POV: Adrian
There are exactly 6 ways Faith Williams could snap.
1. Run off campus mid-class to cry into a latte.
2. Snap her planner in half like a brittle bone.
3. Develop a stress-induced nosebleed during an exam.
4. Stare into the void in front of her locker for an hour.
5. Text her mother a 2,000-word essay titled "Please Let Me Breathe."
6. All of the above.
She picks option six. And it happens today.
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Wellness Session Three – The One With the Coffee Spill
By the time I get to the session room, Leo's already arguing with the vending machine, Lucy's redoing her eyeliner with surgical precision, and Jason is trying to rearrange the chairs "for better feng shui."
Ms. Ramirez enters with a stack of handouts and a "we're gonna dig deep today" face. I almost leave on instinct.
Faith walks in late. That's the first red flag. The second? She's not smiling.
Her hair is frizzing at the ends, her tote bag is overstuffed with papers, and her coffee cup is trembling in her hand. Jason offers her a chair. She doesn't respond.
Ms. Ramirez starts off with, "Let's check in—how is everyone feeling today?"
Faith answers before anyone else can. Her voice is too bright.
"I'm fantastic!"
A beat.
"I got four hours of sleep, I've had two coffees and half a granola bar, and I only cried once in the bathroom during second period—so, you know, progress."
She laughs. It sounds like it might split her in half.
Leo's smile fades.
Jason shifts uncomfortably.
Lucy closes her notebook slowly.
Ms. Ramirez raises an eyebrow. "Faith, would you like to talk about what's going on?"
Faith blinks. "It's just… I missed one deadline. One. And now my scholarship application might be—" Her voice cracks. "I had a system. I always have a system."
She grips her coffee tighter. Too tight. The lid pops off. Coffee spills across the floor, scalding hot, spreading like the chaos she's barely holding together.
"I'm fine," she says, as Jason jumps up with paper towels. "Seriously. This is fine."
I know that tone.
That's the "If I admit I'm drowning, I won't come back up" voice.
Faith finally looks at us—at me—and says, "You all think I have it together, don't you?"
We don't say anything. That's answer enough.
She laughs again, quieter this time. "I don't. I haven't. For a long time."
Ms. Ramirez kneels beside her. "You don't have to hold it all alone, Faith."
Faith wipes her eyes. "I don't know how not to."
And for once, Leo doesn't crack a joke. Jason doesn't talk. Lucy doesn't write. We all just sit there with her.
That's the thing no one tells you about healing. Sometimes it looks like silence. Sometimes it looks like people not leaving.
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After the Session – Marty's Diner
Faith doesn't come to the diner today.
Jason texts her a heart emoji. Leo offers to egg her scholarship board. Lucy writes her a poem that she refuses to read out loud.
And me? I sit in the booth and pretend to be chill while staring at the empty seat next to mine.
Leo eats half his fries, then sighs. "I hate seeing her like that."
"She'll be okay," Jason says, but he doesn't sound sure.
I finally speak. "She doesn't need us to fix it. She just needs to know we're still here."
Leo stares at me. "Whoa. Was that an Emotion, Adrian? Should we mark the date?"
"Shut up."
He grins. "You care. I knew it."
I flip a fry at him. "I'm allergic to emotions."
"Then I'm gonna need an EpiPen, 'cause this club is full of 'em."
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Later That Night – Adrian's House
I spend the evening doom-scrolling and pretending I'm not thinking about the meltdown I witnessed.
Faith breaking down rattled me more than I thought it would. I didn't know perfectionists could crack. I thought they were made of steel and caffeine. Turns out they're made of panic attacks and guilt. Who knew?
I open my journal again.
Observations from Session Three:
• Faith: Too much pressure, not enough rest.
• Jason: Tries to save everyone but doesn't see himself.
• Leo: Laughing less. That worries me.
• Lucy: Watching everything. Judging quietly.
• Me: Accidentally cared. Gross.
Then I do something weird.
I draw a star next to Faith's name.
I don't know why.
Maybe because she showed up. And broke down. And didn't run away.
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The Next Day – School Hallway
I'm at my locker when Faith walks by.
Her eyes are tired, but she's not faking a smile today. That somehow makes her look more human. More… real.
She hesitates. Then walks up to me.
"You okay?" she asks.
I blink. "You're asking me?"
She shrugs. "You were quieter than usual yesterday. That's suspicious."
I consider deflecting. Instead, I say, "Was just thinking. You kinda killed it back there."
She stares. "I literally had a breakdown."
"Exactly. You didn't run. That takes guts."
Her eyes get shiny again—but not the scary, spiraling kind. The I might cry but it's okay now kind.
"You're not as emotionally stunted as you pretend to be," she says.
I grin. "Don't tell anyone. I've got a reputation to protect."
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End of Chapter 3
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Coming Up in Chapter 4: Lucy Kim's Guide to Internalized Rage
Lucy finally speaks up—and it's brutal and brilliant.
She shares a poem about betrayal.
Adrian begins noticing how observant she is beneath the silence.
Jason hugs her. She threatens him.
Disaster Club gets realer, funnier, messier.