Mike was waiting for Derrick to yell at him more but when he spoke next after Mr. Pheres departed, it surprised him. It genuinely surprised him. Derrick was so confident in talking with the girls at the school. He was much better at talking to them than Mike. Mike could talk to them from behind a computer screen but Derrick seemed . . . it was a front. Mike felt like an ass too.
His anger dissipated and he looked at the ground, "I dunno. My date with Ash was us playing games. I don't know what I'd do if she tried anything. I freaked out when she said she liked me. Didn't even reply. I don't really know what she sees in me." Mike's elation about a girl liking him was still there but it was accompanied by questions and concerns over if she really liked him.
"You're not pathetic," he added, "I still think you got more game than I do. I had the chance with a girl and I didn't freeze up but it was like just hanging out. So yeah, it didn't really count as a date."
He looked up at Derrick with a small smile, "Friends?"