Troubled

ELEVEN

KYLE GARCIA

After the torture of sitting down through the classes where everyone saw what had happened earlier, everyone laughed and jeered at me because of it. I finally got to leave. It was worse because Dawson was one of those making memes of the whole thing. He would even show me the memes before uploading them and laughing hysterically. I know Ray wanted to laugh too, I could literally see it on his face, but he held it in, and I didn't know if I should be grateful or not.

After school ended for the day, I dreaded going outside, I didn't want to see the huge truck with a banner of my face hanging on it.

"Hey man, scared to go home?" Dawson asked as he clapped my back. I guess he noticed I was stalling.

"Who said anything about being scared?" I asked, I wasn't scared, I just didn't want to relive what had happened earlier, I don't think I would ever live that down.

"You hiding by the corner, peeking outside, isn't being scared?" He asked with raised brows. I ignored him and continued to scan the area for my grandma.

"Awwee don't be a scaredy cat." Dawson said right before I had enough. And started to walk away.

"Where is Ray?" I asked him, when I noticed he was following me.

"He is already by your car." He said.

I wondered what he would be doing there, because I know he had his car. I took the last bend towards where my car was parked.

"Something about your grandmother wanting to see him." Dawson said just as I sighted the aforementioned old lady.

"You couldn't have told me this before?" I asked, enraged.

"Then I wouldn't be getting this genuine expression." He said smiling.

"What expression??" I asked confused on where the conversation was headed.

"This." He said producing his phone and taking a picture of me and running away. I didn't even have time to react, I just grunted. My phone rang, I checked, it was Dawson, I could still see him, I didn't know why he called, I just answered.

"Thank you for all the memes today, you have me really famous, and also, I'll send you the memes I make with these." He said and ended the call immediately. I promised myself I was going to kill him, I didn't know when, but I will.

Two deep breaths could not have prepared me enough, but I took them anyway, I got to my grandma, she was by my car, with Ray. He looked uncomfortable, but he stayed there, he respected elders a lot, probably why grandma loved him more than me.

"So you weren't rushed to the hospital yet." I said tiredly.

"I see that you weren't rushed to hell yet." She countered.

"Guess all that yelling didn't damage your brain cells." I told her seriously. And I felt a heavy knock on my head, I turned to see Ray eying me.

"The f**k?" I hissed at him.

"Mind your language! This isn't delinquent camp,!" Grandma said.

I rolled my eyes and walked to the door, I opened it and got in, locking every other door.

I smirked at my grandma, she smirked back, that wiped off the smirk from my face. She slowly raised a placard. I squinted at it.

"DO NOT TEST ME! I HAVE MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM"

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat, it was supposed to be expected anyway. I unlocked the doors. She smiled and hugged Ray, before coming in. I eyed Ray as I backed out of the school's parking lot,

"How was school today?" She had the nerve to ask. I scoffed.

"Are you really asking me that? After everything you did today?" I asked her.

She just chuckled,

"I didn't do so much, I didn't do anything at all." She said checking her face in the mirror.

"You didn't do anything?" I asked taking the route home.

"Are we going home right now?" She exclaimed.

"Of course, where else?" I asked her.

She just changed the direction in the GPS navigation. I sighed, guess she took the therapist thing too serious. I followed the the GPS navigation, it led to a tiny, cramped road. I looked around, unsure of the place. I checked the GPS, it showed I was on the right track, I hit it,

"Why are you getting violent?" She asked looking at me weird.

"It's obviously not working." I told her.

"What do you mean? I think it's working just fine." She said looking at it.

"Then is this the right place?" I asked looking for a spot to park.

"Of course it is! The therapist is just around the corner, park the car let's go." She said happily.

"I would park if there was a place to!" I exclaimed.

I looked around the place, it was dirty, and small, and looked like it lacked basic amenities. If a therapist lived here, he or she will need therapy.

I finally found a spot to park, but it was almost entering the road, I hoped no over speeding driver would hit it, or any driver would not hit it.

"Hurry, she is waiting!!" Grandma exclaimed excitedly. Her excitement was not contagious. I sighed, and followed her. We passed so many grim and dirt, I was starting to feel for the people who live here.

"So she is a lady?" I asked.

"Yes she is!.. where exactly is this place again." She said looking everywhere, putting on a thinking face.

"Are you sure she's good at her job?" I asked starting to get worried about my mental health.

"She is the best in her field!" Grandma was too excited.

I scoffed, best in her field.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

She completely ignored me.

"There it is!" She exclaimed pointing at a molding house. The house looked like it had seen life from all angles, and was old enough to tell the story, and old enough to pass on.

"Is that safe?" I asked as she started to climb the stairs that creaked.

"It is safer than your lungs." She said going up slowly.

I didn't have the mental strength to answer her. I just followed silently, hoping that the therapy won't last too long and I would leave here soon.

"Are you staying with me?" I asked.

"Nope, I got you here already, I called my driver, he will soon be here, I just needed to make sure you got here." She said testing out a stair. I took a leap of faith, and placed my legs on the stairs, it didn't give out from under me, so I kept going slowly.

"You really think she can help? I mean she can't even help herself, she probably needs her therapist." I said frowning as I stepped on something squishy.

"Kyle Jones Garcia! Can you just give her a try?" She asked as she reached the door finally. I sighed and reached her.

She knocked lightly on the door.

"Please come in." A female voice came from inside. I glanced at grandma nervously, she nodded at me, and opened the door.

We entered, the office was tiny, very tiny, but tidy, everything in a neat file. The walls were peeling, a desk by the wall, a female sitted behind the desk, smiling widely, with her nerd glasses, and white lab coat, she looked like she should be in a hospital. There was another table in the office, with a sofa, there was someone sitted there, she looked familiar, I looked closely. It was the girl Dawson said was Troubled. She looked shocked to see me too.

"Hey Ms. Monroe!" The therapist greeted cheerily.

"Hello Suzy, I brought him like I said I would, Kyle, meet Ms Suzy, Ms Suzy meet my grandson Kyle." I just waved at her. My interest was in the girl sitted on the sofa, avoiding eye contact. What was she doing here, was she struggling with an addiction too?.

"Hello Kyle, my name is Suzy, I am a therapist and psychiatrist, welcome to 'Happy clinic'" she said smiling.