Bette was determined to have a good day even if it killed her and everyone else at The Church.
It was Friday, which meant they would be doing something fun for group. Together, she and Luke had concocted the perfect plan for it. Everyone deserved a break in what Bette had nicknamed Hell Week. Kerrie's sour mood had spread like a virus, infecting everyone. She knew Kerrie had a bit of a temper, but this felt different. Almost crisis-like. It was as if Kerrie didn't know what to do, so she went with anger because anger is a comfort emotion for her. Or at least that was Bette's assessment so far.
Whatever it was, it wasn't going to dampen her day.
She gathered her purse, keys, and papers from the morning meeting before slipping out of her SUV.
She let out a slow breath as she stared intently at the double doors of The Church. "You can do this, Bette. You will not let her ruin your day. If she wants to sulk, she can do it alone."
She walked in with her head high and determination in her heart. Passing her office, she headed straight for Kerrie's office and knocked. Her door had been closed all week. Another way her foul mood impacted everyone. She had cut herself off from clients with a cheap particle door. Normally, she'd keep it open for a while each day so clients felt free to approach if they needed something. She was not doing that this week, so Bette had kept hers open. It made her feel like she was helping Kerrie somehow.
"Come in."
Bette pushed the door open to find Kerrie once again hunched over her desk, staring angrily at the old monitor like the electronic had just called her a bitch. Bette ignored the impulse to ask her how she was doing or what was wrong.I don't care. I will not let her win today.
"Here's your caseload. No new clients, and no one needs to go to medical," Bette said in an even and professional voice. She placed the paper on the edge of the desk and turned around without another word. As she reached the door, she stopped at Kerrie's voice.
"What are you wearing?"
A small smile of victory tugged at her lips as she heard the suspicion and surprised edge to the counselor's voice. Putting on a face of indifference, she turned and looked down at herself. "What do you mean? It's Friday. I can dress casual on Fridays."
Kerrie narrowed her eyes, looking her over again. "You've never worn that here before."
Bette shrugged, glancing down at her leggings, long t-shirt, and tennis shoes. "I'm running group, and we need to be dressed comfortably today."
"You're running group?"
"I am." Bette refused to bristle at the condescending tone that dripped from Kerrie's words.
"Why are you running group?" asked Kerrie as she stood up and walked over to Bette.
For a brief moment, Bette wanted to throw herself against the taller woman. The closer she got, the closer she was to losing the loose grip she had on her self-restraint.I will not touch her. I will not touch her, no matter how nice she smells.
Bette looked up, meeting Kerrie's questioning gaze. "I asked Wilson if I could take his group today since it's fun Friday, and we need a fun day. No thanks to you."
Furrowing her brow, Kerrie scrunched up her face. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"That means—" she stopped abruptly as a few clients walked by, heading for the basement. She resumed once they were out of earshot. "That means I, and everyone else, need a break from your pissy mood."
Bette took a small amount of pleasure from the wide-eyed look Kerrie was currently sporting. "Excuse me?"
Confidence bolstered, Bette stepped closer to Kerrie, leaving just a few inches between them. She stared up with a steely gaze, refusing to back down. "You heard me. You've been nothing but an angry bear this week. You've blanketed the whole Church with your bad mood, and I'm sick of it. We're all sick of it."
"I'm not the one that caused my bad mood," retorted Kerrie, eyes blazing.
"No, but you're the one choosing to wallow around in it. And I've apologized. Or at least I've tried to. I would try apologizing more appropriately, but you are the big baby that won't even speak to me like an adult. Did I cross a line? Yes, yes, I did, but I'm human in case you haven't noticed. You're really quick to give second, third, and fourth chances to everyone else in this damn building, but I apparently only get one, and since I only get the one, you need to let it go. I'm not your punching bag, and neither are the clients. Now, I'm going to go run group. We're going to have fun. I have no idea how to play kickball, and half of us are over 40, so I'm sure more than one or two will need Tylenol later, but we're going to have fun, damnit, and you're more than welcome to come join us as long as you check your piss-poor attitude at the door."
***
Kerrie's mouth dropped to her chest as she watched an angry Bette turn on her heels and storm out of her office.What the hell was that?
Confusion clouded her brain as she went back to her desk. She had never seen Bette so angry. There was hurt laced over her blunt words. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Bette was hurt, and Kerrie was the source of it. She hurt her just like Shelly had. She had broken Bette's beautiful heart over one misunderstanding, albeit a big one as far as Kerrie was concerned. Comparing herself to Shelly just made her angry again.
"This is some shit," she groaned aloud to herself.
She tried to focus on her computer as the guys went down the hall to the back door. Excitement buzzed through the group. It would have been infectious had she not had a wall erected around herself.
One of them, Dewayne, popped his head in, a large smile on his young face. "You gonna play with us, Ms. K?"
