Vaughn

After I waved him off, Leigh trudged out of the doorway. You would think he carried the whole world on his shoulders with how sluggish he was. He didn't look 'enlightened,' and his spirits also didn't seem particularly lifted or anything. 

Then again, what could I expect after only one session? At least his bookbag was on his back this time.

I sat down and took out a crisp new case folder, hearing his footsteps echo down the hall, as well as the cheery parting words from Zoe as the door to the office shut soon after. 

He was the last appointment for the day, so Zoe must be locking up soon, I reminded myself as I took out a black sharpie.

'Leigh Mayfair,' I wrote in the deep dark ink that was likely to bleed through the beige folder, slipping my notes inside of it as well as the case files. A brand new patient who's mind I had to wrap my head around. A new human who's thought process I was forced to understand and push in the right direction. Although, could I really tell a teenager what the 'right direction' was? They either think they've got the world around them figured out, or are so lost in trying to do so; they end up unable to even figure out themselves. I couldn't help the nostalgic smile that inched its way onto my face as I thought about my senior year in high school.

I know I was the former. However, Leigh... he may just be messing around for now when it comes to therapy, but I hope he ends up taking it seriously and working with me.

I tucked the folder into my briefcase to take home, something I often did in case I wanted to read information over or write down an idea to try. I got up from my desk and took it with me as I locked the door, somewhat reluctant to leave the comfort of the cozy office. As I made my way back over to where the front desks were, my mind ran back to the session as I went over a few key moments in my head. I frowned as I recalled Leigh's shock at my true age, surprised myself that it seemed to bother me more than I thought. My keys jingled as I clumsily shoved them into my pocket, that being the only sound in the room until an overly excited voice chimed in from down the hall.

"Heeeeey! Vaughn, how did it go? How was he? Did he cry? I bet he cried." Zoe inquired curiously and I shook my head in response.

"He didn't, and he was... interesting-" I replied, wracking my brain to find a positive word to say. "-And the session was informative. Although, I still had him do the notebook exercise."

"Huh? You really think he'll do it?" Zoe asked with wide eyes as she stopped writing and wheeled her chair towards me. "You sure it won't go something more like... daddy, daddy, therapy is a waste of money! Buy me a car instead!"

I chuckled a bit at her near accurate impersonation of the snobbish rich kids that go to schools like Leigh's. I've driven near that area and caught wind of their conversations a few times. Trust me, you'd be surprised at the level of humble bragging these kids achieve. Sometimes they didn't even bother to hide it either, and would just outright be nasty just to one-up each other about who has what. However, I didn't want to peg Leigh as one of those kinds of people. His family clearly had money to be able to afford that school, and he may be a bit cocky in his own regards; but he didn't seem like that kind of braggart. As I went over everything he said to me, I found myself recalling once again the bit about my age.

"Zoe, before I forget-" I began and the tanned woman perked her head up in my direction upon hearing her name. Although, now that her attention was fully on me, I felt a bit embarrassed at how insecure the question seemed. "Uh- do you..."

"Do I...? What, think you're lame?" She joked.

"No! Well, maybe?" I grumbled, sighing at how backwards this was. Zoe was actually a few years older than me, so how did she seem to blend in with younger people so well?

"Do you think... I act too much older than I really am?" I finally blurted out and averted my gaze as the other hummed in amusement. Soon after that hum turned into a snicker, and then became a full on outburst of laughter.

"Hahah, that's adorable!"

"Wow, I was actually serious! Remind me never to ask-"

"Okay, okay! Hakuna your tatas." She laughed as I could physically feel myself turning red in mortification. After letting one last giggle escape her, she cleared her throat and put on her best analytical face.

"Well... your overall style and appearance does exude maturity." She muttered in an all-knowing fashion and crossed her legs, locking eyes with me as she folded her hands together. "Though sometimes you act like you actually have a stick up your-"

"Thank you, Zoe... truly you are a woman of strong opinions." I loudly interrupted, my tone oozing sarcasm as she shot me a Cheshire cat grin.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that you're wasting your youth by being so stuffy and uptight all the time. You never drink and let loose, or dance, or do anything fun and crazy!" She criticized and unwound her legs, clearly indicating that her serious front was over and done with. "Perhaps you could even dress a little more comfortably or something, it might help your clients relax around you."

I smiled dryly at her suggestion. "I can't exactly claim to be professional if I show up to greet clients in my robe and bunny slippers, right?"

She merely rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head at me, "I don't know about you, but as a teenager... I'd be more willing to open up to a silly guy in bunny slippers than a stiff business man in a monkey suit."

"Noted. Although, not many teenagers are as eccentric as you are. In fact, I've gotten plenty of compliments on how well I dress."

"Pfft, uh yeah... from all those middle aged women trying to catch themselves a husband." She scoffed before wheeling her chair around to finish her paperwork.

"That's not-...ugh."

I sat down again with an empty sigh, not having a retort for a truth so hard-hitting. Placing my cheek in hand, I leaned forward onto the desk and my eyes found their way to the large glass window pane. My gaze lingered on my reflection; a cleanly shaven man with slicked back raven hair. Stormy grey eyes stood out against fair skin which was mostly hidden by the so-called infamous black suit and tie.

God, I really did look like my father or something...

Maybe they're right.

"Say... putting your identity crisis aside-" Zoe mumbled as she tapped away on the keyboard. "Are you really helping that boy? Leigh, I mean. So far, to him won't it just seem like you're giving him extra homework and not trying to solve his problems?"

"Hm." It's not like that thought hadn't crossed my mind. It was risky to give a difficult client like Leigh an assignment to do on the first session. It can make therapy seem more daunting than it actually is, almost like a chore instead of constructive conversation. Regardless, I believe that doing so was necessary if I wanted to gather more data on his case.

"Well..." I started thoughtfully as I addressed Zoe's concern, "I'm trying to gain his trust a bit too, you know? I can't be too overbearing and begin sessions like I normally would. Most people who come here want to be helped, but Leigh came here against his will. How would you feel if some stranger you were forced to see started lecturing you about your lifestyle?"

I watched Zoe's face screw up at the idea, mumbling something like "that's just school in a nutshell."

I nodded at her response. "Don't you think he gets enough of that at Magnolia Villa? At least, just writing about what you're feeling shouldn't be as bothersome as solving quadratic equations."

"Oh I get it! Good call, Vaughn." She exclaimed merrily and went back to typing. I thanked her and gathered my things, looking towards the same glass window where I first encountered the boy.

What I didn't tell Zoe was just something on the basic level. Overall, I wanted a chance to get to know Leigh Mayfair, and to bring this boy's problematic lifestyle some peaceful closure. It was my most abstract case so far, and I was determined to see it through.