Vaughn

"Leigh, is this why you're so upset today?" I questioned, hoping the sincerity in my tone would get through to him.

"No, but it was definitely a catalyst in this raging shitstorm of a mood I'm in."

I frowned deeply at his reply and hoped that he wasn't reverting back to how he was the first session. Especially after I rejoiced, thinking that I'd made some headway on his closed off personality. This was awful... clearly the boy had more than a few things weighing on his mind. I just wish he'd be more open to explaining them to me. Thinking on the situation, I figured I'd try to focus on the present for now.

"How are you not getting in trouble with your father?" I inquired worriedly.

An indifferent expression crossed Leigh's face. "I mean... I don't do anything worthy of more than a warning phone call. Even then, they'll never get through to my dad's phone."

"And why is that?" I asked curiously.

The corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile and he averted his eyes mischievously, not uttering a word in response. I merely shook my head and sighed. 

I guess I'll never know. 

"Speaking of my dad..." Leigh muttered darkly, causing a pit of nervousness to form in my stomach.

Did something happen at home? Maybe this would explain his irritation- no, he wouldn't tell me so easily.

"Unfortunately, because he set these appointments up himself, you have his number. Right?"

I furrowed my brow at his inquiry, answering slowly and urging him to elaborate, "...yes, I do."

I watched as the younger male pressed his lips into a thin line, clearly hesitant to complete his thought.

"Well I'm just- surprised." He finally continued, his gaze fixated on an apparently interesting section of the carpet. "When I came here today, I half expected my dad to be there mean-mugging me as I walked through the door."

I eyed him thoughtfully as he voiced his concerns, folding my arms on my desk as I saw him look up in my direction.

"I really thought you would've told my dad about that stuff I said by now."

What he said became heavy on my mind as it really said a lot about Leigh's lack of trust. A troubled expression replaced my earlier pensiveness as I replied, "I already said I would keep that secret for you. I try to make good on my promises, Leigh."

The brunet scoffed incredulously. "Yeah, sure. You say that now, but I know how this goes. You tell all your deepest darkest secrets, then the therapist ends up ratting you out to your family in attempts to orchestrate some kind of bullshit intervention."

"You watch far too many movies."

"S-Shut up..." He stammered, surprisingly not having a better retort. I offered a quaint smile as he turned up his nose at me, most likely embarrassed that he didn't have any real life experiences to draw from. How innocent and impressionable he was at this age, I thought to myself as I noticed the tinge of pink to his cheeks.

I have to admit, he is a bit fun to tease- unfortunately, that isn't what I'm here for at the moment.

A gentle knock caused us both to look over at the door. It opened just a crack and a stack of papers stuck out first before Zoe's frizzy brunette hair popped out as well.

"Pardon the intrusion, but Vaughn, I wanted to hand you these papers before I completely forget to later." She explained whimsically before turning to a slightly puzzled Leigh. "I'm not supposed to be here on your time, but I also kind of wanted to meet our mysterious stalker!"

"Stalker?" Leigh mumbled in confusion as he sat up.

"Thank you for delivering those." I announced as she trotted over to my desk and set them down. "Although, you really need to replace that filter for your brain-to-mouth feature."

She carelessly laughed off the scolding before redirecting her attention to Leigh. "Sorry, I mostly meant that as a compliment."

What kind of ass backwards compliment is that?

She clapped her hands together excitedly before introducing herself to the younger. 

"Hello, my name is Zoe Hallewell! But you can just call me Zoe."

Leigh looked a bit bashful under her gaze before muttering quietly, "Hallewell? Like... All's-well? That's kind of fitting."

The tall woman grinned at his response. "Yep! Unlike you, ya little fruitcake. Your last name 'ought to be something more dreary."

"Wow." Leigh scoffed and flopped his head back down on the couch, though I couldn't tell if he was offended or impressed by her less than professional response.

"...Zoe..." I uttered in disbelief before I even realized it. "You can't just say that to- where is your chill , woman?"

"I'm teasing of course!" She laughed and I ran a hand through my hair, a habit I often did out of stress.

"Well, I actually like his last name." I defended, though it was my honest opinion. I smiled at them both when they looked my way. "Doesn't it make you think of a fun summer day? You could just imagine the sun's warmth on your skin and the sweet, greasy stall food..."

Despite my best efforts, they both looked at me as if I had an extra head. Zoe snickered like the giggly woman that she was, and Leigh gave me the side eye before clicking his tongue in annoyance. 

Regardless, I felt as if that brightened the mood a bit more.

"Before I head out, how's it going in here? Anything an aspiring therapist could help with?" Zoe asked in a seemingly innocent manner with her hands clasped behind her back. However, the way she leaned over my desk to view my clipboard revealed her poorly disguised curiosity.

I let out a deep sigh at her good Samaritan act, well aware that she just wanted some dirt to gossip about. I then gazed at the notebook on the desk, picking it up and looking over at Leigh. "Zoe here is actually going to become a certified psychologist soon. Would you have any objections about her viewing this for helpful input?"

The boy only shrugged as he lay comfortably across the couch, playing absentmindedly with the strings of his hoodie. What are the odds that for once, this teenager didn't give a damn about his own privacy?

"Well, you've got consent. Knock yourself out." I declared listlessly and held out the notebook as Zoe swiped it from my hands. Her face was so intrigued and serious at first, that it was almost humorous how quickly it shattered. Immediately, a hearty laugh escaped her and she slapped the surface of my desk with a loud 'thud.'

"Wow! Such... colorful language! You really have a way with words, Leigh!" She guffawed, much to the boy's chagrin as he turned away from her sheepishly. By this point I had given up on trying to chastise her. Instead I watched them interact with cheek in hand, wondering vaguely how I could live my life as carefree as these two.