Maybe it's weird to stick around and try to help someone she's only spoken to a couple of times since middle school. And maybe he won't even want her to, but she can't bring herself to walk away when she feels partially responsible for him being upset in the first place.

So she stays- says nothing when he hugs her a little tighter than she's expecting. It's not so bad once the initial shock wears off. It hits her, as he gradually begins to calm down, that she can't even remember the last time someone held her. It's the dumbest thing to be worried about right now, all things considered.

"It's the least I could do," she tells him, thinking back to how much he'd done for her. Comparatively, sticking around to make sure he was okay seems pretty minor. "I couldn't just leave you like that."