They Turned My Phobia Into a Game

Charlotte and Brandon have been Chloe's closest friends for over a decade, and Brandon has been her boyfriend for five. They know she suffers from severe mysophobia, yet they keep pushing her toward the things she fears most, calling it a cure. At an escape room, the final penalty is a box of live roaches, and Charlotte and Brandon force Chloe to face it while their coworkers chant and watch.

Afterward, Chloe pulls away and tells them not to touch her because they are dirty. The room falls silent, and Charlotte quickly laughs it off, while Brandon says nothing. In the car, Charlotte takes the passenger seat and keeps testing Chloe's boundaries, and Brandon tells Chloe to stop acting like a child. At home, Chloe scrubs her hands until they bleed, then sees Charlotte's post mocking her absence, liked by Brandon.

The next morning, a burst stress ball in her drawer drags her back to the bullying she endured at fifteen, and at lunch Charlotte drops discolored meat onto her plate. When Chloe refuses it, Brandon pushes the plate back and tells her not to make a scene.