[He feels a strange, sharp twist of his insides at the voice. He wasn’t a coward, he reminds himself; a real man found the courage to own up to his mistakes.] Listen... uh...

[Swallowing, he wills himself to press on after a moment.] About… about what happened a couple days ago... m’real sorry. I was a jerk an' a bully. I didn't mean t'do any a' that t'you ... I wasn’t myself… but that don’ make what I did any less wrong. [Even a deep breath feels shallow. I would a’ talked to y’sooner, I should a', but… I didn't- -I was… [He peters off helplessly.]