Page 74 of Wicked Games

Clinical observations:During my sessions with Maverick, he displayed superficial charm and glibness of speech. He appeared to lack empathy and showed a clear disregard for the feelings and rights of others. He demonstrated a tendency to manipulate others to achieve his goals without any regard for the consequences of his actions.

Diagnostic Impression: Based on the assessment findings and clinical observations, there is very strong evidence to suggest that Maverick Reinhart meets the criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) as outlined in the DSM-5.

Criteria Met:

1) Failure to conform with social norms with respect to lawful behaviors.

2) Deceitfulness, as indicated by patient disclosures and my own observations of conflicting narratives.

3) Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others.

4) Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by disclosures of repeated physical fights and assaults.

5) Consistent irresponsibility.

6) Lack of remorse, as indicated by disclosures of being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt or mistreated others.

Recommendations:Given the severity of Maverick’s symptoms and their impact on his life (as well as the lives of others around him), it is recommended that he receive ongoing psychotherapy aimed at addressing his maladaptive behaviorsand developing prosocial coping strategies. Close monitoring and potential involvement of authorities may be warranted to ensure the safety of others and prevent further harm.

Beneath the patient profile was an audio file. With one shaky finger, I pressed play. At first, nothing happened, but then there was a short beep followed by what sounded like a voicemail.

‘Dr. Prentiss, it’s Dr. Paul Barry from Babylon Preparatory Academy. I’m not sure if you recall, but we actually spoke a few years ago when I referred a student to you for psychotherapy. I have another patient for referral right now, but I… well, I probably shouldn’t be saying this on an answering machine. Probably shouldn’t be speaking about it at all, really. It’s very unprofessional of me. But let me just say… I’ve never encountered a patient like this particular young man. I think you’ll find him to be a very interesting and challenging case, if you decide to take him on. That’s all I can say for the time being, for obvious reasons. Please call back at your earliest convenience so we can discuss this further.’

I dropped the phone and slumped against the bedhead, mind whirling. After everything I’d just seen and heard, I felt incredibly stupid for blindly trusting Maverick. He’d charmed me so easily and even made me start falling for him, despite our rocky past, but that was just what sociopaths did, wasn’t it? They manipulated and tricked people into trusting them for their own personal gain.

But what did Maverick have to gain from me? Was it just sex? Or was it some sort of sick game he played with girls he hated?

No.Some deep-down part of me couldn’t stop thinking that it was all fake. Surely Maverick wasn’t really a sociopath. Surely he wasn’t capable of lying and tricking me to such an extent. It was just too hard to believe.

The document and audio file could’ve been fabricated by the Game Master to make me—and every other player here—distrust Maverick, which could then impact his ability to survive future games. After all, that was exactly what the Game Master wanted: to sow discord amongst all the players.

Yes, that had to be it. The patient profilehadto be fake, and I was being a total bitch by not trusting Maverick and practically fleeing from him in the hall five minutes ago. I should’ve swallowed the fear that struck me when I saw my phone and talked to him so he could have a chance to explain.

I picked up my phone to send him a message, but when I turned the screen on, I saw that he’d already messaged me.

Hey, Carey. I didn’t argue with you out in the hall when you wanted to leave because I think I know what the Game Master sent you, and I knew it would scare the shit out of you. It was a psychological assessment, right? That’s why you freaked out so much?

Anyway, I didn’t want to scare you even more by forcing you to talk to me about it in person, so I let you go without any drama. But if it’s okay with you, I’d like to explain. Please give me that chance. I know I probably don’t deserve much of a chance after all the shit I’ve done to you over the last couple of months, but I’m hoping you can give it to me anyway.

I sat up straight, heart pounding even faster. “Oh my god,” I whispered, staring into space with wide eyes.

The patient profilewasn’tfake. How else would Maverick immediately know exactly what was sent to me? He knew that patient file was out there in the world, and he knew it wouldmake him look bad, so it was the first thing that came to his mind when he saw the shocked expression on my face a few minutes ago.

I tentatively tapped out a reply.Okay. Explain.

He replied instantly.Can you call me? Pretty sure these phones allow that. It’s a long story so texting it all will be hard.

I took a deep breath and clicked the green telephone icon next to his name in the message folder.

He answered on the first ring. “Hey. Thanks for agreeing to talk about this,” he said. “I know you’re probably really scared right now. You might even be thinking I’m the Game Master. I totally get it.”

I swallowed hard. “Is it true? Did the school psychologist really diagnose you as a sociopath?”

“Yeah, he did. But it’s all bullshit. Really. I know that sounds like a total lie, but if we were in the outside world right now, I could prove it so fucking easily.”

“How?”

He cleared his throat. “Well, firstly, I could show you that the current Babylon Prep psychologist is a woman named Dr. Chao. She was hired after Dr. Barry was fired in disgrace, which is all on record somewhere. I could also show you the assessment done by a psychiatrist named Dr. Prentiss. She totally debunked Dr. Barry’s claims about me.”

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