Unpredictable (A Dance Story)

Chapter 15

Apparently forcing me to go back to the dance studio wasn't the only thing my parents had in mind.

"Ella, set your alarm," Mom warned me before she disappeared to her room for the night.

"What? Why?" I asked.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Just do it. You'll see tomorrow."

I obediently set the alarm I used for school and lay in my bed, not actually getting much sleep. I rarely got much sleep anymore. In the morning, I wondered whether I should wear something formal or casual. I settled on an in-the-middle sort of outfit, capris with a nice blue polka-dotted shirt.

"You like nice today," Mimi said, kissing the top of my head.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Mom sat at the table, typing away on her laptop. She wore a skirt and top, like she usually did for work. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and curled. I sat down across from her.

"Get your breakfast, then we'll be leaving," she said, peering over the laptop. "I took a half day off of work."

"I'm not hungry," I replied.

Mom frowned at me, but closed her laptop. "Alright, then. Let's go."

In the car, I finally asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there!" She said, annoyed.

I crossed my arms thinking, 'Fine, then. I won't bother you anymore.'

I sat in the back seat of the car, in the middle. I was scared to sit by either window, especially the one on my right. This was a new car, but it still reminded me of the car that had been hit. I shuddered at the thought.

She seemed to be taking me into town, where we had often gone to eat. We passed plaza after plaza, until she finally pulled into the lot by a small building. I felt my face go red with anger.

"You brought me to a psychologist!?"

She turned to me, her blue eyes as bright as mine had been. They bored into me with that 'Mom' stare, making me flinch back a bit.

"Ella, listen to me. You are going into that building and doing whatever those people tell you. I don't know what else to do with you. You can't act different like this and expect everyone to sit back and pity you. You won't even talk to me about anything anymore!"

She sat back, hurt in her eyes and I blew out an annoyed breath. I didn't want a stranger interfering with my life! Regardless, I followed my mother into the building, dragging my feet. We sat in a little waiting room-type of thing right outside the door, which was actually just a couple of chairs and nothing else. After a few minutes of tense silence, the door cracked open and a woman stuck her head out.

"Are you Ella Ford?"

I nodded sullenly. The woman stepped out, a smile plastered across her face. She was pretty tall with dark skin and friendly brown eyes.

"Welcome, Ella! Come on in and we'll have a little chat."

We followed her into a bigger area. There was a desk and chair in the corner, but out in the middle were two couches like the ones in my house. Mom and I sat on one and the psychologist sat across from us.

"Hello," she began, "I'm Dr. Jane Meloy, but you can just call me Jane."

"Nice to meet you, Jane," Mom said politely.

I stayed quiet.

"So, I want to get to know you a little bit. But before anything, I want to ask if you ever experience family issues."