Vaughn

I watched the empty stretch of road ahead of me as I tried my best to adjust to the car’s uncomfortable silence. We had been stuck in a blockade of traffic for a while as we tried desperately to leave Magnolia Villa’s campus without looking too suspicious. I was almost glad that we stopped to quarrel in that barren lot, it had probably killed so much time that security stopped looking for us. As I drove down the smooth asphalt and yielded occasionally for red lights, I couldn’t help but wonder if those boys from earlier had been caught. Checking the clock in my peripheral vision, I also mulled over the fact that we had spent nearly half an hour there. I was admittedly doing whatever I could to distract myself, and doing a piss-poor job of it. It’s hard not to feel unpleasant when you’re alone with someone after a tense situation. I let out a small sigh and briefly considered turning on the radio just to hear another human voice. Although, as soon as I was getting used to the silence, a brooding Leigh piped up from the backseat.

“You sure ask a lot of promises of me.” His voice was a tired slur as I noticed him shift in his curled up position.

I kept my eyes on the road, though I was surprised nonetheless at his sudden icebreaker. It was the first thing he’s said since I dropped Katalina to her home, and I didn’t expect to get anything substantial out of him today.

“This is only the second time.” I defended with a playful scoff.

“That’s two times too many to be so compliant.” He muttered into the fabric of the car seat, his body still turned stubbornly away from me.

“I must be losing my touch. Curse Kat and her damn puppy eyes.”

I decided to casually change the subject while he was still in the mood to mock it, not wanting him to relapse into today’s events. Sarcastic Leigh was better than a reclusive Leigh, after all.

I hummed in response to his mutterings before attempting to sneak my inquiry in.

“Why don't you at least try  interacting positively with the people at your school?“

"Can't. Hate 'em."

"....Well.” I hesitantly replied as I wasn’t expecting such an abrupt answer, choosing to hold my tongue and think about my next statement. I wasn’t banking on him just mindlessly going with it, but to completely dismiss it right away... I guess I just have to deal with the fact that not every patient wants to be helped.

I awkwardly cleared my throat and continued. “You may dislike some of the people you've met, but we often shun the things we don’t understand. Perhaps if you took the time to actually talk to-“

“Can’t.  Hate ‘em.” Leigh repeated firmly and turned to face the windshield with narrowed eyes.

“You hate them that much?”

“Like a dose of poison.”

I shut my mouth upon hearing that and seeing his unwavering glare which seemed to be directed at something far in the distance.

What exactly could be breeding this unfettered loathing for his peers? His father called me about his behavior, and so I figured it was mostly miscommunication between family that was making Leigh so uncooperative.

I frowned a bit as I maneuvered smoothly through an intersection, my body set on autopilot as I took mental notes. It was easy to see now that there were numerous factors I had to account for. His situation at school seemed to stem from a deep seeded hatred for his classmates, and it seemed I would progress further with him if I just knew what he's been experiencing.

I need to act on this sooner than I thought... I reminded myself as we neared our destination.

If father comes in for an evaluation and Leigh is still this isolated and stubborn...

I unconsciously bit my lip at the thought, the pressure admittedly fraying my nerves as I noticed the other fidget in his seat. I glanced over quickly to see Leigh’s grip tighten on his bag as we drove onto the street where the office was. He looked to be lost in thought, and I couldn't really blame him. I saw today exactly how Magnolia Villa students are, but neither he nor Katalina would explain the context.

Why did they make it out to be the two of them against the world? Sure, you’re not going to get along with everyone, but Leigh had to be exaggerating a bit. There’s got to be someone else he clicks with, I mean, he found Katalina after all.

“I take it nothing you’ve written in your journal will give me a hint as to why you got into today’s situation?” I asked in a last ditch effort.

“Probably not.” He answered with arms crossed as he slowly let his head knock into the window with an audible ‘thud.’

Great. Same old Leigh.

I slumped back into the car seat with a heavy sigh as I pulled into my parking spot. Just as I put it in park I heard Leigh fiddling with the door handle, turning just in time to see him scowl once he realized the child safety lock was on.

“Really?” He gestured to the door in annoyance. “Is this necessary? You don’t even have kids.”

“It’s for you.”

The teen’s frown deepened and he honestly reminded me of my three year old niece throwing a temper tantrum. I held back a chuckle as I nonchalantly tapped the button to free the lock, the other hastily yet wordlessly getting out of the car.

Just as he was about to sling his backpack onto his shoulders, I spoke up softly in an attempt to lift his spirits.

“Hey... I’ll cut the session a bit short for you. You’ve been through a lot today.”

The boy seemed to pause at that, his back still to me and the slightly ajar door as he remained quiet. Eventually after a brief yet tense moment of silence, his shoulders fell in a disarming motion and he finally mumbled his response.

“I got it. Let’s just do this so you can report to dad like the good little parole officer that you are.”

I shook my head and jokingly rolled my eyes heavenward, shocked when it earned me a cheeky grin from the teenager. This also gave me pause as it was a strange yet almost fulfilling feeling that it invoked. To see his lips quirk up in the faintest smile as he impishly headed to the office doors, It really dawned on me at that moment how special it was. It almost felt like an achievement to remove the sour expression off his face, and I was pleased that I was seeing it more and more often lately.

Bonus meme, in case you missed it. OvO <3 Thank you all!