“Around the corner.” She stomped over to the church’s shadowy side yard, assuming I’d follow.

I almost walked to my car. She was bossing me around all crazy, everybody watching. Sure, our conversation might be private, but her owning me in front of the Purity Pledgers was public domain now.

Facing Jameer, I gave the “what’s up?” shrug. He only shook his head.

Fine. I rounded the church, ended up under a bulging globe fixture that anchored an orbital spiderweb and drew a squad of moths in its wash of yellow light. Kiera poked a finger in my chest hard enough to hurt. “Delbert Rainey, I know what you’re doing, and I want you out of this class. Gone. Tonight!”

DEL-bert RAIN-ey! Spoken like our first-grade teacher, Mrs. Martin, used to say it. The way I hate.

I felt the strangeness of how little we’d been around each other, even to say hi, the last few years. Struggled with how little sense this conversation made.

“People call me Del now.” It was all I could manage.

If she called me out about trying to get with her, I’d deny it. Double down. As Qwan said way too often, die with the lie.

She said, “I know about how you and your boy Qwan are out with different girls every weekend. People still talk about that little orgy you two were in at Tanisha Thompson’s freshman year. And I know you’re only in this class so you can ‘get your stats up’ or however you nasty boys talk about your escapades.”

“Get my stats—what?”

“Right. Play dumb.”

I wasn’t playing, though. She said so much in that one breath it actually made me dizzy. “You’ve got it all wrong, Kiera.”

“I don’t think so. You and Qwan have reputations.”

Qwan. Qwan had a reputation. Him. I was his transportation. I couldn’t say that, though. Bro Code. You didn’t throw your friend under the bus to save your own ass.

“If you two want to be man-whores in this state and the next, it’s not my business. But I won’t let you be a predator with them.” She pointed back the way we came, to her girls. “All they see is a cute boy who’s rough around the edges and obviously hasn’t been properly churched. You want to keep up your little charade, I can’t stop you, but you won’t get near them. I’m betting once you see there are no easy targets here, you’ll get bored and move on. So save yourself some time and get to stepping now. Before your nose gets busted by something worse than a basketball!”

She smacked me in the chest and stomped away. I stood there a moment longer, stunned. Maybe for the wrong reason.

All they see is a cute boy who’s rough around the edges . . .

Was that their assessment, or hers?

“Del.” Jameer lingered at the building’s corner. “You ready?”

Kiera wouldn’t bother looking at me, though all the girls she wanted me to stay away from were. I went for my car and settled behind the wheel. Jameer drifted into my passenger seat all feathery, with a big ole grin.