Once I walked through the door I see my sister on the couch eating pizza. Wait.
"That's mine." I yelled going over to stand in front of her and scold her "Lulu..."
She looked up at me with tears streaming down her face, ruining her mascara. Her eyes red and puffy. She was hiccupping while shoving more into her mouth.
I sat down next to her "What happened?" I asked moving the pizza box with nothing but crusts in it, on to the table.
"Max..." she hiccupped.
"What did he do?" I snapped.
"It's over." she cried shoving more pizza into her mouth.
"I'm going to kill him." I stood up.
"Lola," she grabbed my arm "Don't hurt him."
"Why not? He hurt you, two years spent with you just to leave you heartbroken eating pizza." I yelled.
Lulu has been with this guy for what seems like forever and now she's alone, crying on the couch eating pizza. No one hurts my baby sister, physical or not. If she's hurt the person who hurt her is dead.
"Just wait till tomorrow, maybe he's delusional right now." she defends him.
"No, he's just stupid." I yelled.
"Please wait till tomorrow, I don't want you to scare him away from me."
I sat with her "Okay, but if he doesn't get his shit straight I'll kill him." I pointed at her.
She nodded "Where have you been? I thought you would be with Mikey when he dropped off the pizza."
"I was visiting someone."
"Diana." she nodded.
"Yeah, I was suppose to come home later but I was bothered."
"By who?"
"Um..."
"You were with a boy." she yelled.
"No." I yelled.
"Who was it? I know it wasn't Mikey, so who?"
"No one." I said getting up to go to the kitchen and eat the crust with garlic butter sauce that Lulu refuses to eat.
"Was it Luke?" she ask as she came in.
"I wasn't with him." I threw the box away "He was just there." I shrugged.
Lulu screamed to a point that I shoved a napkin in her mouth.
(A/N): Update.
So basically Luke has gone through losing his best friend just like Lola did. Luke wants to help her because he couldn't help his best friend.
Lulu is obviously my twin sister in real life, a pain in the ass. She is one of my baby sisters since I was born first. When Lola said she'd hurt anyone who hurts Lulu, it's like me saying the same thing about my sister.
My twin writes just like I do and she has a story up, Pheonix Uylesses.
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