A/N Thanx 2 all my awesome reviewers! U guyz kick ass! By the way, watch Green Day on the Grammys on the 13th and pick up this month's Rolling Stone! ;)

Chapter Nine

Dearly beloved, are you listening?

I can't remember a word that you were saying,

Are we demented? Or am I disturbed?

The space that's in between insane and insecure

Oh therapy can you please fill the void?

Am I Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed?

Nobody's perfect and I stand accused,

For the lack of a better word, and that's my best excuse

-Green Day (Jesus of Suburbia Dearly Beloved)

Two days after his talk with Sandy, Ryan found himself sitting in the waiting room of Doctor Richard Armstrong. Sandy had insisted on accompanying him to the office, which Ryan knew was just a precaution to make sure he actually went. The room was lavishly decorated with black leather chairs, fake ferns, and paintings, and Ryan was beyond uncomfortable; the place even smelled expensive. Sandy and Kirsten were wasting a shit load of money to send him to this guy who Ryan already knew wouldn't help.

"Ryan Atwood?" The receptionist interrupted Ryan's thoughts and led him and Sandy down a short hallway. Holding open a heavy oak door for them, the woman nodded into the first room on the left.

Ryan had been uncomfortable in the waiting room, but that had been nothing compared to the feeling which accompanied him into the actually office. This was going to be his torture chamber, the place when a random shrink would watch his every move, analyze his every word and draw false conclusions about his emotional stability.

"Why don't we sit down Ryan?" Sandy motioned to a couch against the far wall; it was the same black leather as the waiting room chairs. Sandy sat on the couch but Ryan shook his head slowly and settled awkwardly into the chair closest to the door. Ryan's choice of seat was the first thing Sandy noticed that tipped him off that maybe Ryan was upset. He didn't have any time to think about the boy's choice of seat though, because Doctor Richard Armstrong chose that moment to make his entrance.

Doctor Armstrong swept into the room, and not noticing Ryan in the chair, he marched up to Sandy and grasped the man's hand firmly.

"Hello, my name is Richard Armstrong, but you can just call me Richard. I presume that you are Mr. Atwood." His voice was strong and authoritative. Sandy shook Richard's hand, but then nodded at Ryan.

"My name is Sandy Cohen; I'm actually Ryan's guardian. That's Ryan over there." Sandy corrected the man. Richard spun quickly, eyes settling on Ryan, who was glaring at him from the chair.

"Oh, I see." Richard did not seem like a man who was frequently corrected. He shook Ryan's hand quickly before settling down behind his large desk in the corner of the room. Ryan noticed immediately how the man, in his Armani suit and shined shoes seemed to fit in perfectly with the tastefully furnished office; Ryan was already craving a cigarette.

"Since today is our first day, I'm going to ask you a few questions that probably don't seem related to the topic. Is that okay with you Ryan?" The doctor began immediately. Ryan could tell that Richard didn't actually care if it was okay with him or not, so he just shrugged.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Richard started. Ryan relaxed slightly; that was defiantly not a hard question.

"I've got one biological brother and one foster brother." Came the answer.

"Where is you biological brother right now?" Another question.

"Jail." Another answer.

"What about your biological parents? Where are they?" Richard probed. Ryan had accepted his situation by that time, so answering honestly wasn't difficult.

"I don't know where my mom is, but my dad's in jail."

"I see." Ryan noticed Richard writing rapidly on a large pad of paper.

"Are you a virgin Ryan?" Ryan was taken aback by the question.

"Why does it matter?" He challenged the shrink. The man looked up from his writing, looking annoyed that Ryan hadn't simply answered.

"Trust me; every question I ask matters." Richard sighed heavily, "I need you to cooperate with me Ryan. Are you a virgin or not?"

"I'm not." Ryan finally responded. Richard nodded.

"How many sexual partners have you had?" Richard asked another probing question.

"I don't know." Ryan replied. The shrink rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to be embarrassed because there was only one person Ryan."

"There's been more than one person; I just don't remember all of the one night stands." Ryan was getting angry and he answered the question honestly.

"Unmemorable sex? That's unusual. Do you have trouble remembering because it was over so fast?" The shrink pried even further.

"No." Ryan snapped. "I was too stoned or too drunk the remember who half of them were with." Richard raised an eyebrow.

"Any kids of your own?"

"No." Ryan answered quickly. Richard noticed the quick answer, but didn't comment on it.

"I see, I see. Ryan, do you notice any differences in your sexual performance when you're angry or upset?" Richard's pen was poised, ready to write down any observations about Ryan's answer. Sandy raised his eyebrows in shock.

"What the hell kind of a question is that?" Ryan had had enough. "That's none of your fucking business! In fact, none of this is your fucking business." Richard was taken aback, and by the time he'd gotten over his shock, Ryan had already stormed out of the room.

Sandy didn't apologize to the doctor because frankly, he agreed with Ryan that the details of the boy's sexual history shouldn't be important to a psychiatrist. Sandy simply threw a check for the session on the man's desk and followed his foster son out of the room.

Sandy found Ryan sitting on the curb out by the car, smoking a cigarette. He didn't reprimand the boy, instead choosing to sit down next to him.

"I'm sorry." Ryan apologized after finishing the cigarette.

"I should be the one apologizing Ryan; I didn't realize that Richard was such an ass. I still want you to try therapy, but I promise that we'll find someone better." Sandy replied. Ryan sighed and standing up, climbed into the passenger seat of the car. Sandy followed the kid into the car, hoping against all hope and the next shrink wasn't as horrible.

A/N Okay, there's the new chapter… please R/R!