Vaughn

Standing awkwardly before the full body mirror we kept in the office, a drained and unamused reflection stared back at me. I appraised the leather jacket I now donned which heavily contrasted the white T-shirt and faded jeans. Feeling strange about being dressed casually at work, it was as if it bothered me to feel this comfortable. I made a face as the giddy brunette holding an armful of plastic bags stared at me with a wide grin.

"Zoe... I look-"

"Adorable."

"No, like I'm auditioning for Grease or something." I glowered at the man I saw in the mirror, gesturing to my bangs which were swept to the side courtesy of you-know-who.

This person wasn't me.

"Relax, gorgeous. Eventually Leigh will walk in that door and his eons of darkness will finally disperse upon seeing you!" She mused, complete with jazz hands and an expression of whimsy. "That, or you may get a laugh out of him at least." She muttered dismissively and set the bags down.

"Those boutiques and thrift stores probably won't take 'em back anyway."

I rolled my eyes heavenwards and leaned against the desk, my voice full of lament. "I should have never answered the phone this morning when you woke me up for 'something urgent.'" I muttered bitterly.

"Early morning is the best time for shopping, all the stores are still in stock with everything! Besides, you're the one who wanted to dress more comfortably to put your clients at ease."

"That was YOUR idea!"

"Yeah, but you still let me do it."

I opened my mouth to say something but shut it just as quickly, a troubled sigh escaping my lips soon after.

At least it wasn't bunny slippers...

Zoe merely gave me a quaint smile before bowing dramatically and heading to her desk. I suddenly wished I had gone through with the idea of having a closet for spare clothes here, just in case I spilled coffee on myself or something. As well as, regretting the fact that I had decided not to book any early sessions today so I could catch up on sleep.

So. Much. Regret.

Nonetheless, I sat down at the front of the office with my appointment book. Uncomfortably-comfortable or not, I still had a job to do. I clicked the end of my pen and flipped open to today's date, crossing out the names of the people who had either cancelled or switched days. As I reached further down the list and my pen tapped Leigh's name, I realized that he was usually my last appointment for the day. Most of my clients had early morning slots, though Leigh's father took it upon himself to personally drive him here directly after school. This was of course to make sure that the boy was actually going to the appointments, though it made sense as to why he was always in such a horrid mood when he got here.

Waking up at some ungodly hour in the morning, dragging yourself to a building where you'll be forced to deal with people you probably don't like. Then, basically being imprisoned for several hours before being picked up by a parent you are at odds with... only to be dropped off to a stranger constantly prodding your now fried brain for coherent thoughts and reactions.

Just imagining it caused me to cringe and shut the book, me being an adult and still finding the thought unpleasant. I try to be as sympathetic as I can towards my clients, and just by picturing his routine, I felt like I had a brand new appreciation for Leigh as a person.

He's a trooper, but is he going to show up or what?

I thought rather worriedly to myself as I checked my wristwatch and rose from my seat. Usually around this time his father's dark red Mercedes would have pulled up outside and dropped him off. I glanced up at the huge office windows and walked over, peeking down the street in search of the car, but to no avail.

I suppose there's still time, maybe I'm just used to them being early. Unless, Leigh decided to ditch therapy as soon as his father took off... or something terrible happened.

I frowned and bit my lip in concern, looking back at Zoe with a daunting question on the tip of my tongue. Although, I decided to leave her be as I saw the bright light of the computer screen shining on her face as she typed, fully engrossed in her work.

Not wanting to disturb her, I merely turned back to the window to check once more. However, just as I shifted towards it I felt my phone vibrate. With a perplexed expression I tugged it out of my jeans and furrowed my brow at the name, though answered it and put it to my ear.

"Hello, Mr. Mayfair. I was just wondering where you were, will you be running late?"

In my peripheral vision I could see Zoe tilt her head and look at me from behind her computer screen, her eyes blinking in piqued curiosity.

"No, actually I won't be able to drive over there. The business meeting i'm in is going into overtime." A gruff yet weary sounding voice answered.

"Oh I see. I'll cancel Leigh's appointment-"

"Wait a minute. I don't agree with the fact that since I can't drive him, he shouldn't go to his well needed therapy. I want to tell him to just walk there but..."

I lowered my gaze to the floor when there was a pause, knowing full well what the other was thinking.

"That child- he won't go if I don't make him. That's why, Dr. Ackerman, would it be too much to ask you to pick him up in my stead?"

I felt my brow raise in surprise as I walked away from the window towards my desk. I wasn't expecting that in the least, and I had never done this for any client prior. Nevertheless, I scooped up my car keys and hesitantly stuttered my reply.

"N-Not at all."

"Great, I'll tell him to wait outside the school's back gate. You can head out now, thanks again."

"Right. Uh, wait what if I don't-" The steady beeping of a disconnected line cut me off, causing me to sigh and turn my head to Zoe. She quickly averted her eyes back to her computer screen, but I could tell she was waiting for me to fill her in.

"Well... I'll be back in a bit, I've got a moody teen to pick up."

"I'll hold down the fort, pick me up some Takis."

I shook my head and grinned at her, heading outside to my car, a sleek black Lexus. Having been in the area before, I took off towards Magnolia Villa High school with confidence. The school wasn't even terribly far from the office, and it was only halfway through that I began to worry how Leigh would react.

Hell, how should I even react? I'm already out of my comfort zone in these clothes. Hopefully he doesn't laugh like Zoe said...

It wasn't long before I came upon the school's front gate, admiring the high school which looked more akin to a college campus. The buildings had shiny red brick and arched doorways, an enormous clock tower, and the paradigmatic fountain in the center. The air smelled of freshly cut grass, I noted as I glanced over the short neat lawns adorned with flowers and rose bushes. 

"I wish my high school was as nice..." I muttered to myself as I drove around back and began to scan the faces of students that trickled out. I slowed my car to a cruise and frowned when I noticed the whole courtyard was empty.

He did say he told Leigh to wait back here, didn't he?

Despite knowing that the best strategy was to stay in one place, I waited for a little while before my own paranoia began to get the best of me. Wondering if Leigh even got the message from his father, I pulled off again and decided to round the school's perimeter. I noted a few kids here and there who were walking home and a small group hanging around the side entrance. My eyes nearly moved away from this group, but a quick movement brought my attention back to them. Panic soon ensued when I saw one of them get slammed roughly into a wall.

Shit, they're fighting!

I glanced around frantically for any signs of school security, my stomach sinking when I saw no one. My hands tightened on the steering wheel when I realized I'd have no choice but to try and break this up myself. I drove up right next to them at the gate, though they didn't seem to take notice as they were too busy beating the crap out of each other. Two boys were fist-fighting in the shadow of the now deserted side entry. One beaten and haggard, clutching his gut on the ground. A girl was being held off to the side; kicking and screaming. The smaller boy seemed to take notice and went over to them, only to be grabbed by the scruff of his hood by a tall blond.

Fuck! Is that-?!

A string of curses left my mouth as my eyes passed over a familiar black bag strewn haphazardly on the concrete. My hands fumbled with the seat belt as I swiftly threw it off, rolling down the window and mustering up the most assertive tone I could.

"Hey! Stop!" I shouted, causing the lanky blond boy to glare up at me angrily, his fist still cocked back in the air.

"We're fucking busy. Is there a problem, Sir?!"

"Yeah-" I muttered darkly, the car door slamming shut behind me. "There will be if you put your hands on that boy again."