“I guess. It was stupid.”

“You’re correct.”

Zoey wasn’t crying anymore. She made a gurgling sound that seemed suspiciously like agreeing with her mama’s point.

I said, “Should’ve listened to you from the beginning.”

Shianne jerked forward, a single eyebrow arched. “About what?”

“When you said Kiera wasn’t worth it.”

She ceased her baby wrangling, considering it. “I didn’t say that. I never said that about her.”

“I mean, you said she was uptight.”

“I did. That doesn’t have anything to do with her worth. I thought you’d like a different kind of girl. She all churchy, and you aren’t.”

“She ain’t that churchy.”

Shianne’s eyes narrowed, but she was quiet.

I said, “You should’ve heard the way Mason and his dickbag army were talking about her. I can’t figure why she put herself out there like that over that dude. I thought she was smarter than that.”

“So you think she’s stupid now?”

I shrugged. “What would you call it?”

“Del, you may not want to hear this, but Mason’s ridiculous hot. Sometimes, that overrides common sense. I should know.” Zoey cooed as if she agreed.

What the hell, Shi? I didn’t come here to talk about Mason being hot. “Well obviously it wasn’t worth it. And me, like a dummy, defending her when it was really true.”

“Aren’t you noble.” It was tense, sharp. Zoey started crying again.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me.”

“I’m saying she’s a liar. She played me.” I grazed my puffy eye with my fingertips. “I got this because of her.”

“Want me to get you a cookie?” She picked up the baby, rocking her. Shielding her, almost. “I should tell you how great you are. That’s what you want me to do, isn’t it? Give you a trophy. Because you’ve never said crazy disrespectful things about any girls the way Mason did. Right?”

Something had changed in the room. A different kind of pressure. Storm clouds. “What you acting mad at me for?”

“You don’t even hear yourself.”

“Yo, am I bothering you? Should I leave?”

“You should if you came here for me to cosign on your fake heroics.”

“Fake—? I was trying to keep Kiera’s name from being dragged through the mud.”

“You just called her a liar and said she wasn’t smart. You’re dragging her fine on your own.”

“Shianne, stop twisting everything I say. I know you’re tired from the baby and all, but you acting like I did something to Kiera.”

“Wowwww! I can’t have an opinion about this nonsense you brought to my doorstep. I must be tired, and not thinking clearly. It can’t be that you’re wrong. Why exactly did you want to come here, Del? Why am I suddenly worthy of cologne?”

“I thought I was coming to see my friend.”

“So, it won’t bother you if my dad doesn’t pay you.”

You know what, screw this. I went for the door, but spun and faced her again, needing to get this off my chest. “I don’t get y’all. For real. All of you say you want a nice guy, but you can’t see one sitting right in front of you, then get mad at us when we tired of the bullshit.”