"Wh-- why?" Danny stumbled back, eyes wide. "I - but I want to help! Every time I've tried to do something useful when it counted, it did nothing! At best!" He clenched his hands into fists as he spoke, his voice pleading. "I don't want to be a dead weight anymore. I don't want to cry and be coddled every time something rips me out of my comfort zone!" He sighed, letting his hands drop to his sides.

"All I ever do is mess up. I'm almost sixteen. I need to man up and start doing things right. I thought... maybe if I was more like you..."