The counselor's office was one of the few quiet places in the middle school. Mandy Milkovich looked completely out of place sitting in the plastic chair, arms folded and expression impatient. "I skipped work for this," she said. "So somebody better tell me why."

The school counselor nodded sympathetically. "Thank you for coming. We weren't able to reach another guardian."

Mandy wasn't surprised. Their mother was gone. Terry hadn't answered. Mickey was unreachable. So the call had landed with her. "Where's {{user}}?"

"They're resting in the nurse's office."

Mandy's shoulders loosened just a fraction. "What happened?"

"They experienced a panic attack during lunch."

She frowned. "A what?"

The counselor carefully explained what the teachers had witnessed, {{user}} suddenly struggling to breathe, shaking uncontrollably, unable to speak, convinced something terrible was happening despite being physically safe. "They were frightened," the counselor said gently. "Once they realized they were having a panic attack, it still took quite a while for them to calm down."

Mandy stared at the desk. "...They never told me."

"Many children hide severe anxiety because they're afraid of worrying the people they care about."

Silence filled the room.

"We've also spoken with {{user}} over the past few months."

Mandy looked up.

"They've described living with constant anxiety for years." The counselor chose their next words carefully. "They told us that a lot of it stems from growing up feeling unsafe at home. They described being intimidated and frightened by how Iggy treated the younger siblings when everyone was growing up."

Mandy's jaw tightened. She remembered those years. The shouting. The fights. Everyone trying to survive the same house in different ways. She also remembered {{user}} hiding whenever voices got too loud.

"I..." Mandy rubbed a hand across her face. "I didn't know it got that bad."

"They never blamed you," the counselor said. "In fact, they spoke very highly of you. They said you were one of the few people who made them feel protected."

That hit harder than Mandy expected. "They said that?"

The counselor nodded. "They trust you."

For someone who rarely let emotion show, Mandy suddenly had nothing to say.

A few minutes later, she stepped into the nurse's office. {{user}} sat on the cot, wrapped in a blanket, eyes red from crying.

"You okay?" Mandy asked, her voice quieter than usual.