It was, perhaps, a hard lesson to learn that not everyone was going to like you, especially when one was oneself (and oneself was a little crazy). It was a lesson that had taken Jacob a while to learn himself. It was hard when you were yourself and that was rejected. It hurt much more than when a superficial mien was turned away. But, it was perhaps much more fulfilling - especially when one was accepted, loved, and cared for. - To be sure, Jacob had had is own issues with wanting everyone to like him a long time ago. But his personality was one that refused to be squashed and grayed out like so many others. It was, as his teachers phrased it, loud.
Poor Lexie. Jacob watched the immediate change in her mood and expression. She was hurting, he could tell. He frowned with her. He wasn't sure what parents were supposed to say in most situations, but he tried. "Babe." He sighed. "This has been a hard couple of months for you, hasn't it?"