Mother immediately brought Katelyn to the doctor’s office and had her sit on one of the chairs. After a few minutes, the doctor entered.
“So sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, “I’m Dr. Russell. What can I do for you today?”
Katelyn tried to speak, but she could only mumble and stutter aloud. She even squealed if she couldn’t say a word right.
The doctor saw that she was having a lot of trouble speaking and looked at her mother with concern.
“Hmm…” said the doctor, “Has she always had trouble talking? To people, in general?”
“No, never,” said the mother, “Yesterday, she came home from school, and out of nowhere, she just began blubbering and stammering as if she forgot how to speak.”
The doctor was even more concerned now. He looked back at Katelyn, who was twitching her fingers.
“And how old are you, Katelyn?” asked the doctor.
Katelyn shot her head up at the doctor. She looked to her mother, who gently held her hand and caressed it. And then, she looked back at the doctor.
“I asked how old you are.” the doctor said again.
Katelyn stuttered.
“F-f……f-fif–”
“Take a deep breath. Focus on breathing. It’s okay if it takes a little bit of time.”
Katelyn took a deep breath and exhaled. She tried again the second time. But it didn’t work. She still had a hard time speaking. It wasn’t long for the doctor to find out her current condition.
“I hate to say this,” he said, “But I think your daughter might have developed an extreme social anxiety. Or, as most of us like to call it, sociophobia. I would like to do some tests to make sure that’s what it is, but I’m pretty sure that’s what is happening.”
Katelyn widened her eyes. The doctor smiled softly.
“Don’t worry,” he said, “It’s nothing to be scared of. The tests are simply questions and then I’ll do a few physical tests as well. Do you think you’re ready?”
Katelyn took a deep breath and nodded her head slowly.
“Let’s begin with the questions,” said the doctor, “So, do you feel nervous when you’re around other people? Take your time to answer these. You don’t have to have an immediate one.”
Katelyn shook her head.
“Like I said,” said her mother, “She never had social problems before.”
“I see,” replied the doctor, “When you’re with other people, do you find yourself overthinking every little thing you do or say?”
Katelyn shook her head again, this time, her eyes brimming with tears.
The doctor noticed she was getting upset and stopped asking her for a moment.
“It’s okay, deep breaths, remember? I’m sorry if I upset you.”
Katelyn began to stammer and her hands trembled.
“Katelyn, don’t be afraid,” the doctor said, holding her other hand, “We can take a break if you would like. Just close your eyes and take another big breath deeply. I’m going to ask the last question and then we’re all done.”
She tried to take a deep breath…but after three breaths, she was already on the verge of a panic attack. She was really upset now.
“Oh, Katie!” said her mother, tearfully.
“Okay, Katelyn,” said the doctor, gently, “I need you to close your eyes and take another few breaths. Slower, this time. Just focus on the air going in and out of your lungs. Okay?”
She tried to calm down, but every time her eyes would open, she was still more upset. She kept stuttering in each breath she took. The doctor and her mother could see that she was even having a hard time breathing. The condition was worsening.
She tried to breathe again, but she couldn’t take it anymore. She collapsed to the ground and covered her eyes and ears with her hands, wailing and sobbing. Her entire body was shaking too.
The doctor looked at her mother and said, “I’ll have to call for backup, she’s already having a panic attack. I’ll be right back.”
As the doctor immediately left the scene, the mother picked her daughter up and held her in her arms.
“My sweetheart,” she said, her voice breaking, “It’s okay…Mummy’s got you.”
The doctor quickly returned with another and they both sat next to Katelyn. But as they tried to talk to her, she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t respond to anything. Katelyn completely forgot how to speak.
“We’re going to have to do something. She’s not saying anything at all.” said the other doctor.
After crying so much, she finally tried to say something to them.
“I…”
They looked at her with hope.
“Are you okay?” said the doctor.
“She’s speaking!” said the other doctor.
“Are you trying to say something.”
Katelyn sniffled and whimpered. She wiped away a few tears and sniffled again.
“I c–” she shuddered, her voice suddenly stopping.
“It’s okay,” said the other doctor, “You’re doing great. Keep going.”
“I c-c-can’t…t-t-talk…!”
Katelyn burst into tears again, clinging to her mother’s arms. Both doctors stand up and sit beside both mother and daughter.
“It’s okay,” said the doctor, “Don’t cry. You’re doing a great job! We’re just going to find out what’s wrong. But you did amazing, trying to say something.”
The nurse entered and knocked on the open door.
“The results are in.” she said.
Mother was the first to ask.
“What is it…?”
The nurse came closer to the room and sat down on the mother’s side.
“It’s confirmed that your daughter has sociophobia. It’s a mental health condition, one which one suffers from anxiety and also struggles with communicating with others. But take this into consideration. They only have this sort of struggle and nothing else. It doesn’t mean that they don’t want to socialize with others or make any relationships. So, I’m safe to say that she will be just fine.”
“But why did it happen all so suddenly?” asked the mother, “That’s why I’m here.”
“Well…” said the nurse, “This is going to be a very silly, and kind of petty question…”
“I’m sure it’s not,” said the other doctor, “Go ahead.”
“Was Katelyn rejected by a boy she liked or did she find out that he was dating anyone? Because last week was Valentine’s Day, and on my way to work, I noticed a lot of kids with special gift bags and stuffed animals and other things. I’m just wondering.”
“Well,” said the mother, “She did have a crush on someone that was in her class. I was just talking to her about it earlier today. But she claims she has moved on. Yet I do believe the boy she liked before must have turned her down.”
“Then that could be the cause,” said the doctor, “If someone rejects you, especially when it’s someone you like, it can be devastating, heartbreaking, even. We all believe that might have triggered and possibly begun her social anxiety.”
Katelyn cried into her mother’s shoulder. The mother then caressed the top of her head and kissed it gently.
“And I think it’s worse than we thought,” said the nurse, “Another petty question. Do you know who the boy she liked is?”
“He’s one of her classmates. Jeomjun Kim. It’s pretty obvious he rejected her on Valentine’s Day.” said the mother.
“Then that’s the reason,” said the other doctor, “It could be possible that Katelyn was severely heartbroken enough to trigger and develop her sociophobia. How old is this Jeomjun?”
“He’s in her grade. So probably fifteen too.” said the mother.
“Do you think maybe she would talk to him? Maybe try that.”
But Katelyn shook her head and sobbed softly, clutching her mother’s sleeve. She muttered to her mother. But her voice was sore from crying so much. Seemingly enough, it was pretty clear Valentine’s Day was so traumatizing for her that year. To try and communicate better, she pulls out her phone to open the translator.
“Are you calling him?” asked the nurse.
She looked up at the doctors and the nurse, but she accidentally pressed her shortcut contacts and pressed Jeomjun’s number. She panicked again and tried to hang up, but it was too late. He quickly picked up. Katelyn cried hysterically.
She could hear Jeomjun’s voice through her cries.
“Hello? Katelyn? Everything okay?”
Her mother picked up her phone.
“Hi, Jeomjun! This is Katelyn’s mom, we’re at the doctor’s office.”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“She had a panic attack at home, so we’re checking her up to see what’s wrong. They say she has a type of social anxiety.”
“Can I talk to her?”
“Well…unfortunately…, she hasn’t been able to speak normally, so we’ll see at school, on Monday.”
“Really?” said Jeomjun, “She can’t speak at all?”
There was no answer. Jeomjun started to realize his mistake.
“Oh, god…” he said, “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
Katelyn took her phone and whispered a stuttering goodbye before hanging up. She sniffled and whimpered softly. Of course, she still couldn’t believe that he didn’t like her the way she did like him.
“I know this is hard,” said the doctor, “But I think the best solution for right now is to have her take the time to be alone. That way she could work it out by herself on her own. And when she’s ready, she’ll want to consider making a few more friends. Some that are willing to help her through this.”
“So, no therapist then?” asked the mother.
“It’s up to her,” said the other doctor, “But to most of us here at the clinic, friends and socializing is the best therapy. The nurse did say those with social anxiety goal to make a lot of friends and prove their anxious minds wrong. I honestly relate a lot to Katelyn.”
Katelyn then stepped outside afterward.
“Don’t worry…” said the nurse, “We all know that she’ll be just fine. We thank you for stopping by today. And just in time.”
.
.
.
Katelyn lay down on her bed, clutching onto her BT21 Tata plushie in her arms. It was in the evening. The sun had set already and she had no homework. ‘Cause it was Friday. No one receives homework on a Friday. At least some schools don’t.
Eventually, as she buried her face into her plushie, her father came home.
“I’m home!” he hollered.
The father was a gentle businessman, an assistant to his boss, the CEO of the company. He then walked up to her room. But Katelyn didn’t notice. Her eyes were closed and her cheeks were tear-stained. Her father sat next to her and caressed the back of her head.
“Tired, aren’t you, sweetheart?”
She looked up at her father. He had a gentle face and his eyes were saddened. She tried to say something, but she couldn’t. She looked away and whimpered into her plushie.
“Oh, Katie…” said her father, gently, “Come here.”
Katelyn leaped into her father’s arms. She cried very softly. Her father rocked her back and forth, comforting her the best he could.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, “We’ll do something this weekend. Saturday and Sunday. Okay?”
Katelyn nodded. Now that her father was home, the family could easily do something together with two days off from work and school. For now, Katelyn had to rest from all of the negative energy she had.
The mother entered.
“Honey…?” she said to her husband. She signaled her to come to her.
The father nodded.
“I’ll be back in a moment, okay?” he said, softly smiling, and kissing the top of Katelyn’s forehead.
He walked out of the bedroom and the mother quietly closed the door.
“So…what happened at the clinic?” he asked, almost in a whisper.
“You are not going to believe this…” said the mother.
“What is it?” the father asked with concern.
“Our daughter…” Mother gulped, “Has an extreme social anxiety.”
The father’s face dropped and his jawline stretched wide open. He looked over at the door to Katelyn’s room and then back at his wife.
“You’re not joking?” he stammered.
“No…” said the mother, shaking her head and then crossing her arms, “It’s true.”
Katelyn’s father scratched his head with both of his hands and paced for a few seconds, rubbing his chin a while after.
“But…why?”
“Do you remember Jeomjun Kim? The boy who is in her class? You work alongside his father, right?”
“Yeah…why?”
The father gasped.
“Did he reject her on Valentine’s Day? It was last week, right?”
“Yup,” said the mother, “On Thursday, I think.”
“Oh, god…I knew that was going to happen. I believe he told me that. Jeomjun’s dad. But I didn’t think that it was going to affect our daughter so terribly. I’m so sorry, honey.”
Suddenly, Katelyn began to think about Valentine’s Day again. She stammered and muttered random things that came from her mind like she couldn’t speak anymore. She was on the verge of a panic attack.
“M-Mum…?” she whimpered, “D-D-D-Dad…?”
Both her mother and father overheard her whimpers and rushed into her bedroom. Her mother wrapped her around her arms.
“It’s okay, Katie,” she whispered, “We’re here.”
Katelyn looked at her parents with tear-filled eyes. They both hugged her tightly.
“It’ll be all right, my Kitty Kate,” said her father, “Things might look alike on Monday.”
“M-Mummy…!” she sobbed, calming down.
The parents were both relieved that their young, sweet daughter was finally calming down. They both smile at her gently as the mother wipes away her tears.
“I know this may be scary to you, but anxieties like these can be treated. There are so many ways to tame it. It may not be easy, but we will get through this together. And soon enough, it will be as small as an ant.”
.
.
.
It was Monday. Katelyn was sitting on her desk as usual. But something was different. Now that she had a social anxiety, things slowly (and VERY quickly at the same time) became difficult for her.
She tried so hard to focus on the class. But every time she would look at the teacher and the chalkboard, she would form a lump in her throat and her eyes began to water.
Mi-Suna and Jeomjun couldn’t help but notice her.
“The way I rejected her was unforgivable. I don’t know about this.” he said.
“But you liked me, right?” snapped Mi-Suna, “I mean, c’mon. You really think that she would actually have a chance with you?”
“Mi-Suna,” exclaimed Jeomjun, “That was not very nice! If you were a little bit more supportive, then maybe we both would have a chance with each other.”
“I’m just saying. I thought you didn’t see what she saw in you.”
“I know I say that it’s my fault I’m hurting her. But really…it’s you that’s hurting her!”
“I know that. At least you weren’t just as harsh as Hyun-Shik.”
Jeomjun looked towards his girlfriend. He eyes were widened and his lips were pursed.
“You still remember that?” he muttered.
“Yeah,” said Mi-Suna, “Who else doesn’t?”
“But you do remember how Sua-Hui felt, right?”
Lee Sua-Hui was just like Katelyn. But she didn’t have social anxiety. Instead, she toughened up…a lot. But she still maintained a sweet and sensitive soul.
“I don’t care about Hyun-Shik or Sua-Hui. What matters is that we are official now. You know, an item. A couple!”
Jeomjun frowned and looked toward Katelyn.
“I know you were a little harsh on her, but you must understand that this is for you and her own good. You were just being honest to her. That’s all that matters. I think she is already getting over it right now. She’ll be just fine. I’m sure of it.”
Jeomjun looked over to Katelyn once again. He noticed a change in her body language. Her hands were trembling, she twiddled her fingers constantly. She even bit her lip to keep herself from crying. He can tell that she was trying not to cry.
“Mi-Suna,” said Jeomjun, “I think both of us have traumatized her.”
“She’ll come around,” said Mi-Suna, fed up, “She might need some time to process everything.”
Katelyn closed her eyes and stammered quietly. She tried not to be so loud. She didn’t want her teacher or the other students to worry. She tried her best to stay focused on the class, without panicking so much. But her palms began to sweat and puff up.
Eventually, the teacher called on Katelyn.
Startled, she looked straight up at the teacher and tried to say something. But she couldn’t get any words out. All she could do was stammer.
“I…uh…I…I…”
She also whimpered. She still remembered what happened on Valentine’s Day. She looked down and whimpered softly.
“Katelyn?” asked the teacher, “Are you alright?”
But she couldn’t speak. She looked as though she was having a panic attack. Her eyes filled with tears. The teacher noticed this and he became concerned. So did the rest of the class.
“Do you need a minute? It’s okay if you do. You can step outside for a few minutes.” he said.
Katelyn slowly stepped out of the classroom. She stood in the hallway, hyperventilating. She knelt down and broke down crying.
As the teacher was about to get back to class, he heard her crying and was more than concerned now. He looked at the door and then back at the class.
“I’m sorry students,” he said, “I’m going to step out a moment to check on her. You can use this time to begin on the assignment.”
He then rushed out of the room to find Katelyn. The young girl was sitting on the floor, curled up into a ball and shaking. She was having a full on panic attack. The teacher squatted down next to her.
“Katelyn,” he said, “Can you hear me?”
But Katelyn was so upset, she couldn’t respond. She held her knees tightly and her lips were quivering. The teacher knew she was in a bad state.
“It’s okay,” he said, softly, “You’re going to be just fine. Just take deep breaths.”
But Katelyn stammered so much. She couldn’t speak anything at this state. She was becoming more panicked and more upset.
“No one is looking at you, Katelyn,” said the teacher, “Just try to relax.”
Her stammers softened. She still couldn’t talk. But she kept saying something. Quietly, to herself. The teacher tried to listen in on what she was saying. But Katelyn continued. She sounded like she was saying a name. She was trying to say “Jeomjun”.
The teacher realized who she was talking about.
“Is there something you would like to say to Jeomjun? Are you wanting to talk to him?”
But Katelyn didn’t want to talk to him. She was still very traumatized.
“It might help if you talk to him. He’s very worried about you, you know. He wants to make things right. You should go talk to him.”
She still stuttered.
The teacher sighed, “How about this? I’ll go get him and the two of you can talk in private. Does that sound okay to you?”
She shook her head and tried to run away. But she made a rush so quickly, she bumped into Jeomjun. He held her by the arms.
“Katelyn,” he said, “Are you okay?”
Katelyn couldn’t speak, but could make small noises with her voice. She tried to run, but she kept bumping into other classmates. Jeomjun ran after her and gently held her hand.
“Katelyn, please stop. I want to talk to you.”
But seeing him terrified her. She couldn’t even speak to him, especially after he rejected her. Mi-Suna entered and stood in front of the two.
“What happened?!”
“She’s having a panic attack,” said Jeomjun, “Can you get her some water?”
As Mi-Suna left the scene, Katelyn could not help but cry so hard. So hard, she couldn’t breathe anymore. Jeomjun was frightened that she would get a heart attack after this.
“It’s okay, Katelyn,” he said, gently as he picked her up in his arms, “Try to slow your breathing for me. Please.”
Katelyn’s crying softened. But she shook her head, her tears, streaming down her cheeks. She wanted to talk to someone else. Someone other than Jeomjun or Mi-Suna. But they were her only friends that she ever had. It was impossible for her to make new friends.
She burst into tears again and cried in Jeomjun’s. Jeomjun himself cradled her in his arms and rocked her back and forth.
“I’m right here…”
That was what he whispered to her.
The moment she heard him whisper to her ear, she became exhausted and eventually passed out. Jeomjun noticed she was motionless and laid her down to check her pulse. It was faint. He shook her gently, to see if she would wake up.
“Katelyn!” he shouted, “Katelyn, can you hear me?”
Mi-Suna ran back with a cold bottle of water. She saw the unconscious Katelyn.
“Oh, my god!”
“I don’t know what’s going on,” said Jeomjun, “But she is unconscious. We need to call someone!”
“Take her to the nurse’s office!”
.
.
.
She just started to have a panic attack. She’s already unconscious, and I’m worried sick about her.
Katelyn opened her eyes and heard Jeomjun’s voice outside of the school clinic. As it stayed very quiet and very still, she could hear Jeomjun’s voice clearly. It was the only thing she ever wanted to hear. His voice.
“She’s breathing, but she is still unconscious. I think that she overworked herself. She cried so much that it was almost unconsolable. And when I whispered something to her ear, she fell unconscious in my arms.”
Then Katelyn heard the nurse’s voice.
“Then she did overwork herself. But now that you mention all of this, I’m not certain if it’s an introvert problem or an extrovert problem.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jeomjun.
“Her mom called me, recently today. She said that she has now developed sociophobia. And it’s okay if you don’t know what that is. It’s a leveled social anxiety that does involve stuttering, meltdowns, nerves, and sometimes you can get sick. But I don’t think Katelyn would ever get sick, since she is known for having a strong stomach.”
“And you know the main cause of this?”
“I do,” said the nurse, “The common ones are mostly depression, trauma, and rejection. Has she been through any of these causes?”
“Well…she was rejected on Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh, dear. That’s not good, especially on a day of young love.”
“But that’s exactly what happened! After being rejected, she hasn’t been the same since.”
“That explains it a lot better, then. Is she able to say at least a few words, or is she mute?”
“She’s too scared to speak. She just keeps trying to say something but she can’t get any words to come out. And she constantly has these panic attacks too whenever we try to comfort her.”
“I see…do you know why she was rejected?”
“It’s because…” Jeomjun paused, “I rejected her.”
“Why?”
“Because…we were just friends. I didn’t think it was right for me to be with her in a romantic way. But come to think of it, I am starting to realized thar maybe I should have handled this in a different way.”
The nurse nodded, understanding his side of the story. It was understandable that he wanted to be just friends with Katelyn. But what seemed strange was that Mi-Suna thought that she was only like this to steal Jeomjun from her. And Jeomjun was unaware of that.
“She’ll be all right,” said the nurse, “But for right now, let’s let her rest.”
The nurse then left the scene. Jeomjun stayed right beside Katelyn. Her breathing was slow and steady. Jeomjun gently held her hand.
“I’m so sorry.” he whispered.
Eventually she woke up. She flickered her eyes all around the room. She was still scared. She immediately sat up and whimpered. She then looked at Jeomjun. She flickered her eyes again. But she couldn’t speak a word. It was as if she was having another panic attack again.
Jeomjun cradled her in his arms.
“It’s okay…” he cooed in a whisper, “Just breathe. I’m here…okay?”
Katelyn covered her ears and stimmed herself, only muttering and stammering. Her heart beated rapidly. She squeezed her eyes closed.
“Katelyn…look at me.”
Jake entered; Katelyn subsided.
Jeomjun flashed his head at Jake with a scowl, narrowing his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped.
“I was worried,” said Jake, “I was told that Katelyn never acted this way.”
“I know that. She’s traumatized.”
“So, why did you reject her like that?”
“I…” Jeomjun stammered, “I…didn’t mean to hurt her. I just…I…didn’t think it was right for us to be together.”
“But you could have said it in a much better way!”
“You’re right I should have,”
“And now, she is traumatized of you. What are you going to do about that?”
Jeomjun’s face dropped.
“I…I just want to make this right. I feel so bad right now.”
“Then I’ll take care of her.”
Jeomjun gave him a look that could kill.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m more than positive. I don’t care if you rejected her. But she needs more help then she realizes. I’ll be there for her.”
Jeomjun eventually gave in.
“I trust you then.” he said at he was preparing to leave, “But you had better take care of her.”