After making that grand speech to Henry—promises about justice, resilience, standing tall despite adversity—Alex felt like he'd just acted out the final scene of some B-grade hero flick.
He stared straight ahead as they walked, trying to maintain his dignity, but internally?
Cringe.
A full-blown secondhand embarrassment directed at himself.
'What the hell was that performance?' he thought, mentally smashing his head against a brick wall. 'You're still standing, aren't you? That means you haven't given up.' He groaned inside.
'Seriously, Alex? You sounded like a righteous dad from a bedtime moral story. All that was missing was dramatic background music and a slow zoom-in on my face.'
He glanced sideways at Henry, who was still wide-eyed and clearly moved by the speech.
'Great,' Alex thought. 'At least the audience of one appreciated it. Thank god no one else heard me or I'd have to dig a hole and jump into it headfirst. Maybe seal it shut while I'm at it.'
