The ride to the show was was a lot more awkward than I had expected to be. There wasn't much talking between the four of us and since I wasn't in much of a mood to drive Andre was nice enough to as his mom for the car. Prince sat in the front passenger seat scribbling on a notepad and Dez was running his solo to himself in the back seat next to me. I was just staring out the window questioning my entire high school existence. I guess Andre couldn't take it being too quiet for too long so he turned on the radio and tried to make small talk.

"Y'all ready to blow the roof off the joint?" He asked excited.

"Brotha were going to a mostly white neighborhood. I'm not sure how much roof blowin' we gonna do." Dez joked.

"Yeah but they got the prettiest dames out here!" Andre said as I could see him salivating from the rear view.

"Ummmm whatever happened to the black queens empower me movement? What? Too good for chocolate?" I asked him with a raised brow.

"Oh god Mighty Mouse don't get him started." Dez replied with a laugh.

"What? I just wanna know if he decided to change teams or something."

"I ain't change teams! There's nothing wrong with a little change of flavor every once in a while. And you little lady you have no room to talk."

"Me? Why not?" I sneered as I glared at him from the back seat.

"Uh huh. You ain't slick girly. Remember that time when you were in summer camp and you said the doofy white boy in the coke bottle glasses brought you a can of 'love worms'?"

I quickly remembered who he was talking about. Every night at campfire when we were at camp this scrawny little freckle faced redhead with glasses named Ricky always used to bring me odd gifts professing his "love" for me and every time I would refuse because in my eyes he looked like a frog. Andre thought that it was funny until one year he started to feel like Ricky was a threat and told him that if he ever came around me again he was going to hang him from the flag pole in the middle of a lightning storm. Ricky steered clear after that day. I had no problem reminding Andre that Ricky and I were never an item.

"For you're information SIR, I never liked Ricky and I told him that. I also told you that! And it was you who scared him off anyway cuz you were jealous!"

"Jealous?????" Andre retorted.

"Yes! Jealous! You were probably just as jealous about me liking Wilson than you were Ricky having a crush on me!"

"Girl please! Andre Cymone don't get jealous!" He replied with pride.

I simply rolled my eyes and stared back out the window. Andre giggled at me thinking that he had one in this battle of wits but unfortunately he's come once again unarmed. I felt a tug of my sleeve and it drew me away from the passing pictures of life and it forces my attention to Dez. He looked concerned when I saw his face and it gave a slight sting in my throat. He silently mouthed to me if I was ok and I gave him a single nod and turned back to the window. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Prince sitting in the front passenger seat doing the same thing. Looking out the window with a dad and pitiful face. I again rolled my eyes and focused my attention to the outside world until we arrived at the basement club where the band was playing. Morris was looking at us tapping his watch when we stopped.

  "Don't rush us fool we got time!" Dez snapped as he rolled down the window.

  "Y'all got me standin' out here in the damn cold! It's about to rain man! Stop drivin' like ya mama next time! Put the pedal to the metal baby!"

As we filed out of the car one by one Andre shot back at Morris as he slammed the car door.

  "Well maybe if you told ya mama to not be so slow with the hand jobs maybe it wouldn't take me so long to get here!"

  "Damn that was cold Dre." Dez laughed.

  "I swear y'all are so immature." I huffed and pushed passed the two of them.

  "Awww what's wrong Mousy? You mad cuz nobody is giving you a hand job?"  Morris giggled.

At this point nothing was funny and I was still fuming from Prince and his crap excuses.

  "Look Morris I do t have time for the bullshit." I hissed at him.

  "You must be on ya period or something! What's with you. You asked Wilson for a fucking and he said no?" Morris laughed again.

This time he took it too far and the sounds of air leaving everyone's lips, including prince, let him know that he overstepped his boundaries and I wasn't afraid to rip him a new asshole in public.

  "Listen. I don't know why you would think that I need Wilson or any other man to make me happy so you can suck the balls of whoever told you that lie! I hope you fucking choke in your sleep Morris!"

After shoving Morris in his chest nearly knocking him off balance I stormed into the building and left the guys to deal with their friend. My anger wasn't in any way shape or form form Morris but he wasn't aware of the events that transpired hours prior to us meeting him at the club. I decided to not go back to the dressing room right away and looked for the nearest bathroom. When I finally found it I was met with a single stall and a dimly lit space. I didn't care about the cleanliness at the time. I just went in the stall and locked the door. I could feel my frustration once again spilling from my eyes and I tried my best to control it but my heart was too beat up from the verbal punches Prince landed on it. Falling for my best friend really hurts like hell. It shouldn't really affect me too much but it does and I don't know why. I shouldn't be crying over this idiot. His crush changes more times than he changes his draws! This is ridiculous! Regan get your shit together! You don't need him! You don't need love! It's a stupid false emotion that only gets people a bed in the nut house! The empowered part of me was literally slapping the shit out of my insides and I had stopped crying and cleaned up my face with some tissue. I unlocked the stall door and looked my face over quickly in the mirror.

  "Oh god my face." I sighed discovering the puffy and red eyes staring back at me.

Taking a few paper towels I wet them with cold water and covered my eyes with them to help reduce the puffiness. Then took a few more dry ones to wipe away the excess water. I looked myself over one more time and let out a deep breath.

  "Good enough I guess." I said.

I went to the door and swung it open. I could hear the sound of music from where I was standing. It sounded like the guys were practicing. I'd rather not see them right now. I left from the back stage area and went out to the main room and found a table off to the back by an exit. The place was full of people and there was one person I definitely wasn't expecting to see tonight. I don't think Prince was expecting this either. Mr. John was sitting two tables ahead of me at center stage. This night was only going to get more emotional that I thought.