The response was severe enough that Claire's eyes flew open and she nodded quickly, showing that she understood, hoping that Cissie wasn't too traumatized by the suggestion. It had been made innocently, after all, just Claire trying to figure out what was going on around her so that she could adjust her behavior. Learn how to address people, when to step away to provide for moments of intimacy— it was all part of the surprisingly complex social dance that high school entailed. Raising both hands, she leaned slightly back, teeth grit for a moment in apology.

"Sorry! Sorry," Claire blurted out. "I get it, the whole... best friend, almost like a brother thing. It's just that I know there's someone on this island that he kind of has those feelings for and it's best to be careful around people when they've got a crush or are involved and I just wanted to be careful. Your name sounded familiar and I'm pretty sure the girl's blonde. So I asked. I'm really sorry."