They were now one month into school. Tina, Abby, and Johnny had been fairly close since the prank incident. Tina was actually starting to like Abby. Johnny was more of an acquired taste, but it was clear that he was like a fly that you couldn't quite swat away, annoying and persistent. Truth be told though, she was even beginning to develop a soft spot for him.
Tina currently found herself in the guidance counselor's office. They were required to see the counselor once a month.
The room was small, dim, and the items in the room were sparse, not a very cheerful atmosphere.
"Tell me your story," the guidance counselor began.
"Excuse me?"
"I want to know your life history. I want to know all the miserable details, the gloomier they are, the better."
"Are you sure you shouldn't be the one seeing a counselor," Tina asked pointblank.
He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "Your friend, Abby, is entirely too sunny as if life is a bowl of cherries. She has normal parents, normal siblings, and a normal life. There's not a drop of despair in her life yet."
"Are you supposed to be telling me about other students?" she asked. There must have been some kind of student-counselor confidentially.
"Now Johnny. There's a boy who can enrapture you with his depressing life history. He always has had such lovely life histories. It practically makes you want to wring your heart out."
"I though this was supposed to be about me?" Tina said.
"Right," he said. He looked at some papers on his desk. "According to your school records, there's no father in the picture. Tell me, does that fact fill you with misery? How does it make you feel?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business. Counselor or no counselor, you don't have the right to pry into my personal life, so you better drop it if you don't want a fat lip."
"Anger. Such a typical response from you. Why don't you ever respond with some despair?"
"Because there's no point. Anger accomplishes things, wallowing in self-pity doesn't."
"What do you know? You're just a kid, but do you know what awaits you in the very near future?"
"No, I don't," Tina snapped. She was starting to get fed up and was wondering more than ever where they dug the people up that worked at this school.
"Despair."
"I should have known. You have to be the most depressed counselor in the world. I bet you've never even laughed in your entire life."
"No, no," he said with a long look on his face, "I sometimes laugh."
"That's good to know," Tina said slowly with a look on her face that showed she hadn't meant for him to take it so seriously.
"I find the only thing that can even make me crack a grin though is a pie in the face. There's a classic."
"Well, that's…interesting."
"I'd really love to be one of those people who could find humor in the least little thing. I'd love to be carefree, but it's not exactly in the job description, is it? People never have liked me very much, but I can't really help it. I am what I am. Somebody has to do it."
"Right. Is this session over?"
"Oh, go on," he said with a wave of his hand. "I never get any respect anyway. No one cares about poor Mr. Lachrymose."
Tina had no problem complying with that request. She discovered that school had already let out, and she had missed the bus. She hadn't been able to hear the bell in the counselor's room. She looked towards Mr. Lachrymose's door with a disgruntled expression. "That just figures," Tina muttered.
Aaron walked by at that moment with his leather jacket and sunglasses on. "I'll give you a ride home," he offered.
She followed him out to the parking lot. "Why did I know that you would drive a motorcycle?"
"Don't try to tell me the prospect of riding doesn't thrill you. Danger gets your blood pumping. You're only disappointed there's not more danger involved."
"I'm not opposed to the idea," she admitted.
"Surprise, surprise. Here comes the wet blanket."
Tina looked around for an explanation and saw that the P.E. teacher was on his way over.
"Should you really be giving freshman girls rides home on one of those things?" Mr. Sorbo asked with a look on his face that showed it wasn't much of a question.
"Lighten up, coach," Aaron said, getting onto the bike. "I've practically been riding these things since they were invented."
"What will your mother say if you ride home this way? Let me give you a ride home."
"She won't approve but then she never does approve of my choices," Tina said, climbing onto the back of the motorcycle and taking the helmet that Aaron offered her. "Thanks anyway."
Hercules watched them ride away. He would have socked Ares hard right then if he thought he could get away with it, but he couldn't with Tina watching. To her, he was just another student. He needed an ally to help keep an eye on them. While Aphrodite had her helpful moments, she wouldn't intervene with what she considered one of the classic love stories. Xena/Tina was not Hestia's favorite person from all the cooking disaster stories he had heard her tell. Momus wasn't likely to take it seriously. No, there was only one person in the school he could think of that would help him.
