Trigger
(Day 51: Monday Afternoon)
"This is very unlike you," the headmistress comments as they sit in her office. "What's going on with you?" Ben glances down for a second but doesn't speak. "Okay, then. An easier question: why were you harassing Audrey in the girls' bathroom?"
"I wasn't harassing her," Ben denies.
"Do you like it when reporters invade your personal space and yell at you?" she seriously questions. He makes an indicating noise. "What were you attempting to talk to her about?"
He shifts in the chair, "Have you even seen that petition yet?"
Fairy Godmother folds her hands in front of her, "Yes. I have."
"She wants to tag hybrids like animals," Ben informs anyway. "And the school is actually listening to her. It's utterly insane." The headmistress doesn't speak. "Can she actually do this?"
"Technically speaking," Fairy Godmother responds, "if enough students back her petition, then the staff would have no choice but to look at it. And she is using the grounds that not having hybrids marked as such causes anxiety in the halls and distraction in the classroom, which unfortunately helps her case."
"So, it could pass," Ben quickly responds.
"If enough students feel like they're not safe here, then I need to address it."
"Hybrids can't control what they are," he nearly yells. "They didn't choose to be this way. What if she had signed a petition to discriminate against people with magic? Would you still be willing to let this pass?" He doesn't let her answer. "Your daughter was able to use your wand. She wasn't very good at it, but she still has magic. If Audrey had felt threatened by fairies instead, then it would be your daughter being targeted instead."
"I'm not letting anything happen," the headmistress sternly responds. "I simply have no choice. The students have a right to free speech, and if they have concerns then I need to address them. I'm sorry to say, but my hands are tied. I can't do anything about this." Ben silences. "If there are enough hybrids at this school and if they want a safe classroom to work in, then I would be willing to provide that."
"That's not the point," Ben argues. "The point is that people shouldn't be punished for some genetic trait they have no control over. These people deserve to be treated fairly."
"And I agree with you," Fairy Godmother comments. "But like I said before, I can't stop her from doing her petition." Ben shakes his head before he stands to leave, but then the headmistress yells, "Sit down." He looks at her, before she sternly continues, "We're in no way finished here. Now. Please. Take a seat." Ben sits back down. "You're king. You can't just run off whenever you feel like it."
Ben crosses his arms, "Maybe, but action needs to be taken. If you won't do anything, then—"
"Then what?" she warns, and he takes a big breath before silencing. "You're in enough trouble the way it is. I recommend you not to get yourself into any more." He glances around the room. "Now. I really don't want to give you a punishment on top of everything else you're going through." He looks at her. "But I have to do something."
He slightly shakes his head, "What, then?"
"Given the circumstances," she slowly answers, "I think a week of sessions with the school counselor would be relevant."
Ben straightens up, "No. I can't do that."
"You can," she nods at him. "And you will."
"And if I don't?" Ben counters.
"Then it will be two days of suspension for each day you miss." He breathes a laugh. "I can make it out-of-school suspension, if you wish." Ben's mouth gapes in horror. "That's what I thought. Now. It's going to be seven one-hour sessions. I know you're busy, so I will let you choose the times, but I expect them all to be completed within the next two weeks." He merely nods. "Also. I will have to inform your parents of your behavior."
"My mom," Ben quickly says.
"What?" the headmistress questions.
Ben looks down for a second, "Call my mom."
Fairy Godmother unsurely comments, "I can call your mom first if you'd like, but—"
"No," Ben insists. "You can't call my dad. He doesn't like to get bad news, and you can't tell him about the therapy either. He likes his privacy."
"Ben," she tries to reassure. "It's your privacy. Not his."
"It doesn't matter." He widens his eyes, "I'm still a part of his family, and I'm royal. He's just as concerned about my privacy as he is about his." Fairy Godmother looks down but doesn't speak. "He can't know about any of this. Not now, and not from you. Not like this."
She looks back up at him, "Okay. I will only call your mother, and if she doesn't answer I'll just have to leave a message explaining the situation and ask for her to call me back."
Ben lets out a breath of relief, "Thank you."
It takes her a moment to question, "Ben. Do you mind me asking, what happens when your father gets bad news?"
"Yes. I do mind," he answers, but she just continues to observe him. He looks down, "It's nothing. Really." before he clasps his hands and his thumbs circle the inside of his palms. "It's just… like a trigger, I guess." He looks back up at her, "It's more likely for him to start to feel unwell when he gets bad news. That's all."
"That's all," Fairy Godmother softly repeats in the same manner. Ben keeps still, but his thumbs still make those circles. "How often does he feel unwell?"
"When there's no triggers?" Ben questions. He eyes the desk for a moment, "Sometimes it can go a full month without anything happening." He frowns as he looks back up at her, "It's been happening more often since I've become king, though… It's almost like I've become a trigger." He feels the water intrude his eyes; however, they stay calm, and Fairy Godmother continues to listen. "I'm… I think I'm afraid to even have any contact with him anymore, afraid that maybe I will cause him to feel unwell if he sees me or… even just to call over the phone."
It's quiet before Fairy Godmother comments, "Ben. You have to know that whatever is going on with your father, it has absolutely nothing to do with you."
"If I were patient like my mother," he quietly counters, "then it wouldn't even be an issue." She doesn't speak. "May I leave now?"
She nods, "When you go to set up your first appointment go into the counseling office and tell them why you're there. By the time you do so I should have a counselor picked out for you. When you've completed your therapy come see me again, just to talk and confirm that it's done you some good." He stays quiet, merely turning around to leave. "Hey, Ben." He looks back around. "Take care of yourself."
He whispers, "Yeah. You too." before he heads out of the room.
- So, yeah. Ben is going to be having some therapy. I know at least one of you is going to enjoy that. I mean, you only mention how all of these characters need therapy about every other comment. Lol. Seriously, I don't know if it will do him any good or not, whether he will respond and be open to it or not, but we'll just have to see. Hopefully, by the end it will do him at least a little good. Now, as of this chapter, there is only seven days until Mal's trial starts. I think we might just skip past Tuesday for the next chapter, so if we do that then there's actually only five days left? I'm thinking there's going to be one chapter that involves Ben's first therapy appointment, then the second one will have something to do with seeing Audrey on TV, and then the third would be Mal's last scene in the jail cell. Then there'd probably be two more chapters of her before the trial. Then, finally, the trial. Yay... the trial being at least three days. Probably will be more... I keep putting in quotation marks, as if I'm just writing dialogue right now. It's weird, and it's been happening. It hasn't just been during this post. Does anyone think I've been writing a little too much?
- Edit (07/23/2018): changed "councilor" to "counselor"... I guess the easiest way to remember the difference is that a counselor is selling you ideas or talk time, but when you didn't even know the word was spelled different for someone who's a part of a council— damn. No. forget it. I'll look up all the times Ben mentions council meeting later. If I spelled it as "counsel", then I really don't want to know right now... but I'll check it anyway. Okay. Good. It looks like I had enough sense to know that council is spelled that way, but seriously. This could have been very inconvenient.