Mr. Jackson and I make love the rest of the morning, whispering sweet things to each other the entire time. We enjoy lunch together and then he takes me back to the dorm, even though I don't wanna leave him but I know I have his class first thing tomorrow morning. When I arrive in my room, Tina is there.

"Sis! I'm so glad to see you!" She says jumping up and hugging me.
"I'm glad to see you too sis. Did you have a nice time with Joe last night?" I ask
"Yes I did. I need to talk to you about something. Sit down." she says

I sit down next to her on the bed and she grabs my hand.

"What is it Tina, you're scaring me." I tell her
"I don't mean to scare you sis, I just need to tell you something." she says
"Ok, what is it?" I ask

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes before she speaks.

"Ok...Joe asked me to marry him and I said yes." she tells me
"What!!! You're kidding me right?" I say as I let go of her hand and stand up
"No, I'm not kidding sis. And he has a 12 year old daughter he wants me to meet next Saturday at our engagement dinner." she says
"What!! He has a daughter and there's already an engagement dinner planned!" What the hell sis! Why didn't you consult me on any of this!!?" "This is crazy!" I say
"I'm sorry Karen. It all happened so fast. I'm so much in love with him and he's in love with me, and I didn't wanna disturb you and Mr.Jackson. I knew you were having a nice time. Please forgive me" she says

I calm down a bit and sit back down on the bed next to her.

"Ok, I forgive you sis but, are you ready to be a mother to his child? You're so young sis." I say
"Yes I'm ready. I'm ready to accept him for everything he is and everything that comes with him. I love him so much." she says

I look into her eyes and I can see how much love she has for him. I can't be mad at her.

"Ok sis. If you say you're ready, then I'm happy for you. But I'm gonna miss you so much." I tell her.
"Oh Karen, I'm gonna miss you too. You can come visit me anytime. We're gonna move out of the house and get a place of our own." she says
"Are you gonna finish school?" I ask
"Yes of course. Joe supports my dream to become a writer." she says
"Thats wonderful sis." I say

We give each other a hug.

"So, how did it go with Mr.Jackson?" she asks me
"Oh sis, I'm in love with him and he's in love with me. We told each other so this morning. We made love and it was the most amazing experience of my entire life..." I gush
"Oh Karen, I'm so happy for you. Who woulda thought that we would fall in love with brothers and I would be getting married." she says
"Yeah, I know, its funny isn't it." I say smiling
"Maybe you're next sis." she tells me smiling
"I'm too young to get married sis. I'm not ready for all that." I tell her
"Well, maybe he can change your mind." she tells me
"Doubt it. I'm in love with him but I'm not ready for marriage or a baby either." I say
"Maybe in time." Tina says
"Maybe so." I reply

Tina leaves to go shopping for a dress for the dinner on Saturday leaving me alone in the room. Someone knocking at the door wakes me from my nap. I go over and open the door to find Shawn standing there looking like a lost puppy dog.

"Shawn, what are you doing here?" I ask yawning.
"Karen, I need you back. I can't live without you." he says walking in the room and closing the door behind him.
"Oh Shawn. I've moved on now and I think you should too." I say to him
"Karen, please." he says grabbing my arms hard.
"Let go of me Shawn!" I yell
"I'm sorry. I just feel so lost without you baby." He says letting go of my arms.
"Shawn, please understand, its not gonna work between us. And besides, I've already found somebody else." I say
"Who is it? Do I know him?" he asks
"No, you don't know him. Don't worry about it Shawn. I know there is someone out there for you, who will love you the way you wanna be loved." I say to him grabbing his hand.
"Whatever, nobody will ever compare to you." he says to me looking at me with hurt in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Shawn, I really am." I say to him.

He grabs me and hugs me and I hug him back feeling sorry for him.
Just then, the door to my room swings open.

"Surprise!" Mr.Jackson yells holding flowers in his hand.

Shawn and I look up from our embrace. My eyes open wide when I spot Mr.Jackson standing there holding flowers staring at me and Shawn hugging.

Mr.Jackson lets go of the flowers letting them hit the floor as he turns and walks out of my room with a look of hurt on his face.

"Michael! Wait please!! It's not what it looks like!" I yell running after him up the hall.

I catch up with him and grab his arm. He turns around to face me.

"Who was that and why were you hugging him?" he asks me
"That was my ex-boyfriend. He came over to get me back." I say
"Well, looks like you took him back." He says to me
"No, I didn't. I love you and only you Michael." I say to him
"Then, why were you hugging him then?" he asks me getting angry.
"Cause I felt sorry for him." I say

He stands there staring at me. I see the anger boiling up inside him. His eyes narrow then he speaks again.

"I recall you saying you were out on a date instead of studying for my test. Was that the guy you were out with?" he asks
"Yes it was, but I broke up with him when I started seeing you." I say
"Look, I need some time to think about this. I'll see you in class in the morning." he says as he starts to walk away from me.

I grab his arm again to stop him.

"Please, you have to believe me. I would never hurt you. I know you had a rough past when it comes to women. Believe me, I would never hurt you like that. I love you." I say to him pleading.
"Just when I thought it was safe to trust women again....you go and do this to me? I just can't....he says with tears in his eyes. His anger switches to sadness.
"Please Michael...I love you so much...I never want to hurt you...I would never cheat on you..you have to believe me...please.." I say trying to hug him.

He ruffly pulls my arms off of him stopping me from hugging him leaving me feeling hurt and heartbroken.

"Look...save it! I'll see you in class tomorrow...and don't be late." he says to me walking away. I don't go after him this time. I was getting nowhere anyway.

I'm left standing there with tears rolling down my face. How am I ever gonna gain his trust back again?