Vaughn

"I also think that you don't know what you're talking about and my dad just wants to get rid of me." Leigh declared monotonously as he rolled over to lay on his back, his finger absentmindedly tracing the embroidery of the couch. "Don't you do the same thing with your kids when you don't want to deal with them?"

I glanced up from my clipboard at this, right after scribbling 'serious disconnect between father and son' onto a fresh white page.

"I don't have any." I replied as my pen glided across the paper, thinking that was the end of that matter.

With the way the situation is, it's unlikely that I'll be getting much more information from Leigh. I also have to potentially meet his father, seeing as I'd only ever spoken to him briefly over the phone when he made the appointment.

"Seriously? At your age?" Leigh asked in surprise and in my peripheral vision I watched him sit up, the cushion still hugged to his small frame. I raised an eyebrow, wondering why he hadn't dropped the subject yet.

"Just how old do you think I am?"

My question lingered in the air as the boy paused for a moment and scrutinized me. It was quiet for a while, save for the occasional sound of pen scratching on paper. A bit later, he halfheartedly responded. "I don't know... your face is young but you dress like a lawyer and talk like you swallowed a thesaurus. Maybe 30?"

I scoffed at the inane number, astonished that he couldn't place my age.

"I'm.... 22."

"What? You're joking... that's..." He instantly exclaimed, the shock written all over his face. "We're just 5 years apart? How are you a psychologist already?"

'Was it really so hard to believe? Do I seem that old...?' I thought and caught myself in a slight pout at the very insinuation. Despite that, I decided to put a pin in it for now and move along.

"Ah. Well to answer your question, the 4 years for my bachelor's just hurried by, and my master's only took-" Suddenly I stilled myself, letting my sentence trail off in realization as I noticed Leigh. I watched as he silently snuck a hand into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out his cellphone. He then proceeded to unlock it and tap away at the screen, blissfully unaware that I had seen him.

This little- He was PLAYING me! With one of the oldest tricks in the book too! Leave it to a high-schooler to ask the teacher personal questions and talk them in circles.

An unamused frown quickly found its way onto my face as the younger checked the time on his home screen before locking it. It was only after he tucked the device back into his pocket with a pleased expression that I cleared my throat.

"Can't go 20 minutes without your technological lifeline, huh?" I announced loudly and with a sickeningly sweet smile, my words dripping in sarcasm.

"Oh- I uh..." The brunet flinched slightly at the tone I used, fumbling with a plausible excuse. "Shit."

Obviously not being able to find one, Leigh resigned to stay quiet as I hummed with malicious intent. "Hmm, how shall I punish you for your crimes?" I announced half jokingly, wanting to chuckle once I heard a string of curses being mumbled under his breath.

"I know. How about, I give you an assignment?"

The cursing got progressively louder as I continued to speak, however I was smirking all the while as I relayed his instructions. "Since you won't tell me all about yourself outright, I'll have to pick up clues some other way. Therefore-"

I cut myself off, reaching below the mahogany desk and pulling open a drawer to reveal several composition notebooks. Taking one off the top, I handed it to a reluctant Leigh who stared at me with furrowed brows.

"You are to keep track of your daily life. I want you to record in here whatever you do, how you feel at the time, and/or your current thoughts. Finally, you are to return it to me next time you come here with at least one entry."

A haughty scoff permeated the air right as I finished. "Next time." Leigh repeated sarcastically as he glanced at the notebook before tossing it into his bag.

I averted my gaze at that, twirling my pen between my thumb and middle finger. I hate to admit it, but he technically had the power here. The notebook wouldn't do me much good if my client had no intentions of coming back. I leaned forward onto my elbows, my hands clasped in front of my face as I watched him close the zipper on his bag. He was preparing to leave, time was almost up.

I need to evoke something in him. Perhaps trigger an unresolved trauma that will possibly make him want to come up with a solution. I need to make him WANT to come back.

After some contemplation, I knew that I had found that trigger.

"So... before we wrap up, may I ask you about your family? What are they like?"

As if on cue, Leigh tensed up immediately. He also let out a hefty sigh, sticking his hands in the pockets of his over sized hoodie. His reactions only solidified the fact that his home life must be extremely complicated.

"What about them? My parents aren't together. I live with my dad, and he's barely around."

Seemingly trifling information on the outside, but it spoke volumes to me about Leigh's upbringing. This was a child who sadly was alone most of the time; constantly listening to his parents argue, and sadder yet... someone who probably had nobody to talk to. I held the pen to the base of my chin, looking over my notes pensively.

I need more. Something to latch onto, something to trigger even stronger emotion.

"Your father..." I began, and Leigh couldn't possibly be any tenser by this point. He was already curled up in his defensive little shell, not daring to look at me, as if his face would betray his feelings. Even though I was also aware that this was a sensitive topic, it nonetheless had to be touched on.

"Why do you disagree with what I said earlier, that he actually treasures you? He isn't hateful towards you, is he?"

Leigh went quiet and still wouldn't dare to look at me, preferring to glower mercilessly at the floor as the uncomfortable silence drawled on. In fact, after a while I felt as If I had maybe pushed his boundaries a little too hard. However, he just barely whispered his response.

"No, he isn't particularly hateful."

"I see..." Did he take all that time to really think about his response? Was it the truth? Could I trust him? His answers only lead me to more questions. "Then why-"

"-But does he treasure me? I have very strong doubts about that. He's basically never around!" Leigh explained bitterly, a slight edge to his voice as he continued in a low murmur, "he doesn't even notice that I skip class like 3 days a week, the dean probably has my house phone on speed dial."

A mixture of disapproval and sympathy crossed my face as I eyed Leigh, his burning gaze having not left the floor. As an older figure, I felt like I should scold him for potentially ruining his graduation in a few months. However, as an individual, I held nothing but compassion in my heart for his cry for attention.

"So you've been skipping, huh?" I uttered quietly once I noticed that neither of us had said anything for the past few minutes. As if he just realized what he disclosed, Leigh's eyes widened slightly and he finally looked up at me with worried green irises. It took me a moment to understand why he seemed so distraught, and then it hit me.

"Oh- don't worry... your secret is safe with me." I assured him, though his skeptic stare and resumed silence indicated that he wasn't a believer. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair before whispering, "hey I understand how it is, I also used to skip a few classes when I was a senior. Remember, I was 17 not too long ago."

Leigh appraised me for a long time, and I was starting to become nervous under this teenager's piercing gaze. Thankfully, soon after he hit me with 'sure, when dinosaurs roamed the earth...' and I knew everything would be fine.

"You have bad taste in jokes." I declared with an indignant huff, looking almost scandalized. However, I then found myself blinking in pleasant surprise when a small chuckle escaped the other, so quiet that it almost went unnoticed if not for the silence of the room. With that, our time together had drawn to a close and Leigh stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Goodbye uh- I forget your name." The boy mumbled as he shuffled to the door. In response, I rose from my desk and walked over to him, taking his hand and clasping it in a firm hand shake.

"Dr. Vaughn Ackerman. Pleasure to be at your service." I stated proudly, giving the other a radiant smile. "Now promise me that you'll think about coming back, okay?"

Leigh seemed so astonished by the handshake that he didn't know what to say. Unfortunately, I wasn't willing to have him leave thinking that therapy wasn't worth it. My grip tightened slightly to get his attention and soon bewildered green eyes were on me.

"Is it a promise?" I implored him, searching his face for any signs of acceptance. I watched him swallow thickly before withdrawing his hand and turning on his heels.

"I... guess I'll think about it."