Author's note: Hey, thanks for clicking! I torment Danny so much in my other fics that I decided to try maybe helping him feel a little better about things.
Maybe.
Also I just realized that I'm posting this on March 20. That is pure coincidence, I swear. :b
Ghost on the Couch
March 20 (part one)
Rush hour in Amity Park. Danny stared out the passenger side window and folded his arms.
"You'll like this therapist, Danny," said Maddie from the driver's seat. "Dad and I met with him earlier today."
Danny kept his body turned from her.
"He definitely knows what he's doing," continued Maddie. "You can just tell from talking to him. And he's also got this full head of fluffy blond hair straight out of the eighties." She sighed dreamily.
"Yes," said Danny, still looking out the window. "Because good hair is so important in therapy."
Maddie fell quiet. Danny tightened his folded arms.
"Danny, I know you're unsure about this—"
"I'm not unsure. I definitely don't want to do this."
"I know. But I really think this could help you."
Danny glanced at her with just his eyes before turning to face forward. "I just don't understand," he said, looking down at his lap. "Do you think something's wrong with me?"
"No, of course not, sweetheart."
"Then why are you making me do this?"
"I just think you're… You seem to be struggling. You seem stressed, overwhelmed. Especially since starting high school."
"But isn't high school kind of difficult for everyone?"
"No. I mean, yes, it is, but… You didn't use to…"
She frowned. Danny fidgeted.
"What? I didn't use to what?" he asked.
"All right, well, I guess I'll just say it." Maddie tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. "Your grades are terrible. You always look so tired no matter how early you go to bed or how many after-school naps you take. You're often in your own world, distracted, distant. You go out a lot with your friends, but Dad and I usually don't know exactly where you are, and you are always cutting curfew so close—"
"But I do make it back before curfew."
"Not always. You've been late many times."
"Yeah, like a few minutes, maybe."
"Half an hour or an hour late is a few minutes to you?"
Danny sank back against his seat.
"Curfew is not a negotiable time, Danny," said Maddie. "It's a firm cutoff. And the time we expect you to be home each night is very reasonable."
Danny shrugged.
"And school is definitely not negotiable. I get calls and reports about you being late or even skipping a class altogether. You're lucky you haven't been suspended yet."
"I've been working on that."
"It's still not good enough."
Danny scowled.
"You're also a lot more jumpy these days," Maddie went on. "More nervous, more easily startled. And I thought it was Dash at first. I hoped it was just Dash, that maybe that was why you would skip class sometimes. But even after talking to the principal and his parents about it, you're still...like this."
She glanced at him. Danny did not meet her gaze.
"And… You just… You don't smile as often as you used to." Maddie sighed. "And I so miss your smile, sweetheart."
Danny lowered his head and dug his nails into his arms still folded against him.
"Something is going on with you," said Maddie softly. "I have no idea what, but you're going through a hard time. Your teachers have noticed it, too. I get emails from them." She paused. "Are you going to deny that you're going through a hard time, Danny?"
Haunting memories and agonizing regret over bad decisions made in ghost battles. Terrifying thoughts and paralyzing fears about ghost hunters capturing and torturing him. Dark introspection about the ultimate enemy he could still become. Hitting him all at once.
"No," muttered Danny. "I can't deny that." He straightened. "But I can figure it out on my own. I don't need therapy."
"I've been letting you try to figure it out on your own for a year and a half now. You've only gotten worse, not better," said Maddie. "So we're going to try something else now."
He knew that tone. He knew that expression. And he knew her accusations were all sound and that he could never adequately argue against them.
"How often do I have to do this?" he asked in defeat.
"Every Monday."
"Every Monday?"
"Yes."
"Are you kidding me? I don't want to do this every Monday!"
"I'm not giving you a choice, Danny." Maddie pulled into a lot and parked facing a small two-story building. "I almost decided to have you go twice a week, you know."
"Oh, well, how thoughtful."
"Hey, watch that tone." Maddie unbuckled her seat belt and gave him a disapproving look.
Danny recoiled slightly. "Sorry," he mumbled. He unbuckled his own belt. "But what makes you think this will even work?"
"I don't know if it will work, but I think it's important to try."
Danny shook his head and moved to open his door but stopped when he noticed his mother was still in the car. He turned to find her staring at him pensively.
"Look." Maddie sighed and held up her hands. "How about we just try this until school's out for the summer? That would be a fair trial."
"School won't be out for like two months!"
"Danny, I'm offering you a deal here, okay? Can you just work with me, please?"
Danny thinned his lips and waited for her to continue.
"If, by the time school is out, you think therapy is not helpful and you really don't want to continue, then I won't make you go anymore."
Danny considered this offer. With an ending in sight, maybe he could do this, especially if it would make her even just a little less disappointed with him.
"Okay," he said simply. He pulled out his phone and began scrolling through his calendar.
Maddie brightened, then turned serious again. "But you have to give this a fair try. You have to be respectful and cooperate with the therapist. Otherwise the deal is off, and I'll make you continue."
"Fine, fine," muttered Danny, still looking at his phone calendar. "But how about until the week before school ends? I mean, the last week is finals week. I need to study. I don't want to be overwhelmed that week."
Maddie narrowed her eyes and scrunched her mouth. "Right. You're going to study," she said with a sarcastic edge.
Danny gave her a sheepish look. "Well, I mean… That would make it an even eight sessions."
Maddie exhaled loudly and opened her door. "Fine, okay. The week before school gets out." She met Danny outside by the hood of her car. "But then you absolutely have to study that Monday during finals week."
"Sure thing." Danny placed his phone in his pocket.
"Actually, let me have your phone." Maddie held out a hand to him.
"What? Why?"
"You won't be needing it for the next hour. I don't want you to have any distractions."
"Oh, come on. I promise I won't use it."
"Danny." Stern. Her hand didn't waver.
With a loud and irritated sigh, Danny pushed his phone into her hand. She put it in her purse and then began to lead him toward the building.
Danny cocked his head as he read the name above the door. "Amity Pizza Parlor? Wait, is this a pizza restaurant?"
Maddie gestured to a set of stairs nearby. "The therapy offices are on the second floor."
Danny stared at the metal steps. Maddie prodded him forward and up. He gave in and allowed her to guide him.
Eight weeks. Eight sessions. Eight hours. He only had to do this eight times.
Manageable.
