"It's beyond that," Nathan agreed, straightening his posture some just to hide how much he wanted to deflate right about then. "Worse still, because of the situation she has back home, I'm not certain that I'd be doing her any favors by showing her that her classmates do care. And not because of plans to be made or favors she could potentially do for them. They just care for a friend."

It was kind of heartbreaking. And Nathan would never in a million years admit that.