Rose swallowed nervously at Iris' reaction and knew she'd messed up. She turned more to face Iris herself, and tried to explain. "No- I mean... That's why I wanted to talk to you. I'm just... I'm really scared, Iris." She tried to explain, her voice soft. "When my mother graduated, she lost everything she had. Her parents died, her twin brother abandoned her, took off in the middle of the night without a goodbye. She didn't see him again for ten years."
Rose sighed, drawing her knees up to her chest. "Mother sold her childhood home and left for college, where she met Father, and everything worked out. But graduation- it always runs rough in my family. My sister struggles, my brother- well, he's always been an idiot, I think that might have cushioned things for him a bit. I just... Graduation itself is terrifying to me." She tried to explain, staring sadly at a brick across the room. "And honestly... nothing scares me more than the thought of losing you. I know I would never want to lose you, I guess... I've just been scared and on edge, and fear... fear does silly things. Like try to convince me that graduating will change how you feel for me." Rose looked away, swiping at her teary eyes.
