In Denial [Sean]

“Of course you’re not,” Sean assured her. What little he’d been engaged in could wait an hour or two; after all, his door had been open, and that meant he was available to talk. “There’s no reason for you to go.” He assumed that would settle the matter. He was right, insofar as she walked fully into the room and was engaged in sitting and making herself comfortable. At her question about seating arrangements, he shook his head slightly. “Anywhere that looks comfortable.” He could easily move if she chose the sofa on the other end of the room; there were chairs everywhere for that reason.

Her explanation of why she had come – or how she had come rather – was common enough. Often students professed not to know why they were there, only that someone had advised them to come, either a friend, a faculty member, or a relative. It was easier for students to feel as though they had no choice in the matter – or to try to make him think that they had no choice in the matter – as opposed to actively seeking him out. He was keen to play that game for a bit, and thus he nodded his understanding.

Fortunately, she did move to the heart of the matter – or at least a layer closer than the standard introduction – and he listened as she explained. Social issues, one of the only constants for all teenagers everywhere. “Are you unhappy because you don’t fit in? Or are you unhappy because you just don’t like being here?”