Learning How to Swim

We Meet Again

I had been skipping my appointments lately, but my mother had caught me and dragged me there. I hadn’t been there in a while, so I was right to assume that my absence would be the discussion for the day.

“So where have you been lately, Alyssa?” she asked me, clasping her hands on her desk and smiling a fake, cheesy smile. What she really meant was, So why haven’t you been paying me, you little troll?

What to say? For some reason I didn’t think a good reply would be, Oh, I was getting into some lovely drugs and alcohol. Oh, and I almost lost my virginity to my abusive boyfriend a couple of times. Then I decided to throw out the only friend I’d had for quite some time and lie to my parents and skip the whole going to see my sister deal. Yeah, not happening.

I just shrugged. We were back to square one.

“How’s Steven?”

My body tensed a little. “I don’t really know.”

“Would you like to talk about it?”

“I said I don’t know! How can I talk about something I don’t know?” I snapped, glaring at her. She leaned back in her chair.

“I apologize. How’s Kara?”

“I don’t know.”

“Got a boyfriend?”

“I don’t know.”

She sighed, nodding as if she knew something I didn’t. “You’re frustrated.” I shot her an annoyed look. “You know, you don’t need to do everything alone.” I stayed silent. “There is always someone you can lean on.” I glared at her. “I’m sure he’d let you cry on his shoulder if you really needed to.” How dare she talk about Steven? She was silent for a moment. “Are we done here?”

“I’d say so.”

“Will you be coming to your next session?”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“I never do.”

“Good for you.”