Caleb thinks about that some more. Stacking emotions all day is exactly what he does. He finds brief reprieve in being alone — or with just a single person, someone he's familiar with — but by the end of the day, he's still shedding layers upon layers of other people's feelings. Some of them are easier to ignore than others. Some of them, he can use to help him through the day. Someone's focus keeps him take notes in class. Someone's excitement keeps him interested in a subject. Those feelings can keep the darker emotions at bay, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel them, isn't aware of them.

He twists the mood ring on his finger. It's a gag gift, but he still wears it, because it reminds him of Michael, and of that moment in the shop that he'd been able to sort through the tangle of colors to find and understand just one. It might not be any different than that.

"What d'you mean, like... try to feel something, then let go of it?"