Broken Antler Fen keepkey

It wasn’t any surprise that Teya downplayed herself. It was a habit Bridget was used to but it would never cease to bring that familiar flicker of anger on her behalf. It wasn’t Teya’s fault she’d been raised to make herself smaller. But not for the first time, Bridget wished she could convince her that it was okay to take up space. Her feelings deserved room too.

That’s bullshit, Teya. Your kids deserve everything, but you do too. I know you wouldn’t make them prove it, to say that. So it’s pretty dumb to make yourself do any different. Her tone was more adamant than harsh, though a bit of the frustration did leak through. She’d never been great at masking that around Teya, likely why she’d make a shit therapist for anyone closer than an acquaintance. It required a disconnect she refused to feel.

It isn’t your fault that the world keeps shitting on you. You’re allowed to be angry about it. Bridget was sure she already knew that, but she said it anyway, hoping it might open up something. Anything that wasn’t this blank numb, familiar from the days when she’d folded herself into Reyes’ life.