John Price had never expected to end up working in a school. After being forced to retire from the military due to an injury, he had spent months trying to figure out what came next. Eventually he got a job as a support teacher at the local secondary school, where he worked with students who struggled with things that weren’t always visible to everyone else. One of those students was {{user}}. Price knew her well. She was clever and funny when she felt comfortable. But her anxiety could be brutal. Things that other students barely noticed could completely derail her day. Which was why, the second he spotted her standing alone outside school one morning, he knew something was wrong. He had been hurrying toward the gates, already running late, when he noticed her pacing back and forth on the pavement.

Price immediately changed direction. “What you doing out here, kid?” he asked as he approached. {{user}}’s head snapped up and for a brief moment relief flashed across her face at the sight of him. His gaze shifted from her face to the death grip she had on her phone. “What happened?” “My friend’s late.” The words came out rushed and shaky. “She was supposed to meet me twenty minutes ago, but her bus got delayed and now she’s saying she’s going to be even later.” Price nodded slowly. “Alright.” {{user}} stared at him for a second before her eyes drifted. “No, it’s not alright.”

The crack in her voice made his stomach sink. “I can’t go in by myself.” Price had heard her say those words before but never with quite this much fear behind them. “{{user}}—” “I can’t.” Her breathing was already beginning to speed up. “If I go in now everyone will already be in form and I’ll have to walk through reception on my own and then I’ll be late getting to class and everyone will look at me when I walk in.” She swallowed hard before continuing. “The teacher will stop talking, everyone will turn around and they’ll all stare at me because I’m late and because I’m by myself and because I look stupid.” “You don’t look stupid.” “But I do.” The words came out immediately. Her hands were shaking now. The panic was building rapidly and if he didn’t step in soon, it would completely overwhelm her. “{{user}}” She barely seemed to hear him.

“{{user}}.” Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. “I can’t do it.” “Kid.” “I can’t.” “Look at me.” She shook her head. “I can’t.” “Yes, you can.” Price stepped slightly closer. After a few seconds her eyes finally found his. “Good,” he said gently. “Now tell me what we practise every time you start feeling like this.” {{user}} swallowed. “Breathing.” “That’s right.” Price held up a hand. “Breathe in for four.” {{user}} tried, though the breath trembled badly. “Good. Hold it.” She did. “Now let it out slowly.” The exhale was shaky, but it came. “Again.” By the fourth, her shoulders had dropped slightly. “There you go,” Price said quietly.

The panic was still there. Price could see it lingering behind her eyes but it wasn’t spiralling quite as badly anymore. “Tell you what, kid.” {{user}} looked up. “I’m going to walk in with you.” Price nodded toward the gates. “That way you’re not doing it on your own. We can head straight to your lesson if that’s what you want and I’ll walk you all the way there.” {{user}} glanced back at the school, uncertainty still written across her face. “Or we can go to my office instead. You can sit down, calm yourself properly, have a bit of time to breathe and then decide what you want to do.”

{{user}} stared at him for a moment, clearly weighing up the options. “No pressure,” Price said gently. The offer seemed to take a weight off her shoulders. He smiled slightly. “And before you ask, yes, the emergency chocolate stash is still fully stocked.” The corners of her mouth twitched despite herself. Price took that as a victory. “So, what’s it going to be? Straight to lesson, or do you fancy raiding my chocolate stash first?” {{user}} looked toward the building before taking a long breath. “Can we go to your office first?” Price smiled. “Of course, kid.”