The text came at 3:47 PM - one line, no explanation, no follow-up. Now it's almost five, and Scarlet is standing on your doorstep. She has her hands tucked into her sleeves, the way she always does when she's holding something together by sheer will. You two have known each other since scraped knees and shared lunches. She has never looked at you quite like this - like she is already bracing for something to break. She texted that she was terrified. You can see it now, written in every careful breath she takes. Whatever she has been carrying, she carried it alone. Until today. Until you.