3. Therapy Might Suck But School Would Be Interesting
THERAPY MIGHT SUCK BUT SCHOOL WOULD BE INTERESTING
“Charlotte, are you with me?” Dr. Jacobs looked at me with a kind face, the trusting face of a therapist. I just sighed.
“Charlie. It’s Charlie now.” I flipped the lid of the Zippo, a calming gesture I had taken in her absence.
There was only so much of these court-mandated therapy sessions I could take before I lost my shit.
It was easier now that numbness settled over my bones.
The law was clear in it being manslaughter.
The bullet through his forehead wasn’t enough to claim it was an accident.
Instead, it was an imperfect defense. Of course it happening a month before my eighteenth birthday was icing on the cake.
Mr. Wyatt deserved to die. I felt no remorse.
Insanity. That’s what my lawyer claimed.
I was defending my best friend. Everyone knew Mr. Wyatt’s reputation for beating his wife.
The accident wasn’t anything different. They had told me what to say and how to say it.
I complied because it was in the family’s best interests.
The best lawyers money could buy. I rolled my eyes, waiting for Dr. Jacobs to continue.
“Right, sorry Charlie. You are in these sessions because of the trauma you experienced. No one blames you for it, Lillian—”
“You know Doctor, I appreciate the candor, it’s not lost on me but if I don’t leave now I’ll be late for class. You know, new school and all.”
“Of course Charlie, we will pick this up Thursday.”
“Yeah whatever.”
I walked out of the shrink’s office, down the steps, and across the lawn.
The cigarette was between my lips before I had a second thought.
It was a bad habit; my brother wouldn’t have liked it, and that made me smile.
The shops had begun opening for the day as I strolled down Main Street.
Pine Ridge was bigger than Coldwater, better for business dad said but it was really just a reason to ship Lee and I off to this bumfuck place.
He was disappointed in me, and honestly I couldn’t give a fuck.
I made it to the gym, I snuffed the cigarette out on my boot, pulling open the doors.
“Yo Charlie, where ya been?” One of the gym bros called, and I flipped him off.
“Where’s my brother? I need a ride.” I deadpanned.
He flung his head towards the back as he set his weights down, and I shoved past the bodyguards.
The gym was new, a place to launder money.
There was never a short supply of shady people who worked in these places, of course not just anyone would know that.
Callahan money talked the right way. Whispered to the right people, we could run for office and no one would doubt our good intentions.
Old money, even older connections. Dad said it was the iron claw mafia that gave us the power, that no one bothered with the southern states since we weren’t big enough to play.
I didn't particularly care. It was never my job to care, that’s Lee’s birthright not mine.
Walking down the hall I shoved open the office door.
“What can I do for my baby sister?” He laughed as all the men around the table halted their conversations and looked at me.
“I need a ride dickhead. So cough up your keys or take me.”
“I’ll give you a ride sweetheart.” One of the men joked, grabbing his junk. I moved fast. A sly smile on my face was the only emotion as the tip of my pocket knife aimed at his balls.
“Listen here you piece of shit, you work for my family. Show me some god damn respect or I will gut you. Starting with your swimmers.” I spat.
“Always lovely to have you Charlie. Please put him down. This is a respectable establishment.” Lee tutted. I removed my hand from the new dude’s balls, folding the knife back into place.
Lee had been different since we left Coldwater, and well since her. I didn’t blame him or maybe I did but the whole family thing kept us in a constant loop about it. Neither of us would talk about her and that was for the best.
“You should tell your men I’m jail bait instead of letting pedos into our business,” I hissed in his ear as I made my way around his chair grabbing the black jacket across the back.
He made a face of disgust and I could feel the rage coiled beneath the surface.
He’d probably have the guy beaten half to death if he didn’t do it himself. Serves him right.
“Mike, you got her?” He nodded to the new guy. I shouldn’t have said “new”, he’d followed us from Coldwater and had been with us over six months, enough time to see the fracture I created in our family. Hell, before that he was slowly working his way to being good friends with Lee.
“Yes, boss.” Mike stood up and headed towards me.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“Dad wants you at dinner tonight, don’t be late!” He shouted as I brushed past Mike towards the back.
“You shouldn’t anger him like that.” Mike commented, as he tossed me a helmet.
“Oh give me a break, you don’t care about Lee’s anger any more than I do.” The helmet sat like a glove on my head as Mike peeled off into the streets, headed for the school. He blew through an intersection going sixty, and I squeezed tight to his frame.
“What’s wrong princess?” He laughed in my ear, and I pinched him hard.
“Call me princess one more time and you’ll find your dick up your ass before you can say mommy.”
“Relax Charlie, I’m just fucking with you. Therapy that bad?”
I shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it. He didn’t say anything after that, and soon we’d pulled into the parking lot. He pulled up to the curve, and I dismounted. Shoving him my helmet and turning before he’d turned off the engine.
My nerves were shot, and school was the last thing on my mind.
A strand of blonde hair caught my attention as Mike looked around at all the highschoolers flocking to his bike.
I flipped him my middle finger as I pushed through the gaggle of students to get another glimpse of the blonde.
Maybe school would be entertaining after all.