Hushed Willows You are the reason.

Their eyes met, but only briefly. Sundance was swift to turn his face away, to turn his gaze elsewhere, and he held his breath with the fear of being reprimanded for such insubordination. This new guy, with all his cuts and scars, with his intimidating size, was easy to be afraid of.

In response to his question, the boy simply shook his head. No, he had not found this delicate little pebble, but it was precious to him in other ways. Sundance hadn't been asked to elaborate and so maintained his timid quiet, hoping silently that the scrutiny would end soon.