"What!?! Jesus f- Are you serious?"
Tapiwa winced and squeezed her eyes shut for a second. It was still early morning and after failing to catch any sleep last night following the dinner revelation, her head was pounding. It definitely didn't appreciate her friend's raised voice.
"Please don't shout," Tapiwa begged.
"I'm not shouting," Nicole responded, her voice still within range of being considered a shout. It was as though her friend was too shocked to control her volume. Not that Tapiwa could blame her.
Still, Tapiwa rubbed at her right temple and tried again. "Calm down, Nicole. I really need your help right now. I didn't come to be shouted at. Could have easily gotten that at home."
"Wait, does your family know about this?" Nicole asked, sounding horrified, her eyes
