She didn’t respond straight away, but wiped her eyes and sat back up in her chair. The tiny scars on her face made her tears travel in odd directions.
“You’re allowed to feel this way,” Joseph said.
“I know that,” Kaiya said, too quickly. “I don’t need your permission.”
“No, you don’t,” Joseph said, “but you have it anyway.”
“Please don’t pretend to care,” Kaiya said. “I hate it when people lie. You have my permission to think I’m overreacting.”
“Would it matter if I thought that?” Joseph asked. “Would that change how it feels to you?”
Kaiya frowned. “So you’re saying that’s what you think.”
“You’re being difficult,” Joseph said.
She let out a snort of wet laughter. “I know.”
Joseph grinned, and she began to compose herself.
“I’m not sure where to start with all those… thoughts,”
