“No. Not really.” Blake crossed her arms in a defensive posture.
Normally, people only got defensive when there was truth behind something.
“Had your grades dropped?”
Blake shrugged. “Maybe. But I was always going to graduate.”
Ava believed her. Ava had always been good at reading people. It was part of what made her good at her job. And she got the feeling Blake had pushed her grades right to the failing line but hadn’t crossed it. That was actually more difficult than a lot of people might think or give someone credit for. For example, intentionally getting a sixty-five on a test was more difficult than acing it. Someone would have to know exactly how many questions to answer right and how many to answer wrong. It was a scholastic tight rope that Ava had a feeling Blake had walked with her eyes closed and her hands tied behind her back.
“What were your grades like before they dropped?”
Blake sat up straighter and her entire demeanor switched. She unfolded her arms and lifted her hands. “Perfect. Like, literally, perfect. I was on the honor roll every semester. I’d never even got a B before.”
Well, Ava could definitely see why Blake’s mother would have been concerned. If she was her mother, she would have been too.
“And after talking to someone, do you think you know what caused the decline?”
Blake stared at her with a blank look. “I didn’t need to go sit in a room and talk to a stranger that was getting paid to judge me to know what made my grades drop.”
Ava nodded, silently noting the disdain that she attached to therapy. It had been clear that Blake wasn’t a fan when she walked in, but that statement backed up the body language that Ava had witnessed.
If Ava had to guess, she would say that the girl in front of her was highly intelligent. She’d assessed that even before Blake had revealed her scholastic achievements. Blake’s file said that she’d just moved here from Massachusetts, so Ava asked, “Have you ever been tested for MAGE?
Blake’s brow furrowed. “For what?”
“MAGE stands for Massachusetts Association for Gifted Education. They have programs to support high ability, advanced, gifted children.” Ava continued, “It probably would have been when you were in first or second grade. You would have gotten pulled out of class and had to do puzzles and other cognitive tests that probably seemed like games.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed and Ava could see that something she said had sparked a memory. “I think I might have done that, actually. I don’t remember why they did it, but I remember talking to a lady and then telling my mom about it. She said that they were doing that with everyone.”
Ava nodded. She would bet money that Blake had qualified and she wondered why she wasn’t put in gifted classes.
The timer went off on Ava’s phone indicating that the ten minutes was up.
Ava stood. “Okay, well it was great meeting you Blake. And my door is always open if you want to come see me. Hope you’re having a great first day.”
Blake remained seated and stared up at her. “That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Ava confirmed. “That was pretty painless, right?”
“Yeah.” Blake nodded as she stood and paused before leaving, almost as if she didn’t want to leave.
Ava hoped that was the case. It was always better than her wanting to run out the door.
“Well, bye.” Blake waved.
“Bye.” As Ava watched the girl go, she wondered what could have caused Blake’s grades to drop. She wondered if it had anything to do with her father being shot. Although the girl had mentioned that it happened a long time ago, it was clearly still upsetting her.
She sat back down and was writing up her notes when the door opened and Viv walked in saying, “Knock, knock, knock!”
“I could have been with a camper.”
“Relax, I looked through the window before I barged in.” Viv smiled and plopped down on the chair that Blake had just sat in. “You ready?”
“Ready for what?” Ava had planned on going back to her cabin, reviewing her notes from today, and watch reality TV.
“We’re going to JT’s.”
“Viv I—”
