"Hey, Kenney."

"Hey, sis." I stepped inside when Charity opened the door wider to let me in. She was the only one home. Good. "I need a place to sleep." I handed her the baby. The only sleep that I had gotten in the past forty-eight hours was that twenty minute nap with Tiana. Just long enough for her to steal our shit.

"You look like crap, little brother."

"Feel like it, sis." I followed her into the kitchen.

When I walked up close to her, she backed away quickly. "Ew Kenney! You smell like crack."

I snapped quick. "The fuck else would I smell like, Charity? I been cookin' all damn day."

"Wallace is gonna lose his shit if he finds you over here smelling like that."

"What? Wait..." I put my hand on her arm and stopped her from grabbing dishes out of the cabinets. "What do you mean lose his shit?"

I stared at her. She stared back.

"What?" She didn't get what I was asking.

"Does he hit you?"

For some reason, my sister snapped just as fast as I did right then. "What the hell are you talking about, Kenney? Why do you have to be so damn extra all the time? No he doesn't hit me. The fuck is wrong with you?"

She stared into my wild eyes. I had had one hell of a forty-eight hours. She just didn't even know. I didn't want any shit from anyone. Not from her, and most definitely not from Wallace.

I decided to skip the breakfast that she was trying to make us at four in the afternoon, and headed up the stairs to keep the peace. She followed me.

"Don't follow me Charity."

"Hell is your problem, Kenney?" I kept walking. She followed me into Sammy's room and closed the door behind us. It still looked the exact same. They hadn't changed a thing, and mama refused to live anywhere else but in the home that she and daddy made for us.

I bet Wallace hated that shit. I could tell just by looking at him that he was used to nice things. A whole lot nicer than what we had.

I looked around the room and then back at her. "Charity, I'm not in the mood for this shit right now."

She snapped again, harder than the first time. "How the hell are you gonna come here yelling at me?" I wasn't even yelling. Charity must have been stressed, too. Angel didn't even wake up. That girl had been through way too much to be able to sleep that hard.

"Charity," I brought my tone down and tried to stay calm. "Don't yell in the baby's ear, ok?"

Charity looked down at Angel and bounced her up and down. "She's fine."

My eye twitched. Charity had about five more seconds.

"You heard about Tiana?" She kept bouncing the baby.

"What?" My eye twitched again.

"She's smokin'."

I just shook my head and then nodded it. Then I looked up at the ceiling. Of course she was. Where was God? He needed to come get me.

"What?" Charity stood in front of me, too close. I was feeling crazy and needed her to back up.

I must have been standing over the stove too long.

"She just..." My voice trailed off, and then I looked Charity in her eye. "She just took a straight drop from me. Like today. And you better not tell anyone."

Charity's eyes bugged. "Rico's gonna fuck her up."

I just stared at her. I couldn't have this conversation right now.

"Get the fuck out, Charity." I said it as calmly as I could.

"Don't fucking come to my house and tell me to get out of my sister's room!" She was shouting for no reason. Immediately after she said it, she looked like she wanted to take back the last thirty seconds of her life. "Kenney..."

My heart sank. I was too tired and too wired for this shit. But I needed a quiet place to sleep, and this was the only place I had.

"Kenney...I...I didn't mean that."

"She was my sister, too." I said it just above a whisper and locked my eyes with hers. "Just let me sleep, ok?"

Charity nodded and started bouncing the baby again. "Ok."

"Watch Angel for me tonight?"

"I will. I'm sorry." I had already laid down and tuned her out. "Kenney..."

I opened one eye and looked out from under the arm that I had flung across my face. "What?"

"Just...don't be here smelling like that when Wally B gets back, alright?"

"Aight."

And I went to sleep.