"Sure," Derek says with a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. "I'll come get her some morning. It'd be fun."

If nothing else, Derek could probably fall back on a career as an excellent dog walker. But he likes Jeff, and she's a good dog, so taking her for a few hours would be no trouble at all.

"How is school going?" Derek asks, propping his head up on his hand as he looks at her. He feels like he's too out of touch with all of his friends, and he needs to rectify that.