Nope, you want to go home

The idea of sitting through a cheerful dinner while your thoughts spiraled back to your mom’s cold stare seemed unbearable. Politely, you declined. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass on the dinner tonight. I’ve got something else going on.”

Penny nodded understandingly, though you could tell she was a little disappointed. “No worries, Alex. You’ve earned a break. We’ll catch up soon.”

After the debrief, while the others were still chatting, Sarah noticed your distant expression. Sensing something was off, she walked over to you, her usual teasing smile replaced by a look of concern.

“Hey,” she began softly, “is everything alright? You seemed a bit out of it back there.”