The thought of seeing where Shanti lived sparked an interest in me. “Who else lives there?”

“Kat, Lena, and Chantel.”

Chantel, also known as Hello Titty. I couldn’t really picture Shanti living with that crew. Sounded like a lot of big personalities in one house. And then Shanti.

“How’s that?” I asked.

“What? Living with those three?”

“Yeah. Seems… crowded.”

“It is, I guess. Kat and Lena can be a bit bossy, but Chantel isn’t as out there as her roller name suggests.”

“Who you callin’ bossy, sis?” Kat’s arm was suddenly around Shanti’s shoulders. I couldn’t read her expression—if she was mad or amused or something else.

Shanti hesitated, but only for a moment. “You, obviously.”

“Girl, if I didn’t boss you around, where would you be?” She pulled Shanti in closer to her and gave her a noogie, which would have driven me up the wall. I hated shit like that. Shanti didn’t look like she loved it either. But after what she’d said about not needing help, I tried to restrain myself. My hands definitely got twitchy watching, though.

“Kat, stop—” Shanti pushed Kat’s torso, and her sister relented. I was relieved to see this, but still irritated.

“So sensitive, Shanti. Daya, did I mention how delicate my sister is? Like a soft, soft flower, right, sis?”

She must’ve hit one of those soft spots, because Shanti looked a little flustered for a second.

Ugh. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer, despite what Shanti had said. “She seems pretty tough to me.”

Kat cocked an eyebrow my way. Shanti glanced at me and I was relieved to see a tiny hint of appreciation, I thought. She shook off Kat’s words and straightened her spine. To Kat, she said, “Flowers are fucking stronger than you think,” and walked away. My eyes widened in amazement.

Kat forced a laugh, but not before I caught a moment of surprise in her face as well. The laughter faded quickly as she turned to me. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s not that strong. I wish she was.” She looked away for a moment and wiped the sweat off her forehead. I thought I saw a hint of something sad on her face. When her eyes came back to mine, though, it was gone, replaced by a hard look that I knew I’d mastered too. She took a step closer. “You don’t seem great at the soft stuff anyway. Here’s some advice, whether you want it or not: stick to the Daya who knows how to hit hard and protect her team. Don’t fuck things up by trying to be someone you’re not.”