Me, Me, Me and Tara

Chapter Two

“Ms. Scott, while we are well aware of your…circumstance we cannot allow you to hurt another student and simply walk away unpunished.” Deputy Stevens is a tall man with a god complex and I f*****g loathe him. I roll my eyes and continue to stare at the stupid ‘Hang in there’ cat poster he has hung up like he gives a f**k about the students here.

“Call Dr. Stringer.” I repeat for the millionth time since we entered his stuffy, broom closet of an office half an hour ago. I’d much rather him call my therapist than my mother. At least Doc would be able to shrink-talk me out of trouble again.

“Kennedy - " He begins again.

“MY NAME IS TARA!” I yell as I stand, slamming my hands down on his desk in anger. He insists on calling me by the wrong name and I swear I’m about to lose it on him. He stares at me confused and blinks slowly before settling back in his seat and folding his hands in his lap. He studies them for a few minutes while I get my breathing back under control and lower myself back into the plastic chair. “My name is Tara.” I repeat more calmly on a sigh as I smooth the godforsaken tan skirt I’m wearing. Who the hell picked my clothes this morning?! My skin crawls and tears prick my eyes. Nothing feels right, nothing about me feels like me today.

“I’m going to call Dr. Stringer. Just breathe Ke- Tara.” He corrects himself at the last second and I ball my fists into my lap. I tune him out as he picks up the handset and dials. I close my eyes and push back against the sinking feeling in my stomach. Buzzing fills my ears and sweat forms on my brow as someone elses anxiety begins to seep into my body. In the back of my mind, I can feel Her sometimes and I know I am certifiably nuts. I refocus on Harper in my mind to help distract me from the unease gripping me.

Harper is like a walking wet dream with her penny-colored hair and shy personality. She is shorter than me by a few inches but her legs are like a mile long. Who knows what products she uses to keep them silky smooth but I’ll be damned if I didn’t notice. She is always wearing these tight pencil skirts and one of these days I swear I am going to take advantage of the ease of access. I wonder if she still wears those Hanes panties or if she has upgraded to something lacy yet like I have. God, I’d love to feel her tight heat wrapped around my fingers as she comes apart in my hands. I bet she sounds delectable when she moans.

“Tara, he’d like to talk with you.” Deputy Stevens pulls me out of my thoughts and I lean forward taking the phone.

“Hello?” I question the static air on the other end of the line.

“Ms. Scott, how are you feeling? Deputy Stevens filled me in on what happened.” Dr. Stringer’s voice is deep and thick, like honey. A sense of relief and calm rushes over me and I squirm as something pushes against my psyche again.

“I’m fine.” I reply curtly.

“Tara… what upset you today?” He asks calmly.

“Charlie was making moves on my girl. I handled it.” I state smugly, remembering the way his blood tasted on my knuckles.

“Ah, I see. That must have been very upsetting. Tara, I know you believe you did the right thing here but you can not continue to hurt other people. Or yourself.” He tells me sternly and I cringe. “If you cannot keep your hands to yourself, I will have to recommend we move you to somewhere…safer. For everyone’s sake.”

“What?! No! You can’t do that.” I declare angrily.

“I will if it means you will have a better life. Tara, can you promise that this will be the last time I receive a call like this?” He is bargaining for good behavior. I swallow hard against all the cruel things I want to yell at him.

“Yes.” I grit out between clenched teeth.

“I don’t believe you.” He states in a tone that tells me he is exhausted. I bite my tongue as I wait. I know my future here depends on his opinion these days - hell my parents have basically handed over all responsibility to him. “Tara…close your eyes and take some deep breaths with me. Let’s see if we can find some calm together.” I do as I’m told and listen to him count to four repeatedly. One, two, three, four. Inhale. One, two, three, four. Exhale. As my breathing evens out, I let out a contented sigh. I snap my eyes open in confusion and sit up as I take in the space around me. Oh god, what happened this time? “Are you with me?” Dr. Stringer’s voice startles me and I jump pulling the phone away to look at it.

“Doc…wh-what happened?” I ask in a small, shaky voice.

“Welcome back Kennedy.”