Chapter 12: Make the Most of the Good Things
Here's chapter 12, everybody. Lynn is having a counsellor session whilst in juvie to help her with her psychological state. But it's time to find out if it will go well or not. Of course, Lynn's time with the doc should prove quite interesting if nothing else, since there's a lot of things going on inside the sporty girl's mind at this stage in the story.
Doctor Ramirez and Lynn were engaging in a one-to-one talk session with the aim of providing Lynn with the psychological assistance she required to become a better person, but Lynn was a little reluctant to open up about her feelings to a total stranger, resulting in a rather difficult time…
"You can talk to me, miss Loud. I'm here to help." The doctor reassuringly advised her.
"Yeah, I know. It's just, um…" Lynn struggled to say.
"It's just what?" the doctor asked.
"I don't wanna talk about it." Lynn finished.
Doctor Ramirez didn't find that to be as much a disappointingly short, dull and anticlimactic answer as much as a typical one that she commonly had to deal with during these psychological help talks she was hired by the detention centre for.
"I understand." Ramirez simply said in response, to the confusion of Lynn.
"Huh?" Lynn replied.
"I get it, I completely understand if you want to just leave right now. We don't have to have this talk." the doctor told her.
"Um, okay…" Lynn responded in confusion.
She felt confused by the doctor's indifference to her participation. It was the counsellor's job, after all, to provide Lynn with the support and guidance she needed during this occasion.
"Well, this is weird. I expected to have a big argument and for you to try and play some sort of psychoanalyst game with me, and for me to resist you for about an hour before you give up." Lynn told her.
"Well, you thought wrong. It's completely up to you if you want to be here or not." the counsellor replied.
"Alright, thanks. I'll be on my way then." Lynn responded.
But then she didn't rush out of the room… after a few seconds, Dr Ramirez picked up on this.
"Not in a hurry to leave, I see?" she asked.
"I dunno, it's just… weird." Lynn said.
"Why didn't you want to talk to me?" the doctor asked.
"I just don't know you. It doesn't feel right." Lynn claimed.
"But that's why I'm here. So you can talk to me." The doctor told her.
"Yeah, but…" Lynn started.
"But…?" the doctor asked.
"I just don't like talking about sappy stuff like that." Lynn said.
"Well, why don't we just try for a quick few minutes, how about that? We talk as I originally planned, and if you feel uneasy after those minutes are up, you can walk out. Deal?" the counsellor proposed.
"Um, okay." Lynn casually accepted, before returning to her seat.
"So, let's start with your anger issues." the counsellor suggested.
"What anger issues?" Lynn asked back with a nice front, trying to make it seem as if she didn't have any.
"Well, according to the information I have about you, you are in here, among other things, for viciously beating up a bunch of small children, younger than yourself, for no reason other than because you thought they were laughing at you." The counsellor brought up.
"Oh, that." Lynn regretfully recalled.
"Why did you feel the need to hurt those children, who you didn't even know?" Ramirez asked her.
"I don't know. It really was nothing personal or anything. I just heard a bunch of kids laughing. I was already really riled up and cheesed off at the time after having some beef with the family! I had just left the house, angry. When I heard the laughs coming from those kids, I don't know, I guess something just triggered inside me!" Lynn said.
"I see. Why would laughter be something that triggers you to flip out and attack someone?" Ramirez asked, intrigued by what she was hearing.
"Well, I guess it's because of how I was picked on in middle school." Lynn informed her.
"Oh, really? Tell me, what happened in middle school." The counsellor requested.
"When I first went there, I tried being really nice and friendly to everyone. But they all took advantage of me, used me for the butt of all their jokes! All the other kids there just laughed at me, made a fool out of me! It… wasn't fun. I guess when I heard the kids laughing, I just thought back to the times those jerks laughed and made fun of me! I snapped inside, and took it out on those innocent kids!" Lynn uneasily admitted to the counsellor.
"I understand." Ramirez simply said in response.
"Do you?! Really?! Let me tell you something! It was horrible! I always tried to be so nice and kind to everybody and they always threw it back in my face! I could never be liked or respected for who I was! All my other sisters and brother, all my friends, they could all get along with everybody else just by being who they were. But me, it was never that easy! That's why I became so angry and competitive with others all the time! Okay?!" she said as her anger increased.
"And… that's a wrap!" Doctor Ramirez said, following the end of Lynn's rant.
"HEY! I'M NOT DONE!" Lynn shouted, feeling the interruption was rude.
"Okay, would you like more time?" the counsellor asked.
"You're dang right I… oh." Lynn stopped and reflected as she realised the counsellor's strategy had worked perfectly.
The counsellor used reverse psychology to influence Lynn's participation, and draw her into a longer discussion. Lynn realised she had just been played, but she had got herself into such a talkative mood over the course of the past few minutes, that she didn't want to stop anymore…
"Well played." Lynn complimented.
As Lynn spoke with Dr Ramirez, Lincoln was discussing the events from earlier that afternoon with Clyde via online chat. Both were continuing to discuss the sight they saw with the coach and his 3 palettes full of boxes, and were speculating what that large delivery consisted of.
"Maybe those boxes were full of dynamite or something!" Clyde suggested mid-way through their discussion.
"Oh, come on! It can't be that!" Lincoln argued.
"Maybe they were parts of sporting equipment. I mean, he is a sports coach, after all." Clyde said.
"No, I don't think so." Lincoln dismissed.
"Hmmm…" Clyde pondered.
"I can't think of what it is that jerk is up to! Coach Henry is a snake, and so is whoever is behind all his dirty work!" Lincoln stated.
"Maybe you could ask your sisters. They might be able to help." Clyde proposed.
"That's a great idea, Clyde. They might have an idea what was in that huge delivery." Lincoln replied.
"Well, I gotta go, buddy. My Dads are taking me to the movies tonight. Hope you get some answers." Clyde said as he finished his online chat with Lincoln.
Lincoln then made his way downstairs and found a few of his sisters watching TV. Lola, Luna, Lisa and Lana were all on the sofa while Leni was standing up, tending to her own activities at the back of the room…
"Hey, guys. I have a question." Lincoln said to his sisters.
"Not now, dude. There's about to be a killer rock battle between Mick Swagger and one of his old rivals, Dennis Deville." Luna said.
"It's just a quick one. Let's say, hypothetically, someone was to order a really, REALLY big personal delivery. About 3 palettes big, full of boxes. What would 3 palettes of stuff usually be?" Lincoln asked.
"Ooh, ooh, That's easy! The boxes would be a ton of new, top of the range dresses, a years supply of make-up, and a hot hunk as a hidden surprise in one of the boxes." Leni enthusiastically answered.
"Um, the hunk would probably suffer from lack of air and be a little bit dead by the time he arrived at the door, Leni." Lincoln said.
"A whole bunch of guitars and some rockin' music equipment, dude! That's what I'd order if I'd placed a big delivery!" Luna said.
"No, it would be boxes of horse manure!" Lana said, much to everyone's disgust.
"What? It's good for all kinds of things." Lana happily concluded.
"If it were me, those 3 palettes would be filled with uranium for my current experiments." Lisa deduced.
"Well thanks, Lisa. But this isn't about what you would order, I'm trying to figure out what that coach is up to." Lincoln told the prodigy.
"What do you mean?" Lola asked.
"That coach who framed Lynn for taking drugs in court. Clyde and I went to his house yesterday, and saw a massive delivery of boxes arrive at his front door. I couldn't tell what they were, but I suspect he's up to something, and whatever he has planned, he's not working alone!" Lincoln told everyone.
"Lincoln, I hate to burst your bubble, but if the court of law couldn't disprove any of what Henry Fredericks was saying and find out he was lying, then it's probable he actually wasn't lying. With all due respect, if qualified and experienced professionals couldn't expose the coach, then what makes you think you can do the insurmountable?" Lisa questioned.
"He played them all. I may just be a little boy, but I've got one ace up my sleeve." Lincoln stated.
"What's that?" Lana asked.
"Brotherly love and responsibility." Lincoln claimed.
Lori then walked into the room, having overheard some of the conversation her younger siblings had just had…
"Lincoln, I know it's hard to accept, we all wish it weren't true, but the fact is Lynn's guilty. We just have to live with it." Lori sadly told her brother.
"To be honest, I gotta agree with Lincoln." Lola added.
Most of the other sisters were surprised by this, as Lola was usually one of the more sceptical siblings. However…
"As someone in the pageant business, I know a lot about deception, and that sports coach was lying through his teeth!" Lola barked.
"How could you tell?" Lana asked.
"A pageant girl knows these things." Lola smugly reassured her.
"Well, anyway, if you know so much about lying and covering up the truth, then I could use your help in exposing Henry to the world, and whoever he's working with!" Lincoln said.
"Alright, come upstairs and I'll give you some pointers on how to dig up dirt successfully." Lola said as she pointed upstairs to her room.
"We'll help!" the other sisters said in unison.
Meanwhile, Lynn was further into her conversation with the juvie counsellor, who was getting quite a lot out of the young sporty girl…
"People think that my passion for sports is why I'm so over-competitive. But it's not! I'm so obsessed with winning because I feel like, if I don't win, that I'm…" Lynn started.
"You're what?" the counsellor asked.
"I'm useless! If I don't win, what good am I to anyone? People don't like me, not unless I go out of my way to make noise and beat people at everything!" Lynn said, revealing her somewhat warped outlook on things.
"I don't believe that's true, Lynn. People aren't as hostile as you think, they would probably like you just fine even if you dropped your competitive obsession." the counsellor stated.
"I wish! But my past tells me that if I'm not so aggressive and driven all the time, people will just keep walking all over me!" Lynn insisted.
"Or maybe those experiences you suffered from were just the exception." Doctor Ramirez suggested.
"Hmpf. That stuff happened to me on multiple occasions! Not just once! I hate to tell you this, but people aren't as nice as you seem to think!" Lynn argued.
"I'm not saying there aren't some mean and unpleasant people out there. We all know the world isn't perfect. But it's how we choose to react to and deal with unpleasant experiences and hostile characters that determines what type of person we are, and what kind of lives we can live." she told Lynn.
"Huh?" Lynn questioned.
"From what I've heard today, the last 2 years have been really hard on you. You've adapted to what you perceive is a cruel and unfair world by becoming this alpha predator-like character who makes it clear to everybody around her that she's the best and not to be messed with. Your personality has become somewhat warped by your experiences. Deep down, a small part of you wishes she could just be a nice, normal girl with no need to be so aggressive all the time. I'm here to tell you… that you can be." the counsellor finished.
"What? But… how can that be possible?" Lynn questioned.
"I'm not saying things don't sometimes get tough, but you might function a lot better in society if you tone down your competitive drive. You don't have to win all the time. You might find that if you're just a little kinder, and just aim to go out and have fun with people, that you'll be accepted all the more and have even more friends. Not everyone will always pick on you, and you don't always need to be the first one to attack others." Ramirez said.
Lynn sat there and let that message in. For a few seconds, she found it difficult to believe what the lady was telling her. She had spent so long acting like an apex predator for the sake of self-protection and a sense of safety. But she knew the truth, that the words of Dr Ramirez, they made perfect sense. Lynn knew she was being presented with a rational and level-headed perspective of her predicament. Had she not been so overly competitive, violent and obsessed with winning and beating others, it is probable she would not have given into Henry's temptation, nor would she have winded up in jail.
"You're right." Lynn simply said in response.
"So you see what I'm trying to tell you?" the counsellor asked.
"Yes." Lynn stated.
"While we're on the subject of violence and competition, can I ask you another question? Mainly, what have you been up to in your short stay here so far? I ask because I've noticed slight bruising on your face." Ramirez observingly pointed out.
"I got into a fight with some of the other inmates 2 days ago." Lynn admitted.
"That is what I mean, Lynn. Can you identify who it was you fought?" she asked the young girl.
"Some girl named Mamba. It was one on one, but then her lackeys joined in!" Lynn said.
"Mamba. Ah yes, that's her alias. They all go by snake names, that gang. Her real name is Ashley Drake. She's one of the most feared juvie inmates in this place." Ramirez told her.
"Yeah, she and her cronies did a number on me!" Lynn bitterly said.
"Well, maybe it would be best to stay away from them. Though, I've had conversations with Ashley, and behind all the roughness and the unhinged front, she's not so bad." The counsellor revealed.
"Great, another nutjob who's just like me!" Lynn reflected.
"But she's not the type of girl to let that side of her show in public, so you may just want to avoid her the best you can." Ramirez advised.
"Yeah, I would, but something strange happened the earlier today. Mamba came over and actually tried to be my friend." Lynn said.
"Really? That's quite interesting. Mamba isn't usually very kind or outgoing to those she doesn't know." the counsellor stated.
"Well, she seemed like she wanted to be mine. Of course, I told her to buzz off!" Lynn said.
"That's your choice, and I can't blame you, considering she beat you up a few days ago." Ramirez accepted.
"She AND her two friends!" Lynn corrected.
"Lynn! Never mind that! All I'm saying is, if she really wants to be your friend that badly, it might be worth reconsidering your answer. I'm just saying, there isn't much joy to be had within these walls. You might benefit from having at least one close ally you can talk to and rely on in here." the counsellor suggested.
A buzzer then sounded off, signalling the end of the allocated time for their session…
"And that does it for today. I'll probably get you booked in for another slot with me next week. Take care, Lynn Jr." the counsellor said.
"Thanks. By the way, nice name you got. Same as my old principal." Lynn commented.
Lynn then slowly got out of her chair and made her way to the door, where a security guard would be waiting outside, ready to take her back to her cell. She thought the counsellor gave her some sound advice and spoke some very rational sense regarding her violent, competitive disposition. She also gave her an interesting tip regarding her friendship request from earlier that day by Mamba…
…but for all the sound advice she received, certain toxic thoughts were still at the back of her head, mainly those implanted inside her by Viribus the day before. The question was, then…
…would she be able to keep them inside and locked away in her mind, and allow her more positive influences to take effect?
A dozen chapters so far, and the unlucky 13 is up next. But maybe things won't be so unlucky for Lynn or the rest of the Louds. We're about at the halfway point, and there is still more to go yet. Again, the plan will continue as previously stated. About once a week or so, a new chapter will come out. Expect the next one in the weekend. This one was postponed by a day because I was busy during Easter.
As always, thanks for following my story and maintaining interest. Keep coming back for more, as there's still more to go. Feedback, as long as it's constructive and just, is always welcome. Be back in about a week, and in the meantime, feel free to check out my content on DeviantArt if you haven't already.