He listened and watched, and when he saw her expression change he immediately regretted asking. He decided to offer up his own story and then change the subject. He'd talked about some of his friends with others, but not in detail. He thought she probably looked at her friends the same way he looked at his.
"I love my mom, but my childhood pretty much sucked. I look at my friends as my family now. I'd do anything for them, really. They're the people I'm closest to."