Her Safe Place

25

"Isn't my session almost up?" Toni changed the subject. Dr. Ryans looked at her watch and back up at the patient.

"It's fine, you're my last client for the day. I won't charge over time." She countered. Toni bit the inside of her cheek.

"If you don't wanna speak about it Ton—"

"No. It's fine." She interrupted. The therapist nodded her head and gave a smile of reassurance.

"I uh—I set a park on fire.." Toni stated. Her therapist widened her eyes in horror.

"Seriously?" She tried her best not to sound judgmental.

"No. Of course not. I just told you what happened.. I don't know why you don't believe me." Toni snapped. Her therapist released a stiff scoff as she shook her head side to side.

"Your hostile, I can tell it's hard." Said Dr. Ryans stated.

"No. You're just—never mind." The patient huffed, her therapist raised her eyebrows in amazement as Toni looked around the office while mumbling to herself.

For the next few minutes neither women said anything. And that inevitable silent started to bother Toni like it usually did. Her therapist noticed this, and immediately began speaking, trying to avoid any more backtracking in treatment.

"If you aren't ready to share, that's okay. I'm not mad at you. However, I do think it would help you if you spoke about it." Dr. Ryan's explained.

Toni took a deep breath, tears weltered her eyes and she swallowed hard. Her head nodded as she wiped her face.

"I know—I just hate that I did that to her. To me—and us.." she mumbled. Dr. Ryan's passed her patient a tissue box.

"We can always try again tomorrow." She suggested.

"No—no I've already wasted enough of your time." Said Toni.

flashback:

"Janet!! C'mere, look what I found!" An excited Toni exclaimed from the side of the creek. The water-shoes she convinced her mother to buy her rested in the water.

She continued to attempt to grab some of the small fish that swam around her hand, and failed. Upon realizing her best friend hadn't responded yet, Toni went to look for her.

It wasn't often that the girls would wander off without telling the other. Their parents would have both their heads had anyone found out.

"Janet—" she called out again while running along. Eventually the sweet sound of wind blowing was accompanied by laughter. The ten year-old's eyebrows frowned. She stopped running and searched her surroundings. Out the corner of her eye she spotted her best-friend and her neighbor.

She huffed before calling out for her friend a third time. Gaining no response she stomped across the creek.

"Stop! Stop! I can't take it—leave me alone!" Janet exclaimed. Toni's eyes shot across the pond. The sight of her neighbor on top of her best friend angered her.

"Nope! Deal with it Janet! There's nothing you can do." The boy laughed at Janet. Toni's feet started to move faster before her brain could process what was happening. Regardless of her neighbors tall stature Toni tackled the boy, knocking him off of her best friend and to the ground.

Janet screamed as she watched Toni hit him. Her small arms moved quickly. And eventually the boys yells for help joined in with Janet's pleas.

"Toni—what're you doing!?" Janet shouted, attempting to pull her off.

"He was hurting you!" Says Toni, her breathing heavy as Janet holds her back.

"What're you talking about? No I wasn't!" Johnathan, the neighbor cries. He wipes the blood from his lip.

"Shut up. Yes you were, she was yelling a for you to stop! You idiot." Toni frees herself from Janet and kicks the boy one last time; resulting in her being grabbed yet again.

"N—no I wasn't! Tell her Janet."

"He wa—"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!" Toni cuts her best friend off, bucking at her neighbor as he stands up again.

"Tell her, babe!" He says, a bit frightened now.

Toni's ears peaked at the phase "babe". It made her skin hot again and the urge to hit him struck her.

"He wasn't hurting me, T. We—we were playing." Janet explained.

"Yeah, stupid. That's what boyfriends and girlfriends do." Johnathan huffed as he dusted himself off.

"B—boyfriend?" Toni repeated, her voice much quieter now.

"I asked her yesterday. What kind of best friend doesn't know?!" The boy scoffed.

the end

Dr. Ryans finished her notes before sitting the entire notebook down. She blinked rapidly and wipe her eyes.

"Excuse me." She apologized. The story went far deeper than a mere fight by the creek.

"And the altercation led to what exactly?" She asked once getting herself together.

"A—lot. I got into a fight with Janet and I pushed her. I didn't know what I know now but telling got her in a lot of trouble. I didn't want to get her in trouble I was just expressing myself to my mom. Then Kat—she overheard." Toni began.

"What do you think scared you most then?"

"Back then, or what happened with Bree?" Asked Toni.

"Most recently."

"Um that—it would make her leave again. I know... I know violence scares her, with how her parent's were.. I know it does. And, something tells me she's here because she's running from more violence. So—if she thinks I'm violent too.. she'll leave again."

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LMAOAOA OH HELLO😭😭😭😭

This is so bad I'll do better later I'M SORRY