Blaine’s parents are becoming aware of their son’s anxieties. His mom is a therapist and she’s picking up on some pretty common symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder. Blaine was always prone to a certain amount of interpersonal sensitivity but she’s surprised by the way it’s manifested itself.

Where Blaine used to be confident in most situations, he’s started withdrawing more and more. Observing Blaine interact with new people has become nearly heartbreaking and even her own interactions with him have been on a steady decline. When pressed about his behavior, Blaine is nonchalant about it and it’s ironic that those are the moments she sees the old Blaine.

Most of the time, those glimpses of Blaine are few and far between. She discusses options with her husband. Blaine’s dad thinks there’s a chance it’s just a phase. His mom decides that if she notices signs of worsening anxiety or panic attacks, she’ll get him in to see someone.

But somehow, she doesn’t realize that Blaine is retreating. She doesn’t notice that he no longer spends time with the neighbor girl. When she finally notices, it’s all a little too little too late.