>>530567224 >Usually, she kind of likes the way Kris just lets her do things >Tonight though, it's making her more sad than anything >She intentionally carries him out of the house with Kris facing away from his mom >Buckles him in the passenger seat of her ratty-ass pickup >It only takes two attempts to start it >The noise of the engine masks the awkward silence a bit >For a while, Dess just drives around town, trying to figure out what to do >She ends up stopping just past the dirt road to the lake >She grips Kris' hand tight and takes him on a walk around the woods >She does all the talking as always, but Kris isn't sniffling anymore >Eventually, they end up back at the lake itself >"Hey, Kris. Watch this." >Dess picks up a flat stone and tosses into the lake >It drops directly into the water with a "bloop" >Dess looks irritated >Kris snickers >The sound immediately shifts her mood >"What's that, huh? You say something, nerd?" >She chases Kris around for a little while, both of them laughing and giggling >Dess just collects the boy when she gets bored of pretending to chase him >He doesn't seem to mind >Dess sighs, Kris still feeling light in her arms >This wasn't exactly what she wanted to do with her free evening >At least he's feeling better now >She takes him back to her house for the night >He plays games on her PC while she hangs out and listens to music on her bed >Just as Dess is starting to fall asleep, a new weight on her bed stirs her awake >Kris cuddles in close to her >She puts an arm around him >Dess gets the first good night's sleep she's had in a long time >She decides then and there to be nice like this way more often
