Please excuse ANY grammatical errors.

September 30, 1992

~Cedric (K-Ci) Hailey's P.O.V~

A nigga feeling all left out and shit. Dalvin got Tionne, De got Tia, even though they ain't together. I'm over here missing Mary now. We may have our moments and bug out on each other, but Mary really understands me on a certain level. I do my dirt, but she really care for a nigga. I ain't even have nobody to get on the last ride with. Well there was JoJo, but that's my brother. It was dangerous but still...

"Restroom, Don." Tia told De from his back, her voice was hoarse due to her screaming. She used his big ass ears to steer him in the right direction.

"Oh, you was for real?" He asked.

"Yes, I was dead serious."

"That ride fucked up yo bladder, huh?" De chuckled.

"Mhm, let me down please." She told him and she let go of her legs amd she zoomed into the restroom.

"Damn, she really had to go!" I laughed.

"That shit was funny as hell. She was screaming loud as hell. I gotta piss myself from all that laughing." De laughed.

"Nigga, I heard. That shit was wild as hell. My head kept hitting the ceiling and shit. My body could have slipped through that window." I laughed as we walked into the men's room. We were all two urinals away from each other.

"I gotta take a fat piss." De said aloud.

"Yo ass was screamin' like a lil bitch!" I laughed, speaking to JoJo.

JoJo chuckled. "You are a lil bitch."

"You a even bigger one." I shot back.

"Yo De, I bet K-Ci a screamer. Sounding like a whole bitch." JoJo laughed out.

"Haha, that shit not funny." I said to JoJo.

Right after I said that, four other guys came in. Two of them used the two urinals between me and De. There was another on the other side of me and one next to JoJo. Two was white, one Asian, and the other one looked muxed race.

"You guys are part of JoDeCi, right?" The one next to De asked giving De eye contact.

Oh, hell nahhh! There are many rule when at a urinal, and they broke two. One: never stand next to someone. Two: NEVER make eye contract with another nigga with they/ your junk out. I shook myself off, tucked myself back in and flushed.

De frowned moving his head back in shock. "Yeah." De turned his back away from the dude.

The dude then looked over the urinal. "No wonder the ladies go crazy over y'all!" The dude exclaimed with a raised eyebrow.

I heard a zipper, assuming it De. "Nigga, you done crossed the line! Don't look at my shit. Fuck is wrong with you!?" De pushed him hard.

JoJo looked over to me with a knowing look. We already know what's about to go down. Ahh, hell! We gon' have to fight some niggas today! JoDeCi might be outnumbered but we ain't no punks!

The dude tucked himself in and laughed. "Hey, buddy, it was a harmless gesture!" The dude laughed.

"Harmless gesture my-" De cut himself off by swinging. He punched the nigga- well white dude square in the jaw.

The biracial dude came to swing on De, but JoJo swung on him before he could touch De. JoJo may be big, but when there's some fuck shit happening, he's quick. The other white dude was headed towards JoJo. I grabbed him and punched him. The Asian one punched JoJo in the back. There was a lot of arguing, punching, and stomping. The Asian dude karate chopped JoJo in his back.

"What's goin' on in here?" I recognized the voice of Dalvin. "Ah fuck nahh!" Dalvin ran all the way in and started swinging.

"Get in here!" I heard someone yell. The bodyguards finally came and broke us all up.

I don't know what the guards did to the dudes, I just knew they was gone. We was all huffing and puffing. One of the bodyguards stayed in here, while the other one escorted them out. I straightened my clothes out, and dusted myself off. I checked myself in the mirror, to make sure I looked good. A nigga still was looking fly as hell. Just as I was about to walk out De turned to me from the sink.

"Nigga you not gon' wash yo hands?" De said frowning at me.

Truthfully, I wasn't, but my answer stated otherwise. "I forgot." I went over to the sink and washed my hands.

"This nigga ain't forget, his ass was finna walk out." JoJo said laughing. "Damn, that dude karate chopped me in the shoulder. That shit hurt." JoJo said rotating his shoulder.

"I got kicked in my fuckin' head. I'm good though." De said cleaning the blood running from his eyebrow. He shrugged carelessly.

"One of 'em tripped my ass. My knees hurt. Shieeett." I winced. It hurts to walk.

"You let a nigga bring you to yo knees, who the bitch now?" JoJo said jokingly.

"What the hell happened? What lead to that?" Dalvin asked.

"Nigga looked over the urinal at me. I won't letting that shit ride. Ion play that gay shit. Them niggas mad weird." De said rotating his jaw. "It's over now though. Y'all good?" De asked us all.

"I'm good," I shrugged, the others agreed with me.

"I'm straight, yall straight, we all good all straight, so let's go." De shrugged, throwing the paper towel in the garbage.

We all went back outside like nothing happened. Tia's bodyguard was standing in front of the worried girls; Tionne and Tia. I'm assuming they wanted to go inside but he blocked them from doing so. The right thing to do.

"Baby are you okay?" Tionne asked going up to Dalvin.

"I'm fine baby. You see me, no bruises or nothing." Dalvin laughed then kissed her.

"Don, you're bleeding." Tia said walking up to De touching his face.

"I'm good." De said turning his head.

"Dude, you're bleeding. You aren't good. Come here." Tia grabbed his wrist and lead them to a nearby bench. That nigga was leaking.

"Yo, I said I'm good." De said to her grabbing her hands.

"Nope, sit down. You're swelling up." Tia instructed him, pointing to the bench. He sat down and she stood between his legs. She sat her purse thingy beside him and dug through it. He watched her every move.

"Is he staring at her booty?" I heard Tionne asked Dalvin.

"That nigga always doin' that." Dalvin shrugged.

"Fa' sho'." I laughed responding to Tionne.

Tia pulled out a mini first aid kit. "You carry a first aid kit on you?" I asked her.

"Always," she said focused on wiping his face with a cotton ball. She pulled out some alcohol wipes, ripped it from the packet, and ripped open the individual packet with her teeth. Oh, she a pro- PRO!Okay...

"Lift your head up." She told him.

"Chill, girl. I said I'm good." De frowned at her. She ignored him and lifted up his head. She wiped his eyebrow with the alcohol wipe. Okay, she really care for this big eared nigga.

"Nigga, let her do it! You WAS kicked in yo face." Dalvin yelled out.

"You were KICKED in your face!?" Tia asked him.

"Ye- that shit burn!" De winced, as she wiped his face with he alcohol wipe.

"Ahh, come on, it's just a little alcohol. De, calm down." She chuckled wiping the remains of the blood off.

"Oh yeah? Lemme swipe that shit across your face and see how you react." De mumbled.

"I've done this before, and didn't flinch." She said with a straight face and raised eyebrow.

"She got you there, De." JoJo said laughing. Tia placed a cotton ball and a bandage over his eyebrow. "Stop bitching!"

"Now y'all got matching eyebrows," I pointed out. She had a little scar on her eyebrow, and De was injured in the exact same place.

Tia laughed shaking her head. "Are you all okay?" She asked us.

"We good," JoJo answered for us.

"Nothing a bandaid can fix." I told her.

"Maybe we should leave." Tia suggested turning to De. "You did get kicked in the face. You're swelling up a bit."

"Nahh, I'm not gon' let them niggas ruin my fun. We gon' get our money's worth." De said standing up from the bench. We all began walking.

Dalvin shook his head. "She right, De-"

"Stop sweating me, damn... Now, I said I'm fine." De said laughing and shaking his head. "Hop on." He was telling Tia to get on his back.

"No, so you can drop me. You just got kicked in the head. No sir, I'll pass." Tia held up her hand.

"It was just the tip of the shoe. I'm good, get up 'ere." He told her.

"Alright!" She jumped up on him. "Again, if you drop me..." She lowered her voice more. She already talks pretty low, but I'm standing next to them so I heard her when she whispered. "I'm biting you." What the hell!? What type of freaky shit they be on?

"You biting niggas now?" I said with furrowed eyebrows. She turned her head towards me and laughed.

"Where was y'all at? Y'all gone a long time." Shawn and the rest of them came up to us.

"Damn, what happened to y'all!?" Wanya asked surprised.

"We don't look that bad, man." JoJo told him.

"Y'all look like shit. Clothes all wrinkled." Mike said shaking his head.

"We got into a fight with some people." De answered. "We good though."

"Damn, nigga look at yo eye." Nate (Nathan) said looking at De sideways.

"I know, I saw it. It's a lil swollen, I'm good though." De said walking off, with Tia still on his back.

"Damn, my brother is stubborn as fuck." Dalvin said to us shaking his head.

"For real. She just trying to help his ass. He should be thankful she helped his ass." JoJo added his two cents.

We stayed about two and a half hours more, and decided to cut it short. We have a show tomorrow after noon, and people keep trying to get to us. We just trying to have fun.

"I'm drivin' nigga. Throw me the keys." Dalvin told De.

"Nah-" De started.

"Please stop being stubborn and give him the keys." Tia told him.

"Man... Here!" He tossed Dalvin the keys. "People really pissing me off today. Treating a grown nigga like a child." De huffed getting in the car.

"Thanks big bro. Tia..." Dalvin nodded at her chuckling, getting in the drivers seat.

"You will be a'ight." Tia playfully rolled her eyes at De.

~DeVanté's P.O.V~

We were all in Tia's hotel room. When I say we, I mean JoJo K-Ci, Dalvin, Tionne, and myself. Tia's hotel was bigger, and had a kitchen. Me and JoJo order food and don't need a kitchen, so we didn't get a room with one. We not gon' be here that long anyway. Why these people treating me like I'm a whole child? I'm a grown ass man, with grownup responsibilities. I know when I'm good and when I ain't. I'm good, even though my face hurts like hell, and a little bit of dizziness. I'll be a'ight though.

I'm not even mad at none of them, that nigga in the bathroom ruined my whole mood. Who the fuck looks at another mans junk and comment on it!? That shit don't sit right with me at all. I wanna beat his ass again, especially after one of them kicked me in the face. My eyebrow still swollen, and I have to be onstage tomorrow. Now, I got to wear some big ass shades.

I was slouched on the couch bobbing my head to the music she had playing. It wasn't blasting, not low either, but loud enough to ne heard. The song changed from 'Shotgun' by Junior Walker & The All Stars to 'Don't Worry Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin. She did this on purpose, I know she did. She always try to make sure the people around her are comfortable and calm. I only knew her for nine months, but it feels like years. Sounds like they typical or cliché thing to say but it's the truth.

Tia goofily danced her way over while whistling to the song. She sat on her knees on the floor in front of me, but she was on the other side of the table. Goofily, because she can't dance worth shit. I laughed shaking my head. She placed a steaming plate of lasagna, and a full cup in front of her. She crossed her arms flat on the table, and smiled. Her glasses were sitting on her nose. She sat there for a while, just observing me. She couldn't see my eyes because of my slightly cracked, dark shades. She started whistling with the song and silently sang it.

"Hello." She finally spoke. I nodded back at her in response.

"Cat got your tongue?" She asked with the same expression, a smile. I shook my head no.

She sat up, her elbows on the table, and her chin rested on her hands. Her expression went back to that smile. "Hungry?" She asked.

"Starvin'." I nodded.

She pushed the plate towards me. "Here you go."

"Thanks," I reached down to grab it.

"You're welcome." She went back to her previous position, her arms flat on the table. "Don't worry, be happy.
'Cause when you worry your face will frown and that will bring everybody down. Don't worry, be happy." She sang looking up at me, still smiling. "C'mon Donald, you'll be fine. Stuff happens, although I don't know exact details, you're face will heal, and that anger will subside."

"I know, but right now it's still evident." I took a bite of the lasagna. She made it with hamburger meat this time. She wore nose plugs because she hates the smell of it. It makes her nauseous or some shit.

"Is it good? JoJo was the taste tester, since you're in a mood." She motioned towards JoJo.

"It's good." I mumbled taking another mouthful. I reached for the cup, but she grabbed it.

"Uhh-uhnn, what you doin'?" She asked rapidly blinking her eyes, moving the cup away from me.

"Gettin' something to drink." I said obviously.

"This is my cup. If you want something to drink, there's some in the refrigerator. Help yourself." She said putting her lips against the cup.

"I just assumed it was mine since you brought me a plate." I stated.

"You know what they say about assumptions..." She smiled.

"A'ight, you right." I got up and got something to drink.

"Y'all act like a middle aged married couple, I swear. Did y'all kiss and make up earlier?" JoJo said laughing and eating.

"Did you kiss and make up with your hairline? Y'all been fighting for like the past year now." I shot back, chuckling.

JoJo pulled his hat down. "A'ight you-" he paused. "I got nothing!" He said frustratingly throwing his hands in the air.

Just as I was sitting down, there was a knock at her door. Tia got up to answer it. I turned around and there was a dude at the door. "Where you been at lil girl? I came over earlier and there was no answer. I called and it went straight to voicemail." The dude asked.

"Minding my business, as you should be doing. I told mama, she didn't tell you?" Tia replied.

"Nope, I won a bunch of money at the casino, then I lost more than half of it. Aye, who all these dudes up in hea'?" The dude asked stepping in. I'm assuming it's her brother. They look similar. She did say her mama, brother and step parent came along.

"My friends," she told him.

"YOU, MY SISTER, got friends? As in more than ONE? My eyes and ears must be deceiving me." Her brotger said surprised.

"You're the one to speak?" She asked him with squinted eyes. "Y'all this this my brother Yadir. Yadir there's K-Ci, JoJo, Tionne, Dal, and De." She introduced pointing to each one of us.

"Wassup," K-Ci greeted.

"Sup man." He brother nodded at him. "Y'all dudes look familiar." He said with a thinking face.

"You probably know our music, or seen us on TV. We Jodeci." JoJo announced.

"Y'all rap?" Yasir asked us.

"Nahh, well we do rap a lil bit." I spoke up.

"Well then nah, I listen to all rap. I ain't ever heard of no Hodeci." He shrugged carelessly. What is wrong with this family? Him and her don't know who we are. I ain't trying to sound cocky or anything but we been all over. We hot right now.

"JoDeCi," Dalvin corrected.

"Ehh, same difference." Yasir responded. I looked at him dumbfounded. Nigga what? Same difference? What the hell this nigga talkin' about?

"Nah, I think I saw you at the sto' on a magazine. You, my sister, and Pac to be exact." He squinted his eyes at me. "As for y'all other two, y'all just look like the typical faces in the hood."

"Damn, it's like that?" JoJo laughed.

"Only way I know it to be. What y'all doin' hangin' around my sister?" He asked drinking from the bottle.

"Aye, this nigga cool." K-Ci nodded in approval. I think this nigga big as hell. I'm bot intimidated though. Ain't no nigga gon' make DeVanté Swing feel intimidated.

"We just chillin'." JoJo said nodding to the music.

Yasir looked at Tia like she was crazy. "Not that kind of chillin', you dumb butt! They're literally just here. You know me, so don't play me." Tia said to her brother with a deep frown on here face.

"Aye, they said it not me." Yasir threw his hands up and headed to the kitchen and grabbed a plate. "You got some more water in 'ere?"

"Seek and you shall find." Tia replied.

"Huh?" Yasir looked confused.

"Dude, look in the doggone fridge! Goodness..." Tia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you ain't gotta yell!" He replied in the same tone.

"I didn't, I slightly raised my voice." She laughed.

"Well, I was just gon' stop by and get my plate, but I think imma stick around a lil longer." He said sitting down on the couch getting comfortable.

"What for?" Tia asked.

"What kinda brother would I be to leave you be alone with three-fo' dudes? I basically helped raise you, so I have a right."

"Anyways," Tia ignored his question.

"So, how y'all meet her?" He asked us.

"I met her at her movie premiere for Juice. She tripped on the stairs, and before she fell to the floor, I caught 'er." I answered.

"Ahh, okay... We got a superman in the building. Saving people and stuff. Then what happened?" He asked looking at me.

"Dang, nosey behind..." Tia exasperated. I laughed shaking my head.

"Nosy? Nahh, I'm just curious." Yasir smiled.

"You sound just like this nigga." JoJo said pointing from Yasir to me.

"Anyways, we just started talking from there." I finished.

"That's not all that happened. This nigga was smitten at first sight. He was on his 'All I Do' Stevie Wonder type shit." K-Ci added.

Tia turned to me with raised eyebrows, "This is news to me. You for real?" She said turning away from me to K-Ci.

"If I'm lying, I'm flying, and the wind ain't picked me up yet." K-Ci shrugged.

"As if that's hard to do, with yo small ass. But he not lying, Tia." Dalvin spoke up.

"Oh, so you like my sister?" Yasir smiled with the corned of his lips turned down. "It's a'ight if you do, I'm not mad or nothing. Why you like 'er though?" He asked me.

"Frankly, I ain't care if you was mad or not." I said honestly. "That's between me, her, and God. No offense, bruhh." I told him pointing to Tia.

"There are a million and one reasons. Ain't none taken, BRUHH." He said loudly drinking his water. "Why you like my sister for?"

"There are a million reasons, but like I said before, it's between me, her, and the man upstairs. We know and that's all that matter." I shrugged taking off my shades.

"We both know, and talked about it. I don't ask you about all of those girls you brought home, do I?" Tia asked him.

"Nope, but I am. You like him too?" He asked her.

"That's between me and him." Tia responded. Damn, I really wanted to know what she was going to say. We never really disclosed that, now that I think about it. I mean, I would think she does, but as she said earlier about assuming...

"Alright, fair enough. Ha, I already know the answer to that. Well, my work here is done." Yasir said getting up. "You fuck with my sister, you fuckin' with me, our folks knee deep, and we 'on't play that shit this 'a way. All y'all." He said to everybody, but he was looking at me in particular.

"Shit ours is too, but I ain't on that shit that you implying. Our parents raised us better than that." I told him.

"A'ight, you a cool dude. I respect that, but don't get too comfortable." He said to me.

I wiggled around on the couch, and leaned back COMFORTABLY. "A man can be comfortable with his own approval, not somebody else's." I said leaning my head back, closed my eyes, and heavily sighed. "Thanks for the advice, man. 'Preciate it though. Nice meeting you." Intimidation and DeVanté Swing is never in a sentence together unless I'm the on doing the intimidating.

"Yas, what the heck is that supposed to mean?" Tia asked her older brother.

"Do I really need to explain?" He asked her. I opened my eyes and slightly and saw that Tia was frowning. "Exactly... See you lil bald head girl."

"See you brokey." She smirked and he walked out the door.

"Remember what I said!" He yelled out to us.

"Y'all forgive me for my brother. He's... Him. You know a big brother who's looking out. Once he gets to know you he doesn't act like that." Tia said to everyone.

"You good T. We all good over here." JoJo said patting K-Ci's chest. "Right fellas?" He asked us. They agreed.

"Yeah, I got one too, so I understand. We finna go too. Thanks T." Dalvin said standing up to hug her.

Tionne did the same. "Thank you girl."

"See ya," everyone exchanged hugs with her, being that we're leaving tomorrow after our show. I was still on the couch in my same position, because I'm staying longer than they are.

"See y'all!" I yelled out to them as they left out the door. As soon as the door closed, I sat up. "What did he mean when he said don't get comfortable?" I asked her.

Tia just shrugged her shoulders and sat down. "Mm-mm." She mumbled.

"Nah, is there something I should know?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"I mean, what thia dude meant when he said that? He not just gon' say that for nothing. Like he knows something I don't." I turned my while body to her.

"He's my brother, he knows a lot that you don't. Just like Dalvin know more than I do about you. It's nothing you should be worried about."

"We friends and eventually something deeper than that. Is there something going on that I need to know?" I asked her.

This isn't an argument, it is a simple discussion. We never argued, but got mad at each other a couple of times. There was not type of yelling going on between the two of us. There may have been a bit of raising voices but it never go too far. We know what buttons to not push.

She sat back in the one seated couch and crossed her right leg over tthe left one. "Donald..." She exhaled.

Author's Note: This chapter was a bit intense, right?

Word Count: 4,115

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