You have to think of it this way it is really hard for someone who was bullied for most of their lives to come out of their shell, you see it more with adults than with kids especially when there's a quick transformation(like in our boy's case) or trauma involved. They tend to act as if they are still in that situation despite how attractive/rich/popular they are. So it makes sense that he wouldn't jump in right away... it is really brave of him to involve himself at all.