Half the Battle by A.M. Alvarez

Author:A.M. Alvarez [Alvarez, A. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, grieving, mental health awareness, sports
ISBN: 978-1-63676-458-0
Publisher: New Degree Press
Published: 2021-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

* * *

I’ve been on everybody’s watch for the past few days. I’m being asked “how are you doing?” and “how are you feeling?” so much that I’m beginning to forget any other responses I can give except “good.”

It’s Wednesday, aka my least favorite day of the week, and today is going to be even worse. I meet with Jasper today, Dr. Milow’s replacement. I’m not sure what to expect but I walk in trying not to think about how poorly it can go. No expectations. No disappointments. If I do good with Jasper, maybe he will put in good word to the dean, and everyone would back off.

When I get to school, I walk straight to Jasper’s office in the library. I prefer this rather than going to Dr. Milow’s, who’s the head counselor here, which was just another reason for people to talk when they’d see me walk through her doors every week.

Jasper’s sitting at in a room at the corner of the library in a chair and I notice there aren’t any books or plants cluttered around him or the rest of the space. It’s actually pretty bland in here, which is comforting. This is just another room, and he is just another ordinary person.

He stands up when I get closer to him and takes off his eyeglasses before he reaches his hand out to shake mine.

“Thora? Lovely to meet you. I’ve been looking forward to this all week!” Jaspers say, letting out a half-smile. That makes one of us.

“Nice to meet you, Mr…”

“Just Jasper is fine.”

I sit in the seat across from Just Jasper and he opens a spiral notebook in front of him. His paper is blank. No notes or prompts. No data. Just lines with empty spaces between them.

“What sort of therapy do you do?” I ask out of curiosity. It seems like they just pulled out Jasper from a hat of decent people and matched us up.

“I do all kinds of therapy. Mostly Cognitive Behavior Therapy.”

I nod at Jasper like I understand what that means. but I have no idea. I’ve never heard of cognitive anything, but I don’t ask any clarifying questions. I don’t care. I’m just here because refusing isn’t an option, especially after what happened at my parent’s funeral.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Jasper says while leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Okay,” I say and run through everything that’s happened these past few weeks. He looks at me with a delighted face as he listens to my story, but he doesn’t jot down any notes. Not even when I hint that something weird is up with Aunt Naan, or that my parents’ accident doesn’t make sense to someone who knows them so well.

“What could this mystery mean, like, for your family?” He asks when I stop talking. I’m relieved that’s the part he chooses to focus on rather than the parents dying part.

“I’m not sure. No one is telling me anything.”

“Ah-ha. And your

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