I, uh. Almost. [ He doesn't have the heart to lie, despite the discomfort in him. He was proud of getting in, of course he was. He worked so hard to get in. ] I got in, with a full scholarship. I... I didn't go.
[ He could leave it at that, he thinks. He could. But the absence of an explanation will likely lead to more questions and Kieren can feel himself sinking in his seat a little. He looks weary, his stare blank for the longest of moments. ]
My... my, um— [ He decides for a beat or two, goes for the safer option. It isn't any less true, though: ] my best mate, Rick. He joined the Army.
[ His fault. He knows it is, even if Jem had told him different. Kieren didn't blow him up, the Taliban did. But Kieren was the reason Rick joined the Army in the first place. It was his fault, because he loved Rick more than anything in the world. And even though Rick loved him, he wanted his dad's approval even more. ]
He... got killed, in Afghanistan. [ His mouth forms a thin line, finishing with the barest of shrugs — his shoulders feel heavy. ] Didn't see the point in going, after that.
no subject
[ He could leave it at that, he thinks. He could. But the absence of an explanation will likely lead to more questions and Kieren can feel himself sinking in his seat a little. He looks weary, his stare blank for the longest of moments. ]
My... my, um— [ He decides for a beat or two, goes for the safer option. It isn't any less true, though: ] my best mate, Rick. He joined the Army.
[ His fault. He knows it is, even if Jem had told him different. Kieren didn't blow him up, the Taliban did. But Kieren was the reason Rick joined the Army in the first place. It was his fault, because he loved Rick more than anything in the world. And even though Rick loved him, he wanted his dad's approval even more. ]
He... got killed, in Afghanistan. [ His mouth forms a thin line, finishing with the barest of shrugs — his shoulders feel heavy. ] Didn't see the point in going, after that.