Neil adds a fair amount of sugar to his, and just a little cream, until the coffee changes colors. He curls up a little bit, but Beau is still giving him attention and he doesn't really want to dislodge the dog because it's comfortable and nice. He sips the coffee after a moment.

"We didn't even do anything," Neil says, after a long, protracted silence. It's sullen and bitter to say. "I didn't even have to cut anything I wouldn't want to talk to with a teacher out, because we didn't do anything that night, after church. We just went back to mine, and in the morning I tried to make breakfast like my mom always did, because I thought that'd be nice, because he took me to church."