DEMI

It was barely 10AM.

Nobody had really slept. They didn't even leave my apartment until 4 after I forced them to leave.

The clink of forks against ceramic was the only sound in the restaurant for a while.

Devon was the first one to speak, his voice scratchy and low like he was scared to say it too loud. "Sooo... what did you end up doing with Sinnimon?"

"Mmm." I chewed slowly, then swallowed. "I made her turn herself in. I sat in the parking lot and waited till I saw her get arrested."

Empress shifted next to me, resting her chin on her palm. "But what about the bruises on her face?"

"Told her if she opened her mouth about where she got 'em from, I'd give her some more."

Jada snorted into her juice. "Damn."

We all ate for a few minutes after that—quiet again, less tense.

Until Jada randomly leaned back in her stool and side-eyed me, lips twisted up. "You know what? I'm scared of you."

Devon choked on his eggs laughing.

"Forreal." she went on, grinning now. "Where the hell you learn how to beat a bitch ass like that? Like—head slam to the wall? That was some Euphoria shit."

"I don't just exercise with my trainer. He teaches me self-defense too."

"Well tell your trainer they created a monster in stilettos." Jada's face dropped mid-laugh when she saw Dillon walking up to our table.

"You lost, gang?" Devon twisted his face up.

I wiped my hands with my napkin and stood up. "I told her to come."

Empress eyebrows furrowed. "For what?"

"I told her not to come inside. Just to wait outside." I said simply, already turning toward the door. "Y'all chill here. I'm about to go talk to her."

I didn't say anything else. Just walked off. But before I could even make it halfway to the door, I felt a strong tug at my wrist.

"What the f—?"

Empress.

She had followed behind me so quietly I didn't hear her. She yanked me back with a grip too tight to be casual and started pulling me in the opposite direction.

"Em, where are we going?"

She didn't answer. Just opened the single bathroom door near the back of the restaurant and pushed me inside with her, locking it behind us.

My back hit the wall lightly as I stared at her in confusion. "Empress, what the hell are you doing?"

"No, Demi. What the fuck are you doing? Because what you not finna do is go out there by yourself like she didn't just help set you up."

"Em..." I started, but she cut me off before my mouth could even finish shaping the next word.

"No. Don't Em me." she snapped, stepping in closer. "A lot happened last night and I need you to slow down.  Stop doing that private investigator shit like we didn't talk about this before."

"You don't trust me?" I asked.

"I trust you more than I trust damn near anybody." she said. "I love this upgrade you but I'll slap some sense into you if I have to."

"You'll what?" I asked, half-shocked, half... turned on?

"You're not Batman. We're both going out there to talk to her." She crossed her arms with a straight face.