You're damn right everything's different! [ Her tone has nothing but a hard snap to it, and it shows in the sudden flare of annoyance as it brightens her eyes, hardens her jaw. And just like that--it's gone. Wiped out of her, wiped off of her face. No thanks to that one particular question.

Straws, Tess feels like she's grasping at straws. Or drowning. To what he's referring to, the weight of those words, she's definitely drowning under them.

She has to take a slow breath, letting it out shakily. Her hand flexes at her side. ]

What does it even matter, Joel? [ There's a softness behind those words, resignation. She can't do this. She can't be here. ] It's there, we both know that.

[ Part of just flat out doesn't want to have to show it to him. It's not a pretty sight. Once already was good enough, wasn't it? ]