Thanks be to EBT.
"Come on."
He stands and puts his hand out again.
"Where?"
"Take my damn hand, Angela."
And I realize what he's doing.
I'm hesitant, but I do it.
Because while I don't deserve anything, he's offering his friendship.
"Where are we going?" I ask as he walks me to his car.
"I said we were gonna go somewhere and talk."
"But we just—"
"We didn't even scratch the surface. Besides, no real discussion can happen without ice cream."
"Ice cream?" I ask, absolutely confused.
"Yeah. Ice cream. It's the real man's dessert. It's manly."
I tuck my lips between my teeth to keep from laughing.
"If you can keep from teasing me, I'll even buy you a fucking Happy Meal."
"Okay," I say, smiling.
"I get the toy, though."