"Hello." This person's voice is oddly soothing. I give him a long, hard stare, across the table in the classical counselor position, giving him a bitter smile. "It's nice to meet you today." 

Somehow, he seems so much more real. 

"I wish I could say the same." Even my voice sounds so scathing to me. 

He says nothing, but gives me a boyish grin that sets my heart racing slightly. He was reading me. 

I frown slightly- "Stop doing that." 

"What?" Again, I can feel my facial muscles tightening and I fight the urge to break down in front of this stranger. I have not perfected the mask to this extent. 

I did not reply and we lapse into silence. I keep waiting for him to speak, to sooth me into fake reassurance; telling me it's okay to cry, but he doesn't. 

He has not looked up from his work for a long time since we lapsed into a silence that is hard to define. It is neither comfortable, nor stifling. 

Because he's so different, I can feel my mask cracking all over again. I'm like a moth drawn to flame. 

"Speak." I say, giving him a hard stare. 

"What would you like me to do?" He finally looks up, and his eyes are furrowed in a truly confused look. I search for any indication of smugness or victory but there was none. Of course, he's a counselor. I'm probably not the first troubled kid he met; he knows how to deal with us and get under our skins- 

"Follow the book. Follow the script. You know. Ask me what the heck went wrong so I can get out of here." I  do not know what he is truly thinking and that frightens me. 

"I'm not going to." I glare at him, fists clenching. I fight the urge to slap him- "We aren't doing things. We're sitting around in silence. You're not doing your job very well." 

"Well, you're obviously not going to tell me anything even if I asked." Can a counselor show attitude like this? I rolled my eyes. 

"Glad that you know." 

He smirks- and replies, his eyes not leaving mine. "I was under the impression that you just needed some silence to cool down and repair your mask." 

I managed to school my expression, but I think my eyes gave it away. How did someone like him even guess- 

"Many people think that counselors are idiots. Or perhaps, just someone that, follows the books and tries to ease your pain by the most superficial, fake sounding words that you have ever heard. But in actual fact, a counselor can understand. They can become the friends you have never had." 

"Not everyone has to follow the book, you know, Chaerin."