The Other Woman

I didn't mean to initiate an argument; all I did was ask why he never told me about his complex living arrangements. As I hear the shower blasting, I suddenly feel uncomfortable and hypocritical, something I wasn't accustomed to when in the company of Tre.

Where did I come off questioning him about his private life when I was hiding so much from him myself? But then again, why did he get so upset?

So I stare blankly at the television, it staring blankly back at me. Some sort of ridiculous daytime soap opera was on, but it might have as well been a war film or even Jeopardy, because my mind was elsewhere. My body is still warmly wrapped up in his shirt and boxers. The scent of his cologne trapped in the clothing, making me feel like a fool for arguing with him.

When I hear the shower turn off in only a few quick minutes, I panic. He would come out of the bathroom and be met with an awkward silence that I wasn't even prepared for. So before he can emerge and step outside back into the bedroom, I quickly put on a pair of sandals, grab my purse and cell phone, and scurry out of the room.

"You're kidding me." Jen laughs from the other end of the phone. "Your first day on the road with him and you got in a fight?"
"Mmhmm" I nod slowly.
"And your in the cafeteria with his dress shirt and boxers on?" she chuckles. "That's rich Serenity."

"I hate you." I mutter miserably, adding another cube of sugar into my latté
"Aww, I'm sorry I'm just happy I'm not the only one with relationship woes."

"What's up with you and Jack?" I ask between hot sips.

"I don't know, the day you left I went over to his house and he kept acting odd. So I told him how I felt and he got mad at me."

"How odd is odd?" I ask with mild interest.

"Not sure." she mutters. "And that's not even it, we got over that little spat a couple minutes later. We went out to lunch and he gave me these REALLY expensive pair of earrings"

"Oh my God, someone jot this down. Jennifer is complaining about jewelry." I gasp.

"Haha." she mutters coldly. "But seriously, where does a mailroom guy get money to buy me diamond earrings?"
"Maybe he robbed a bank?" I tease, trying to lighten the mood.

"What if he's selling like, illegal machine guns or something. Or he's associated with some sort of underground prostitution network."
"Or he might have a second job, a NORMAL job." I suggest.

"I guess..." she sighs.
"Or he might have been saving up for a while to get you that gift, I remember when Tim did that for me."

"Ah, I remember Tim and those horrible shoes he would wear, moccasins right?"
"Yea," I laugh. "I feel bad about Tre, and not to mention a hypocrite."

"Why? You did nothing wrong." she reassures.
"Yea, but—"
"No buts Seny, I gotta go, my boss is headed this way, Bye." she covertly whispers
"Bye." I sigh, hanging up the phone.

It had been over an hour now since our argument and that I had been in this crowded cafeteria. I didn't know how long their press junkets lasted, but I'm almost certain it was more than an hour. And to make matters worse, we were leaving at 12 pm for the tour bus to take off to yet another city. So my time hiding out in the cafeteria was limited.
At approximately 11 pm on the dot, I begin my crawl back to our room, dreading each and every carpeted step. When I finally reach the door, I jitter as nerves take hold over my body.

'Please don't be inside' I chant over and over in my head as I push the plastic card into the slot As the tiny lights blink green, I quietly open the door, fear and panic rising in my stomach. Looking around, I see no one, and its dead silent inside the room so I assume he's not inside.
I walk over to my suitcase, folding up scattered clothes that I notice across the room, and putting them inside. And I was just stuffing in my underwear when I hear the bathroom door creak open. My heart lurches and I have to put a hand to my chest for having such a fright. Tre walks out of the bathroom; his face expressionless as he pauses outside the door, wiping his damp hands on his pants.

"I didn't hear you come in..." he mumbles softly.
"Oh..." I murmur, not being able to maintain eyesight as I continue packing my belongings.

He nods his head doubtfully before walking over to his luggage to resume his own packing. Both of us are uncomfortably silent the entire time, and I feel as if I might vomit or keel over from the amount of unsaid tension in the room. A few times, I even watched as he pursed his lips to say something, but in the end decided against it and continued walking around the room like a lost puppy. And finally when we're both finished packing, the room a mess with a crumpled bed, a puddle of water on the bathroom from my quick shower, he informs me of today's agenda.

"Um, we're gonna have lunch right after we leave." he says airily.

"From here?" I ask, even though I knew the answer. I only asked just to have some sort of communication flowing between us, just to bury the murderous silence.

"Yea." he nods, now zipping up his last piece of luggage.

And oh how awkward lunch was, it almost made me regret visiting him this week. We were all gathered in a small hole in the wall restaurant, all 20 of us, and it felt bizarre to have such a large party of people gathered with me. I sat, looking at my menu, not really having an appetite, but wanting to rather look at those jumbled words and prices instead of the person sitting next to me. I sigh, deciding on ordering a plate of fried Calamari and curly fries along with a small coke when the waiter asks for my order.

Tre sits on my right, folding the corner's of his laminated menu in boredom as we have yet to formally speak to one another. I even smile into my menu when I peak at his phone and observe him scrolling through pictures of us together and some of his daughter and son.

"Soooooo... " says Billie Joe, trying to cheer up our glum moods. "How many days are you staying with us Serenity?"
"A week." I reply, patiently waiting for my food to arrive and twiddling my fingers together.
"What do you do for a living?" Adrienne asks me while handing Joey a napkin

"I'm a waitress." I mutter, not really wanting to answer 21 questions at the moment.
And thankfully, she detects this, nodding her head at our unspoken agreement. Meanwhile, Tre is busy having a conversation with Mike, the back of his head facing me, totally ignoring my presence. And so I eat my fried Calamari, curly fries, and coke in uncomfortable silence, even being rude by chatting on the phone with Mark at different intervals. And Mike was oddly eyeing me from across the table, and I couldn't decipher whether he was angry or just being plain ole sneaky.

We were on the enormous tour bus now, driving for what seemed like forever to reach Connecticut. Our destination at this late in the evening is to find a hotel since there were too many occupants onboard this bus including the band members, road crew, Billie's family, and now the addition of Vanessa and I. Jason was driving the large vehicle, and it seemed as if he were moving at a snail's pace. I was surprised that sludge wasn't trailing from the back of the bus.

Currently sitting on a red cushioned sofa, as miserable as ever, I fiddle about with my phone, even having to resort to playing 'Snake II' on the device to make the time pass faster.
Everyone had noticed me and Tre's lack of speech, how we didn't sit next to each other on the bus, how tragically bored we both were.

"Having fun?" asks a voice that I've come to hate.
"Loads." I mutter, not even looking up to acknowledge his pestering presence. So I continue to fiddle about with the two dimensional snake on my phone, sighing when he gorges his own tail and 'Game Over' flashes on the screen.

"I see you and Tre aren't acting talking." he says softly seating himself next to me on the spacious couch.
"Yes, are you going to hehe haha in my face about it?" I spit, pushing my phone into the wool pocket of my sweater.

"No." Mike mutters, scratching the back of his head. He was going to say something else, but I sharply interrupt him, sickened by his unwanted company.
"Do you want something Mike?" I ask, now narrowing my eyes straight at him. "Because to be honest, I'm not used to having civil conversations with you."

"Look, I'm sorry. I came over here to apologize. I was sort of out of line these past couple of days." he mutters. I don't say anything; just cock my eyebrows at him, my face expressionless as I listen to him ramble.

"Billie Joe talked to me, at your request, and he explained some stuff. So I'm sorry for treating you like shit these past few days. I'm not normally like that."
"And what exactly did Billie say?" I ask, a singe of suspicion in my eyes and voice, my mind still on defense mode against the blonde haired bassist.

"That you love Tre, yada yada, and what happened between you and him was years ago." he responds, tucking one of his legs over the other, gaining a bit more comfort around me. I remain silent yet again; just stoic as my enemy sits beside me.

"Are you gonna forgive me?" he asks with sincere concern on his thin lips.
"I'll think about it." I tease, only half kidding.

"Aw, come on. I need to know now, I think this has been the meanest I've ever been to a girl."
"Well that makes me feel better." I reply with sarcasm.
"Just bein' honest." He mutters. "Tre's eerily quiet I think you should go and talk to him."
"Slow down there Mike, you have to wait at least a day before giving me advice after being on my bad side." I joke.

"My bad." he laughs. "Um, while you think about forgiving me I'll be with Vanessa up front."
"Ok." I shrug.
"Sorry again." he mumbles while standing up and advancing towards the front of the vehicle.

I roll my eyes as his back disappears through the tall opening to the front of the vehicle. With a stifling yawn escaping my lips and sleep drenching my eyes, I grab a fluffy sofa cushion from the other end of the couch, chucking it underneath my head as I lay down for a short nap. The heater on the bus wasn't functioning that great, so I pull my socks up to the highest the fabric could stretch for more warmth, squeezing the woolen heat from my sweater as I fall into slumber.

I can faintly feel warm air being repeatedly blown at the nape of my neck. Cracking one eye open at my sudden discomfort, I explore my surroundings, noticing how everything is silent throughout the room, complete silence besides a small purring behind my ear. But before my groggy mind can even fathom what exactly the purring sound is, I detect that the bus is no longer moving. And I also notice how much warmer I am than how I was when I originally fell asleep. Stretching my arm just a bit to use my hand and wipe my eyelids of sleep, I make out a large cotton blue blanket covering me from my chin, down.

I also notice a tanned arm tucked securely beneath my stomach, rough fingers underneath my shirt, touching my stomach. A small smile breaks across my face, knowing full well who is behind me, delicately breathing and purring on my neck. So I carefully turn my body, positioning myself so that our bodies are facing each other, just how they should be. My eyes gleam as I watch him sleep so soundly, not even stirring after I had moved about along the couch. I stare at the small creases in his forehead, the rosy hint of color on his cheeks, and then I listen.

Listen to his gentle breaths, the small grumbling murmurs that occasionally spew from his mouth, and then I feel. Feel his warm breath on my skin, feel his coarse fingers along my belly, and feel his love. And it's in this moment that I fall in love. And not with the capricious Billie Joe, but with Tre. And in this moment, I knew he too would love me back, unlike others...

"You're sweating". I giggled, swiping a clump of deliciously damp black hair from off his sweat drenched forehead.
"So are you miss sexpot." he replied before slowly licking off a bead of sweat that still clung on my neck.

The small night-light in the corner of my bedroom was the only source of illumination, casting a glowing red hue inside my room. It was just enough light so that I could see our bodies entangled together and the smug smirk on his face. This was our 5th month of being together, and even though Billie Joe could treat me like the dirt on a stray dog's paws at times, crush my heart and hopes, and annoy me with small anecdotes of his wife and children, I still knew I loved him. And when he turns his naked body around so that I'm faced with the back of his head I kissed the tops of his shoulders, not wanting him to fall asleep just yet.

"Don't go to sleep..." I begged, rubbing my hands along his nail scratched back
"I have an early flight tomorrow babe" he yawned an excuse, his back still turned to me.

"Billie Joe?" I asked softly, removing my hands from off his smoldering back
"Hmmm?"
"I love you." I murmured nervously. And I felt his body tense under my hands, his movements as still as death as he absorbed the three crucial words I had just spoken. I could only imagine what was running through his troubled mind as he had yet to neither recover or reply.

"Thank you." he finally whispers, his back still facing me.

THANK YOU?! THANK YOU!?

That Motherfucker...

"Pardon me?!" I choked, inching away from him. And that's when he finally got the decency to turn around, his face etched in concern and guilt.

"I don't know what else to say Seny." he murmurs apologetically. "I'm sorry, I know that was a little harsh, but I don't wanna say I love you too, cuz, well, I don't." he continued, each word and thought shattering my heart into tiny shard like pieces.

Nuzzling my nose into Tre's neck, I can feel his clutch around me strengthen, and I know he's awake when his eyelids open, and his diamond blue eyes lock onto mine.
"And he finally wakes." I giggle.
"Thanks to you." he mutters faux impatiently.

And for a moment, nothing is said. He's simply running his fingers through my hair as I continue purring into his neck, enjoying this spanking new feeling.
"I'm sorry about this morning." he barely whispers. "I should've told you, and I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"I'm sorry too." I murmur, looking into his eyes. "I didn't mean for it to come out accusingly or anything, I was jus—"
"It didn't come out that way." he insists. "I'm just tired of people asking me that same damn question, it gets frustrating. And I should've told you, it's my fault."

"Thanks for the blanket." I smirk, switching the topic of conversation
"No problem. I wanted to come down here and talk to you, but then I saw you were asleep. And when I tried lifting you up to take you to my bunk, your fingers were literally ice cold."

"That was very sweet of you." I coo into his ear, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"I know." he replies smugly. "And don't forget cute too."

"And cute too." I sigh while rolling my eyes. And before I can think of anything else to say, he leans in and presses his lips to mine. And this time it feels a tad different. It's not a kiss that'll escalate to mind blowing sex or is dramatically romantic, but a loving kiss, one that you'll always remember, a kiss that seems to suffocate you and make your mind and heart reel about with a waterfall of emotions. His hands move to the back my head, his tongue traveling inside my mouth, making me light headed and on cloud nine all at once. His lips are crushing onto mine, aching from the needed contact. And I can tell Tre feels the same way, because when I open my eyes just a crack, just to take a peak at the concentration embossed in his face, I flinch, accidentally breaking the kiss when I see his own eyes peering back at me. The same electric emotions flowing through him are passing right along through me.

"Sorry" I blush.
"S' okay." he responds, removing his hands from my head and blotting his top lip with his tongue out of awkward nervousness.

"Tre?"
"Yea?" he asks me, a thread of hope in his voice.
"I ... love... that I'm here with you right now" I smile in bitter defeat.

Those last words were NOT the ones that I originally planned on saying. And I know he knows this, because he frowns a little before smirking, and lifts my chin up to look at him yet again.
"Me too Serenity." he smiles while brushing his nose against mine.

Maybe Billie Joe had scarred me; maybe I was incapable of telling people that I loved them, afraid of what their response might be. Or maybe I was just used to being the other woman, the woman that gets treated like dirt, used to hearing him speaking happily of his wife and kids, used to disappointment.

"Before I forget, thanks for letting me meet Mark, he's like part of the band now."
I laugh, not knowing what else to do.
"How does he transport that stuff to you?"
"Easy, we order it. He flies out, our expense of course, to where we're at and then we personally pick it up."
"No wonder I haven't seen him around in a while."
"You smoke?"
"Occasionally, but nothing compared to what it seems you guys smoke. Your fucking band name is based off of that."

He chuckles before pushing himself on top of me, a predator-like look in his eyes as he traces my lips with his fingers.
"How bout' we lock all the doors and windows and make use of this couch, or my bunk, whichever you prefer."

"Calm down sparky." I laugh. "What time is it? And have we reached yet?"
He sighs miserably, lifting up his arm to glance at his dazzling silver watch
"Its almost seven o clock, and we're at a rest stop. Jason and some others were hungry, and as you can tell there's not much here to eat. And we haven't reached Connecticut yet."

"Are we close to a hotel?" I ask, hoping very much that we were.
"If I said yes what would you do?" he wiggles his eyebrows.

I put my thumb to my chin, pretending to be hard at work thinking.
"I'd give you the most mind blowing, outrageously kinky, sinfully satisfying se—"

"Stop! Its mine." suddenly whines a young boy, Jakob.
"No, Dad gave it to me, give it back Jake!" roars Joey, the thunder of their small feet getting louder as they ventured further to the back of the bus.

Tre immediately removes himself from on top of me, my body surrounded by cold once again since his body heat is unexpectedly gone.
"Why is it that kids always interrupt the juicy stuff..." he sighs in frustration, running a hand through his shaggy hair.

"Its their job."

Our day in Connecticut quickly passed, the concert being superb as others. And pretty soon, we were on the tour bus again, and then another hotel. And to be honest it was quite irritating, or the very least unusual, traveling from city to city so frequently. I was used to only traveling maybe once in two or three months to visit Rick in New York. Miami and N.Y.C were my only niches, and frankly I was getting homesick, just a little. Actually, scratch that, it was the complicated fact that I was driving and practically living with my boyfriend, ex-lover, his wife and kids, not to mention a conniving bassist whom despite his apologies, I still did not trust. My stomach tied into knots during some hours of the day, tension perpetually lurking in my belly, especially when Adrienne and I struck up conversations, particularly one concerning Billie.

"I swear that man isn't 34, more like 14." she sighs while seating herself next to me in a lounge chair. Currently situated at the Guillet Hotel and Resort, we lay right out in the sun's bright facade while reading magazines and short novels. It seems as if Billie Joe and Adrienne were having little tiffs also within their relationship, resulting in their heated argument earlier this morning.

"What happened?" I ask somewhat interestingly
"I'm not even sure." she sighs while taking a thick novel from out of her familiar knapsack. "We were just talking, me complaining about this and that at home, nothing out of the ordinary. And he just seemed distant like he wasn't listening, so I asked him to repeat what I just said, and of course he couldn't. So I got mad, and then he had the nerve to get mad at me in return. And now I'm blabbing and boring you with my marital woes." she laughs

"You're not, I was once engaged. And my fiancé ignoring me was the basis of our relationship." I giggle, recalling a few distant memories in my mind.

"Men, they just don't listen, is it that hard?"

"Must be." I laugh, actually enjoying our sunbathing conversation, well until now.

"Did you know that I used to think he was having an affair?" she suddenly blurts, causing my eyes to all but bulge from their sockets.

"Oh?" I mutter nervously.
"Yeah, because, well you know, he's a rock star and such. And you wouldn't believe the flocks of women who are after him."

Oh, I can imagine

"Yeah, but you guys seem happy." I urge
"We are, but its just amusing how little magazines would have our relationship posted up, and then the next day we'd been in a huge argument."

"Oh." I mumble uncertainly, having to settle my sunglasses on my nose to hide my betraying eyes that were definitely shaking with fear and angst.

"If he'd ever cheat on me, I'd cut both his balls off, make him tear them apart and sew them back together again, and then force him to watch me run them over with a bulldozer"

I laugh at her intriguing revenge methods. If Tre ever cheated on me, I would be sure to ensue and conflict the same painful treatment onto him. But yet, I was nervous. If she were to do all that to her husband, imagine what she'd do to the other woman, me!

"So... " I trail off, hurrying to switch the more than awkward subject. "Are you heading back home soon, or are you staying with your husband for the rest of the tour?"

"I'll be leaving in another week or two. I don't think I could do an ENTIRE tour with Billie, we'd kill each other, and I'd miss my kids too much. They only left yesterday, but we miss them, and I know their reeking havoc." she explains.

And I was just about to comment on my stance on having children when loud yelling erupts through the hotel terrace.
"CANNON BALL!"
Adrienne and I simultaneously turn our heads only to see the three founding members of Green Day roaring 'cannon ball' as they literally sprint towards the pool. And by the time it registers in my mind that three men, insane men, were about to perform cannonballs in a pool only three feet away from me, its too late. The water sprays all over Adrienne and I, mussing our hair and dousing our clothing. I can hear the burly laughter from the pool's occupants.

"Did we wet you ladies?" Billie Joe grins as he hops out of the pool in only black swim trunks and the tattoos. He had clearly forgotten his past argument with his wife, or at least he didn't care about it right now.
"I really hate you." Adrienne seethes as she wipes her face with her wet shirt

He kneels down beside her chair and puts both arms on either side of her frame, settling his head on her stomach.
"I'm sorry my love, my Adie." he coos adorably with a kiss on her stomach.
"Have you been drinking Billie?" she asks. But he only stands up, puling her up by her arms with him as he walks towards the pool's edge, whispering something in her ear and causing her to giggle.

"You should be looking at me, not them." Tre speaks, interrupting me from gazing at the couple in front. I find myself grinning as he hobbles over towards me, sensuous water droplets falling from his bare skin. Begging to be licked off...

"I look at you way too much, my eyes need some res.t" I reply curtly while continuing to read my magazine. And just as I was going to open my mouth to tease Tre for the hundredth time today, a loud scream quivers my eardrums.
"Billie Joe don't you dare!" she screeches happily

And then with a quick toss, he throws Adrienne over his shoulder. She's banging on his back, laughing the entire time as her husband tiptoes around the pool, spanking her ass every now and then. And without warning he tosses her into the pool, causing the entire terrace to roar with laughter. While I'm laughing at their antics, I just barely notice Tre slowly maneuvering around me, but before I can properly react he has a hold on my arms, as I stand up, virtually paralyzed.
"Tre, I promise to God if you throw me in, I'll kill you." I mutter disinterestedly as he continues walking us over to the water's edge. But the giggles that are bubbling from my mouth tell him otherwise.

"I find that hard to believe." he sighs. "Hey Mike, gimme a hand here."

And before I know it, Mike grabs hold of my feet, while Tre still has a firm grasp on my hands. They slowly begin swaying me side to side.
"Oh my God, I hate the both of y—" I attempt to rant at the two devils, but my words choke as I hurl into the pool.

And so another portion of days had passed, filled with our budding friendship and romance. It was now the morning of the day of my departure, and I was more than dreading each second as it quickly ticked by.

"What time's you flight?"
"Tre, that's the fourth time you've asked me that. Its at 2 p.m."
"I know Seny." he sighs. "Just trying to start some good-bye conversation."

He's sitting in a chair a few feet away from me, fiddling about with his nails, biting them and chipping off the black paint that still managed to cling on. I'm hovering over my suitcase, packing this and fucking that. I didn't want to leave here, not when our relationship had reached new heights. We both knew that we loved each other, just too uncomfortable saying it to each other. I could tell by the look in his eyes when I had opened mines to look at him. And im sure he knew, because, well, he just better fucking know.

Another achievement this week was Billie Joe. It felt as if a huge weight was removed from off my back. I didn't really care about him much, romantically speaking. I now saw him as a past fling and nothing more. And whenever I would witness him and Adrienne showing vows of affection, I didn't get that usual gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I no longer yearned to shred her face to bits; she was a friend now if anything. Moreover I felt relief. Relief that I no longer loved him, maybe still liked, but no love, which was a huge milestone. Relief that maybe this relationship with Tre just might work.

"You don't have to say good-bye. Just see you later." I correct him while folding up a black shirt and heaving it inside my bag. I turn around for a second to look at him as he hooks his finger at me, beckoning for me to close the distance between us. So I drop what I'm folding and walk towards him, seating myself comfortably in his lap.
"Thanks again for coming out" he murmurs against my temple.

"Yea, so the next time I see you is for your birthday, right?" I ask, even though I already knew the answer.
He nods his head and closes his eyes as his arms encircle my waist, kissing my neck and shoulders. But before we can get anywhere with the cuddling and kissing, he suddenly jerks apart from me.

"Remember, I think it was last month, when I told you I brought something for you?" he asks while digging mercilessly into his pockets.
"No, but you really don't have to buy me anything Tre."
"Don't worry, I almost wasn't." he grins, earning him a light punch to his arm.

"Well I finally found it. Turns out it was at my house all along."
Soon, a small silver ring jumps out of his pant pocket, and he begins casually twirling it around his thumb. But for a few alarming seconds, I'm thinking that this man might actually be proposing to me! Isn't this a bit fast?

"Don't worry, it's not an engagement ring." he laughs after seeing my worried expression.

"I was about to say." I sigh, wiping fake sweat from my forehead.
"It's a friendship ring, something like that, well that's what Ramona told me." he trails.
"Aww..."
"Mmmhmm. I took her out shopping last month and she started blabbing about jewelry, and then she told me about these cheesy friendship rings. Supposedly, they're a symbol of how much you care for someone, how much you trust them, how you're faithful to them, yada yada yada." he smiles.

My GOD, he's cute when he's nervous

"So anyway, I brought one for you, since you're cheesy with stuff like this. And I would've brought one for myself, but I don't think they had one in my size. Nor am I this cheesy."

I begin grinning madly, and when he reaches for my hand and kisses my index finger, I turn to complete mush, and can't even remember my full name.

Is it Serenity Reynolds or Reynolds Serenity?

He slips the silver ring onto my index finger and kisses my hand as he watches me from above his eyelashes.
"I don't wanna put it on your ring finger, because well, we're not engaged." he mumbles an excuse. Him saying that didn't bother me the least, because neither of us were prepared for such a commitment.

"This has got to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." I manage to say. "Cheesy, but definitely sweet." I add for a comical effect.
"Anytime." he snorts.

Heaving my luggage into the back of the cab, I check my watch to look at the time, which happened to be 6 p.m. I slam the top down and hop into the yellow vehicle, the smell of pine trees a bit overwhelming.
"Where ya headed little lady?" the thin man asks me. So I tell him my address, him listening intently before speeding off to my home.

While driving towards my apartment complex, buildings, people, and lots of traffic whizzing by me, my cell phone rings out throughout the interior of the vehicle.

"Hello?"
"Home yet?" asks Billie Joe.
"I'm almost there actually." I reply casually.
"Had fun this week?"
"Yeah, although I didn't appreciate being thrown into a pool. And what's with the sudden questions?"
"Nothin." he mutters dismissively. "Just chattin."

"Ok... "

"Mike told Tre about us and he's gonna dump you in like twenty minutes" he suddenly blurts.

"What?!" I shriek.

"Just kidding" he chortles. "But seriously, we changed the date of Tre's party to Dec. 16. Adrienne wanted to call you, but I felt like messin' around with you a bit."

"Well hardy fuckin' har." I breathe shakily into the phone.
"I know. So I'll see you then I guess. Bye."
"Bye."

And with that I close the phone and dump it into my purse. "You can make a right on this avenue" I reveal to the cab driver. He nods his head, the cab now turning on my street. And when we enter the black gates of my apartment complex. My heart nearly explodes, and I find myself choking on the constricted air in the cab. I cover my mouth with my hands as the scene showers my eyes, too shocked to react.

"Oh My God!"