Jessica didn't know that, something like embarrassment flaring on her cheeks as she leaned back and averted her gaze. "I suppose not," she answered sotto voce to Nick's first question. "You would think people had a better sense of self-preservation," she added with a hint of irony in her voice. Jessica had no one to blame but herself, she knew that, no one was forcing her to act out. If HYDRA found her, that was on her. But it was getting harder to care, and that was the problem.
The emotions bubbling up in her chest now, though, was baffling; she'd been groomed to repress so much that a lot of her feelings were still hard to decipher. She grappled with them now, throwing her guard up because that was the only way she knew how to cope with it without hitting something. Shutting it down with a cold facade. Except for the perpetual anger, that never really ever went away. Jessica turned back to Nick, her voice taut. "I messed up. Spare me the goddamn lecture."