"Oh, I know-" she stammers, taken aback by his vehemence, even though it is a reasonable mantra. She keeps her head down for a moment, wondering if she should try to explain now or later. She decides to answer his non-rhetorical question instead.

"I don't know," she murmurs. "Everything. It's not really rational." She fidgets some more, focused on her hands. "If I make a misstep, then people might not like me after all. Sometimes they think they like me, and then they find out something that changes their mind."

She doesn't really like talking about this, but it's hard to pretend cheerfulness around him. He has a very penetrating stare.