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I walk back towards the door and open it, but not before getting in the last word.
“Bring it.”
fourteen
PHOENIX
I spentmost of the weekend completely recovering from my incident at the party. My entire body just felt like it was hit by a train. Not to mention the confusion of waking up next to Daxon, the guys sleeping in the same room. It was just … a lot.
Liz said she worried when I didn’t come home, but also, she never called me or tried to contact Chad to see what happened to me, so I’m not quite sure what to make of that. She was nice enough to bring me food from the dining hall all weekend so I wouldn’t have to leave the room, so points for that.
It took a while for my body to feel better after that. I decided against a police report because frankly I had no idea how I got roofied and nothing happened outside of being taken back to the kings’ dorm. I just won’t be drinking at any parties any time soon.
Monday was very uneventful; the kings even ignored me. In fact, the entire student body ignored my presence. None of that even bothered me. It was great. I could float through my classes without worry. So, if this was the kings’ way of trying to force me out, it wasn’t working.
It’s Tuesday, and I have my weekly check in with the head doctor. I still don’t understand the need for this. Yes, my parents are gone. Yeah, I discovered my mother’s body. Sure, I’m sent to a fucking nightmare of a school. And no amount of talking with anyone will ever bring them back or change the events of the past. I stroll up to the office and head back to the boring ass room that has been designated for us to use for our sessions.
I walk up to the door and knock on the outside of the wall. Dr. Parker looks up from his laptop and gives me a smile.
“Phoenix, please come in. Sit.” He points to the white plush couch that I really hate sitting on. He moves his chair that he was sitting in behind the desk to the side of it so that he can focus.
I turn and shut the door and then plop down on the couch, moving my bag to the floor before leaning back.
“How’s your wrist?” he asks.
I hold it up, still bandaged. “It’s better, but I keep it bandaged just in case of anymore accidental falls.”
He hums but moves on. “So, how was your first full week here?” Dr. Parker crosses his leg over his knee and leans forward.
I let out a chuckle. “This place is ridiculous.”
“What is ridiculous about Darkwood?”
“Look, Doc, you know where I come from. This place isn’t for people like me. These people ironically think I’m some diseased infested whore, while in reality, they are so blinded by money and power that they just want to spread their legs and get knocked up by whatever golden sperm sticks. I just want to graduate and give myself a chance to survive.”
“Hm. Are students here giving you any trouble?” He leans back in his chair and uncrosses his legs.
“Nothing I can’t handle. I really don’t want to talk about them. Giving them more than a second of thought is more than they should get.”
Dr. Parker nods and frowns. “You turn eighteen soon. In a couple weeks.”
“Yup. September thirteenth. Big one-eight.” I fold my arms across my chest.
“Any plans to celebrate? Maybe with your aunt?”
I let out a loud, obnoxious laugh and clap my hands together. “My aunt doesn’t even know if I’m still alive at this point. And I’m sure she’s hoping I fall off the face of the earth. She couldn’t give two fucks about my birthday. She shipped my ass here and washed her hands of me.”
“She hasn't called?” His brows pull together.
“She put me in that taxi and never looked back.” I run my hands through my hair, turning my attention away from him and looking at the room around us. The walls are bare, completely void of any sign that someone had used this room at some point. All that sits in this room is the cheap wooden desk and this couch.
“Okay, let’s change topics. How have you been dealing with the loss of your mom?”
I sigh. “Same way I always do. I ignore it.”
“You know that’s not a healthy way to deal with the loss. You need to talk about it, share how you feel—”
“How I feel?” I interrupt. “That I feel fucking alone? That I have been abandoned by everyone in my fucking life? That either people at this school ignore me like I don’t exist or want to get me kicked out of this place? That in a month when parents come in for a parent visit, I’ll have no one? It’s me against the world. I have been dropped into surviving on my own and fighting to not end it all like my parents did.”