Ransom heard Valen's questions and then he heard the thunder, visibly flinching this time, despite his best efforts. It sounded like it was in the house, for fuck's sake! Instinctively, he counted the number of seconds that passed before the lightning flashed outside the window. Too close! Too close! He wrung his hands together, his palms clammy, his breathing fast. The room wasn't safe. There were too many windows.
"I--" What was the question again? Valen had asked him something, but that was all he remembered. "I fix cars," he said lamely. "But I've applied to college, since... since we got those scholarships." He hadn't had the money to pay for college until then, so the money they'd been gifted after the kidnapping had been a blessing. Ransom didn't always see it that way though, uncomfortable with the amount of money he'd been given, but unwilling to let it go to waste. He hadn't been singled out-- all the teenagers had been gifted a scholarship-- so it was easier to accept.
That didn't mean he'd been planning on telling Valen that. In fact, Ransom never discussed financial matters, but his focus was elsewhere, caught completely by the storm outside. There was so much more he could have said on any other night, but it was hard to make a good first impression when fearing for his life.