I'm okay. [ it sounds less cheerful, though. almost forced, like someone who refuses to admit the alternative. her voice wavers at the end. ] Why wouldn't I be okay?

[ because you drank half a bottle of high-end, high-octane bourbon on an empty stomach and you haven't fed in two days, caroline. because you're a weepy, insecure drunk with rejection issues. ]

I'm not — I got out, right? I'm not in that stupid cage anymore, nobody's shooting at me, I'm — I'm okay.

[ overshare??? ]