Etching Our Way (Broken Tracks 1)

I pocket my cell as we pull up at the school and I push out of the back of the car and walk into the main office building.

“Hey.” I grin as soon as I see Clay sitting on a bench inside the office. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

I walk up to the main desk and sign him out, taking the slip from the secretary that says he has permission to be out of school before spinning around and holding my hand out for him.

He slips off the bench, shouldering his backpack and placing his hand in mine.

I can feel the nervous energy rolling off him in waves but there isn’t a thing that I can think of to say apart from, “I’m here.”

It must have done the trick because his shoulders relax, but as soon as we get into the car, he stares out of the window, effectively cutting himself off from me. He’s inside his own head, but instead of trying to get him to tell me what he’s thinking, I let him have some much needed space.

The silence is deafening and the ping of my cell seems ten times louder than it usually is. I pull it out, seeing Harmony’s name flash on the screen.

HARMONY: Well that depends…

*Harmony Changes The Chat Colors To Yellow*

I quickly shoot off another message as Edward pulls up outside the counselor’s office.

TRISTAN: On what?

“Ready?” I ask Clay as I silence my cell and push it back into my pocket.

He looks up at the building, his eyes wide as he bites his lip before he turns his gaze slowly back to me, his gray eyes apprehensive.

“I guess.”

I push the door open and step out, bending down to look back into the car. “We’ll be in and out in no time, and if you don’t like her then we can try someone else. Okay?”

“Okay.” He pushes his bag down behind Edward’s seat and slides across the back seat, clasping my outstretched hand.

“Good luck,” Edward says before I close the door.

We walk toward the building and both seem to take a breath before I pull the wooden, ornate, carved door open and we step into a warm hallway. The walls are painted a pale yellow, the floors carpeted with plush, beige carpet that springs back as you lift your foot. It’s not what I expected. I thought it’d be sterile and cold, not warm and homely.

We walk down the hallway and step into a room that has a wooden fireplace with fake wood burning that is surrounded by leather sofas and chairs.

A woman sitting behind a small wooden desk catches my attention and smiles at us, pushing her short, chocolate brown hair behind her ear. She pulls her glasses off her face and stands up, walking toward us and meeting us in the middle of the room. My gaze turns down to Clay as he stares wide-eyed at the bookcase that covers the entire wall to the right.

“Hello, and welcome.” She crouches down in front of Clay, pulling at the thighs of her navy blue pants. “I’m Leonie, it’s so nice to meet you.”

“I’m Clayton,” he replies, his shoulders pulling back and a small smile lifting up his lips. He already seems at ease with her.

They shake hands and then Leonie stands up, offering her hand to me before whispering, “Let’s get the boring paperwork done and then I can have a chat with Clayton.”

“Okay.” I look down at Clay. “Why don’t you go and sit for a couple of minutes? Once I’ve signed these, you can talk to Leonie.”

He practically sprints over to the bookcase, staring up at all of the books with wide eyes and an open mouth in awe.

“I need you to sign these consent forms, Mr. Carter.”

I take the papers she hands me and sit in the chair that she waves her hand toward. I skim over them quickly before signing and handing them back to her.

“Do you need me to fill you in—”

She holds her hand up in the air, a soft smile taking over her face. “With all due respect, Mr. Carter, I’d like to hear it from Clayton for the first few of our sessions and then maybe we could have a solo session afterward to discuss things.”