Ellie's smile fades to something more serious as she listens. She touches her heel over Clarisse's toes, not quite a squeeze but something similar.

"Man. What a shitty thing to go through."

She wets her upper lip, hesitates.

"I never met my real parents. I don't even know my dad's name. I've never even seen a picture of my mom. But- that's different, from knowing they're out there and they could see me and they just. Didn't bother."