Carson chewed the inside of his cheek for a second, and in that moment he was sorely tempted to just be petty. It would have been easy to accept the offer of baked goods but flippantly tell Eric to leave, that is presence was no longer welcome or necesarry. But at the end of the day, as irritated as he was, as humiliated as he had felt when he had landed on his ass after getting decked, none of that had actually been the older boy's fault. Maybe his presence could have helped, but as much as Carson liked to daydream, he had no time or room in his life for what-ifs or maybes.

"I didn't say I wasn't accepting your apology, or saying we aren't friends." He said evenly, and despite his better judgment he couldn't fight down the tiny hint of an exasperated smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. With a snort he pushed up and away from the counter and wandered closer to inspect the tupperware on the table, his attention lingering on the wrapped package for a second as he investigated the baked goods.

"I had a shitty night and being pissed at you was convenient," he admitted carefully. "It wasn't awful, but kinda shitty. It could have been worse, I guess. There were no Carrie moments." He flashed an sardonic grin at the other boy before tugging at the pie tin for a closer look. "The fact it was my birthday wasn't even a big deal. Okay, so maybe I had the idea that I'd spend it with a friend instead of at the dance alone. But that wasn't on you because I didn't tell you." Chewing his lip for a second he shrugged and looked away. "I just figured you had bailed because you didn't really want to go, and I was mad." Truthfully, his anger stemmed more from the thought that if anything, Eric just hadn't wanted to go with him. "But it isn't your fault. I get that. I'm irritated, but I'm not mad."