Guidance Counselor's Office, Thursday

[electrocynic]

Sarah's schedule really liked keeping the students on their toes, didn't it? You know, since it was a completely separate entity, completely out of her control. As schedules often were.

Or, she'd been out of town since Sunday until last night because the Simon thing had actually hit her pretty hard. And her method of coping was to flee Fandom and pretend nothing had happened. (Yes, this involved avoiding her boyfriend. She kind of hoped it went unnoticed because see earlier about not wanting to talk about it.) But hey, she'd come back!

To drink tea and slouch in her chair. Totally working.

[Open office/post, omg.]

Comments

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"It's not bad enough that my dead father karking shows up for a weekend and judges my life," Cade bitched, holding a wadded-up piece of paper in his hand, "but he signed me up for karking counseling too?"

Hello to you too, Cade.

[electrocynic]

That was about as much as most people could hope to get from Sarah herself in the way of greetings, so she couldn't exactly judge.

"Happens sometimes, mate," she rasped, shrugging a shoulder. And not really making an effort to look any less lazy. "Name?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Cade," Cade replied. "But if you don't have me down, I can karking leave."

[electrocynic]

"Oh I'm sure your name's here somewhere."

She wasn't going to look for it, though. Seriously, did he realize how much work that was? No, thank you. She waved vaguely at the empty chair on his side of her desk.

"Why don't you have a seat, Cade?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"You mean to take with me?" asked the juvenile delinquent.

[electrocynic]

Sparkle may have actually gotten away with that! But since Cade was not Sparkle, Sarah rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean to sit your arse down on. I am the bloody guidance counselor, after all."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade flopped into the chair, scowling. "This is karking stoopa."

[electrocynic]

"I have no fucking idea what you just said," she informed him brightly, like she didn't particularly care about being enlightened (and also had probably guessed it close enough). "But, I'm Electroclash, welcome to counseling. What seems to be the trouble?"

You know. Other than him having been signed up for this against his will.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Well, my dead father showed up last weekend," Cade said. "Pretty sure that's not supposed to happen."

[reven8e.livejournal.com]

"So, how many people with dead loved ones have come to you so far?" asked Emily as she walked in.

Hey, she had to get something out of...whatever it had meant not seeing her father.

[electrocynic]

Sarah shrugged. "Eh, by Fandom standards that's practically normal." Didn't mean it hadn't pissed her off royally, but still. "Seems like it got your knickers in a twist, though."

[electrocynic]

"Just the one," Sarah shrugged. "Maybe there'd have been more if I'd come in earlier in the week."

Probably not, though.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Well yeah," Cade said. "Noble self sacrifice is a karking family tradition. It's a really stupid one, too."

[electrocynic]

"Naturally." Sarah thought sacrificing yourself for anything was stupid. She was great at being a hero. "But, so what?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"So he didn't let me help, got himself killed and left me alone. So I'm karking mad at him. I didn't want to see him."

[electrocynic]

"Tough." Other things she was great at? This counseling gig! "I didn't want to see the bouncer who got himself bloody killed trying to be a hero because I told him he couldn't, either, and he showed up anyway. That's the kind of shit that happens here, mate. Just have to push on through it."

A beat.

"Or cry and leave. Everyone gets to make their own choices about that."

[reven8e.livejournal.com]

"Maybe, maybe not."

She looked quite disappointed now. "Was it interesting?"

[electrocynic]

Sarah raised an amused eyebrow. "Why the fuck d'you think I'd tell you that?"

Occasionally she remembered some of this shit was supposed to be confidential, yes. It was just that mostly the kids didn't tell her things that were all that private.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Where did "mope on a hill while running through your stash of drugs?" rate? Hypothetically?

"I'm not going to cry," Cade retorted. "He left. I'll get over it."

[electrocynic]

It did not rate very highly, Cade.

"I didn't suggest you would," Sarah returned. "Ooh, defensive. You will get over it, though. Probably."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"And if not, it's not like it's the worst thing that's ever happened," Cade said philosophically.

[electrocynic]

"Probably not." She shrugged. "Hell, Fandom might even through something worse at you next week if it happens to feel like it. And you'll just have to deal with that, too."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"That's why I drink a lot...of soda," Cade tried.

He was so smooth.

[electrocynic]

Snort.

"Was that supposed to convince me you meant to say that?"

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Did it work?"

Why the hell would that work, Cade?

[electrocynic]

"Maybe if I was naive and a pillock."

But she was neither.

"By the way, drinking, at your age? Not the solution."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"It's been working pretty well so far!" Cade retorted.

He was quite the role model for healthy living.

[electrocynic]

"You're like twelve," she replied with a derisive snort. "Best save that shit until you're at least in your mid-twenties."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"I was working as a pirate until my uncle threw me at this school and hoped it would make me better or something," Cade replied. "Of course I drink."

[electrocynic]

"What, to be a cliché? To fill a fucking stereotype?"

She tsked.

"Nah, you've got to do better than that."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"I also have tattoos and piercings!"

Not what she meant, Cade.

[electrocynic]

No, though it was amusing!

"Still clichéd."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Teenager," Cade retorted.

[electrocynic]

"I don't fucking care," she shot back. "If you think drinking will solve your problems, at least don't be so fucking pathetically predictable about it."

Best counselor ever?

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Ever!

"What should I do instead?" Cade asked.

Because he was already on-board with the heavy drugs, too!

[electrocynic]

"Dunno." She shrugged. "Something healthier? Could pick up a hobby. Bet you'd love knitting."

That was sarcasm.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Only if I'm allowed to stab people with those stick things."

Pause.

"Can I? For therapy or whatever?"

[electrocynic]

"Only if you find someone who's into that sort of thing." A beat went by, as she considered Don. "Or someone pays you to do it."

Because she knew an assassin, yes.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade looked more interested than he had since arriving in the room. "Oooh. I can get paid for that here too?"

Cade was a special, special snowflake.

[electrocynic]

"Probably not."

She wasn't going to touch the 'here too' bit.

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"Bet I could find someone."

That was completely not the point, Cade.

[electrocynic]

"I don't think that really fits the point of doing shit that isn't destructive," she noted, leaning back in her chair. "So, nah."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"But I like destructive shit," Cade complained.

[electrocynic]

"Well how bad for you," Sarah drawled. "You have to wait 'til you're old enough, just like the rest of us. And even then you shouldn't do any villain shit anywhere near me because I'll be forced to take you down. And that's always such a bloody hassle."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

"This is a karking stupid planet," Cade sulked. "Back home I can shoot things and drink whenever I like."

Because you were a pirate then, Cade.

[electrocynic]

"Well, this is Earth," Sarah said. "And your guidance counselor is a karking superhero. Deal with it."

[makemyownway.livejournal.com]

Cade made a face. "I didn't know superheroes were real."

And not Jedi.