I don’t remember if she ate breakfast with us, I do remember the coffee.

I also remember Josh was the only one who voiced bein’ pissed she was with us, this after we all got over the fact she was with us.

So, when they got back to the booth, Josh shot off his mouth.

Preach was screwin’ himself up, ready to rumble, but Lyla got in there first and said, “I just called my friend to come get me.”

“Good,” Josh says. “Maybe you can wait outside for her.”

That was Josh. Wouldn’t leave it alone.

Lyla had tried.

“And maybe we can leave your ass here when we go to Lafayette,” Preach shoots back.

“You are fuckin’ kiddin’ me,” Josh says.

“Just shut up, would you?” Tim says to Josh.

“No bitches, it’s the rule,” Josh says to all of us.

Preach starts screwin’ up again, because in general he did not like women to be called bitches, and Josh knew that.

Referring like that to Lyla?

Shit.

Tommy gets into it then.

“If you know what’s good for you, just shut the fuck up, Josh,” he says.

“I see how it is,” Josh says.

“You’ve got no fuckin’ clue,” Tom says. “But you better get one, and fast.”

Well, Lyla, she does not like this shit.

Not at all.

Not about her, but just sayin’.

Not at all.

Conflict was absolutely not her scene.

She forces down a few more sips of her coffee and then says good-bye to everyone and she and Preach slide out.

He stands with her outside and he’s got her hair held at the back of her head all bunched up in his big fist and it’s not a secret.

Everyone knows.

All of us, at some point, ’cept Josh and Tom, crushed on her.

That’s when mine began.

I wanted to be the man standing with her outside that diner while she waited for her ride, resting my forearm on her shoulder, my fingers in her hair.

But, you know, Preacher was gentle with women. Saw it with my mom and sisters. Saw it with him and all his chicks.

The only time I ever knew him to use his powers for what could be considered nefarious reasons was when he told a girl who wanted him to go down on me.

But that was Preach.

His brother was in need, anyone he cared about was in need, he went all out and dealt with the moral consequences later.

Case in point, dealing with Nick.

But I’ll tell you, I never saw him like that with a girl.

There was usually a lot more PDA for one.

Boiling it down, she was China to him before she was China to the rest of the band, that’s all I’m sayin’.

Her ride comes and Christ.

I mean, Christ.

Watchin’ those two say good-bye.

Christ.

We didn’t know.