WEDNESDAY
"Dad, I'm fine" Lola complained as her dad dragged her to the therapist's door.

He stopped outside of the door and looked at her intensely.

"Lola. I love you so much. You are the last piece of your mother I have and your also a great big part of me. If your in trouble I want to help you out. This is probably the best way and I want you to try" he said his eyes looking down at her sadly.

"Fine. But I'm telling you it was a one time th-"

Her dad embraced her suddenly and she felt a great sense of affection from him.

"I'm okay dad" she reassured him by hugging him back.

"I'll wait for you out here, okay?l" he said letting her go.

She nodded and walked into the room.

"Hello" the man behind the desk said "Lola Brown" he said looking down at his notebook.

She smiled awkwardly at the door and didn't budge.

"You can sit down anywhere you like" he smiled pointing at the window seat, the couch and the seat in front of his desk.

She picked the couch and took her phone out of her back pocket then put it on the table.

She saw him note something down, then he stood up and walked over to the seat closest to the couch.

She noticed he had a tall lean posture and his white skin was clear with lines barely visible from laughing. He wore a nice suit and a kind smile.

"So what are you here for today?" He asked.

"Shouldn't you already know that?" Lola asked.

"I prefer to hear it from the patient" he said leaning in and resting his face on his hand.

"Then why make us fill out forms?"

"It's a formality."

"Okay" she replied bluntly.

"I understand if you don't want to share anything with me, but your stuck with me for an hour" he said laying back into his seat.

Lola thought about it and sighed.

"I was at a diner with my cousin. My friend was there with his friends. I don't like his friends so I wanted to leave. But there was people outside, he said they were circling the diner and we should go back inside. But then my cousin came outside and held us up. And they started shooting" she said. She looked up at him and saw that his jaw had dropped.

"So did you not read the form at all?" She said tilting her head.

"I usually deal with rich kids that are too spoiled and feel lonely or under appreciated" he said honestly. "I apologise that you had to go through with that"

"I'm not done" she said "my friend, he's called Michael, he got shot trying to protect me. And he nearly died."

"So he's alive"

"Yeah But he nearly died" Lola said.

"But he survived, that's what you're saying right?"

"Yeah, I guess" Lola shrugged feeling stupid.

"So why are you still upset?" He asked.

"Aren't you supposed to figure that out?" Lola asked crossing her legs.

"We are supposed to figure that out" he corrected her. "What made you come here?"

"I passed out a little after hearing gun shots at an arcade" she said.

"Maybe it's the thought that you can die so suddenly that scares you. You seem to be upset that Michael nearly died. Maybe it's because you didn't think death could be so close."

Lola looked away and folded around with her shoe lace.

"Something you want to tell me?"

"My mum passed when I was younger" she said. "I don't want to lose people like that. The worst bit was I don't remember her. And so I feel like all my memories of her are fake. I think I read something online about making memories up. So I don't know if I miss her or the idea of her" she said.

"And so is this Michael close to you?" He asked.

"I just met him last week"

"That doesn't answer my question. Are you guys close?"

"I guess I'm fond of him"

"And so you don't want to lose him?"

"Well I don't want anyone to die?"

"Then why specifically did those shots that you heard initiate a hallucination?" he asked.

"So you did read my form" Lola grinned.

"I skimmed through it and read the smallest section-passing out due to an hallucination" he grinned in return. "What I find interesting is that he protected you. And you've just told me you knew each other for a week"

Lola shrugged.

"Well it's obvious he likes you"

"I know that" Lola said.

"Well what about you? Is that why you're so upset?"

"I'm not upset"

"Yes you are"

"I'm not"

"You blame yourself" he said widening her eyes.

"How'd you know t-"

"Why do you blame yourself?"

"Because he got shot for me" she said.

"No it's not" he said grinning excitedly. "I do t even know if you realise it yet yourself. Maybe it's like your true self is hiding"

"What?" She said raising her eyebrows.

"How'd he protect you?"

"He covered my body. Like a shield"

"Were you guys crawling to safety?" He asked crouching on his chair with his hands under his chin.

"No, we were near the door but they were shooting at the windows at first"

He thought for a moment.

"Were you near anything that would throw them off and think your not there?"

Lola thought about the outside of Milkshakes and remembered the sign on the floor with the word 'Milkshakes' written on it with a dark background.

"We were near a dark sign with bright writing" she said.

"I want to meet this friend of yours" he laughed. "He's smart. They probably thought you went back into the diner if one of you was the target and so didn't see you on the floor. So what happened next?"

"Nothing, he got shot"

"Are you sure?" He asked, it was obvious her answer was pretty disappointing to him "did you not forget anything?"

"I moved under him" she said her eyes widening. "I wanted to find my cousin because I heard a scream"

"So they saw you guys move and shot him" he said processing this.

"You're not helping" Lola said getting upset.

"Lola. In all honesty, it wasn't your fault. I'm assuming you didn't call them and asked them to shoot at your friend. And hopefully your not involved with those type of people, which your clothes suggest"

Lola looked down at her shirt and jeans.

"But if I listened he wouldn't have gotten shot"

"I'm assuming he would have gotten shot either way. He's probably involved with those people and they would have found him another day if they hadn't shot him that day. And if he told you that they were circling the diner, they would have shot him when he left with his friends if he didn't come out for you" he said.

"This really isn't helping"

"That's because you know this. I think you guys would say 'low-key'" he said putting up two bunny ears.

"What do you mean?" She asked watching him take his shoes off.

"You feel guilty for another reason, him getting shot just makes you feel more guilty."

"I didn't feel guilty before"

"You like him right?" He said looking at her and waiting for a reaction.

Lola stuttered and looked at him "I've got someone else"

"Which is why you feel guilty. Because you have feeling fro another guy"

"But I have feelings for someone else"

"If you're feeling guilty then it's probably because your feelings are sexual or you seek
a physical relationship with this guy"

"I like his personality too"

"Barely" he scoffs.

"You don't know me like that though"  Lola laughed at his reaction.

"You're easy to read"

"You're a weird therapist."

"You're a weird girl" he responded.

She smiled at him.

"So what do you suggest I do?" She asked.

"Figure out of you want sex or someone in the long run" he said standing up.

"Its not been an hour"

"I'm cutting the session short so you can continue your story with the people in your life"

He ripped a sheet of paper out of his notebook and gave it to her.

"Email me anything interesting that happens or if you want another appointment" he said.

"Don't you have a phone?"

"I don't like people calling me so I got rid of it" he said sitting down.

"Thanks then, I guess" Lola smiled at him.

Before she left the room he said " You should tell Michael how you feel, when you figure it out"

***

SATURDAY

Junior sat down slowly into the passenger side of his mother's car.

"You good?" She asked. She was felt tired and nervous at the moment. Her only son had been shot and she could only assume it was to do with some gang shit.

"Yeah I'm okay mom" he said relaxing into the seat.

As the car pulled out of the car park, he gazed out the window.

He thought about how he was going to have to leave his friends to delete this shit alone. He knew his mom would be tighter on him after what had happened. And he was in no state to deal with it anyway.

He felt angry about that.

He couldn't get the people that tried to hurt him and could've potentially hurt Lola. He showed Karma would hit them hard, literally.

•
•
•

Once Junior got home he went straight to his room and charged his phone. He had to talk to Lola, and sh hasn't been responding to his messages lately and if she did they would more or less suggested that she didn't want to talk.

"Junior!" His mother called " Junior!

"I'm coming" he groaned limping down the stairs.

"I want you to tell the truth. Ya hear me?" She asked sitting down on the living room couch.

"Yes ma'am"

"Are you involved in a gang?" She asked looking into her son's eyes.

"Not anymore" Junior responded, careful with his words. He made sure he wasn't lying to his ma' as often as possible.

"Baby you know I hate that life" she said trying not to cry. "Your dad was in the game too, and for some reason I thought I could raise you up to be the opposite of him" she scoffed.

"I will be. And I am better, I was tryna be smart with it"

"That's what your pops thought and he died in the game!" She cried "I thought that you could be a better version of him. That I could raise you up by myself and you'd turn out right. Everybody said I couldn't. They told me 'May, you don't have enough money, you don't got no job, his daddy ain't even alive" she started to stutter.

"Mom" He said hugging her "I'll stop, I promise. Imma stay clean from the streets"

***

Lola sat in the living room watching Netflix with Shamika and scrolling through her phone.

"Why you on yo phone? I'm tryna watch a movie with you!" Shamika said loudly.

"Your always on the phone half the time talking to Jared" Lola mocked.

"He's cute" she shrugged. "And he's tryna see me later on 'cause I hurt my toe" she said pointing to the bandage around her toe.

"You know you can just about walk like a normal person?" Lola said.

"So. He still cares for my well being"

"You mean the well being of your coochie" Lola laughed.

"Ha ha, very funny" she said sarcastically.

They both heard a knock on the door and looked at each other.

"Jared ain't said he was coming this early." Shamika said not moving an inch. Lola looked at her suggestively. "I'm disabled. I can't open the door" Shamika said returning to the tv.

Lola huffed and went to open the door.

She felt herself being attacked to the floor.

"LOLA!" Haley smiled. "I missed you so much. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, But I think you broke my back" she laughed.

"How'd you find my house?" Lola asked.

"My brother" she said looking around. "Hey haven't you invited me here? It's soo nice"
She said looking around.

Lola shrugged. "Been dealing with what happened last week I guess"

They walked up to Lola's room and sat on her bed and talked about everything.

Lola felt the need to release all this nervous energy and Shamika makes everything worse, so she thought Haley could help.

Lola's pov

I told Haley everything.

Well.

Mostly.

Me, myself, I have no idea how I feel right now. And although I feel for Michael, I feel a sense of loyalty towards King. And he's so sweet and beautiful.

"Yeah. Leave me out of this. That's my brother" Haley said putting some music on and connecting it to my speakers. "I can still help you release this stress though" she said standing up and pulling me up too.

"Cmon" she insisted "dance".

She started dancing to her songs and attempted a few new dances.

"I don't think that's how you do it babes" I laughed pushing her aside and doing it myself.

"Yo! Have you seen the level up music video?" I said taking her phone to change the song.

***

No one's pov

Layer in the evening, they had decided to get takeaway as Lola's dad was feeling kind. Lola, Shamika and Haley went the nearest pizza place.

Once they got there, Lola made their order and the sat down to wait for it.

A few seconds after them a guy walked in. He wasn't that noticeable if you didn't pay attention. But if Lola had seen him, she would have recognised him from the night she had an hallucination at the arcade.

He sat at a far table eating alone, trying not to watch her so intensely. But he couldn't help it.

// For some reason, it didn't save the first draft of this chapter, so apologies. I hope you enjoyed it.

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