The worst part is, Zetta IS being the reasonable party here. Even with the yelling. Who'da thunk it?

But he'd get no more rises from Nita. As she should have done to start with, she held her tongue, turned back to the makeshift desk, and tried not to cry.

"'M sorry for bringing Romeo into it," she said eventually, not that she looked to see if Zetta was there.

And, 'elsewhere', the peridexis felt juuust that much more guilt.

"If there's one thing I've learned about friendship from people trying to shove it down my throat, it's that friends aren't freaking perfect and friends forgive each other for not being freaking perfect!"

That was going to echo for quite a while.