You've been thinking about this a long time. That's what you tell yourself, at least. But if you're honest, you'd just been putting off thinking about it for a long time. You don't want to make this choice, you desperately don't want to make this choice. But there's no time to back down now. You put your arms out so that Dave can get the bracelets off of you, and as soon as he goes to work, you start talking. "Dave... im staying," you start off. "I decided last night. I always based everything on these not being my friends, on Jane and Dirk being some twisted, out of control, unreal versions of my friends. But... Dirk and Jane are in there," you punctuate that sentence with a nod to the indicated parties, both frozen for differing reasons. "I know they are. And that's why I have to stay, because I know I can convince them. I know I can do some good here." You pause to look at Dave's face, and you find you can't meet his gaze. "I'm still for the rebels," you defend, pushing down the sob rising in your voice. "I'm just... working from the inside. An advocate. I have to be," you finish, sighing and looking at the floor and watching as your cuffs drop and clatter.
