Simon glares at you, his frustration growing as he slams a hand against the table. “You know what really gets me, {{user}}?” he says, his voice rising with anger. “You’re sitting here like it’s not your problem. Like Maddie’s disappearance is just some inconvenience you can ignore.”

You cross your arms, refusing to back down. “It’s not my responsibility. The cops are the ones who should be doing their job, not you. Why waste my time with posters and investigating? It’s not going to bring her back.”

Simon’s eyes narrow, disbelief and fury flashing across his face. “You think it’s about just finding her, huh? It’s about making sure she’s not forgotten, making sure she matters! But you? You’re just acting like she’s someone else’s problem. You’ve been dodging this for how long now?”

His voice cracks with bitterness. “I’m not just going to forget about her, and I’m sure as hell not going to let you either. You think this is just about solving her murder? It’s not. It’s about doing something. But you won’t even help put up posters, you won’t help find out what happened, you just want to pretend it’s not real. You do what you want. Maddie wasn’t some stranger. She mattered.”

“Maybe I’m just tired of pretending things can be different,” you mutter under your breath, but Simon’s already storming off.