[ it's not the first time. the words are heavy with implication, and elena feels a rush of empathetic and terrible understanding, of compassion. she wonders what he's truly referring to, because she knows the grief in his words intimately.
she inhales suddenly and swallows thickly. but no, it could be a million things.
and he's right, of course. life goes on at home. here there's always a sense of being trapped. stuck. ] There're only so many classes and extracurriculars a girl can take.
[ she pauses. ] Whatever happened... what happened at home- [ stops, worries her lip with her teeth. she doesn't want to assume too much. they've never been close. ] If you wanna talk about it. [ insert caring look here. ] I'm here.