“Okay.”
She gave me a pat on the arm and then returned to the classroom. My phone buzzed, and I fished it out.
Coop:????
Me:I have to go see the Student Advocate and the SRO.
Coop:Why?
Me:Post. No big deal. See you at lunch.
I checkedmy messages with Jake and then sent him one.
Me:You okay?
I wasn’t expectinghim to answer right away, and he didn’t. The counselor’s office was hell and gone from Mrs. Fajardo’s room, so I made the hike. The receptionist glanced up when I came in, and she smiled.
“Frankie Curtis,” I said. “I was told I had to see Dr. Miller.”
“Have a seat, I’ll let her know you’re here.”
I wasn’t the only one sitting in the office. There were two other students present, one waiting like me, and the other one a student aide. As soon as I sat down, she had her phone out to text.
Great.
Yep, I was definitely getting paranoid. I was too tired for this. It took twenty minutes before the receptionist sent me back to Dr. Miller’s office. The woman in question was about my height, and had light brown hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. She had to be in her late twenties, but she looked unsettlingly closer to my age, which made having to talk to her even weirder.
The fact she was an actual licensed psychologist didn’t help. Like I said, Curtises didn’t go to therapy.
This was as close as I ever intended to get, and I was not here of my own volition.
“Mrs. Fajardo told me you needed to see me,” I said, lobbing the ball firmly in her court.
“Yes,” she said, kindness practically perfuming the air around her. “Have a seat.” She waved me toward the chairs and closed the door. Then she picked up files from one of the chairs and moved them around the credenza behind her desk.
Reluctantly, I perched on the edge of one chair, and I didn’t take the backpack off. I had zero intentions of staying here very long.
“First, let me say it’s very nice to meet you, Frankie—I can call you Frankie?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” I flattened my palms against my knees, even as I started to bounce one foot.
“Thank you. I find it’s easier if you just call me Diane, rather than Dr. Miller. Doctor is so formal.”
Yeah, I didn’t have a problem with formal. Still, I nodded. It wasn’t a big deal to not argue that point.
Exhaling, she studied me as she leaned her elbows on the desk. “I’m sure this has been a tough morning.”
“Not really.” I gave her what I hoped was a bland smile. “Gonna be tougher tonight when I have to make up for missing my class.”
“Mrs. Fajardo understood, and you’ll be allowed to make up the work. I understand if you’re uncomfortable…”
Foot bouncing regularly now, I kept my gaze fixed just to the right of hers. It let me look like I was staring right at her and avoiding meeting her eyes all at once.
“Cyber-bullying is a very important issue…and like all forms of bullying, it takes its toll on someone. The post on Instagram was reported to the principal this morning. It was also flagged yesterday to the attention of the counselors.”
Oh. God. “Okay.”
“You do know the post I’m talking about?”