CHARLIE CHADWICK SMITHSON THE THIRD

CHARLIE

"So lemme get this straight, Mr. Charles Chadwick Smithson the third , wow that's quite a mouthful. " Dr. Keegan chuckles awkwardly and sees my blank expression which returns her to the land of sober, "You met an interesting girl? "

"Yes. That is what I said, isn't it? " I snap at her not being exactly a fan of repeating myself.

She smiles slightly at me and sits straighter.

"So tell me, how interesting was she? " Dr Keegan asks with a sickening sweet smile.

"She just is, okay. Isn't an hour up yet? I need to be somewhere. " I say frowning slightly.

I HATE these weekly sessions with her.

"You need to be somewhere, or want to be somewhere? " She asks calmly looking at me with so much attention.

I stand up abruptly. I've heard enough of this s**t!

"I pay you to listen to me speaking about my problems. I don't need you being my English teacher. I don't plan to go visit the queen. I will be taking my leave. " I say arrogantly not caring about her fingers that are usually always taking down notes with everything I say or do.

"But Mr Charles... " She starts.

I raise my left hand up to shush her.

"See you next week. " I say with finality.

She sighs and slouches on her chair then frowns at me. The million times I've seen her like that ever since I was a teenager at sixteen to now a grown up of twenty. I pull the door open and step out.

Dr Keegan should really move her office to some less crowded building. Too many people for my liking roaming the hallways. And also, the door opposite of her is a tattooist, her neighbor next door to the right is a hair salon and the one to the left is make up artist. Now I feel like the others have a close relation in terms of occupation but a psychotherapist in their midst just makes it all weird.

 And too, this is the twentieth floor of the 'Rush Hour ' building. Yes it is the tallest and most famous one around the CBD of this city but doesn't mean everyone automatically makes it here. So I don't really get why people crowd here. And I also don't get why people call it HR when the 'R' comes before the 'H'.  People are so weird. I swear to you they are. Some gave me weird looks when I stepped out of Dr Keegan's office when they just got new tattoos or hairdos.

I reach the elevator and call it. Takes a minute or two of me tapping a foot impatiently, hands crossed over my chest. A little smile escapes my lips as I remember the girl from yesterday. While we were at the Cream lé  Cream waiting for ice cream and it took long to be served, I was tapping my foot impatiently . She said I should remind her to buy me sneakers that made some squishing noise like way Spongebob's do so that whenever I was nervous and tapped my foot I would hear the sound.

 Of course I was confused about her whole hypothesis. She then said it would be annoying to hear it and so it would make me stop. I narrowed my eyes at her and asked if she wanted me to stop. She ignored the question and told me I'm too angry at life. I laughed at that and so did she. I never stopped tapping.

When the elevator dinged and open, I step in seeing three other people in already. One in a business suit and a briefcase in hand. The other two look like mother and son. She is holding his hand. He smiles at me waving his little free hand. I glare at him and he shrinks into his mother who glares at me. I turn around and stand close to the buttons. I enter my destination. Ground floor. I straighten up and stand watching the door close slowly after it dinged . The girl from yesterday said she hated that sound because it reminded her of the cook at her Nana's eatery . He rang a small bell with each order up. 

I smile again and I'm brought out of my silly thoughts when I see a furious face just before the elevator door closed all the way. I wish I would have had time to tell him that even if I had been paying attention to him, I would not have held the door open for him. There is already too many humans in this mirrored cellar. And the both adults are glaring at me right now. I shrug and zone out waiting to step out of this elevator.

'Charlie. ' She had called me.

I was furious. I hate nicknames. I love my name the way it is, Charles Chadwick Smithson the third. No shortcuts. I looked at her with a sullen expression but she was unfazed. In fact she had the audacity to ask, 'Or is it Chad you prefer? Charlie or Chad. I like Charlie more. ' She went on ahead to pronounce it out loud severally completely ignoring my glaring. If I wanted a nickname I would not say all four for my name would I? But I let her get away with it. I in fact loved how she said the name. A few minutes of talking to the girl and I picked she put a lot of passion in almost everything she did or said.

Ground floor at last. I shuffle outside almost in a rush towards my baby blue Audi . I need to be in my penthouse like this very minute.

'You need to be somewhere or want to be somewhere? '

If I loved school so much, I would not have dropped out of college. I don't need anyone reminding me that. Or what did she actually mean. Oh screw her, I don't care. As I see my car up ahead I press the unlock button on my keys. The car lights up as if excited to see me. To my penthouse I go.