No, YOU don't understand! You never did! Everyone -

[a small nngh pushes through his lips before he has a chance to hold it back. what a time to have a lump in his throat.]

...Do you know how close I came to having everyone leave? My friends are gone. Mom almost left. He left! [he says that like it's some big, unspoken truth that explains everything, realizing too late that she has no way of knowing who "he" is. still, he presses on.]

You're not leaving. Whoever this guy is, he isn't here. There's no reason for you to run after him!