Shay was quiet a moment. Did she come off as a newcomer to the island? "I was born here."
Eroshay used to long for normality, but at this point, she was too sure it would never come to her in any meaningful way. She had a way about her that twisted normal into something sick and unrecognizable.
She looked at her knee and waved some lint from her skirt, humming at his question. "Highest is a high C. Mostly D's." Feeling she might have to explain herself from being judged (because that felt like something therapists would do, even if they claimed otherwise), Shay said, "I have a lot of sick days. Sometimes it's... hard to keep my grades up."
That wasn't to say Shay couldn't do it, just that she had no drive to. Maybe she would have been smart enough if things at school were more interesting (or dare she say, useful).
♠♠♠
- Jun 18, 2015
- 10,109
- Gender
- Female
- Pronouns
- She/Her
- Posting Status
- Irregularly
Valli actually chuckled under his breath when Shay corrected him about how long she'd been on the island.
"My apologies. I would say... easily ninety percent of the people I see have been on the island less than a year. You would think I'd be more conscious since I was effectively born here as well, but often... well, it's simply simpler to assume everyone is new."
Valli wanted to know if the issue was a lack of study skills or a lack of motivation, but it was always tricky to ask. He'd never assume it was stupidity--he didn't believe someone could be truly stupid--just that they might not have learned to manage just yet.
"Have you considered what you'd like to do when you graduate from high school?"
"My apologies. I would say... easily ninety percent of the people I see have been on the island less than a year. You would think I'd be more conscious since I was effectively born here as well, but often... well, it's simply simpler to assume everyone is new."
Valli wanted to know if the issue was a lack of study skills or a lack of motivation, but it was always tricky to ask. He'd never assume it was stupidity--he didn't believe someone could be truly stupid--just that they might not have learned to manage just yet.
"Have you considered what you'd like to do when you graduate from high school?"
Last edited:
"I understand," Shay told him, somewhat clipped for no reason other than discomfort. But these were all normal questions. They didn't dig or push, but Shay kept expecting him to do so.
"I... Well yes. Not so much anymore. Before, when I was very young, I wanted to be an author. Then I was very into the idea of private investigator for a few years. I became a Rosales, and most of those dreams died. Now, I'm just trying to juggle my siblings and keep everything okay. No time to think about a career."
♠♠♠
- Jun 18, 2015
- 10,109
- Gender
- Female
- Pronouns
- She/Her
- Posting Status
- Irregularly
His first instinct was there's always time to think about the future, but Valli knew that wasn't helpful. Not when someone felt overwhelmed and unable to control her own life. So instead he adjusted the way he saw things, trying to provide a more helpful viewpoint.
"Being a private investigator is a very handy profession in this day and age. It allows you to stretch a large number of different skill sets all at once. Even if it's not possible for you to pursue it at the moment, it's the sort of career where there's always ways to improve yourself, so that you're more prepared for it when you do have time."
"Being a private investigator is a very handy profession in this day and age. It allows you to stretch a large number of different skill sets all at once. Even if it's not possible for you to pursue it at the moment, it's the sort of career where there's always ways to improve yourself, so that you're more prepared for it when you do have time."
Last edited:
Shay opened her mouth, then stopped herself and leaned more heavily to the right. "Yeah... I guess?"
She twiddled her thumbs, licked her lips and stared at her lap, zoning out momentarily wondering if this meeting was almost through. What else was she supposed to talk about?
"It... can feel really suffocating having so many siblings. I'm always either putting out fires or having to be on my own. I hate it."
♠♠♠
- Jun 18, 2015
- 10,109
- Gender
- Female
- Pronouns
- She/Her
- Posting Status
- Irregularly
Valli let Shay zone out without interrupting. Zoning out often meant thinking, and with no way to verify if that was what happened, he refused to interrupt on the off chance she was thinking.
"Having personal space is important," Valli noted. "And while it can be very important to be there for your siblings, you also need time to yourself. It might be helpful to schedule time to yourself. Book yourself time the way you'd book time for a friend, an hour or two a week where it's just you."
"Having personal space is important," Valli noted. "And while it can be very important to be there for your siblings, you also need time to yourself. It might be helpful to schedule time to yourself. Book yourself time the way you'd book time for a friend, an hour or two a week where it's just you."
Shay focused again on Valli and regarded him curiously. "Is the point of a therapist to tell me if I'm thinking correctly?" she asked before she could stop herself.
"Sorry. I'm not exactly feeling receptive to this. I... I don't want to talk about the nasty stuff, but the mundane stuff doesn't seem like it'll help much to talk about."
Her hands were shaking; Shay realized it only when she looked down at them in her lap. She clasped them together.
♠♠♠
- Jun 18, 2015
- 10,109
- Gender
- Female
- Pronouns
- She/Her
- Posting Status
- Irregularly
She was running into a rut that people so often ran into. Talking about the subjects they needed help for was painful. Talking about other things felt pointless. It was a tricky issue with no clear solution, beyond that rushing wouldn't help.
"No," Valli said. "There's no such thing as thinking correctly. Everyone has different thoughts and ways of handling things. The point of a therapist is to help identify and resolve behaviors, beliefs, and feelings which are causing problems for the patient. While others might focus on mental illness, I primarily work with issues stemming from trauma, whether sudden or prolonged. As you can imagine, the island has a large number of residents with unhappy early lives."
Which was the understatement of the century.
"It's common to feel the way you feel. Bringing up and discussing uncomfortable memories is... well, uncomfortable. If I can recommend something, it might help to think of a specific response, and work from there. Things that bother you, things you feel you can't control, involuntary reactions..."
"No," Valli said. "There's no such thing as thinking correctly. Everyone has different thoughts and ways of handling things. The point of a therapist is to help identify and resolve behaviors, beliefs, and feelings which are causing problems for the patient. While others might focus on mental illness, I primarily work with issues stemming from trauma, whether sudden or prolonged. As you can imagine, the island has a large number of residents with unhappy early lives."
Which was the understatement of the century.
"It's common to feel the way you feel. Bringing up and discussing uncomfortable memories is... well, uncomfortable. If I can recommend something, it might help to think of a specific response, and work from there. Things that bother you, things you feel you can't control, involuntary reactions..."
Shay thought intently about what Valli was saying. Something you felt was involuntary. No control. Things that bothered you. One word came to mind, but Shay still struggled to say it. She felt frozen in place.
"Sex," she responded, without being willing to get into it now. Shay stood suddenly, uncomfortable. "Uh, it's been great and all doc, but... I gotta go."
She didn't wait for his response before turning and walking as quickly and stiffly as she could out of the room. Once out of sight, around a hallway, Shay leaned back and breathed out.
♠♠♠