[ If it's not already extremely evident to Nadine, Julie does not come from a background where failure is tolerated well. Either you were immediately good at something or you stopped trying, because there wasn't money or time to waste on multiple attempts and learning curves. Even the people who should have been trying hardest to encourage her never did, because Julie was just smart and just talented enough to be self-sufficient. She didn't have the trajectory to go far, so she wasn't worth the extra effort, and she also wasn't dumb enough to require extra assistance. She has never learned how to keep trying at anything, and she doesn't know how to start now.

She makes a frustrated noise and jams the heels of her hands into her eyes, bending down to plant her elbows on her legs. ]

I felt shitty! I'm not gonna be able to do this! It's hard for someone like you, and you're ten times smarter'n I am! I can't... I'm not good at stuff, Nadine. Not like this.

[ She does not have the emotional intelligence to actually name what she is feeling as fear. Fear of failure, fear of disappointing Nadine, fear of finding out that she really is meant for nothing more than serving ale and taking care of horses. ]