From Narcissist to Celebrity

From Narcissist to Celebrity

15 yrs. prior…

A 12-year-old sits far back from the stage at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. The lights are on throughout the arena even though the opening act is on stage while people are filling in. She has never been to a concert before and can’t believe she was able to talk her mom into taking her and her best friend. She had been looking forward to this night for months because the youngest in the boy band is only a year older than her and so cute. It doesn’t hurt that he has an amazing voice and is basically the lead singer. The opener was a good singer, but no one really knew who she was until the Sweet Talkers shared, they were taking her on tour with them. Rumor is that she was dating the eldest, but the boys momager denied it and completely platonic. The Sweet Talkers was made up of 4 boys about 2-3 years apart. The youngest Jamier was 13 years old, then comes Jaylin at 15, the second oldest Jaxson at 16, and the oldest Jayvon who is set to turn 19 in a few weeks. They have been making music for 4 years but only just blew up 2 years ago. Their mom is their manager, and their dad handles security for them.

“Ughh how much longer till she’s done” Natasha asks

“The tickets showed the boys go on at 8 and it’s now ten past” Cynthia answers clearly irritated

“Mom be patient it’s going to be a kickass show” Kalvyn says with a smirk

“We will talk about that language when we get home young lady” Cynthia states

“Look! Here they come!” Kalvyn says while she shakes her best friend side to side

The Sweet Talkers start walking on stage in green and black coordinated outfits but not exactly the same. Suddenly fog covers the stage, and all of the lights go out with the exception of a spotlight on Jayvon while the rest line up behind him. Jayvon takes the mic and starts to rap the song that made them go viral called puppy love. The other 3 boys start dancing in sync until it comes time for Jamier to start singing the chorus in which Jayvon switches out with him. The three boys stop dancing and join in on the rest of the song. The entire concert went off without a hitch and the two girls were ecstatic throughout. Once the concert was over the Sweet Talkers and their opener Samantha Smith held a “VIP room” in which the high paying fans from the front row get to get their merch signed and take pictures. Unfortunately, Cynthia and Natasha’s parents don’t have that kind of money, so they headed out towards the exit with the rest of the crowd.

15 years later…

Kalvyn present day works as a mental health advocate and therapist after years of school. She and Natasha have surprisingly remained friends for all these years even though they took completely different paths. Natasha is an artist who has been struggling, but she is finally getting recognized. Kalvyn is currently in a relationship with a big shot real estate agent Christian Herrera. The girls and their families have remained in Chicago and are all still close knit.

*Rethink Therapy-South side of Chicago*

“Doc, I don’t know what you are trying to say”

“I am trying to tell you that everything you have told me indicates that you have PTSD”

“I don’t understand, I haven’t fought in any wars or had a near death experience or anything crazy like that. I just had an angry mom growing up in a bad neighborhood”

“The neighborhood you live in is similar to a war though, and you had to fight every day just to survive. Your mom also inflicted trauma onto you by her constant yelling and punishing you through beatings”

“A lot of black parents whop their kids, it’s pretty normal”

“Not to the point of being covered in bruises and wellness checks every other week”

“Okay so what am I supposed to do about it”

“Well, that’s why you’re here right? So, we can work through your trauma and understand what’s triggering your anger issues”

“Well doc looks like we are out of time, maybe we can dig deeper next week”

“You cannot keep putting this off Damien, if you truly want to work through your anger, we have to address it”

“Next time doc I promise” Damien then walks out without another word.

I am left with my thoughts and notes to make. I am always the last one in the office since I try to be flexible with my schedule while compromising my boundaries probably too much. My colleagues are always telling me to cap my days off with five or six clients a day, but I can never say no to people I know need help. While working on the south side of Chicago, I am dedicated to helping those that look like me, especially with the lack of resources. Unfortunately, all the therapists I employ are not willing to take any more clients, so it falls on me since I am the owner. I do draw the line with working with anyone under 11 though because play therapy isn’t really my specialty. My clients typically have a lot of traumas and need to process through it and understand it connects to why they do the things they do. It’s 8pm on a Friday and I don’t typically have sessions on the weekend, so I decided to take my notes with me and head home. I currently live with my boyfriend of 3 years, who finally talked me into moving in last year. This honestly is my first serious relationship, since I was in school for so long getting my doctorate. I didn’t have time for much else. I mean I dated here and there but mostly just friends with benefits. Christian wasn’t supposed to turn into anything but then it did. It’s no secret that Natasha and even my parents don’t like him, but I think it’s because I complain to them too much. Christian was amazing at first; super affectionate and big gestures. Once we became official and monogamous things started to change.

My drive home to the suburbs was impossible sometimes but I am just grateful there’s not much traffic heading out of the city at this time. I am almost halfway when my phone starts ringing…Christian.

“Hi!”

“Where are you”

“I am on my way home”

“It’s 8:40, weren’t you done at 8”

“Yes, and I had to close up the office”

“Was your last client male”

“Yes”

“We’ll talk when you get here” *call ends*

Here we go again. I swear nothing is ever up to standards for him. Every male seems to pose a threat to him even though I have never given him a reason and it’s part of my job. It’s impossible to only work with women and even if I could, I wouldn’t. I will never “compromise” my work even though he pressures me to. I decided to dial Natasha knowing she isn’t going to bed at any time within the next few hours; she does her best work at night.

“I’m guessing you are having problems with him again”

“I can’t call you just to say hi and see how you’re doing”

“Of course, you can but I hear the frustration in your voice”

“Just the same shit different day, are you busy this weekend”

“I am just planning on finishing this piece but come over we can just chill”

“Does tomorrow at 5 sound good”

“Perfect, love you”

“Love you too bye” *ends call*

I decided with my 15 minutes left I am going to blast some Beyoncé and sing along as I usually do to relax myself and just decompress. I always have to start with the black parade, and I know it word for word.

Finally, home and I take a deep breath before I walk in the door. Guess who downstairs waiting for me is.

“I don’t like that a male was your last client that late at night in that neighborhood”

“It’s my job and I adjust to all of my clients’ schedules”

“You are leaving the door open for him to think he can try something”

“He’s been my client for months and never tried anything. I am nothing but professional with all my clients”

I decided to move to the kitchen since I haven’t eaten all day. I really need to get better with my boundaries and schedule in a lunch for me instead of having back-to-back sessions. I decided to just make a quick sandwich so I can get into the shower and relax. When he’s on top of me as soon as I walk in the door, I immediately tense up to play defense. While I was eating, he moved upstairs probably to play video games and talk with his friends. I walk straight from the kitchen to the shower, just needing silence and time to process my day. I turn the water on almost too hot which is perfect for me. I am lathering up when I hear the door open.