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CHAPTER 2





CHAPTER 2

I walked into a small room painted in white, a circle of plastic blue chairs crowding most of the space. This wasn't where I wanted to be, which was something I knew for sure: whether it was by the instant, uneasy feeling that stirred inside of me or the sour expressions all the other teens in the room held. I spotted a girl chewing gum, twisting her blond hair. Next, I noticed another girl, smiling and waving at us.

"Alright, I'm here. Now let's go," I muttered.

Wesley nudged my shoulder. "Oh come on, Kylie. Just give the place a chance."

I glared at him, but when I saw the look he was giving me, I decided to give in. "Fine," I said through gritted teeth.

He scanned the room and recognized the girl waving at us. "There's Summer. Gotta go." 

He flashed her a grin and sat next to her, and I managed to hear him say, "Hey gorgeous. How was your day?"

"So that's the famous Summer," I mumbled. When no one answered, I sighed and made my way to two chairs, Bas following me like a shadow. I took a seat, setting my purse down on my lap and releasing a sigh. I glanced at Bas, watching him stare intensely at something. I looked in the direction he was gazing at, only to catch a glimpse of the blond girl distracted by her phone.

"What are you looking at?" I asked him. No answer. I tried another time, but still, he ignored me. Irritated, I elbowed him.

He flinched, his face contorted with slight confusion and slight anger. "What the hell?"

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing."

I felt a stab of frustration but then decided not to press and looked away from him. A pale and freckle-faced boy stepped into the room, flashing me a smirk once he saw me. It was Wesley's brother, Jack. He approached me, grinning. "Hey Ky, mind if I sit here?"

I folded my arms and nodded, "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

Jack was fifteen years old and had a twin sister, Callie. He was the second oldest out of the eight children in Wesley's family. Despite how normal Wes and Callie seemed, Jack was the polar opposite. He hated following rules and constantly rebelled, only causing more trouble in Wesley's dysfunctional family. "On the scale of one to ten, you're a nine. I'm the only one you need."

I frowned. "A nine? I'm a ten, asshole."

"Jesus, Ky. Calm down. Just a little harmless flirting."

My urge to snap back was suddenly disrupted when a lady with hints of gray streaks in her hair walked into the room, wearing a dress that wasn't very flattering and small rectangular glasses. "Yeah, whatever." I said to Jack, "How about you go flirt with that old lady instead, yeah?"

"A little harsh, Kylie," Bas mumbled. I rolled my eyes in reply.

An annoyingly high-pitched voice made me wince. "Welcome!" said the lady. "It looks like we have newcomers!"

She was referring to me and Bas, of course, as she waved at us with a strangely irritating smile that was so wide we could see all of her perfectly straight teeth.

"I hate her already," I muttered under my breath. Bas didn't answer me. "...Bas?"

"Let's start with introductions," said the lady, her grin still glued to her lips. "I will go first and then we'll go clockwise. Introduce yourself and tell us why you're here, then tell us a random fact about you. I am Mrs. Hemsworth, and I will be your counselor. I am here every Monday after school."

She glanced at the blond girl, who straightened her posture and took a deep breath when she realized it was her turn to say something. "I'm Alexis," she said. "I'm paranoid, and I've got a bit of a crappy temper. That's why I'm here. And, random fact... I like the color red."

Following the blond girl, there was the oh-so-famous-Summer, the girl Wesley wouldn't shut up about. Literally, he'd just talk and talk and talk about her all the time. I didn't expect her to be like this, though. She was kitten like - innocent looking and sweet. "My name's Summer, and I'm here because I have anxiety. My favourite hobby is painting."

Wesley smiled at her, looking at her like she was his future wife. I'd never really seen Wes look at a girl like that. He was really paying attention to her, listening attentively to whatever she had to say, and his eyes were all soft and glued to her. When he realized it was his turn to speak, he looked away from her and leaned back in his chair.

"Hey, I'm Wesley. Most people call me Wes. I'm here for family issues and a bit of anxiety too."

Jack, who sat in between me and Wes elbowed him. "And a fact,"

Wes raked his fingers through his hair and released a deep breath, "Yeah. Fact. I, um, I like reading."

Reading, huh? I didn't know why I was so surprised. A lot of times I'd find Wes in the library, nose glued to a brick-like novel. I guess Wes just didn't look like your average bookworm. His brother didn't look like one, and definitely wasn't, that was for sure. Wes had once told me he didn't have time to read at home, with his house so chaotic and all. So instead he read at school. He liked books because they allowed him to escape into worlds he wished he was in. They freed his imagination - numbed him temporarily from the real world.

Up next was Jack. You couldn't really tell that Wes and Jack were brothers because they didn't exactly look alike, let alone act alike. Jack had his arms folded across his chest as he wore a pretty bland expression, while Wes wore a radiant smile that masked everything that went on inside of their home.

 "I'm Jack, Wes' brother. I'm here 'cause our parents are--"

Wes elbowed him. "Jack..."

In an attempt to calm himself down, Jack took a deep breath and continued, "Same reasons as Wes."

Mrs. Hemsworth nodded and offered them both sympathetic smiles, before turning to face me and Bas and saying, "Now, for the two newbies! Could you please introduce yourselves and tell us why you're here?"

Bas released a sigh and straightened his posture a little, before muttering, "I'm Bas. I'm here for a lot of reasons."

Nothing. Just silence for a really, really long time.

Mrs. Hemsworth smiled and said, "And a fact?"

Bas shrugged. "I don't know... I like... Fries."

A giggle floated through the dead silence, erupting from the blond girl -- Alexis. Her laughs became louder, and she hunched over, laughing so hard she began to gasp for air, even though what he said wasn't necessarily funny. I felt a stab of frustration. 

"I'm Kylie," I said, attempting to project my voice in order to muffle Alexis' loud laughs.

The room fell silent, again.

"Kylie," Mrs. Hemsworth beamed. This lady was cheerful. Too cheerful. Almost Joker like, with that awfully creepy smile of hers. It made me uncomfortable. "Anything else you have to say about yourself, Kylie? Any... Facts? Reasons why you're here?"

I replied with a shrug, folding my arms and leaning back in my chair. "Nope," I said flatly, scanning the room. All eyes were on me, their stares burning into my skin. "It's none of your business."

---

When the session was over, Mrs. Hemsworth glanced at her watch and said, "Looks like that's all the time we have! I'll see you all next Monday, yeah?"

Quickly, I stood up from my chair, catching a glimpse at Bas still sitting. "Can we go?" I snapped, irritation bubbling in my blood. He glanced at me with a vacant expression and sighed, before getting up painfully slowly. "The hell is wrong with you? You're acting all depressed and shit."

Wesley walked towards us with his signature charming grin, Summer trailing behind him. "Was that so bad?" he asked.

"Yes," I said bluntly.

Summer offered me a smile and extended her hand. "I'm Summer."

"Yeah, I know."

"It's lovely to finally meet you. Wes has talked so much about you two."

"We could say the same for you," Bas said finally. It must have been the first time I'd heard him say a sentence that entire afternoon.

I pressed my lips together and folded my arms, feeling a sudden stab of jealousy. "Well, we're gonna leave now, Wes. Come with us if you want." I shoved Bas forward, making sure he began to walk as I followed behind him.

We made our way to our lockers; Wesley's voice calling our names from far somewhat audible. I looked over my shoulder, only to see Wes jogging towards us. When he finally caught up to me and Bas, he took a moment to stop and catch his breath. "A little harsh, Kylie."

"Oh, shut up."

"What's wrong?"

"You ditched us, Wes. That's not what friends do."

"Ditched you?"

"Yeah, for Summer. I love how the moment we entered that room you completely forgot about us."

"Well, she is my girlfriend..."

"It's not cool, Wes. You knew I didn't want to go in the first place, so why'd you make it more stressful by leaving me? Also, your brother's an ass. Do something about it."

"Hey, Kylie. Calm the hell down, will ya?"

"No. You calm down."

"I'm perfectly calm."

"Whatever."

I began entering the combination for my locker as hair fell into my face. Annoyed, I blew it away and unlocked the lock, the door swinging open. I grabbed my bag and shoved a few books into it, before swinging it over my shoulder and slamming my locker shut.

I heard Bas opening his own locker, silent and not saying a word. Usually, he'd take part in an argument. He liked drama. But today he was quiet. Bas was like that sometimes. I didn't understand why.

Wesley placed his hand on my shoulder and spun me around to face him. "Kylie, please forgive me. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" I challenged.

"For making you feel left out. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

I sighed and bit my lip, nodding and muttering, "Yeah, okay. Apology accepted. Sorry for being dramatic."

You couldn't be mad at Wesley Shepherd. Well, at least you couldn't stay mad. As we began walking through the empty halls, Wes said, "Wanna go to the park?"

"Sure,"

When Bas didn't answer, we both glanced at him. I nudged him, attempting to catch his attention. "Bas, you coming too?"

"I feel like shit."

"So is that a no?"

"Oh, please." Wes cut in. "You're coming, Bas."

---

I placed earmuffs on my ears to block out the snow and the bone-chilling swirls of the wind that plagued the neighborhood. It had been snowing for days. Wes seemed to enjoy it.

When we arrived at the park we threw our bags against a tree, partially buried in snow. I began to run, my boots sinking into the snow with every step I took, making it difficult to move. "I'll race you!" I shouted to no one in particular.

The only person who replied was no other than Wesley Shepherd. "No fair!" he yelled back. "You got a head start!"

I ran faster, my legs moving as fast as they could until I felt numb with the freezing temperature. Eventually, I collapsed into the snow, the cold biting at my skin and burning it. Wes erupted into a loud laugh, falling onto the ground as well and clutching his abdomen. "You, you should have seen that fall! Y-You're face! It's covered in snow! I-It was hilarious!"

I stood up and dusted myself off, my hands stinging as they came into contact with the snow. 

I glanced over at Bas, catching a glimpse at the hint of an ever so discreet smile, finally.

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