Author's Note Hey everyone, this is my newest story. I'm finished writing I Remember and I should be working on Clash but shrug. This came out and I love it to bits even though it's weird and just tell me what you think.. Review ok?

Summary: "Do you have any real friends, Miss McAllister? I'm afraid..uh, Squink, doesn't count.." Meet Sera: Lacks real (as in, human) friends, brains and interaction with the opposite sex. Group therapy, Senior year and a strange fondness for cough drops might change that.

So Much For A Happy Ending

Chapter One

"Beep. Good morning. It is 8:05 AM. This is your seventh wake up call."

Just five more minutes. I press Snooze again.

"Sera! Get your ass down here!"

Mom. Weird.

"Yo woman! We all stuck up in freeway, you get my drift?"

Brother. Wannabe gangster.

"Sera.. I'm late for a Board meeting!"

Dad. Workaholic.

"Sleep as long as you like."

"Thanks, Squink."

"No problem".

"Yo moma, she connecting with dat being, you gots me?"

"Brian, don't talk like that. And Sera, stop talking to.. Who's she talking to?"

Mom again. Totally oblivious.

"Her imaginary friend, Squink. It's just a phase, don't worry." Dad said quietly. He doesn't know that the walls are like, paper thin and I can hear everything in this house. Even the stuff I don't want to.

"Sera! Last call.. or you're going to take the bus!" Mom screeches.

Not the bus. I am suddenly up. "Shit! Where'd I put my jeans?"

"Over there. Bottom shelf of the bookcase."

"You rock."

"I be hearing that there profanity. Don't be using that down language on my hearing, you got me?" My brother, who is apparently the goodliest gangster I've ever seen. Not that I've ever seen a gangster.

I pull on my jeans and a jumper and grab my books.

"I'm here." I annouce.

"Just in time. Grab an apple, you're almost late."

I grab said apple and race to the car, beating Brian and therefore scoring pick on radio stations, or lack of. I hate music. Too loud. This trip's gonna be made in silence.

"Why do I be putting up with you, sister?" He says to me. I ignore him.

The car starts.

"And by the way Sera, I've scheduled you to meet a friend this afternoon." My mom says casually.

"Who? I don't have friends." I tell her suspiciously. Well, I don't have friends that she knows about.. wait, she does know about Squink.. Either way, this smells like a setup.

"One of mine, a nice doctor who-"

"A setup!! I knew it!!" I shriek. "No no no no no no no no!"

Mom looks at me, exasperated. "Stop behaving like a child."

"No." I say and stare out the window.

"I got you some cough drops." She offers.

I turn around. "Which ones?"

She smiles. "What else? The liquid centred, honey flavoured, no brand type."

"A whole pack?"

"Half now and the other half after I confirm you went."

I think about it. On average, a bag of cough drops give you twenty three and a half which I round up to twenty four. So that means I get twelve now.. It takes me an average of eleven minutes to finish one and I don't have more than two every hour.. Well, I'd have enough to get me through school.

"Deal."

"Knew you'd see it my way." She smiles. "They're in my bag."

I rummage through her bag (which, if you're interested, is a Louis Vuiton knock-off) and find the cough drops, count out twelve (I'm a fair person) and shove them in my bag.

"Thanks."

"Sure thing sweetie. You have to be at 14 Fenway by 3:30 ok?"

"Fine."

"And if you don't go, I will make sure you never eat another cough drop again." God, how can people say such horriblethings so calmly?

"Fine."

She pulls up in back of my school. I hate the front entrance. Everyone uses it. Morons. Although it is unfair to judge them.

"Bye hun."

I wave morosely and she zooms away, Brian making a face at me through the back window. Then I make way to the back door and push in. It opens out near my locker so it's actually very convenient. I don't know why people think I'm weird for using it.

I twiddle the numbers until I hear the click then jam my books in, retrieving my English binder and History notebook.

I slam my locker shut, making sure it closes properly. One time, it didn't close properly and when I returned to it, all my books smelt weird and I had to wait til the weekend before I could go and buy another air freshener. The bell rings right after I finish checking my locker so I make my way down the hall to my english class. I have a very convenient seat, middle row far left. There's people behind me, people in front of me. Nobody sees me.

Holyshitohmygodwhatishappening.

There is someone in my seat. A male someone. Ohmygod, my chair is infected.

It is someone I have never seen before, I think. A new student possibly. I want my seat! The class starts to fill up.What do I do?

My English teacher, Mrs Webber, comes in and bumps into me.

"Wy aren't you in a seat?" She barks at me. Well, she doesn't actually bark but you know what I mean.

"My seat is gone!" I say indignantly and perhaps too loudly because a number of students look up at me. No!

"Are you a new student hear, dearie?" Mrs Webber asks (ignoring my outburst), suddenly sounding a lot nicer. She does that to new students, lulls them into a false sense of security and then.. SHISHKEBOB! You're trapped.

"No. This is my third year at this school." I say resentfully. "There is a new student who is not me who is sitting in my seat."

The accused new student looks up. What an evil person.

"And who would this new student be?" Mrs Webber asks, her eyes scouring the class for an unfamiliar face. The male who is in my seat sticks up his hand.

"I am." He says boredly.

"And who might you be, you evil seat stealer?!" I burst out.

Everyone stares at me again. Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that outloud.

"My name is Evatt. Hi." He says, amused.

"Well hello Evatt. Welcome to Highwell High." Mrs Webber says cheerily. Then she glares at me. "Go and find a seat, Ms…?"

"McAllister." I say petulantly. Damn, now I have to sit in the front. No! I need a cough drop. I rummage through my bag, find one and unwrap it.

"McAllister eh? That'd make you Sera?"

I nod and pop the cough drop into my mouth. Of course, with my bad timing, Mrs Webber sees this.

"There is no eating permitted in class with the exception of-"

"Cough drops." I fill in for her.

"Yes. And is that-" She points to my mouth,"- a cough drop?"

I nod. "Duh."

Her eyes narrow. "Fine then."

She sits down at her desk, till regarding me beadily. This is freaky. I can feel sweat forming.

"I remember you now." She says to me after a minute. "You were in my class last year too and always eating those cough drops."

I suppose I was.

"Do you even have a cough?"

I shake my head. "No." Like I'd ever get sick. Germs. Disgusting.

"Then why are you eating cough drops?!" She says loudly. Uh oh. People are looking at me again.

"Because I like cough drops."

She looks at me. "What an impertinant girl! And I suppose you like exams and rolling your eyes too?"

Well yes, I do. What's the point? I run this by Mrs Webber who splutters for a second. "Why the cheek of you! That's detention after school! Unless you conveniently have a doctor's appointment?" She says sweetly.

"Why yes, Mrs Weber, I do!" Wow. She's cooler than I thought, with the whole mind reading thing and all.

"Petulant child. And I don't suppose you have a note?"

"Well no. Because it's not during school hours." I say obviously.

"How convenient," She sniffs. "So you won't mind if I ring your guardians and check this up?"

"Busted." I hear someone at the back say.

"Well I'm sure my Mom won't mind." I say reasonably, sure that she won't.

"Really now. What is her number then?" Mrs Webber is weird today. So am I for that matter. I don't think I've spoken this much in class since Grade Two when I was forced into a school play. It was horrible.

"I don't know." I say truthfully. My mom is at work. The only numbers I know off by heart are my home, the national emergency number and the numbers of the local police, fire station and local hospital. Just in case.

"Then how would I contact her if there was an emergency?" Mrs Webber snarls.

"I don't know. How?" I ask. What is the point of these questions?

"By ringing her!" She yells.

"I see," I say.

"Well do you have a record of her number somewhere?" Mrs Webber asks.

"It's on my phone." I say.

"Would you tell me the number?"

"Ok." I think for a second. I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to use your mobile phone in class. Oh, whatever. I'm pretty sure this is a special case. I dig through my bag and find my phone and ring off the number. Mrs Webber dials it into her extension and waits, eying me with impatience.

"Hello, Mrs McAllister? It's Dorothy Webber, Sera's English teacher. Yes, I'm fine thank you.. I hope you're not too busy.. That's great, I just have a question… No, she hasn't done anything wrong yet… She says she has a doctor's appointment after school so she won't be able to attend detention… she got it for her rather atrocious attitude… Yes, teenagers these days… So she does have a doctor's appointment… Well, that's quite all right then… No, I can just reschedule… Have a good day now… yes, bye bye."

She ends the call. "You can serve your detention at lunch time instead."

"Fine."

"Now class, could you please take out your copies of Hamlet?"

I pull mine out.

"I don't have a copy." Evil-chair-stealer says. What was his name? Evatt?

"I don't have a spare but-" She eyes me. "Sera will share with you. Sera, move."

I think about this. If I move closer,I will be nearer to the evil, germ infected male that has stolen my seat. After a second, I comply but only because it means I will be closer to my normal desk. Why is she talking so much to me? I really don't think this is fair to the other students who should be given the same amount of attention that I was given.

"Just do some reading. I expect you to be nearly finished and then we can start assessing the story."

I jab the book at Evatt. "I already finished." I say bluntly.

He nods. "Sorry for taking your chair, by the way." He adds as an afterthought.

"I hate you already." I tell him.

He eyes me oddly. "Because I stole your seat?"

"Yes." What else has he done? Ohmygod. What if he has done something? I try not to hyperventilate.

"You have issues." He tells me, matter of factly.

"I suppose so. Doesn't everyone?" Stupid person.

He laughs, quietly. "Yeah."

"Stop talking to me."

He goes silent and starts to read. The minutes crawl past. Finally, the bell rings and I grab the book from him, drab my bag and dash out of the room.

"Be here at lunch!" Mrs Webber yells after me.

I arrive at my History class first and launch myself into my seat. Yay! It is mine! I beat him! Minutes later, the rest of the class starts to drift in, totally oblivious to me. I smirk to myself and pop another cough drop in as Evatt walks in. I win.

The rest of the day passes by. I retain my seat for the remainder of my lessons and attend detention, where all I do is complete homework while Mrs Webber supervises me. Finally the day ends and I walk out of school. I still have an appointment to get to though.

What if I didn't go? Could Mom really stop me from having cough drops? Not really, I reason. If she tried to stop me from buying them, I could get one of my contacts to get them for me. Of course, I'd have to get a contact first. Which would mean associating with new people. Ewww. I'd have to go to this doctor person. Fine. 14 Fenway. Great.

It is only two streets away but I walk really slowly so I just get there on time. The receptionist looks at me when I walk through the door.

"Sera McAllister?" she inquires.

I nod.

"Upstairs, room three. Doctor Mike is waiting."

Ok then. I go upstairs, find room three and go in. Inside is a tall man. He wears big glasses. The room is all brown. So are his clothes. If you squint a bit, he kind of fades into it, like camouflage.

"Ms McAllister?"

I nod.

"Good. Please, have a seat."

"Ok then."

"Now, I assume you know why you're here."

"Not really, no."

"Ah."

There is a long pause.

"So why am I here?" I finally ask.

"Well, your mother rang us and said she was concerned about you. Ithought she'd tell you but.. I'd simply like to find out a bit more about you, see if there is cause for concern."

"Right."

"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"OK."

There is another pause. What can I say?

"I like cough drops."

"Well.. That's a good start. What about some of your favourite things? Books, colours, movies, memories? Tell me about your friends."

"I have a friend called Squink."

"Squink? Tell me about him, her?"

"I don't know whether Squink is a boy or a girl. Squink hasn't told me."

Dr Mike stares at me. "I see," He says finally. "How often do you see Squink?"

"Everyday. Squink lives with me."

"Really? Your mother mentioned a brother but he had another name."

"Yes. Brian."

"Yes, that was it. So where does Squink live?"

"In my room, top row of my bookshelf."

Dr Mike stares again. There is a long pause. "Do you have any real friends, Miss McAllister? I'm afraid..uh, Squink, doesn't count.."

"No!" I say huffily. Another long pause.

"Are we done?" I finally ask.

"Uh, for this part yes. You have a group session now."

"What? I never agreed to this!" I exclaim. I detest groups. Especially big ones.

"Your mother mentioned you need to get out a little more and from my basic impressions of you, I'd say she's right."

I growl at Dr Mike. He looks alarmed. "Uh, downstairs, room twelve, Ms McAllister."

I stomp out of the room. Just because no one can see Squink! Ok fine, he does have a point. I don't need another friend though. Squink is the greatest. I stomp into room twelve, which appears to be empty.

"I'll prove that Squink exists." I say to myself.

"Who's Squink?" Someone behind me asks and I scream.

Ohmygodholyshit. I'm gonna get kidnapped and held for ransom then murdered. I start hyperventilating.

"Woah, didn't mean to scare you!"

The voice is familiar. I look up and see.. No! It's the evil chair stealer. He is going to kidnap and hole me for ransom before killing me! I knew he was up to something, I just knew it.

"Go away you stalker-slash-kidnapper-slash-ransom-holder-slash-murderer!" I screech, trying to control my breathing.

"Jeez.." He says and walks to the other side of the room, sits down and looks at me.

This room is green, I notice. How nice.

"What are you doing here?" I ask as soon as I can breathe properly again.

"I'm here for my group session.. That's why I moved here. Apparently this place is famous."

"Huh."

"Are you here for that too?"

"Yah."

"Monosyllables. Cute."

"Mm."

"Well at least I know someone." He continues.

"I still hate you."

He grins. "Fine."

I no longer bother myself with responding. Instead, I rummage through my bag, even though I'm sure all my cough drops are gone. Maybe I'll be lucky and find one.

Nothing. It is very silent.

"So.. Who's Squink?" Evatt asks again.

I refuse to answer.

"Fine. Why do you have to prove that he exists?"

I will not talk.

"Fine. Why are you here?"

How the hell would I know?

Before he can continue interogating me, the door opens. Two people walk in. One, a female, has a tag on. It says her name is Danna. I assume she is the little leader of this little thing. Four people people, including me. I can handle this. Four. That's the number of people in my house. It'll just be like I'm at home..

"Miss? Are you alright?"

"What?!?" I ask, a little more loudly then I intended.

"You were hyperventilating." Danna tells me.

"Oh. Happens all the time." I say weakly.

"OK. Well, this is everyone so let's start. I'm Danna. I'll be leading you. Maybe if we all introduced ourselves, say something about why we're here?" She says and then nods at the next person, another girl.

"I'm Ebby. My, uh- well- family, er friends.. everyone- they-uh, they think I'm, um, uh- paranoid," the newly named Ebby says.

Danna nods, looks at Evatt.

"I'm Evatt. I'm kicking a drug habit."

I stare at him. Holyshitohmygod. Then I notice everyone is looking at me.

"Oh. I'm Sera.. and uh, my Mom thinks I need to get out more."

Danna nods. "Ok, that was great. Now, we're gonna be spending once a week together. In that time, everything that is spoken or thought stays here. Is that clear?"

Nods all around. Well I'm sure Danna wouldn't mind if I told Squink. Squink won't tell anyone and it's not as if I have anyone else to talk to.

The group session doesn't go for long. There is some mild chit chat about what is going to happen but I don't pay a lot of attention. Finally I can go. The sun is starting to set so I will have to walk home quickly. I realize Evatt is standing right behind me and I jump. Don't hyperventilate again, I tell myself and walk home as quickly as possible.

"Hey honey. Just talked to Dr Mike. Your cough drops are in your room." Mom says as I walk through my front door about ten minutes later.

"Never again." I mumble. This day has been horrible wrong.

"Same time next week." She says, apparently not hearing my comment. "Same price."

Mom is bribing me with cough drops. I growl and she smiles at me. "Great."

"I'm going to go to bed now." I annouce. I need at least nine and a half hours of sleep and today has been especially tiring.

"Ok. Good night, sweetheart."

I growl again, jump into bed after a quick bath and turn off the night.

"Goodnight Squink."

And I don't notice immediately because I am thisclose to being asleep but Squink does not answer.

TBC..

Author's Note Please review and tell me what you think!! I love writing this so.. yeah. Have good days.. Oh, and if you're bothered telling me, do you like first person (I went to the shops..) writing or third person (She went to the shops)?