Page 220 of Naughty Nelle

“How come?” I should feel a pang of jealousy, but I’m too worn out from my session with Shrink to feel anything.

“I’ll tell you later. I have a meeting with Shrink.”

She’s skipping a meal to see Shrink? I don’t get it. On second thought, maybe that’s how she’s been losing weight.

“Who would like to share today?” begins Grimm.

“I would,” says Pinocchio.

My heart skips a beat. Oh no! He’s going to tell everyone about last night!

He stands up. “I’m gay,” he announces.

Hook leaps up. “I’m not sitting next to some fag!”

Rage races through my bloodstream. “He’s a person! If you had half the heart he had, I’d find you appealing.”

Hook snarls. “So, that’s it, Jane. You like your men to be pretty boys.”

“Sit down, Hook!” orders Grimm.

Hook reluctantly lowers himself to his chair, sitting as far away as possible from Pinocchio.

I gaze at the beautiful boy-man. His nose has returned to normal size. It’s exquisite. As if someone sculpted it to perfection.

“Thank you for sharing, Pinocchio,” says Grimm, looking pleased. “Now that you’ve come out with the truth of who you are, you no longer have to live a life of lies.”

Pinocchio’s eyes connect with mine. We exchange a smile, knowing we’ll always have our unspoken moment of truth.

Grimm’s eyes rotate around the group, stopping on each of us. “We all hide behind protective screens. Each of you must come forward—like Pinocchio bravely just did—and face the reality of who you really are.”

Oz begins to sob. His face twitches; his body shakes.

“I’m not a great and powerful wizard. I’m a fake. My name is really Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. I’m just a washed-up old magician.”

“Ha! You’re a joke!” snickers Sasperilla.

Grimm ignores her. “Oscar, getting old is difficult. Sometimes, we need to reinvent ourselves. Rewriting our lives is good as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.”

The wannabe wizard hangs his head low. “I’ve let down so many people.” His spasms lessen.

“Oscar, you’ve acknowledged your problem. That’s healthy,” says Grimm.

He addresses the group as a whole. “Sometimes we put a pompous title in front of our name like Wizard, Queen, or Captain to make us feel self-important. It’s a tell-tale sign of an addict. They tend to have a tremendous sense of self-importance and an extremely low sense of self-esteem.”

Hook and I exchange a nervous glance. It doesn’t take a genius to know Grimm’s referring to us.

“Are you implying I’m not important?” snaps Sasperilla.

“Sasperilla, have you ever thought you’ve sought to marry royalty to gain a title and self-importance?”

Sasperilla is taken aback. I have to admit Grimm is good. He’s really getting to her.

“You are important, Sasperilla.” The skinny bitch smiles smugly. “Except not as important as you think.” Her smile falls off her face like a scab.

“You suffer from an enormous amount of insecurity. You starve yourself to give yourself a sense of empowerment.”

Sasperilla fumes. “I’m not taking this bullshit from some dweeb who puts the self-important title ‘Doctor’ in front of his name. You’re as phony as the rest of us!”

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