A season for change: part 6.
While riding back to Campus, Kat begins to think about how she met Jack. The first few days had been eventful. Peter telling her that she should talk to him, since she might understand his depression. Jack yelling at her, after she followed him out when he ran out of group. Something she did many times with Jack. Megan telling her that he would come around. So many things happened in those first few weeks.
FLASHBACK:
(This is the beginning of June. The normal Academic year has ended. His parents brought Jack to campus a couple days earlier. Kat has been on a quest. It was her first quest as a counselor. Graduation had been just over a week earlier and she'd spent several days at home with her family before returning on Friday and taking over the Trackers as her group. Megan and her, who were working as co - counselors, had taken the Trackers out on a quest. Kat and Megan had returned from the quest earlier that morning and after getting cleaned up and settled in, Kat goes to Peter's office. Because Peter wants to talk to her.)
"Peter?" Kat asks opening the door after knocking.
"Come on in Kat." Peter says motioning for her to sit in the chair across from him. "How was your first quest as a counselor?"
"It was nice, but different. It's hard being the one doing the counseling, instead of being counseled." She said sitting down. "You get used to doing all the talking and now you're the one being talked too."
"I'm sure you're doing a good job." Peter smiled. " Megan seems to think so. She said you handled everything just fine and that the group is starting to open up to you a little, now that they know your there for them."
"Yea." She thought for a moment. " I think it helps that they know that I've been where they are."
"That's true it does. They seem to think former students understand better. Which is why I'm putting a new admit in your group." He said walking around the desk and sitting down on the edge of it. He picked up a folder and handed it to Kat. "His names Jack. Jack Houston. His parents brought him in two days ago, so he's heard the talk. He hasn't really spoken to anyone yet, but his parents say he has trouble adjusting to new situations."
Kat smiles, happy that Peter trusts her with a new student, but then she thinks for a moment. "Why are you telling me and not Megan?"
"Well, Megan may be the main counselor for the Trackers, but I think you can reach Jack. You know where he's been." Kat gives him a questioning look.
"Jack's battling depression." Kat nodded understandingly opening the file and scanning it as Peter continued. "His parents can't think of any reason for it. He was a straight a student, president of the class, really popular, but then he just quit. His parents say he resigned as president, dumped his friends and his girlfriend and just gave up. His grades fell and when his parents discovered he'd been cutting, they took him to a psychologist. Who managed to help him quit cutting, but can't figure out his depression. His parents say he tends to shy away from group activities opting to be alone. But they say if you catch him on a good day he seems normal."
Kat sighed; she knew what that was like. When your fine one moment and then not the next. It had happened to her, when her sister had died three years earlier.
"But there's no reason for it?" Kat asked looking at the file.
"No. He tested clean for drugs, but his parents said they found drugs in the house. They don't know why, that's why he's here."
"When can I meet him?" Kat asked.
"Well Megan's off campus.. She's off campus for lunch. She had a meeting with Max's mom. She wants to know how Max has been since his father visited." Kat sighed.
"Max did well on the quest. After three months here, Megan says he's really beginning to feel at home here. But it's easy to tell that he still really angry at his father." Kat said. She looks at Peter. "How any father can do that to their child is beyond me."
"Don't start holding a grudge, Kat. It won't help Max." Peter said knowingly. "It's not for us counselors to pass judgment. You have to remember that. These kids will come to look up to you and if you think they shouldn't do something they will trust your opinion 9 out of 10 times." Kat nodded. "You can meet Jack when Megan gets back." Peter said changing the subject. "That will give me time to finish this paper work." He said gesturing to his desk.
Kat agreed. Then after looking at the file one last time before closing it handed it back to Peter.
"I'll do my best with Jack, but that's not much to work off of." She said standing up.
"I know. Just remember that's all any of us can do." Peter said, giving Kat a pat on the shoulder. He then walked back around his desk and sat down to begin his work.

(Later that night. Megan and Kat are with the Trackers having group therapy. There are six kids, including Jack, in the group. Megan and Kat have already met Jack earlier that day. Kat had introduced herself, but Jack had ignored her. Megan and Peter had both said she should try to talk to him again.)
"All right guys." Megan said, getting the groups attention." Tonight we have a new Tracker among us, so were going to do something that lets him get to know us a little better." She picks up a pole that is next to her. "It's time for pass the staff. Tonight start by introducing yourself, then complete this sentence 'I once...'" Megan tossed the staff to a young blond girl who was across from her.
"Lindsay McCain. I once..." The young girl thinks for a moment then says," I once cried." She passes the staff to a brown haired boy that is across from her. He catches it easily.
"Max Tenney. I once thought this was stupid." He said with a smile. He passed the staff to a tall thin African- American boy that was at his right.
"Louis Wallbure." He says with an attitude. " I once..." He stops to think. Looking around the room as if to get ideas. His eyes connect with Megan's and he smirks. "I once ran." He then passes the staff to a chubby brown haired girl, who is sort of shying away from the group.
She catches the staff awkwardly. "Mandy Osmond." She says in a small voice. "I once had parents who loved me."
She then tosses the staff to a dark skinned girl, who is muscular. "Candace Kennedy." The girl proclaimed strongly. " I once... thought I was wrong." She says smugly and then passed the staff to Jack. Jack caught it, but didn't bother to look at the group. For a moment Kat thought he wouldn't answer.
"Jack Houston." He said looking at the ground. " I once was foolish enough to believe I could be happy." He passed the staff back to Megan and headed for the door.
Kat gave Megan a look that said she'd be right back. Then she jogged after Jack.
"Jack! Jack! Hey wait up." She called jogging after him as he ran across campus.
"What?" He said angrily turning around. For a second he seemed to tower over Kat. His eyes were cold, dark and menacing. "What? Do you want to help me? Try to make me think you understand what I'm going through. You don't get it. Your one of them." Kat was shocked and surprised. Shocked at the anger in his voice and surprised that he'd said so much.
"Jack, I do want to help you." She said calmly.
"Look, my parents have tried everything to help me. Herbalists, acupuncture, shrinks, everything. When they couldn't find a solution they sent me here. To a place where people get their jollies out of helping us poor teenagers who can't manage to cope with life. Well I'll tell you now; I'm not like them Kat. I don't need you to save me. I can save myself, if you guys would just back off." With that he turned and stormed off to the guys cabin.
Kat stood there in shock. She was surprised at the amount of anger that Jack had expressed. 'It's propably just because he's new." Kat thought. Knowing everything she did about Jack, she figured that must be it. She took a deep breath, wondering how she was going to reach him and then headed back to the lodge where they were having group. The others had been dismissed when she came back and Megan was moving the chairs that they'd moved during group back to where they belonged.
"How did things go with Jack?" Megan asked.
"Well," Kat said sliding down onto the couch. " He's angry and doesn't want our help. But he did say more then one sentence to me, which is apparently more then he's said to anybody since he's been here according to Peter."
Megan laughed. "He'll come around. They always do." She said and sat down next to Kat. "It gets easier you know."
"It does?" Kat says turning to look at Megan.
"Not really." She smiled. " No, the new ones are always the same. They don't want our help, but normally if you keep working at them, they'll give in. And there is nothing quite like it when you know you've helped them." She pauses for a moment. "Take Max for example. He came here three months ago. Wouldn't talk to anyone, could care less about school or friends. Then we started to get him to talk. It took about a month before he started to tell us anything personal and another month after that for him to begin to admit what happened. His dad coming was the final straw. It was what made him break down and tell us. And in the last month he's began to really put things together. So just give it time." She says giving Kat a hopeful smile. " Jack will open up."
"I hope so."
END OF FLASHBACK
If only she'd known then. If only she'd been able to interpret what Jack had said. She heard the words again.
"Look, my parents have tried everything to help me. Herbalists, acupuncture, shrinks, everything. When they couldn't find a solution they sent me here. To a place where people get their jollies out of helping us poor teenagers who can't manage to cope with life. Well I'll tell you now; I'm not like them Kat. I don't need you to save me. I can save myself, if you guys would just back off."
He was right. She thought. He was different. But had she'd known what his solution would lead too... Kat shuddered at the memory.

Flashback
(This flashback picks up a week after the last flashback ended.. Kat has tried several times to talk with Jack, but she hasn't learned anything. Most of the time he spends by himself, but Kat and Megan have begun to notice little things about his behavior and they are discussing it with Peter.)
"he just seems so angry." Kat said. " He seems like he's about to explode."
"the other night in group he threw a chair across the room. I though it was going to hit Kat." Megan added. Peter looked at her concerned.
"It's not unusual for new students to be angry." Peter said. "was he trying to hit you?" He asked Kat.
"He was trying to hit something, but I don't think it was me." Kat answered trying to give Jack the benefit of the doubt.
Peter is now confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he talks about them a lot." Megan said.
"Whose them?" Peter asked.
"were not sure. We think it is propably his parents. He talks about how they made him quit everything and how they've been responsible for his actions." Megan said.
"Are you learining anything else about him?" Peter asked the two girls.
"No, but kat keeps trying. He sometimes gets angry and yells at her when she tries to talk to him." Megan said. Peter looks at Kat concerned, but she's putting up a brave front.
"Well, if he is trying to attack whoever it is he's talking about, you guys need to be careful. Especially on the quest this week." Peter thinks for a moment. " Maybe I should send Roger instead of Jeff to help out. I don't want him accidentally hurting one of you."
"Peter," Megan said, "I don't think Jack will be a problem, besides we can handle it. Right kat?" megan asked. Kat nodded, but she wasn't sure. Jack was becoming more and more angry not less. It made Kat nervous thinking about it.
"all right. But if either of you need me or Jack gets any worse let me know." They both agreed.

(Two days later. Kat, Megan and Jeff are on the quest with the Trackers. Kat has tried to talk to jack many times, but with out much success. She's given up for the time being on talking to Jack. They've made camp for the night and are sitting around the campfire talking.)
"I leave for Yale, in another month and a half. I can't wait." Kat said to Megan.
"You're going to Yale?" A voice said from behind Kat. Kat and Megan turned to see Jack.
"Yes." Kat said a little shocked. Megan realizing this would be a good chance for Kat to talk to Jack, got up and left them alone.
Jack got a far a way look in his eyes. "That's where I was going to go. I was going to major in law, so I could join my dad's practice." He sat down next to Kat.
"What are you going to major in?" He asked.
"I'm thinking of majoring in psychology."
"Wow, that's a great field. You can help a lot of people with a degree like that."
'I know. That's what I want."
"Maybe one day you'll figure out how to help me." He said, looking over at her.
"I can help you, if you tell me what's wrong." He turned away from her then. "They wouldn't want me to tell you."
"Jack, I only worry about what you want and need. If you want to tell me, tell me. Don't worry about them." Jack turned back to her. This time he was angry.
"You don't care about them?" He shouted, drawing the attention of the other campers. Kat jumped at the anger in his voice. "They made me who I am and you don't care about them.?" He picked up a full water bottle and threw it.
"Ow." Kat heard someone cry. Turing she saw Megan doubled over. The water bottle had hit her in the stomach. Jeff rushed to her side to see if she was all right. Kat turned back to Jack, worried that he might throw something else. But when she saw his face he looked as if he might cry. "I didn't mean to." He said quietly, his voice shaking. "It's just, they made me..."

(The day after the quest. Peter has heard what has happened and wants to speak to Kat. Megan had taken a few days off because of the bruising the water bottle had caused. Roger has been asked to help Kat out until Megan comes back.)
"Peter, I don't think he meant to. He just, he needs help." Kat argued. She'd been arguing with Peter for half an hour about the incident.
"Kat he injured a counselor. You guys had had reservations about him before. I think we should remove him from your group. Put him with somebody who can deal with his outbursts."
"Peter, I'm just beginning to get through to him."
"Well, somebody else can get through to him. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Look Roger is helping me now. If I have a problem he can help me."
"Kat... I don't know."
"Look Peter just give me a few days to talk to him alright. If in a week I haven't gotten anywhere with him. You can take him out of my group."
"Are you sure about this?" Peter asks, looking Kat directly in the eye.
"Look Peter, I'm not going to tel you that his outburts don't worry me, but I really think I can reach him." She says not backing down.
"All right, but if you need anything or anything happens, youtell me right away. Got it?" Kat nodded.
(Later that night. Kat goes to talk to Jack. She finds him sitting outside the cafeteria by himself.)
"Jack?" She calls walking across the campus. " Jack it's me Kat." He's staring at the sky and talking to himself.
"Jack."
"I want you to leave me alone." He says.
"Jack I can't do that."
"They want to help me." He says, continuing to look into the night sky. Kat suddenly realizes he is not talking to her.
"Jack?" She says stepping closer. "Jack?" She says this time touching his arm when she says it. He jumps.
"Kat, I didn't hear you." He says.
"Jack, who were you talking to?" She says stepping up next to him.
"I shouldn't tell you." He says quietly. "They wouldn't like that."
"Who your parents?"
"No. Them." He said. Staring at the sky. "They run my life Kat. They made me give up everything." He says quietly. Then suddenly he became angry. " I hate them! I have to make them stop."
"How are you going to make them stop?" Kat asked calmly. Jack didn't answer her. He just turned and headed back towards his cabin.
Kat was worried. She left Jack and went looking for Peter. She had to tell him what she'd discovered about Jack.
(End of flashbacks)