Everyone looked at her, puzzled.

She sighed and said, “You found someone you knew and considered a friend dead. You’re normally cut-off, Sheldon, but quite a bit’s been going on. You realized how truly crappy your parents are. You found someone murdered. You’re getting threatening letters. And…I got a phone call from your father. He said your mother came home yesterday. I’d say for someone who usually flies under the radar, emotionally-speaking anyway…you needed a different avenue to avoid everything that’s been going on. Sex with someone you don’t love—that makes sense.”

Sex with someone you don’t love. Those words echoed in me.

She continued, “And I’ve seen his latest movie.” She whistled, “Hot stuff.”

Bryce asked as he stretched his legs out, “What do you mean? Sex with someone she doesn’t love?”

“Ah!” Miss Connors grinned coolly and replied, nonplussed, “That’s what you heard out of that whole speech.” She nodded my way and said, “I bet she’s thinking the same thing.”

Corrigan laughed.

Miss Connors ignored him and looked at me, “Because you do love him, Sheldon.

And guess what? That’s a decent thing for you to do. To be with someone that you love.”

She looked at Bryce, “She might not know it, but she loves you.”

“My father called you?” I asked, quietly.

Corrigan stopped laughing.

Miss Connors nodded and murmured, “I called him yesterday to let him know that I saw his daughter for a successful session. I couldn’t tell him anything, but he called me back and told me what was going on.” She leaned forward. “For the record, Sheldon—he sounded sorry about everything that’s gone down.”

“What’d you tell him?”

“Just what I said right now. Sheldon came in for a session with her two best friends and I felt it went very well. That was it.”

“Nothing else?” I prompted.

“Did I divulge all your secrets? No.”

Corrigan suddenly asked, “Can we get back to Sheldon’s question? Why am I Mr. Raimler, she’s Sheldon, and Bryce is Bryce Scout?”

Miss Connors grinned and said, “Because you’re so informal that you’re formal.

A formal title only makes sense. Bryce is a legend. He deserves two names. And Sheldon because, half the time, she forgets her own name.”

Huh?

“What?” Corrigan echoed my sentiments.

Miss Connors shrugged, “You’ll get it. Someday, maybe.”

“I get it,” Bryce said softly and leaned forward. “Mr. Raimler because you flirt so much to actually be real. It comes off as kinda impersonal or…formal.” He shrugged.

“And Bryce Scout because she said it herself, she hears about me from all those girls. I’m not really real, but… I don’t know, like a celebrity or something.” He took a deep breath, “And Sheldon because…Sheldon forgets that she’s human sometimes. She tries to be a robot all the time.”

“A robot who has mad passionate sex,” Corrigan joked.

“Not appropriate, Mr. Raimler,” Miss Connors rebuked quickly.

Corrigan muttered, just as quick, “Sorry.”

“I think,” Miss Connors spoke firmly. “That the biggest question in the room today is if Sheldon is a decent person or not. She talked about it yesterday. She told me that she wasn’t a decent person. Leisha was a decent person, but Sheldon wasn’t. Her words, not mine. So…” She looked between Bryce and Corrigan. “What do you think?

Do you think Sheldon is a decent person?”

Corrigan spoke first, “Hell, yeah.”

Bryce didn’t say anything for a moment, but then he sighed, “She’s a decent person when she remembers that she is a person.”

I looked over, surprised.

He shrugged and met my eyes, “You just…I just don’t think you feel half the time. You’re so harsh sometimes to other people and I think it’s just because you’re worse to yourself.”

“I think the bigger question is what Sheldon is going to do when she leaves today.

She felt something yesterday and look where we all got. So what about today?” She finally looked my way and asked me, “I know you’re feeling something today—so what are you going to do when you leave this office and you enter that world where you can’t feel to get by? What ‘indecent’ thing are you going to do?”

I shrugged and looked away.

To my surprise, it was Bryce who burst out, “Come on! Just…say something, Sheldon!”

“This isn’t therapy with just me,” I cried out. “I thought this was a group thing.

Why are you so focused on me today?”

“Because you’re the one who banged Steele,” Bryce bit out.

Miss Connors said quietly, “Because you’re hurting the worst of everyone in this room.”

Shocked, I looked at her, but the words died in my throat. I shook my head.

Bryce fell back against his chair in disgust.

Corrigan raised a hand and said, “Can I ask a question? And I’m not doing this to distract from Sheldon, I’m really not.”

“What?” Miss Connors asked.

“Why are the three of us in here? I mean—I know that we were originally in here because it was Bryce and Sheldon who found Leisha’s body, but…no one else is doing ‘group’ therapy.”

“You’re in here because the three of you have formed a tight family unit,” Miss Connors explained patiently. “I’ve heard and listened to other students. You three are so tight, that there’s no room for anyone else and you bat down anyone who threatens your alliances with each other. In the therapy culture, we’d call you an enmeshed family.”

“Oh.”

“So…this actually leads into some homework that I have for you guys.” She reached behind her and grabbed two pairs of handcuffs. “Hold out your arms.”

“What?”

“Are you serious?”

“Hell.”

As we did, Miss Connors clamped one pair of handcuffs from my arm to Bryce’s.

She extended the other from Corrigan’s arm to my other and leaned back in her chair.

“Now,” she skimmed our faces. “This assignment has been approved by all your teachers, parents, and even the police. The three of you are going to prove to me that it’s healthy for you to be as close to each other as you are. You’re going to keep those handcuffs on until you’ve proved to me that you’re healthy.”