Boober opened his mouth to argue with her but the words died in his throat. Deep down he knew she was right. Even though some days he really felt like he was the only one in the whole Rock struggling while everybody else had it all together, he knew that wasn't actually true. He always felt horrible for thinking that way. He didn't mean to make it all about himself, especially when he knew his friends really did have problems of their own. It was just so hard for him to see it sometimes, when he felt like he was always lagging behind everybody else. Really he admired his friends for their different strengths, and sometimes he just wished he could be as strong as them...He wiped at his eyes, unsure what to say. The silence that followed began to make him feel so uncomfortable that he almost wanted to continue spewing out self deprecating comments just so he wouldn't have to sit in it. But he bit his tongue, not wanting to upset Mokey any further. He scooted away from her, out of her gentle embrace, squeezing his eyes shut and flapping his hands, trying to dispel some of the nervous energy that still hung heavy in his chest. After a moment he let his arms fall limp at his sides, his shoulders relaxing somewhat as he stared out in front of him, taking deep breaths "You know, Boober..I'm really proud of you, sweetheart." Mokey said softly after letting him breathe and get calmer for a little while. He turned to face her again, a strange mixture of emotions that he couldn't quite place swirling in his chest "...Wh-Why?" He asked, his throat feeling tight "Well, because every step you take towards a change you're wanting to make is progress, and you should celebrate that!" She explained, smiling warmly at him "And, you know, you don't ever have to swim if you don't actually want to, but even though it was something that was hard for you, you still made it this far! That was very brave of you." His face grew hot and he stopped looking at her, feeling too overwhelmed by her praise and her loving expression to hold her gaze. But he really did appreciate her kind words "...I-I wish.." He hesitated, trying to decide if he actually meant what he was about to say or if he was just riding the high of Mokey saying that he had been brave. After little thought though he determined that this really was what he wanted, and he took a deep breath "I wish I could've made it farther..." He ended up mumbling. When Mokey didn't immediately respond he quickly continued before he could talk himself out of it all over again, like he had many times before tonight "I-I mean I still want to..to..I-I do want to try to swim still.." He said, glancing at her again as he fidgeted with his scarf "Oh, Boober, really?" Mokey asked, with that cautiously enthusiastic tone that she always used when she was really happy for him for going out of his comfort zone but didn't want to overwhelm him with her often over the top encouragement. He nodded, though he began to feel a little sick again at the idea of actually getting in the water. Mokey scooted closer to him and placed a steady hand on his back, and he suddenly realized that he was trembling "I know you're nervous..deciding to try that is a pretty big deal, huh.." Mokey said kindly, rubbing his back again. He thought she was really good at that...At talking to him in a way that didn't make him feel as ashamed for being scared...He nodded again, letting out an anxious whine as he leaned into her, resting his head against her once more. Mokey began stroking his hair "..Hey, you said that one reason you were feeling worried about it was because nobody would be here to help you if you needed..So do you think it'd help you feel better if I went out there with you?" She asked, wrapping him up in a gentle hug. He felt a wave of relief wash over him at the suggestion, the tension in his shoulders lessening slightly as he buried his face into her sweater.