Every bad thing I've ever thought. Every bad thing I've ever felt. It was always their fault. Had to be.

[A slight bang. They set down the canister of tea leaves with more than the requisite force, until it clanks louder than it should. Too loud. That's not...they can't be that. They can't become the sort of person that throws things, that clatters pans in the sink and shatters plates against the tile.]

[Stand back. Away. Breathe.]

I could never...really change their mind.