Aseel’s Reviews > How Girls Are Made > Status Update

“Then we do the work,” Kathy says, squeezing my wrist. “We do the work, and we build you back up, not basing your worth on a boy, or a relationship, or the outcome of a fight, or your social media, or what people say or think about you. We build you up and make you strong, using your own words and your own beliefs about yourself. We build you up, using things that no one can ever take away from you again.”

“Little-t traumas are still very painful, like going through a breakup, your pet dying, even being in a car crash. Repetitive stress, and living in a high-stress environment, suffering through little-t traumas, can accumulate into something called complex PTSD.”
“Sounds awful,” I say. “Also like something I don’t have.”

“You’re not crazy,” Kathy says. “Have you ever heard of hypervigilance?”
“No,” I say, wiping my nose.
“It’s a symptom of PTSD—”

That she called me crying, and I screamed at her, that I never asked what was wrong. That I hadn’t asked what was wrong in a very long time, even though I knew something was. I was worried about someone else, a stranger, not my best friend, right in front of me. Someone asked me for help, and I gave it, but it was the wrong person.

One from her mom is there, unplayed. I tap on it, listen, hear the love in her voice, the happiness, the relief that finally, maybe, the two of them were going to be okay. I close it out, pick up my own phone, text Jobie’s mom.
She listened to it.

She heard you.

“You were the center of attention. He was reminded that you’re somewhat famous; he’s not. It made him feel small, so instead of being proud of you, he found ways to drag you down.”

Yeah,” I say, rousing myself. “No, I wouldn’t have called myself disgusting before, but I also didn’t really think bad things about myself, like ever. I probably needed a reality check.”
“After our session will you humor me about something?” Kathy asks. “Will you look up narcissistic personality disorder?

we’re driving toward a person that has a grudge against you, and maybe a gun.”
“One percent chance,” I agree. “Which is why I didn’t come alone.”
“But you’ll risk the lesbian?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I say.
“Maybe not, but if this was a horror movie, you know I’m going down.”

“It could still be legit,” I tell Mal. “It could be any of the other girls I had it narrowed down to.”
“Yeah, it could be,” Mal says. “And we were all going to go to the police station together, so really you didn’t break your word to her. We’re just going to get there before them and with higher blood pressure.”

“Or, your little sister’s right and it’s someone catfishing you, and you’ve got a big-ass hook right through your cheek right now,” Mal says. “In that case, we’re driving toward a person that has a grudge against you, and maybe a gun.”