Jade

I walked through the sliding glass doors into a small room with a desk directly opposite me, there was a door to my left and one to right. The one on my right said ‘toilet’ the one on the left didn’t say anything.

I walked to the desk to see a lady behind it with a headset on. She had a short blond bob, and was wearing a pinstripe white shirt, and a high waist black skirt, so cliché.

“Hello, im here to see a counselor”

“Name?”

“Jade Forest”

“Your appointment is in 5 minutes with Doctor Mark, yes?”

Well obviously it was a ‘yes’ she had it all there on her stupid computer. You know that feeling you get when you immediately don’t like someone? I had this feeling.

“Yes”

“Through that door” She pointed at the door with no sign.

“Im just going to the bathroom”

I walked into the small bathroom, and stared at myself. Bathrooms never brought good memories to my mind, and all of a sudden I had an urge to repeat my hospital scene again, but maybe not go as far as 35 stitches all up.

I splashed some water on my face and walked out, I felt proud. The receptionist was on the phone when I walked out. She glared at me, like I was listening to a conversation I wasn't supposed to be listening to. I walked through opposite door. All 10 seats were taken except one.
I took it.
I looked to my right; there was a young woman, probably about 25. She had long wavy brown hair, and way too much eye make up. She had a short white skirt on and a green singlet.
To my left was a boy, about my age. He had faded blue jeans on and black and white checkered vans. He had a white long sleeve button up shirt on with a read a black sweater vest thing over the top. His hair was scruffy and brown, it looked good. He turned to me, his eyes were that blue, the blue of the ocean on the best day of summer, clear and crystal like.

“Hi”

“Hi” He looked confused as to why I said hi.

“I’m Jade”

“You were staring at me”
“I was day dreaming, I didn’t realise I was staring” I lied, I was definitely staring at him.

“Oh, sorry then. Im Ben” He reached his hand out, I shook it, a bit too much.

“So, uh, why are you in here”

“Parent troubles, we just don’t get along, not much but I need this place” He paused as if to say more but realised he shouldn’t “You?”

“My parents died five years ago” I turned my wrist upwards to show him my stitched and scares.

“Ouch”

“I sort of had a…” I was cut off by a man calling my name.

“Jade Forest” It was Doctor Mark, I think.

I walked through the door, but before I closed it I gave Ben a look, a look to say, I like you, we should talk again, but not in counseling.

I reminded myself on an episode of the OC where Marissa meets a guy in counseling, and he turns out to be a complete psychopath and nearly kills her. I hoped Ben wasn’t like that.

“Why hello, you must be Jade Forest”

“Just call me Jade…Doctor ‘Mark’” I put emphasis on ‘Mark’ ‘cause he called me Jade Forest, and I hated people saying my last name, it reminded me of my parents.

“Call me Mark ‘Jade’” Damn! He copied my thing.

I took the closest seat to the desk he was sitting at.

“So Jade, can you tell me why you turned to-“He nodded at my wrists.

“My parents died’’

“You know Jade; I lost my parents too, so I can relate to you”

“Really?”

“Yes, my dad abused me. Then my mum died of cancer, so I went to a foster family. I never saw my dad again”

“Oh” I didn’t know weather to feel sorry for him, maybe he was like me and didn’t want people to talk about it, or maybe he was the opposite and he needed the attention.
“Hmmm. So can you tell me your story Jade?” I looked away as if you were going to see a flashback of the night (You’re not going to)

“I was home alone one night when my parents went out. It was raining pretty badly. My mum said she was going to be home by 9 so I watched a movie; my Nan rang at 7 like my mum said she would. They weren’t home when they said they were going to, then Nan called again, and she came and got me. We went to the hospital and she told me. I nearly killed myself then and there, but I didn’t. Then a few days ago my Nan had a heart attack and that’s when my hospital bathroom thing happened”

“I see, I see” He wrote it all down on his note pad.

“When my mum died and I moved to the new family there were the nicest people I had ever met. I still take my girlfriend there for Christmas and birthdays. They are my family, but when my mum died and my dad took it out on me, I felt hurt and betrayed. I wanted to scream and cry, I wanted it to all go, so I had no more pain” His eyes filled with tears but he wiped them away “But I realised that life goes on, you are here with me today Jade to learn the lessons I learnt when I was young. You have to realise that there are better things to do then mourn. You have friends yes?”

“I made a new friend last week” He started to say something but I stopped him “I made my only friend last week”

“So when your parents were alive you had friends?”

“Yeah but there sluts now”

“So this girl, what is she like?”

“She pretty and she’s into the same bands as me, she’s easy to talk to, and her mum is so nice, she treats me like her second daughter. But that makes me more depressed, ‘cause like, after I leave Phoenix still has her mum and I don’t”

“Who do you live with now?”

“My Nan, she very dependent on me”

“When you’re at school what happens?”

“She goes to her uh…great nieces house” I said with a confused look, I had no idea how Lucy was really related “Then she drops her off when I get home from school. I cook, clean, garden, do my homework, my hobbies and give her medication. She can get up and move around, but she not stable, now after her Heart attack she has more medication and is even more dependent on me!” I realised I was half shouting.

“Is it your Nan that makes you cut yourself?”

“Oh God no! She is the only person I have left, no. I love her. I would never hurt myself because of her”

“But your parents loved you and you love them, but you hurt yourself because of them”

I never thought like that.

“Whoa Mark your good”

“Yes I know, but you know what?”

“What?” Maybe a little to enthusiastic for a counseling session.

“Your times up”

“Okay, are you counseling that Ben kid?”

“Yes I am. Why?”

“Wondering? How long is his session?”

“He’s only got 15 minutes today”

“Thanks mark” I walked out the room in front of Mark.

“Ben Lukes” Ben got up and walked to the door.

I walked past the awful receptionist and out the glass doors. Nan gave me $4 for lunch, so that meant I wasn’t eating lunch today, and If I was it was going to be chewy.
I went and sat outside the big grey building, Phoenix was picking me up after work. In an hour.