"Can You Hear Me Now?"
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:48 am
((Saul Fetteralf continued from Sequoia Throne))
"I don't know, Doctor Bryant. It seems like no matter what I do, I displease someone."
A young boy sat on a comfortable couch. The walls around him were lined with bookshelves, except the one to his right, which was the keeping place of several degrees and licenses to practice. He sat in the office of the aforementioned Dr. Bryant, his psychiatrist. The man himself sat in a chair nearby, scribbling on a notepad. Very cliche, one would think. "Well, Saul," the older man began, "why do you feel the need to please everyone?"
The question caught the boy off-guard. He never thought of that before. "W-well..." he slowly started, "I feel like... if I make everyone happy, nobody would have a reason to hate me, I guess..."
The man nodded and wrote something down. Soon, he spoke again. "Saul, it's impossible to make everyone happy. I know it's hard to accept, but there will always be someone that doesn't like you."
Saul gave a sigh and looked away, "But why, Doctor? Why can't everyone get along? Maybe I'm just not good enough for everyone."
Silence filled the room. Saul thought that maybe the man had no answer, when suddenly the doctor asked, "Saul, who is your best friend?"
The question startled him. Best friend? He supposed his friends on the east coast would count, but he hadn't seen them, or even spoken to them, in almost 7 years. He knew he had something almost like friends here, but he knew that they would turn on him the moment he was targeted by the bigger kids. He couldn't think of anyone. "Nobody, I guess," he replied.
The middle-aged man frowned. "Saul," he said, "I was as young as you, once. My best friend was a boy named Jeremy. Whenever I was in a bad place, Jeremy would always be there for me, and even though we fought, we always remained friends. Jeremy and I are still friends to this day. Even through all the years, our friendship is still there. Saul, I think what you need is a best friend."
Saul mulled over what the older man said, and looked back to him. "But Doctor Bryant, why can't you be my best friend?"
The man chuckled, "Saul, I'm not legally allowed to be your best friend. You have to find someone your own age. Someone you can trust with your deepest secrets outside of this room."
Saul looked forward, to the wall before him, the diplomas hanging like trophies. He wondered, could he ever have a best friend?
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Saul sighed, his knees drawn up to his chest. He sat against the wall of a destroyed building. Twisted metal and debris were strewn across the ground, some laying flat on the ground, and other like tombstones, sticking from the ground. But Saul didn't notice. He was lost in his own thoughts.
A best friend... Since that day, he supposed he never really thought about it much. The days of torment from the other kids was in the past, the only reminder of that time being the chewed-down nails on his fingers.
But now that he reflected on it, on what may very well be the last day of his life, he realized. He does have a best friend.
Garry Villette.
A boy with weird tastes. Saul supposed that his friend's love of werewolves was a bit offbeat, but since he was a fan of campy 80's horror, he supposed that they went a long pretty well. He chuckled, remembering the day that someone referred to them as "The Mutts", a weak nickname that never stuck, but the memory was always nice.
Saul rested his head on his knees, closing his eyes. He hadn't slept in almost 2 days, and his brain was a jumble. He was just going to get a few minutes of sleep...
And like that, Saul was out cold.
"I don't know, Doctor Bryant. It seems like no matter what I do, I displease someone."
A young boy sat on a comfortable couch. The walls around him were lined with bookshelves, except the one to his right, which was the keeping place of several degrees and licenses to practice. He sat in the office of the aforementioned Dr. Bryant, his psychiatrist. The man himself sat in a chair nearby, scribbling on a notepad. Very cliche, one would think. "Well, Saul," the older man began, "why do you feel the need to please everyone?"
The question caught the boy off-guard. He never thought of that before. "W-well..." he slowly started, "I feel like... if I make everyone happy, nobody would have a reason to hate me, I guess..."
The man nodded and wrote something down. Soon, he spoke again. "Saul, it's impossible to make everyone happy. I know it's hard to accept, but there will always be someone that doesn't like you."
Saul gave a sigh and looked away, "But why, Doctor? Why can't everyone get along? Maybe I'm just not good enough for everyone."
Silence filled the room. Saul thought that maybe the man had no answer, when suddenly the doctor asked, "Saul, who is your best friend?"
The question startled him. Best friend? He supposed his friends on the east coast would count, but he hadn't seen them, or even spoken to them, in almost 7 years. He knew he had something almost like friends here, but he knew that they would turn on him the moment he was targeted by the bigger kids. He couldn't think of anyone. "Nobody, I guess," he replied.
The middle-aged man frowned. "Saul," he said, "I was as young as you, once. My best friend was a boy named Jeremy. Whenever I was in a bad place, Jeremy would always be there for me, and even though we fought, we always remained friends. Jeremy and I are still friends to this day. Even through all the years, our friendship is still there. Saul, I think what you need is a best friend."
Saul mulled over what the older man said, and looked back to him. "But Doctor Bryant, why can't you be my best friend?"
The man chuckled, "Saul, I'm not legally allowed to be your best friend. You have to find someone your own age. Someone you can trust with your deepest secrets outside of this room."
Saul looked forward, to the wall before him, the diplomas hanging like trophies. He wondered, could he ever have a best friend?
-----------------------------------------------
Saul sighed, his knees drawn up to his chest. He sat against the wall of a destroyed building. Twisted metal and debris were strewn across the ground, some laying flat on the ground, and other like tombstones, sticking from the ground. But Saul didn't notice. He was lost in his own thoughts.
A best friend... Since that day, he supposed he never really thought about it much. The days of torment from the other kids was in the past, the only reminder of that time being the chewed-down nails on his fingers.
But now that he reflected on it, on what may very well be the last day of his life, he realized. He does have a best friend.
Garry Villette.
A boy with weird tastes. Saul supposed that his friend's love of werewolves was a bit offbeat, but since he was a fan of campy 80's horror, he supposed that they went a long pretty well. He chuckled, remembering the day that someone referred to them as "The Mutts", a weak nickname that never stuck, but the memory was always nice.
Saul rested his head on his knees, closing his eyes. He hadn't slept in almost 2 days, and his brain was a jumble. He was just going to get a few minutes of sleep...
And like that, Saul was out cold.