He hadn't expected her to come after him, hadn't wanted her to when all he wished was disappear through the cracks, but her words begging him not to leave kept him there even when her arms pulled back. He missed it instantly, hated needing so much comfort when all he seemed to do was hurt everyone who offered it to him. "Gracie... I'm not. I'm not good," he insisted, finally turning back to face her, because he owed it to her.
"When you and Skye and Mariko and Steve... when you stand with me, you get caught in the crossfire," he frowned, finally reaching out to wipe at her wet cheeks, his own eyes feeling too damp. He blinked to clear them. "And I love you too much to be responsible for that." Because the detentions the other girls got for him weren't really all that serious, but it troubled him what else they might take the fall for. He'd hoped by telling his friends, they'd be smarter with the knowledge of just what they were getting mixed up in, know that it was better to avoid him, and instead they seemed all that more intent on sticking by. Like he tricked them into making them feel bad, like he was somebody worth defending instead of condemning for his crimes.
"Please, stop. Stop crying. I'll eat the damned broccoli," he gave in, pulling Gracie in close again and resting his face in her hair. "I won't go. Just stop crying."