Dominic pulled back just enough to look at me. "Heyy. You okay?"
I forced a nod. "Yeah."
"You sure?" His eyes searched mine like he already knew I was lying.
"I'm fine," I said, giving him the kind of smile that didn't reach my eyes.
He didn't push, he just reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and tapped the screen. "Have you seen this?"
He turned it toward me.
The headline from the Blackwell Academy news feed glared up at me:
BLACKWELL APPOINTS NEW THERAPIST – SUPPORT SESSIONS COMPULSORY FOR SELECT STUDENTS.
Beneath it was a clip of Principal Han sitting stiffly in his office, speaking into a camera.
My stomach knotted instantly.
I remember when Mr. Han called me into his office yesterday, introducing me to our "newschool therapist." The way he'd said I "needed" to have a session with her.
And then, his exact words came back to me: "You need to be fixed, Ash."
I swallowed hard, still watching the video.
