Please excuse ANY grammatical errors.

January 24, 1995

~DeVanté's P.O.V~

I stood in front of the Step &  Repeat wall that read 'Above the Rim', while the photographer's and reporters took pictures. They asked a few questions and of course I didn't speak. Jodeci was just supposed to show up together but Dalvin came with Tionne, K-Ci with Mary, and Jojo with Tiny. JoJo and Tiny are back on good terms for now. It's always something with them, all three of these couples. I'm not going to lie, a nigga feel a little left out, but I'll be fine. Sometimes things don't go as planned, I just wished they informed me they were going to bring dates.

Everybody I knew brought dates. Pac even brought Keisha, which is surprising because he don't like people to know who's he's with. Suge ass got two women on each arm. There are bunch of important people here. Who would've though Michael Jackson would come to a hood-based movie? Not me, that's for sure! Biggie, Puffy and the rest of they're clan is here. I just hope no shit start between them and Pac. Pac wholeheartedly believes it was them in on what happened to him back in November.

Tia walked to the red carpet with her family and guards. I'm not going to lie, she looked good as fuck, but I'm still mad at what she did. She's fine and body on shine mode, similar to a Krispy Kreme donut. Her lips are covered in a red color with silver sparkles. She's wearing a black velvety off the shoulder dress with one long sleeve, a white and silver diamond encrusted choker with other matching jewelry, and heels to match her jewelry. You KNOW I have to mention her titties, them things sitting up. Her thighs were making an appearance. They'll fit perfectly around my- SOMEBODY'S head. Don't get me started on the booty.

(Tia's DRESS)

Her brother and pops got on some some fly velvet suit. I would look fly in some shit like that. Her mother also has on the same material except she's more covered up. Her mom's look nice too, lost weight since I last saw her. We'll, I on think it's kind of corny for grown people to be matching if they ain't in a group/band. Her friend Elijah is also here wearing some bright ass clothes. Anyways the movie don't start until a little later so everybody here is pretty much early. Early as in here 15 minutes late. This place is mostly black folks and we don't like to wait on time, time waits on us.

I'm for sure going to the after party because I need a fucking break. I'm stressed the fuck out and need some fun time. I have people under my label plotting to leave for some bullshit. All I did was slap a few motherfuckers and now they want to leave. They not telling me this, but they live with me so I was bound to find out. Not everybody is planning on it, but that nigga Stevie is the one to egg them on.

Crazy how somebody you been rocking with would change on you in a heartbeat. It's not like I'm the one that hit his ass that was K-Ci. If Stevie want to screw somebody shit up, he could've did it to K-Ci not me. I'm not saying that I want K-Ci shit to fail either. Another thing that's fucking up my label is that the record company I'm under is making my label members choose.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "See somethin' you like?"

I looked up to see Tia looking at me with an irritated expression from across the room. I didn't even know I was still staring at her. A nigga was stuck in his own thoughts to even notice. I looked away from her like it never happened. I shrugged JoJo off my shoulder.

"Fuck is you in my ear with that mumblin' shit? Nigga, you know ion play that..." I looked at him funny.

"Man... Fuck outta here with that." JoJo waved his hand at me as a dismissal.

"Yo ass just mad that you got caught staring." K-Ci said laughing.

"Admit it bro, you miss her." Dalvin chuckled. "Ain't nothing wrong with that if she ain't do what you said she did." He eyed me.

"You sayin' I'm lyin'? She literally admitted what she did." I frowned at him.

"Hey, I didn't say anything. You the one that's implying it." Dalvin held his hands up in defense. "Don't put words in my mouth man."

"Nahh, this nigga only want her to fuck. He still got a case of Jungle Fever with ol' girl." Lisa butted in.

"Fuck is YOU doin' here? And you ALWAYS in somebody business. Shouldn't you be somewhere burnin' up somebody house?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, somebody hand me a pen." Lisa said to nobody in particular. Dalvin felt around on his body, pulled out a pen, and handed it to Lisa. "What's your address?" Lisa smirked and tilted her head at me. Everybody started laughing. I just don't like this bitch, but I have to tolerate her.

"Don't get fucked up De. She crazy as hell and will do that shit. Did y'all see the way she bragged about that shit? AND she had a whole smile while explainin' what she did!" K-Ci said through laughs.

"Yeah, you a little off Lisa..." Dalvin frowned at her. Tionne hit him on his arm.

"If a nigga did me the same way I'd do the same thing." Tionne butted in. "Ain't that right Dalvin?"

My mouth dropped. "Damn, I guess K-Ci and JoJo not the only ones with a crazy women on they arm." I side-eyed him.

"Y'all talkin' like I'm not right here." Andre Rising said to us.

"All y'all women crazy, I'm gettin' the fuck away from y'all before y'all burn," I looked at Lisa, "or stab me." I looked at Mary. "And if I were you, Andre, I would've pulled a me and left before things get more crazy." Then I walked off. "Crazy ass broads..." I shook my head.

I went to the consession stand to grab some snacks. Only there was a line so I had to wait. Black people do wait on time after all, or is it people I'm waiting on? Probably both... After a while of waiting, I finally was able to get my snacks and head to the theater room. This is the same theater that premiered the 'Juice' movie. I started walking up the stairs and somebody in front of me fell back making me drop my popcorn and all the other shit I waited in line for. It was Tia who made me drop all my damn popcorn. I looked down at her in my arms and heavily sighed, ignoring my heart palpitations. I lifted her back up to where she was back on her two feet.

"Thanks." She spoke to me in her soft tone.

We looked at each other awkwardly but it wasn't really a bad awkward. Look at her looking at me the way she is, shes trying to get back on my good side. I wish she stops looking at me like she's doing. Maybe I'm misreading her expressions or maybe I'm correct.

"Look, maybe you should stop wearing heals and you wouldn't keep falling on people." I rolled my eyes and quickly picked up my stuff. "And next time watch where you goin'..." I began to walk back in the direction I was coming from.

"I'll have you know that this is only the second time this has happened." She told me and rolled her eyes. "Such an asshole." She scoffed. I face forward again.

I needed some more popcorn and her falling on me made me notice I forgot my drink. Luckily, I didn't have one because we'd both be a sticky mess. Right now she's just covered in a few of my seeds that flew in the air. (🤣🤣🤣 I'm cracking the heck up while writing this part.) I dusted off my clothes while waiting in line.

"De?" I turned around and it was Danny Boy.

"Wassup man?" I moved everything I had to one hand. "I ain't even know to ass was in NYC."

"Yeah, I came with Suge ass." He chuckled.

"I'm surprised you ain't got nobody on yo arm. Everybody seems to have brought somebody but me." I chuckled.

"Nahh, man, these bitches crazy as hell. I ain't fuckin' with them right now." Danny laughed.

I thought back to Mary and Lisa. "You ain't lying." I shook my head laughing. I turned back around but he just kept talking. DeVanté ain't in the mood to make small talk right now.

"What's the REAL reason you ain't bring no date?" He asked me. I turned my head to look at him and he held a funny expression.

"Because nobody informed me that they was coming with a date. It was supposed to just be me and the fellas. Nigga, I could het any bitch I want. I'm attractive as hell." I popped my collar with my free hand.

"Yeah, you ain't lyin'..." He trailer off, slowly shaking his head.

I gave him a weird look and turned my head to face the front. Fuck is that supposed to mean? He kept talking, only I wasn't listening. I nodded my head here and there to seem like I was for a while, then I just stopped. He'll get the hint eventually. I would usually be my rude self and tell people off but not today. After getting more popcorn, and a DRINK, I walked off. I made it to the perfect seat without nobody falling on me. Then I made my way to that seat, eyeing it intensly.

"De?" Not this nigga AGAIN! I walked faster to my seat and I could hear him trying to catch up to me. "DeVanté!?" Finally making it to my seat, I sat down.

Danny sat in the seat next to me. "Hey man, why you run away?"

"Nigga, I walked to my seat tryna catch it." I told him.

"Look like you was running from me or something." He chuckled.

"Nahh, I wouldn't run from you or no other nigga for that matter. Truthfully, I was tryna get away from yo ass. I ain't wanna be rude but you pushin' it man." I told him straight up.

"Get away from me? For what?" He jerked his head back.

"Nigga, yo ass talk too damn much and ion feel like being bothered. Plus you said some weird ass shit back there under to breath and that ain't sit right with me. Ion know or don't care who or what you like, just don't do that flirting shit with me. I'm not like that nor will I cross over. A'ight?" I told him.

"Man, I ain't gay if that's what you sayin'." He frowned at me.

"Nigga you said it not me. Look, just don't do that shit again. That's not me asking, I'm tellin' yo ass to stop. Next time I won't say shit, it's gon' be all action." I stood up and began looking for another seat.

I didn't get up because he was gay but because he makes me uncomfortable with that staring and flirting shit. He looks at me weird. I noticed it a while back, but never thought hard about it until his little comment earlier. Nigga got me moving from my perfect seat and shit. Now I have to find another one, which is like a needle in a haystack in this bitch.

Majority of the people were already sitting and now the light are dimming and previews are starting. I'm one of the- what- five people standing. I spotted a seat and hurry up get to it but somebody beat me to it. Damn! I saw another seat and sped walked to it. I sat down in the seat. This seat is better than the one I had by Danny Boy. I don't give a damn if this seat was taken or not, I'm planting my ass in it regardless.

"Thank you God." I whispered up to the sky then at all the snacks that I sat in my lap.

I sorted it all out, pulled out the side table attached to the chair and sat my food on it. I sat my cup in the cupholder. When I looked down again, a woman's leg caught my attention. I looked up at the person the legs belonged to. She has some nice legs and I'm a lucky guy to be sitting next to a woman with legs like these. I'm trying to see if the rest of the body-including the face matched with these legs. I looked up and guess who it was? If you guessed Tia, you're absolutely correct.

"Give me a fuckin' break!" I yelled out and stood up. As I stood up, I hit my knee on the little table. "Fuck." I grumbled lowly holding my knee. "Fuck me."

"AYE NIGGA, HOW 'BOUT YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, AND SIT THE HELL DOWN!?" Somebody said. I knew it was K-Ci's lanky ass from the back. That's why his ass is in the back! I stood up to look for another seat, but I could hardly see. The only light source was the projector on the screen.

"Can you please sit down? The film is about to start and you're blocking me from seeing the screen." It was Michael Jackson.

I nodded and took a seat. I sighed in annoyance. "You sat here purposefully, you knew it was me sitting here." She snarled lowly.

"Don't flatter yourself sweetheart." I smiled sarcastically.

"Look, I don't want to sit here next to you just as much as you don't. Oh, well... Get over it SWEETHEART." Tia mocked me. "Suck it up and be a man. It's life..." She shrugged and looked forward.

"Too late, you already more manly than I am, fella." I chuckled lowly.

"Damn, so you're gay now?" She rose her eyebrows at me. "Straight men don't stare at men like me the way you've been staring at me all day. Laser eyes..." She rolled her eyes at me. "By the way, you just insulted your own 'manlyhood'." She winked at me.

"The same 'manlyhood' you squeezed?" I raised my eyebrows.

"That's even worse. How many men like me have you let feel on you AND get you hard the way I did?" She tilted her head with raised eyebrows.

"You're so amusing to look at. You're ugly face cracks me the hell up." I threw another jab at her while laughing lowly. "Everytime I looked at you, I laugh or feel the need to. Take now for example." I chuckled.

"Oh, so it that why so many people's eyes were on me? I thought it was just because I'm fine as fuck. I even had the women turning heads. Damn, maybe I should change my profession to comedy." She looked in the sky in though. Tia looked back at me. "You on the other hand should keep your profession because you're a bad- no horrible liar. Don't let the press catch you slippin'. The only people you're fooling are your family. Pill-head..." She smiled then turned to face the screen. "Feel free to stand. Nobody's forcing you to sit next to me."

"Being that all the seats are taken, I am kind of forced to sit here." I told her. She is pissing me the fuck off.

"Well, if you must know, there are seats left. I calculated the ticket sales and there are still vacant seats." She raised her thick eyebrow.

"You make me sick." I mean mugged her.

"I thought it was the pills doing that to you." She smirked then looked back at the screen.

I squinted at her, burning a hole in the side of her face. This bit- "Are you going to watch the movie OR watch me all day instead?" Tia smiled sarcastically then looked back at the screen. She makes my blood boil! I want to put her in her place so bad but it's too quiet and I have a image to keep up. She slowly turned back around to face me. "Can I please have my face back?" She raised her eyebrows.

"You can keep that shit. Matter fact take it away from my damn memory." I told her.

Tia leaned closer and whispered very low in my ear. "Aww..." She cooed. "It's so nice to know that you still think of me and my AMUSING face." She chuckled then moved away from me.

I'd be lying if I said that shit ain't give me chills. I mean chills in a good way but I'll never admit that out loud. Especially to her face. Not even the fellas, all them niggas would do is talk shit. I kept my face forward for the rest of the movie. The only exception was my food, drink, and her legs. I refused to look up and stroke her little ego. The movie was good. After it ended there was an applause from the audience like it was a play. Most of everybody was leaving or preparing to leave.

"How do you feel about the film honey?" I heard Michael Jackson asked his wife Lisa Marie.

"I didn't like it." She shrugged. "It was pretty boring. They were more entertaining than this." I saw her point in my direction. "You sure you want her to do a video for you?"

"Yes, I'm positive." He frowned at Lisa.

I'm paying attention from the corner of my eyes. I didn't even know me and Tia was loud enough for them to hear. Then again, they did sit right behind us. I know for a fact that we were low. You have to be close and really nosy to hear us. Plus, I don't know what this lady is talking about but she's tripping. This movie was good as fuck. This horse-faced lady need to shut the fuck up. Fuck she mean, over here trying to discredit Tia's work. I may not like the girl but she does good work. I stopped eavesdropping and focused my eyes elsewhere. Tia didn't pay attention to them as she was chatting with Elijah. Tia stood up after stretching her upper body.

I'm not even going to give her the satisfaction of staring at her ass as she ajust her dress. Too late! She turned to me with a smirk. "Super glue should sponsor you and give you a commercial because your eyes just can't stay off me.  My body is bangin' but what's better is my intellect. Something you probably don't know about."

"You are so full of yourself. What happened to you? You didn't used to be like this?" I frowned at her and stood up.

"I could say the same for you DeVanté."  She walked up on me. She was so close that her chest was almost touching mines. Her voice lowed. "What happened to you? Those pills got you, right? You've changed for the worst but I've changed for the better. People change, that's just life DeVanté. I look at you and don't even recognize you. It's like you've changed into this character that you named DeVanté Swing. I can now look in the mirror and notice me. Can you? I bet you look in the mirror and can't even recognize yourself. Your eyes aren't even the same as they used to be. You need help, so stop denying that you don't. You're lost and I hope you get the help you need, I did." Tia finished.

I chuckled and back away from her. "You don't know shit. You think you know me but you don't and never did." I turned around and walked away.

"How long will you lie to yourself?" I heard her say.

I walked to the restroom and looked in the mirror. She don't know what the fuck she's talking about. She don't know shit! I slammed my in hand against the sink in anger. Fucking bitch getting in my head! The bathroom was empty as I looked around. I mean the stalls are taken but there's nobody out here. I dug in my pocket and took out a three pills. I popped one. Then I be popped two. I was about to pop another but then Dalvin came from one of the stalls.

"You okay, De?" Dalvin asked me.

"I'm good, I just got a headache right now. Those speakers was loud as fuck. What you do take a shit?" I said laughing.

"Man, nahh. That shit that happened to you that one time that caused us all to fight caused me to piss in a stall. I'm not tryna beat somebody up for lookin' at my shit." He said then dried his hands. "That shit was good wasn't it?"

"What?" I asked confused.

"The movie dumb ass." He laughed. Some other people came out of their stalls as well. I noticed three dudes leave one if the stalls for the disabled.

"I'm about to head to the after party, Imma catch you there." I walked out the bathroom. I know it's Hollywood people here but in the stalls!?

When I arrived at the party, it was packed. The food aroma went straight up my nose as I entered the place. I'm a little high and I'm hungry as fuck. Starving! I followed the aroma and Suge was there. The people started making his plate. There was a bunch of food and it all looked good as hell. I filled my plate up.

"Sup, nigga!" Suge said to me.

"Sup Suge!" I nodded at him as I walked down the line. Glad I got here when I did because the line is getting longer and longer. The food and drinks are the first thing people look for at functions.

"You look high as hell." He laughed.

"Ion feel like I'm that high." I laughed.

"You don't smell like weed. What you do?" He asked me.

"This food look good as hell." I told him. "Y'all made this?" I asked the people behind the counter.

"No, we're just servers." One answered.

"You just don't ignore me nigga, like I ain't here or ask you a question?" Suga asked me.

"I smoked some weed earlier." I told him. "Ion know why you can't smell it." I chuckled.

"Oh. Okay." He nodded.

I grabbed a drink from the cooler and took a seat. My plate was done in eight minutes tops. Come to think of it, I ain't eat shit all day but swallow some pills. When I finished I put my plate and utensils in the slot. Suge was done too when I saw him. He looked like he was done long before I was. Pac, Suge, Dalvin, K-Ci, JoJo, J.Cole, Danny Boy, Marlon Wayans, Snoop, Dre, Ren and a bunch of women, and the usual people were standing amongst each other talking.

"What's up, Cole? I ain't seen you all day." I dapped him up. "Marlon." I dapped him up next. "What's up y'all?"

"We over here talking about this movie. That shit was good." Marlon said talking loud.

"Aye, wassup De, Pac and y'all!" Yasir came up to me and dapped me and the rest of the people he knew up.

I'm confused as hell. Did Tia even tell this nigga that me and her not cool no more? She couldn't have because this nigga would not be talking to me, OR this nigga would be trying to fight me for all the shit I said to his sister. This nigga don't play about his sister.

"That movie was good as hell. That nigga looked just like you Pac at the end. The same egg head and everything!" He said laughing holding up an egg shape.

"Damn the movie! You see that bitch right there?" Suge pointed across the room.

"Who?" Some of us asked.

"Right there." Suge pointed to Tia. "The fine one. The one with the black and silver on." I looked at Yasir and his face held an unreadable expression. Shits getting a little shaky. I can feel it getting intense in the air. Oh, shit...

~Yasir's P.O.V~

"Aye, wassup De, Pac and y'all!" I said dapping up the familiar faces. I'm happy to see somebody other than my sister and her friend that I know.

"That movie was good as hell. That nigga looked just like you Pac at the end. The same egg head and everything!" I said laughing holding up an egg shape with both hands.

"Damn the movie!" I hate when a motherfucker cut me off. That's disrespectful. "You see that bitch right there?" Suge pointed across the room with his pinky finger due to the cigar in his mouth.

The only things I've heard about Suge is that he's heartless, cold, and did some unspeakable shit to a hunch of people. This nigga don't care about nobody. I looked in the direction of his pinky finger. I saw my sister in that direction, but there are also other people over there, so I can't be too sure on who he's pointing to. I know for damn sure this nigga ain't talking about my little sister!

"Who?" Some of them asked Suge.

"Right there." Suge pointed to Tia. "The fine one. The one with the black and silver. She was at the meeting." He paused and I took a deep breath trying to calm down. This nigga just called my sister a bitch!?

"What about her?" I spoke up. Pac looked at me squinted at me the looked back at Suge.

"I want her." Suge said to us. "She looks good."

"You not her type." I simply said. Today a chill day and I'm not trying to mess shit up on my sister day. I got a bad temper, if you didn't already know, especially when it come to my sister.

"How you know?" Suge asked me. I looked at De being that this is one of type of people she'd go for.

"You tryna get with her?" De asked Suge while putting his hand out telling me to chill out. De know... His eyebrows rose as he spoke.

"If not, she not the type of girl to do what you implyin'." Tupac spoke up then looked at me.

"Yeah, Tia not that type of girl. C'mon man, you got two women on your arm right now." De chuckled. "Leave her be."

"What a nigga like me look like settling down?" Suge scoffed. "I'm just tryna fuck the bitch and see how fun she is in be-"

I swung at him before he could finish being disrespectful. "That's my sister you talkin' about, nigga! You not finna do shit to my sista! My sista ain't like none of these hoes y'all fuck with! My sista ain't no hoe!"

The first time I punched him in his jaw, and the second time I aimed right for his eye. He threw a few punches at me as well. He probably would have got more hits off me but he was probably caught off guard by my actions. We was some fighting motherfuckers. There was screaming and shouting from a lot of people. I just was too focused on beating this nigga ass to know what was being said. Somebody pulled me away from Suge and some people pulled him away.

"You need to learn how to respect people you fat bitch! Call my sister no bitch!" I shrugged whoever it was holding me back off me. It was my sister's guards. They walked up on Suge, while De, Pac, and Cole tried to calm me down.

"Man, do you know what the fuck you just did!?" De grabbed me.

I pushed his hand off of me. "You think I give a fuck!? Huh!?" I widened my arms.

"This nigga crazy as hell. You fucked up! He got goons everywhere that will fuck somebody up at the snap of his fingers." He whispered yelled at me.

"Nigga, you think we don't? We got family knee deep. We might not like each other but we down for each other! A lot of us TRAINED too! Fuck I got to be scared of. Don't nobody talk shit about my sister and I know about gon' get away with that shit!"

"Yasir, what did you just happened?" Tia said wide-eyed.

"Yo you crazy for that. You just fought the devil." Pac whispered to me.

"You got a sister too, how would you feel if he said that shit about her!? Huh!?" I said to him and he nodded in understanding. "That's what the fuck I thought."

"Why are you fighting HIM? Let's go." My little sister pulled me away from everybody. "Yasir, what happened?" She asked calmly.

"What did I just do!? That fat nigga disrespected my sister that's what!" I yelled out.

"Disrespect me how?"

"This nigga over here on some ruin yo life type stuff. Callin' you all type of names and shit. He tryna treat you like one of them pass around Hollyweird ass bitches." I told her.

Two of her guards and Elijah are behind us while the other one in there dealing with his ass. Our parents aren't here. They said that they would feel like idiots at a place full of young people having fun.

"Yasir, if he approached me on that type of energy, I would've declined. I can say no." She told me. "Yasir, he's bat crazy! That dude don't play."

"You always have a hard time saying no so I did it for you. Besides, do that nigga look like the type to accept somebody tellin' him no!? Fuck NO!" I frowned at her.

"Yasir, I have security with me 25/8. He couldn't get to me even if he tried. He's going to come after you now. Honest to God, if something happens to you-" she started crying. "I'm hiring security for you."

"Sis, I'm not goin' nowhere. I promise that imma be here to protect you even when nobody else is. I told you this when you was at the hospital. It's better me than you if anything does happen to go down." I told her.

"But you just said-" Gunshots started going off so we dropped to the ground covering our heads. The guards started shooting back at the shooters. Tia screamed out in fear.

"Shh." I shushed her.

The gunshots were coming from the direction of the street. I heard Pac and them yelling. I moved my head enough to look behind us. Pac, Suge, and some of the others they were with in the building were shooting at some car that had stopped in the middle of the street. I thought those bullets came from Suge and his people for me but I'm wrong. Thank God! Then I heard tired squeal and a car pull off. There were a few more shots that went off. It stopped after a while but we stayed on the ground just to be safe.

"Stay down!" Redd yelled at us. Don't worry nigga, we not stupid!

"You good?" I asked my sister looked back at her. She nodded with tears pouring down her face and into the ground.

"You okay?" She asked me.

"I'm good, I didn't get hit or nothing." I told her.

"Elijah?" She called out. We heard no response. We looked around and couldn't find him. "Elijah!?" Tia yelled out again.

"E!" I called out.

"Alright, everything's clear, we can go." Jax announced to us.

"Where's Elijah?" Tia asked when she stood up. "Elijah!"

Our ride door swung open and I pushed my sister on the ground and dropped back down myself. It was Elijah. "Girl, I got in the car when the first shot went off." He told Tia.

"Good!" She exhaled.

Our ride is bulletproof. We could have done the same thing E did but we were told to drop and not run. It's the safest thing because bullets mostly hit running people. We got in the car and left the venue.

Author's Note: This chapter went from sugar to 💩 fast as heck, huh? Feel free to ask me any question about the characters.

Count: 5,485

Please feel free to like and comment. Feedback gives motivation, and motivation me to continue to write.

Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read another chapter of this story. Thank you for staying despite my slacking.💚🖤❤💜💙💛