Before she could answer Theo, the waiter, a white woman with a tattoo of Wyoming on her forearm and burgundy lipstick smothered over thin lips, appeared and asked for her order. Sol hated when people didn’t know what they were ordering, so she ordered the same thing she had last time. Theo didn’t seem fazed by being rushed. Good.

“Not much,” Sol finally answered. Theo shrugged and eagerly chatted away, asking about everyone and everything except Kai. Sol didn’t fill him in. There wasn’t much to say.

Their food came quickly. The waiter informed them that she’d told the cooks to give them priority. “I like the way you look,” she’d answered when Sol asked why. Sol watched the slow shuffle of her hips as she walked away. She didn’t trust her.

“What’s wrong with you?” Theo asked as he prepared his burger, drenching it in hot sauce.

Sol glared at her meal. An oversized burger embedded in a sea of fries glared back at her. There was something pathetic about how stylish the burger looked: toasted brioche bun, crisp romaine lettuce, fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes. It was supposed to be a goddamn burger, not a pageant contestant.

“I’ve been dealing with some stuff, heavy stuff.” She paused. “But you know what? I’m good. I’m like, really good,” she declared, exiting the booth. “In fact, fuck this place and their mediocre, overpriced, overrated burgers. I want a fucking steak.”

“These prices really aren’t that bad,” Theo muttered, removing his wallet.

Sol groaned as he lingered to count out the money for their deserted meal. Theo never missed a chance to do the right thing. It was so annoying.

Outside, the rain continued, pattering softly on the trash-strewn sidewalk. Sol held her breath as she stepped over an army of roaches that was thorax-deep in a pile of discarded french fries. “Roaches are the worst,” she said, exhaling and pointing at the repulsive orgy of potatoes and chitin.

“Those are actually water bugs,” Theo said. Sol grimaced into a smile. That was something Nana would say.

They stopped at the intersection of McClendon and Moreland. Sol had never ordered a steak in a restaurant before. She wasn’t even sure where steaks were sold. Clueless, she pulled out her phone and searched “steakhouse.” The nearest and most highly rated result was Kevin Rathbun Steak, off of Krog. She hated Krog Street. Before juvie, she had made it her life’s mission to slash every wholesome mural on the street. But she’d since given up and ceded her mission to Zed. Those Living Walls murals never seemed to die.

“Where are you parked?” she asked Theo, who was facedown in his phone.

“Right across from Variety,” he replied.

“Cool, I found a place.”

He nodded and pocketed his phone. Sol knew calling Theo was the right choice. He never asked questions.