Therapist {l.p.}

Two

One week later, I sat in the waiting room again. Dad had to go somewhere, so he dropped me off a little earlier.

A few minutes later, Liam came out, with another boy following him. The boy walked with his head down, and he had no smile on his face. He was tugging on the sleeve of his oversized jacket.

Liam shook his hand, and sent him on his way. As soon as the boy was gone, Liam turned to me, a smile on his face.

"Hello, Harper! Lets head back," He suggested.

I followed him into his office and sat down on the same couch as last time. He sat in the chair, a clipboard in his lap.

"So," Liam started, "What's been happening?"

I shrugged.

"Do you have any pets?" He asked.

"A dog," I replied quietly.

"How are your friends?" He was obviously trying to start a conversation.

I was silent.

Liam did nothing, only waited for my response.

"I don't have friends." I blurted out.

He raised his eyebrows at my outburst.

"Why don't you have friends?" He asked after a second.

"I... well, I'm kind of a loner," I admitted. "In the 8th grade, I sort of closed myself off from everyone. I became the weird girl who always wore dark band t-shirts and never took her headphones out. Then... my mom died last year... so it- it took a lot out of me, you know?"

I can't believe I just told him all of that. Liam just nodded as I talked, listening to every word.

"You know," He said, and I prepared for him to say the thing all adults said: 'You just need to be more friendly'.

But he didn't say that. Instead, he looked me in the eyes and said, "Maybe you just aren't looking in the right places. The right people will come eventually.

Liam's words were still coursing through my mind while he led me out 30 minutes later, as well as when I walked out to the parking lot to meet my Dad.

In fact, the only time I stopped thinking about his words was when I saw the boy from earlier, sitting outside alone.

A/N: Yo! This was the second chapter of Therapist! Thanks for reading, and all comments are appreciated.