A/N: Sorry for the late update, I was trying to figure out how this next chapter should go while dealing with a crazy head cold and school-related stress. Anyways, this is inspired by the extended therapy scene in H2 where the therapist asks "how's your relationship with Annie going?" RELATIONSHIP. Barbara totally knew what was going on. ;)
A/N #2: This is a important, if you're wondering about my timeline: They got together the summer they turned fifteen, a majority of the chapters happened in their first year together, then shortly after their one year mark Halloween happened. So this is set about two months after Halloween, roughly half a year away from their two year mark.
Laurie Strode sat on the hard plastic waiting room chair, tapping her foot to no particular beat. It was just a product of her endless supply of nerves. The woman sitting next to her kept shooting dirt looks her way while thumbing through a worn issue of "Healthy Living".
After dozens of dirty looks and what felt like hours, a glasses-clad woman enters the room and extends her hand to Laurie.
"Hello Laurie, I'm Barbara. Follow me this way to my office."Barbara says, leading Laurie down a hallway that appears to be an endless sea of brown furniture.
When they reach the older woman's office, she motions for Laurie to take a seat on a small beige couch, and starts talking as soon as Laurie sits down.
"Okay then, let's start with a few warm-up questions, okay?" Barbara says as she takes out a clipboard and a pen and sends a smile in Laurie's direction, "what are your interests?"
"Oh, uh, I don't really have any anymore. I mostly just spend time with Annie when I'm not at work." Laurie replies, blushing at the realization that other than Annie, she really has no interests.
"Did you have interests before the accident?"
Laurie flinches at the mention of the accident so early on in the session, but answers the question quickly after, hoping that the older woman doesn't notice her reaction, "Not really; before all of that happened, I mainly just focused on school and Annie."
Barbara jots down a few notes on her clipboard before continuing with more questions, "It's only been five minutes, and you've already mentioned Annie twice. Do you want to tell me who she is?"
The blonde girl is obviously shocked that Annie is brought up, but she managed to compose herself a few seconds later. But unlike the previous question, she isn't so quick to reply.
"Annie is my, uh, girlfriend." She finally manages to spit out, and she can practically feel the nerves radiating off herself, "you're actually the first person I've told. Everybody else that knows found out from other people." She adds when that realization dawns on her; Annie announced it to the people at that restaurant, Lynda and Aunt Andrea had figured it out themselves, & Aunt Andrea told her parents.
Barbara smiles at the very nervous girl in front of her in attempts to show her that she's a therapist. Not a stranger on the street; she's not going to judge her.
"Do you feel like telling me about Annie?" She asks, adjusting her glasses ever-so-slightly as she waits for Laurie to tell her about the girl that she is so blatantly in love with.
"She's really short, but she makes up for it with her loud personality. She's probably the most beautiful girl I've ever met, but I'm a little biased when I say that." Laurie blushes a deep crimson and laughs at her own joke, even though it really wasn't all that funny.
Barbara smiles at the younger girl's description of her girlfriend, and she proceeds to ask about said girlfriend; it's clearly the best way to break the ice with Laurie.
"How long have you two been together?"
"Since we were fifteen. So, uh, almost two years." Laurie replies with a bit more confidence than she had when she first entered the building.
"Okay, well, I think you've done really well, Laurie. I know we haven't really touched on any of the issues surrounding the accident and that it hasn't been the full hour, but it's your first appointment. I just wanted to get to know you, and let you get comfortable with all of this." Barbara says, standing up to signal that the appointment is coming to a close.
After a quick handshake and a goodbye, Laurie walks out to see the girl they talked about sitting in the waiting room.
"Hey Annie," Laurie says, a smile quickly spreading across her features as she heads towards the girl that her previous conversation focused on. When Annie envelops her in a hug, Laurie presses her face to the side of the other girl's and whispers, "You were right; it went great, baby."
A/N #3: Well damn. At 800+ words, this is probably my longest chapter to date. That's a milestone that you should review. ;)