Symptoms of Being Human

Unable to sleep, Riley seeks distraction and connection through their blog. The follower count is now 48,000. They look through their messages, but delete them, not feeling competent enough to answer. Riley receives a string of messages from the anonymous sender, telling Riley to kill themself and using Riley’s real name. Riley panics, running to the bathroom to vomit and scream. Their parents rush in to find that Riley has punched through their mirror.

The next day, Riley has an emergency appointment with Doctor Ann. Before going into the office, Riley’s mother stops them and acknowledges how stressful the obligations of being a congressman’s child are for Riley, saying that they don’t have to attend the big upcoming fundraiser if they don’t want to. Riley’s mother lets them know that they can tell her whatever has been going on, and Riley promises to do so when “I know what to say” (234).

During the appointment, Riley tells Doctor Ann about the national attention their blog has been getting, along with the threatening messages. Doctor Ann asks what Riley is going to do about their situation, saying that they’re like a shaken-up soda bottle, and that “if you don’t take the cap all the way off and deal with the mess, that bottle is going to explode” (237).