Middle school can be a challenging time, particularly for students living with mental health conditions like anxiety and OCD. Through the novel’s many kind and quirky supporting characters, Harrell presents the theme of the importance of friendship and support networks and offers readers the heartening message that others are ready to accept and assist them through life’s difficulties.

Andrew’s therapist, Dr. Cain, is a particularly important character for the theme. Many individuals with anxiety disorders benefit from seeking professional help, and the progress that the protagonist makes in his sessions with her reflect this. Dr. Cain equips the protagonist with calming techniques and coping mechanisms and addresses some of the negative emotions and experiences connected to his anxiety and OCD, such as his fear of becoming like his father. She also helps Andrew by encouraging him to exercise self-compassion: “You’re just being human. And sometimes being human can be incredibly hard” (138). The sessions with Dr. Cain are highly beneficial for Andrew, but he has to learn how to manage his mental health conditions without her because he lives in Indiana, where his healthcare is contingent on his parent’s employment. Harrell’s decision to halt Andrew’s therapy adds realism to the novel’s examination of support networks by pointing out how societal structures prevent some people from receiving the help they need.

Andrew’s peers are another important source of support. His lifelong best friend, Jonesy, plays an especially vital role in helping him find a sense of calm when his life becomes hectic. Throughout the novel, the jovial and easygoing girl supports Andrew during stressful moments, such as when he learns that G is missing and when he is recovering after his panic attack. Although Andrew knows that he can rely on his best friend, he is surprised to discover that he can count on his other peers, too. A major reason why having a panic attack at school is his “Very Worst Nightmare Scenario” is because he dreads his classmates’ reactions (75). However, the majority of his fellow students show him care and understanding. From the boy who helps him to the nurse’s office after he’s hit by a basketball to the students in his art class who offer words of encouragement after his panic attack, most of the school’s seventh-graders are presented as kind and supportive.

In many middle-grade novels, adults are largely absent or ineffectual, forcing the young protagonists to rely on themselves. However, Harrell shows that help is readily available by filling Andrew’s school with caring, engaged grown-ups. Whether they’re helping Andrew through an anxiety attack, mending a torn shirt, or holding Gene accountable for bullying Andrew, the teachers, administrators, and school staff are consistently the protagonist’s allies in the many struggles he faces during his disastrous picture day. Andrew initially hides his and G’s health conditions out of embarrassment, and Harrell celebrates the vulnerability and courage Andrew shows up in opening up by rewarding him with caring and attentive responses from the adults at his school. This story encourages young readers to lean on their own support networks and assures them that there are caring friends and adults who will gladly help them through life’s difficulties.