Counselor's Office (anyone can come in)

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So quiet... students in Gakuen, come visit meeeee!

Alfred frowned hard as he stood at the door to the Councillor’s Office. Stupid teacher, sending him here after he’d gotten in to yet another little fight with a random student. So what if he’d punched him in the face, breaking his nose in three different places? He’d deserved it!

The stupid guy wouldn’t shut up, continuously TEASING him...wasn’t that considered to be bullying? Wasn’t he the victim here, not him? He’d tried really hard to ignore the guy and told him to stop multiple times. But noooo. He wouldn’t stop it! Continuously calling him gay, questioning his sexuality and calling him a hypocrite because he was gay himself. Which he wasn’t! He was totally straight!

That was why Alfred had hit him. He wasn’t about to let anyone get away with telling lies about him, spreading horrible little rumours around the school. So what if he was kind of homophobic? That didn’t mean he was gay and in the closet!

Alfred sighed, barging into the room, not even bothering to knock. He flopped down on the first seat he saw and dropped his head, staring at the floor. Just because he was here didn’t mean he had a problem, or that he had to talk to whoever the hell the councillor was.

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Don't worry Helena~! The hero is here to save your thread from dying~! ewe

Thank you, Alfred~! ;w;

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Helena looked up and saw the school's star student enter her office, plop down in one of her chair's, looking down at the floor. She had beeen called not too long ago by an administrator that he punched a kid for calling him gay. She had dealt with situations like this before, but still, it made her sad to see that teens, gay or not, were being harassed by being called names. The look on Alfred's face, which she could tell was a frown, made her heart tear a bit more. And she didn't want to see her students frowning.

She smiled warmly, true emotion and all, at the young man before saying, "Hello, Alfred. I know why you've been sent here. Before we get started, though, I'd like to ask a favor of you. Please have a smile on your face. You look much better with a smile on your face rather than the sullen expression you have now."

Alfred tried hard to keep the frown on his face, but found himself failing in the kind woman’s presence. Why did she have to be so friendly and genuine? It seemed like she really was sad that he was going though such an issue. Maybe she saw him as a victim too? After all, he was the one being bullied here. He could only take so much before he snapped. Why did everyone have to keep being like that, assuming he was gay just because he was a little bit homophobic. Alfred was nowhere near as bad as his father was when it came to that.

He sighed, finding himself smiling at Helena, lifting his head to show her the upturned curve. “Hello Miss Counsellor Lady~ So...what do we have to talk about? Will this be over quickly?”

Helena chuckled at the "Miss Counselor Lady" before saying to Alfred, "Thank you for smiling. Please call Mrs. Helena or Mrs. Karpusi. And as for what we need to talk about, I'll wait a bit before we get started on that. And this will take as much time as necessary. I notified you other teachers that you have later on in the day to give you a copy of their lecture notes they use for today's classes should you miss them because of this session. Even if you go to those other classes, they told me they'd still give you the notes."

The brown haired woman gave the blonde teen a sunny smile before asking him, "So, Alfred, what's your favorite candy?"

“Oh right...Mrs. Helena then.” It felt odd to Alfred to be so formal, most of his teachers he had a tendency to just call by their first names if they let him. It was less...awkward. The titles such as Mrs, Mr, Ms and Miss made the age gap seem too obvious. It was harder for him to open up to people like that. Perhaps it was because he was so formal with his father? He did call him Mr. Jones when talking to him or about him, not father, dad or papa. Though in his thoughts he still called him his father. How long had it been since he’d last called him something parental in speech? Had he been 5? That sounded about right.

He shook himself out of his thoughts as he listened to Helena speak. So he’d most likely miss all his classes? It wasn’t like that mattered; he always skipped classes he didn’t like anyway. She then asked him the oddest question. Candy. Was she really asking him about candy? Well okay... “Um... Hershey Kisses....M-Miss Helena.” He stuttered as he spoke the formality, frowning as he did so. Couldn’t he just drop it?

Helena didn't expect him to be a bit awkward about calling her "Mrs.", but everyone was different. She grinned as Alfred told her his favorite candy.

"That's my faorite candy, too. And even though I asked you to call me "Mrs.", you may call me by my first name. Sorry for making it awkward for you," she said with a sheepish grin. Then it went away and was replaced by a smile smile as she opened her desk drawer and looked through it's contents.

"Let's see, I know they're here... ah! Here we are!!" She pulled out a one pound bag filled with Hershey's Kisses, opened the bag, and laid it out on the desk, a few of the chocolate candies spilling out from the plastic bag.

Helena took up a foil-covered candy, unwrapped it, then popped the piece of chocolate into her mouth, savoring the flavor of the sweet going over her tongue. When she swallowed her piece, she smiled at Alfred and said, "There you go. Take as many as you want."

Alfred sighed in relief when he was allowed to drop the formalities. Formalities were just awkward for him and with them gone his nerves dropped a little too. Maybe talking to her wouldn’t be so bad after all. “It is~? That’s...cool~! And thanks for letting me drop the formalities they just...feel awkward for me.”

He was happy to find that they shared the same kind of candy. It was just a little thing that they shared, a small bit of common ground but somehow it made him smile. After all, it was always good to find out that you shared a little common ground with someone, adult or not. And she did seem like such a nice lady.

Alfred then watched as she went to open up her desk draw and started shifting though whatever was in there, curious as to what she was looking for. Maybe something she needed to council him with, like a notepad or a pen? Or maybe both. However, it turned out to be nothing like that and was quite shocked when she pulled out a bag filled with their favourite treat.

He was a little weary when she said he was allowed to take as many as he wanted, wondering if they had been poisoned or filled with laxatives, even after he saw her eat one. Slowly though, Alfred felt his resolve breaking as he stared over at the sweets, eventually reaching over and grabbing one, pulling off the foil before dropping it into his mouth. It was sweet, very sweet. Alfred smiled brightly to himself as he ate it, enjoying the candy immensely.

“So.....” He trailed off, wondering if she was going to start doing her job anytime soon. Alfred grew bored very soon and started to hum to himself, the same song he had sung for the last Glee club’s performance in the gym. He wondered if they’d get any new members soon, after all, Glee club was the best part of school for him, hell, the best part of his day, week even!

Helena watched as Alfred ate the candy and became bored quickly. She didn't mind, however, for she soon began to hear the teen hum a song. She smiled and said, "Sorry to make you bored. I wanted you to be comfortable before I got started with the session."

She clasped her hands in her lap before asking, "So, what exactly happened between you and the young man? The teahcher told me the basics, but I find it better to hear it from you, since you were in that situation."

Alfred grinned a bit as he grabbed another chocolate, unwrapped it and dropped it in his mouth, still humming the same little tune. He almost forgot that Helena was in the room until she spoke up again, breaking him out of his relaxed state. “Oh, it’s alright. I’ve just had that song stuck in my head for weeks~” He was just glad that he hadn’t broken out into song, singing at the top of his lungs or something, like he had a tendency to do when he was alone. It wasn’t his fault that he had a huge love of singing.

His smile soon left his face though when Helena asked the question he’d been dreading hear. Alfred shifted around in his seat. “He was calling me names....spreading nasty lies about me! And he wouldn’t stop, no matter how many times I asked him too! It was bullying! ...And today, I finally got sick of it. I just wanted him to shut up, to leave me alone! So I punched him, as hard as I could!”

Helena listened to Alfred as he told her about the young man antagonizing him relentlessly until Alfred snapped and punched the kid. When he finished talking, she remained quiet for about 10 seconds before speaking.

"It's understandable as to why you punched him. But it was still wrong. You responding to him no longer made you a victim of his bullying. But even before you punched him, why did you not go to a teacher or administrator to talk about this young man tormenting you? They could've easily taken care of the situation with the young man and you wouldn't be here."

Alfred sighed in frustration as he glared at the floor, not liking one bit what she was saying. “You’re just like the rest of them, the other stupid adults. They always tell me the same shit! ‘Oh just go tell another adult, I’m sure they will be able to stop it’ Well guess what, they DON’T. In fact, telling an adult just makes it worse! You know what happens every time I try to be a ‘good boy’ and not fight back and do the ‘right thing’ and tell an adult? They do fucking NOTHING! And I end up getting the shit beaten out of me for ratting them out! They get off with just a few little detentions and I have to pay for it with bruises and pain for weeks!”

He could feel his anger rising, his hands clenching into fists. Helena...she was just like everyone else, some bitch who was just going to tell him to sit about and not fight back, to try and hide behind useless adults who would do nothing to help him while he was kicked about and mistreated. Damn woman knew nothing about the real world.

Helena shook her head. Unfortunately, as much as she hated it, he was right. Not many teachers cared for the kids anymore, only a paycheck. It saddened her that kids still got picked on for this sort of thing. However, he made a small part of her snap a bit and her voice remained calm, but became icy.

"You make a valid statement, but you still responded. By having punched that kid, it'll only make the bullies think you are gay. And I know this because I did the same thing you did when I was your age. And truth is, I'm actually bi, but I denied it for a very long time. Now, you may NOT be gay, but the moment I did that, I felt no different than the bully who antagonized me. What I did didn't help any of the other people who are gay or are accused of being gay. I learned later on when another person bullied me that I could stick it out and shut them up without violence. I asked them, 'So, because you're actually homosexual, it makes you feel good to pick on those who are like you or those you consider gay because you want to feel good about what gender you like? Well, good luck with finding someone who loves that about you.' Each and every time, they left me alone after that, and in time, became my friends, because every one of those bullies had an attraction to the opposite sex. So, Alfred, tell me, does it feel good to punch a boy who's been feeling insecure about his sexuality and took it out on you as a cry for someone to accept him for who he is?"

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...you just pissed off Helena, Alfred. Good job.

Alfred went silent the moment Helena started speaking. Her voice had gone icy cold as she spoke to him, reminding him horribly of a certain man. He shifted about in his seat as he stared at the floor, starting to shake the more she said. He didn’t want to hear what she was saying, the words, they hit him hard and made him feel...bad.

When she was done he sat there in silence for a minute, just staring blankly ahead, before bringing his knees up to his chest and his hands up to his ears. As he covered them he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to ignore what had just been said. “N-No....I-I’m not a bully....I...I would never hurt someone who was hurting like me....N-Never...I...I’m a good person....”

Alfred shook harder as he remembered something his father had always told him. You....you disgusting little fag....you do know that you’ll never have any friends, right? After all, no one likes nasty little fags.....Oh, don’t go trying to deny it, I know very well what you are. I have no idea why I even continue to keep you here....Because you’re my son you say? Stupid child...I have no son... Did...did the boy he’d punched have to go through stuff like that too?

Another memory flashed through his mind as tears started to run down his face. You...you’re a terrible person, you know that? You’re the entire reason that your Mother left me, that we got the divorce. If only you could have been normal...if only you hadn’t been born, then everything would have been perfect. You’re horrible, terrible...YOU DO NOTHING BUT RUIN LIVES! You...you’re a...a...monster....

“O-Oh god....h-he...I...I’m terrible person...I-I hurt him...I’m...I’m just like HIM! A monster, a horrible, cruel monster!....” Alfred held himself tight as he broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Was everything he’d said been true?

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And you just made Alfred cry, Helana. Good job as well.

Kinda expected a few tears, not sobbing. Damn, I'm a bitch at times. O.O Though it's to be expected from time to time. ^^;;

Also, I'm gonna say that Helena's met your dad, so that she can say something to calm Alfred down.

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If there was one thing Helena did not expect from Alfred, it was him curling up into a ball and sobbing uncontrollably. The motherly instinct in her shot through and she left her seat to kneel beside the blonde teen. She rubbed his back as he cried, trying to calm him down a little. She couldn't take back what she said because she knew it needed to be said, but it still pained her that tears flowed down his face. When he said something about "him", she got an idea as to who he was talking about. She moved both her hands to cup his face, lifted it up a little, and wiped away the tears with her thumbs. Her green eyes shone with the care of a mother, even though Alfred wasn't her child.

"Alfred, please look at me. You ARE NOT a terrible person and you sure as hell ARE NOT A MONSTER. Everyone makes mistakes. That's what happened here. I'm going to assume that your father is the one who's been telling you these lies about you, because he's dead wrong. You are such a wonderful, confident, smart, and handsome young man who sees the good in everyone. I've met your father, and I've talked to him long enough to understand he doesn't deserve such a good-natured young man like you. You are everything he is NOT, which makes you a million times a better person than he will ever be in a lifetime. You may feel ugly, but you're not."

She hugged him gently, so she wouldn't scare him, but she cooed softly to him to calm him down, always repeating, "You're a good person."

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OOC Afterward: Damn, I wrote a lot. O.O But yeah, that's how she sees this. And I has a surprise for the next post after you reply, Alfred. :3

Alfred clung onto Helena, instinctively nuzzling closer, seeking the comfort he had sorely missed for so long in his life. Being held like this, treated like something special and precious...it had been years since someone had treated him this way. The kind touch that came from a mother, how badly he had craved it. She’d wiped his tears away with care, being as gentle with him as possible, causing him to feel all warm inside.

Then she started speaking. She told him the he wasn’t a terrible person or a monster. That it was just a little mistake and that everyone made them. That he was this wonder, amazing person, even if he didn’t feel like he was. It surprised Alfred greatly to hear that someone like Helena had met someone as horrible as his own father. It sounded like she didn’t like him at all. She cuddled closer to Helena as she spoke, taking in every word that she said, a small smile starting to form on his lips.

As he cried, he listened to her repeat those four words over and over again, trying to get himself to believe that they were true. She seemed so nice now...maybe she was nice? Alfred felt torn between his decision that she was just like the other adults he knew, or if she was like his mother as he remembered her, kind, loving, caring and sweet. Did she have a child herself? Helena did seem very motherly. If so, then he was jealous of that kid, having Helena as their mother.

Helena felt the young man in her arms begin to relax, which made her a little happy. She didn't rlease her hug on him, but moved away enough to look at Alfred's tearstained face. It still made her heart twist with sorrow.

What an asshole for a father he has. His father doesn't deserve him. Alfred show go out on his own and - wait...he may be able to. But he still needs to go to school and he'd have to pay for his own place and get a job. Hmm... maybe there's a way for him to be away from his father without having to completely be independent, she thought.

"Alfred, pardon my question and don't take it the wrong way, but you're 18, right?"

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This is only part of the surprise. XP

Alfred brang his hand up to his face and started to wipe away his tears with his sleeve, just knowing that his eyes would be all red and puffy now. A mess, he probably looked like a total mess, he thought. But it didn’t seem to bother Helena.

As she stayed there hugging him, apparently deep in thought he made the decision to trust her. What she’d said had been true, after all, and she hadn’t wanted to hurt him on purpose. He moved forward to rest his head on her shoulder for a little before he heard her speak, causing him to wonder why she asked. Then again, maybe she was just curious?

“Um yes...I’m 18 now...why do you ask?”

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I’m curious now~ >w<

"I was thinking about when I met your dad, and I'm being honest here, he seems like a selfish, spoiled man. And truthfully, I think you'd be better off away from him. With you being 18, you can legally move out of his house and live on your own. But I thought about you getting a job and having to pay for a place of your own and while I'm sure you could do it, it'd be stressful. And I'm not really getting to the point, so I'll just ask: If you would like to, do you want to come live with me and my son?"

The teachers around here and at the previous school she worked at knew Helena was a kind person and it was also known by them that if necessary, she'd let students stay at her place from time to time, whether they needed space from their families after a fight, or when they wanted to live on their own, but needed to live somewhere else until they had their own jobs and places. She knew Alfred could accept, but he could deny it as well. If he did, she could understand that he may still want to be around his father. After all, Alfred's father, no matter how much of an asshole he was, was still his family.

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Yeah, that's the surprise. Rather predictable, huh? xD

Alfred was shocked. Has Helena just asked him to come LIVE with her and her son? Well at least it confirmed in his mind that she was a mother. And now that he thought about it, didn’t he have a guy in his math class called Heracles Karpusi? They did share the same last name and it wasn’t a common one here so it was most likely that he was her son. He was a nice boy too, he slept a lot and seemed to have an obsession with cats, but still, very nice.

But as tempting as it sounded to just up and leave home he was a little afraid to do so. Even though his father spent a lot of time ignoring him and pretending that he didn’t have a son he might still be really angry at him for leaving. It wasn’t that he really cared if he got mad, it was starting to dawn on him that no matter what he did that his father would never love him, but... What if he got so mad that he hit him? Or worse? Once his father got mad enough he wasn’t above doing anything...

He frowed deeply as he stared down at the floor, his face etched with worry and fear. “That...that sounds so nice...really nice....but...Mr. Jones...he...he might get angry....”

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It was a cute surprise~ >w<

"I see. If you feel it necessary so Mr. Jones isn't any more of an ass than he already is, then stay there. But if you ever need to be somewhere away from your father, even for one night, you can stay at my place. Alright, Alfred?"

She wasn't pushing him to live with her. She would accept the choice he made for himself because it was his life. While she'd feel better if he stayed with her, she knew that Alfred had to decide what was best for him.

Alfred nodded at Helena, sending her a thankful smile as he heard the final bell ring. School was over already? Time had just flown by while he’d been here. He moved to stand up, giving her a tight hug goodbye. “Thank you, Helena...for being so nice to me and for the offer...I’ll ask Mr. Jones about it tonight, though he’ll probably be happy to have me out of his hair...but better to ask him than just assume stuff, right?”

He pulled back, wiping a few last tears from his eyes as he turned to leave the room. “I’ll...see you tomorrow then, right?” Alfred lingered in the doorway, waiting for her to reply.

Helena hugged the teen back when Alfred wrapped his arms around her.

"You're welcome, Alfred. I'm glad I could be of help to you. And yes, better to ask, just in case."

She watched him pull away from her and walk towards the door, then stop as he asked her his question.

She smiled, and replied, "Yes, see you tomorrow. Be safe, Alfred."

----The Next Day----

Alfred slinked into school, a dark blue hoodie where his usual precious jacket would be, the hood up as to cover his face from view. He avoid the other students and ignored the first bell as he made his way straight to the Counsellor’s Office, strangely silent on is journey there. On his back he had a bag, much larger than the small satchel he normally brang to school to hold all his school stuff, seemingly stuffed to brim.

He shakily brang a hand up to knock on the door, waiting a minute before his patience grew too thin, throwing open the door and running inside, scanning the room. The moment he laid his eyes on Helena he ran over as best he could, a small limp in his step, and wrapped his arms around her, hiding his face in the hug. He didn’t say a single word; he just stood there, clinging onto her for dear life.

When Helena heard the door open up, she raised her head to see who it was, only to be engulfed in a tight hug by the person, who she was able to identify as Alfred. Normally, she wouldn't mind the hug, but the way he gripped her made her worried.

"Alfred? Alfred, what's wrong?" She moved away a little to push back the hood enough to see his face, but was shocked at what she saw.

"Oh my god, Alfred, what the hell happened to you?" she asked, her voice filled with deep concern, her eyes beginning to water at the sight of him.

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Your post made me really sad. ;;^;;

But it made me think of Helena and what she MAY do later on.