"Friends are priceless. You can't buy friendship, and you start being a jerk, you got someone there to tell you to pull your head in. That alone is worth a million random acquaintances," Mercedes said knowingly.

She was shrugging again, shaking her head. "Girl, I've got too much on my own adult plate to be worrying out what was on my teenage one. I ain't got the time or energy to be holding nothing against you. But then, you didn't screw me over as much as you did others, so I can't talk for them. All my friends have always had their own very passionate opinions on things. A few apologies might not go astray though, or a lil recognition that you did railroad a lot of people for your own gain. It's amazing how showing a lil remorse or apology to someone will go a long way. Only if it's genuine and not just coming 'cause someone like me told you to. That's when it just gets even more patronising. Y'all not surrounding yourself with people because you don't wanna deal with no conflict... Okay then. Still sounds like a lonely life."