"Uh, HIV, right now at least. I'm doing okay, my doctor gave me an estimate if I keep going like I am but I'm stubborn, I'll beat it." He wasn't going to take those meds. All of his mates that did, they ended up dead. And he wasn't going to die so soon. "It's just -- I mean, I ate enough? I had the wagon wheel. Well, almost all of the wagon wheel."

He finished the last bite, just to show Holden. "See, look, ate it."

He put the wrapper in the trash, struggling to process how Holden spoke about it. He wasn't disgusted or horrified, just himself. How did he even react to that. "I can eat when I'm home. It's cool. Thanks... I'm not used to that. Most people react with disgust. I've lost almost every mate I had that didn't already die from it."