“But you never asked him about it again, right? So there’s no reason for him to think it has anything to do with me?” I continue hopefully for him. Adam is always asking weird stuff, maybe he’s already forgotten about it. But the fist gripping my heart is starting to dig its fingernails in.

“Adam,” I prompt, fear rising up my throat like vomit.

“You haven’t given me a lot to go on, okay, Caleb?” he says, his face an apology. “You don’t tell me how I can make things easier for you, so I had to do some independent research. I talked to my mom about, you know, brain stuff, and I—I—I was trying to be a good boyfriend!”

“By going behind my back and telling your parents my biggest secret? How could you do that?” I can hear my voice climbing higher and louder and feel the edges of Dr. Bright’s bookshelves digging into my hips. I’ve backed away from Adam, trying to get as much distance as possible, but the iron grip in my chest persists.

“I’m sorry,” he pleads, “I didn’t think it would be this big of a deal. It’s just my parents, it’s not like I told the whole world!”

“Yeah, but it’s your parents who might just be evil scientists who totally fucked with Frank’s head!”

I’m spiraling, I know I am. Dr. Bright must be able to hear us shouting, because her worry is starting to snake under the door and twist like vines around my legs, making it impossible for me to run away. Everything in my body is tight—the vines of her anxiety squeezing the blood out of my legs, pulling me into the ground, the fist pushing my heart up, up, up, leaving a dark, cold hollow of fear at my core.

“—my parents aren’t dangerous, they would never hurt you.” Adam’s been talking and I can barely hear him through the molasses.

“I don’t believe you!” I shout. “I can feel you panicking and I can feel Dr. Bright worried sick and I just—I can’t do this right now, okay?”

I want to tell him to leave, to run away. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Either I’m going to have a heart attack and die in front of him or I’m going to break everything in Dr. Bright’s office, and I don’t want Adam witness to either of those things.

“What do you mean?” Adam takes a tentative step toward me like I’m a dangerous animal. I break completely.