Please excuse ANY grammatical errors.

September 30, 1992

~Tia's P.O.V~

I am currently at a JoDeCi session. They were in rehearsals for tomorrows show. Guess who else was her? Boys ll Men! They were critiquing each others performances. When I tell y'all Michael McCary got that voice, he got that voice! Deep as heck. TLC were here as well, since they do portions of the tour. So, it felt good to not be the only woman here. They were finished now, just jiving around.

"Oooh, yeah! It's like that, it's like that!" K-Ci sang, bang his hips into the air. He was pretending to be Bobby Brown performing 'Every Little Step,' and he was doing a great job too. He had everyone rolling.

"Sit yo licorice body built ass down." Shawn laughed.

"Y'all built the same!" JoJo pointed out.

"And you built the complete opposite of boffum." Dalvin said to JoJo.

"Except he looks like the cinnamon man from Apple Jack's." K-Ci laughed out.

"Y'all asses just be mad because y'all summertime niggas, while I'm year 'round. They love a big nigga,  especially in the cold months." JoJo chuckled at them.

"It's true, the ladies love us." Wanye butted in. In my opinion, neither of them aren't even that big, but to each their own...

"Yeah, because bears hibernate in the winter, and y'all equivalent. Big asses." Donald said laughing.

"Is that true? Y'all women like big dudes?" Nathan asked us women.

"Y'all really should just shut up. Goddamn..." Lisa said to the boys. She has a point.

"For real." Tionne agreed.

"So y'all not gon' answer?" Michael asked.

"Imma say this, I only like one thing big on my man." Rozonda chimed in.

"Okay, now!" Tionne agreed with her, and they slapped hands.

"It gotta be his feet. Long ass clown feet." Wanya said to Tionne about Dalvin.

"Big feet equals big meat!" Dalvin shouted. My hand was covering my face. This WHOLE conversation went left.

"Nahhh, y'all haven't seen this nigga feet. Them some creepy crawlers." K-Ci laughed out.

"Nigga bedsheets be looking like Freddy Kruger scratched 'em up with his claws." Donald said laughing.

"WOW!" Michael's deep and exclamatory voice resonated throughout the room. It got quiet.

K-Ci was the one to break the silence; typical. "This nigga sound like Louis Armstrong. Talking about some wow." Everybody laughed. This man sounded NOTHING like Louis Armstrong

"Louis Armstrong? Really? Says the black and mild." Michael laughed.

"Y'all really wildin'!" Nathan laughed out.

"A'ight, I'm done. Y'all ready to go? 'Cause I am." Donald said after calming his laughter down. I shrugged, because I came willingly. I had nothing else to do, all my folks been doing is gambling, and I'm still too young.

"Why you so quiet today? The other day you was just trippin'." Dalvin asked.

"Because I was laughing at this dude, I was tripping?" I asked.

"It was the way you did it." Dalvin added.

"I ain't gon' even lie, that shit was funny as hell. Nigga looked like a fool laying there on the floor. Why the hell did you just lay there?" K-Ci asked Donald.

Donald was quiet for a while, but I knew it was because he didn't even know why he laid there. I asked him that same question last night. "Look, I'm finna go. Y'all niggas can either come or get left. We got plans."  Donald said to the other JoDeCi members. I stood up.

"Where y'all finna go?" Wanya asked.

"To mind our damn business." Donald joked. "But for real, we goin' to some indoor/ outdoor theme park."

"We." Shawn spoke up.

"We? Nigga who invited you?" Dalvin laughed.

"I did." Nathan butted in the conversation.

"So, all y'all just gon' invite y'all self?" K-Ci asked.

"Hell, yeah. I couldn't do shit while here but work, the these fools had fun.." Wanya added.

"Ya lil young ass." JoJo said laughing.

"Don't feel bad young buck, she ain't old enough either." Donald said patting his shoulder and pointing to me. "Y'all better get y'all bodyguards. If it's three known singing groups and all she do at a theme park, we finna be hounded by a bunch of people."

"We got that covered. Just say where, and we gon' be there." Michael said to Donald.

"Bye." Donald said walking off.

"Boy, your brother ain't got no type of manners." Wanya said to Dalvin.

I laughed and walked out. Donald was already in the car sitting down. "Took you long enough." He said as I sat in the front seat.

"I know..." I trailed off.

"Where the other niggas at? It's too hot here to be waiting." Donald frowned turning up the air. JoJo, K-Ci, and Dalvin finally came outside.

"Strap yourself in. Watch this..." Donald said laughing.

JoJo was reaching for the handle and Donald drove a about two feet from the previous spot, laughing.

"You're petty as crap." I laughed out.

Dalvin reached for the door this time and Donald drove further than the last time. "C'mon man, stop playin'!" JoJo screamed at him.

Donald rilled down the window. "Then get y'all asses in the car!" He yelled back after rolling down my window.

"We would if yo ass stop playing!" K-Ci yelled out. K-Ci opened the door, but Donald drove off again.

"Come on, let them in." I laughed.

"A'ight." He stopped. "Get y'all asses in the car!" He yelled out to them and rolled up my window.

Dalvin opened up the door to the passengers side. "Why you in the- why she in the front?"

"She was here first. If y'all would've been out here, you would have been where you wanted to be." Donald said to his little brother.

"I say JoJo get in the front. He the biggest want as much room as possible back here." K-Ci said laughing.

"Nahh. Just get in the fucking car." Donald shot at them all.

"I'll get in the back." I climbed to the back, just as JoJo was getting in the front. "Y'all are so mean to JoJo."

"I thought you said you was gon' lay off 'er. I see you lookin'." JoJo said to Donald, closing the door. I was sitting between Dalvin and K-Ci. "And for real, y'all so mean to me. I give y'all my heart and YOU GUYS just walk all over it!" JoJo pretended to cry as if he was in theatrics.

"Nigga, shut the hell up." K-Ci said from beside me to his little brother. "JoJo, be mean as hell to us." He said to me.

"Nigga, I said I'd lay off. Ain't shit wrong with looking." Donald said back to JoJo.

"Ard, then. You right..." JoJo chuckled. "Look on then nigga." He said to Donald. "Aye Tia, you know when you crawled back there this nigga was looking at yo ass, right?" JoJo asked turning to me.

"It's cool, I look at yours too Don." I winked jokingly, as I saw him looking at me through the rearview.

"Woahhh... Tia!" Dalvin said looking at me.

"I'm joking! Goodness." I laughed out. "He knows I'm playing." I said pointing to Donald.

"But he was for real lookin' at you." JoJo said to me.

"He KNOWS what he can't have. He can look, as long as he don't touch it.   Plus, I felt those laser eyes on me. I know." I shrugged

"I ain't even gon' front Tia, you do got a fat ass." K-Ci said seriously. Dalvin reached in front of me and smack K-Ci in the back of his head. "Nigga, what you hittin' me for?"

"You out of pocket for that." Dalvin replied to K-Ci.

"I'm just stating the facts." K-Ci frowned.

"Off limits bruhh." Donald said shaking his head.

I cocked my head at K-Ci. "Especially to you, you got a whole girlfriend. Let Mary find out..." I pointed at him.

"She gon' beat his ass." JoJo said laughing.

"Sholl is. She crazy as hell." Donald said laughing.

"I'm pretty sure he made her that way. I pay attention and y'all all be sleeping around. Y'all dudes complain about how girls be crazy, but some of it is on y'all. Y'all dudes tell y'all women that she's crazy or insecure, meanwhile y'all be real life cheating." I said aloud.

"Ain't nothing wrong with a little crazy. The makeup sex is amazing." K-Ci said nodding.

"Dudes make make y'all crazy? Shiiiitt, y'all make us crazy with all the mixed signals." Dalvin frowned at me.

"For real." Donald agreed. "Y'all say one thing and do another."

"Y'all dudes be sneaky as crap and playing mind games. Y'all don't even be knowing what y'all want. Y'all chase booty and not brains or the ones with actual goals." I told them.

"What happens when they got allum?" Donald asked looking at me through the review mirror.

"Then consider yourself lucky." I shrugged. "When y'all do come across those type of women, y'all jack it up or dang near." I said specifically looking at Dalvin.

Dalvin looked at me confused. "Looking at me for?"

"Because you got a good one and be with everybody else." JoJo turned to Dalvin.

"You do too. Tiny down for you ten toes, and you having kids by other women." Dalvin shot back.

"Damn y'all, chill. How we even get to this point?" Donald asked.

"You watching her ass jiggle, that's how." JoJo said looking at Donald.

"How you know it jiggled?" Donald asked JoJo in a serious tone.

"Because-" JoJo started but was cut off.

"Because he was looking too. We all did, damn." K-Ci exasperated.

"Not me." Dalvin made it known.

"You lying if you saying that you never looked at it or them titties." K-Ci told Dalvin. I'm officially uncomfortable...

"I ain't say that either. I'm just saying that I ain't look today." Dalvin cleared his throat. "I'm a man, we gon' look regardless. As long as we don't cross the line." He said looking at me.

"That outfit you got on ain't helpin' none. Tia, maybe you should change." Donald suggested.

(Tia's Outfit)

"Nahh, she good. Ain't nothing gon' hide what she got." Dalvin said to Donald.

"Right, y'all ain't together noway." K-Ci shrugged.

"I'm not about to change my outfit. I'm comfortable, so... Yeah, I'm keeping it on." I told them.

"You sure?" Donald asked me.

"Dude, did you just not hear what I said? Yes, I'm sure." I laughed.

"A'ight, cool." He said to me.

"Nigga, you sound mad." JoJo laughed.

"I'm not." Donald responded in a nonchalant tone.

"You are, and it's not okay. We are just friends, and you know that. So, you can calm those eyebrows down." I told him.

"She said calm your eyebrows!" K-Ci said cracking up.

          When we got to the hotel the boys went into their hotel rooms to get showered from all the sweat produced from rehearsal. I sat at the dining table in JoJo and Donald's room, waiting for them to finish getting dressed. After a while Donald came out of his bedroom.

"Damn, JoJo still getting ready?" He thought aloud, standing up, but leaning against the couch.

"Yes," I responded to him.

"I was thinking out loud." He said looking away, lighting a cigar.

"Are you still angry with me?" I asked him chuckling.

"I was never mad, damn... Why y'all keep saying that?"

"Because you were and still are. Why are you, though? I'm not comprehending..." I said truthfully.

"Why? Because you keep throwing that shit in my face, that's why I'm mad." He let out the smoke through his nostrils.

I frowned at him, because your girl was actually confused. "Throwing what in your face?"

"We not together, like ion know that shit. Then you said it in front of the fellas. You tend to throw that shit out everytime, like I ain't shit, or the shoes that so happens to step in it." He said putting the cigar to his lips.

"But it's the truth. I wasn't angry at you for ol' girl. I was angry with her for accusing me of things, not you. Being together would be messed up for the both of us. Look at all those women you be with, and I told you why I'm not ready. Not everything, but I told you. I'm sorry for making you feel like you are nothing, those aren't my intentions." I apologized. Saying sorry is so tough for me. Why? I have no idea but it is hard to say.

He shrugged at me. "A'ight, cool..."

"That's all? You know, sometimes you can be a butthole, a broken one that's been played with, and ran through." I said folding my arms, pouting like a child.

He bursted out laughing, making the smoke come through his mouth. "A what!?"

"A butthole!" I pouted.

"Talking about some one that been ran through and played with. What? I ain't ever heard that. The hell..." He said still laughing.

"That's what I said. Mmm." I said pretending to be angry.

"Yo, you wildin'. Look who's mad now. I'm sorry for being upset." He pulled his folded shades from his shirt and placed them on his face.

JoJo came out fully dressed. "Fuck was you doing in there, jackin' off? Took you all day." Donald said laughing.

"Shit, I probably was. According to y'all niggas, I'm too fat to find it. What's it to you?" JoJo shot out.

My eyes widened. "Okay... Y'all ready to go?" I asked standing up and putting on my bookbag/purse.

"For sho'," Donald stood up all the way.

"Let's roll." I said walking to the door.

Donald opened it, I walked out, JoJo followed suit. "Nigga, I was holding the door open for her not you." Donald said closing the door and locking it. Their bodyguards were standing right there. I told mines that I'll meet him downstairs.

"We can take the truck that I had my people rent. It's bigger, and everyone wont feel bunched up." I told them.

"A'ight. I'm cool with that." Donald said as we all walked to the elevator.

"I'm cool with that, no more fat jokes, and me taking up space." JoJo said to us. K-Ci and Dalvin were right behind us. Dalvin had Tionne on his arm. When did she get here?

"There's never enough fat jokes for you, tubby." K-Ci said catching up to us, patting JoJo's stomach. I shook my head. I know he feels some type of way, always being called fat and all. I know the feeling.

"Are you okay?" I asked JoJo. Why did I even ask? I know he'll say he's fine.

"I'm good." He chuckled. I pat him on the shoulder as we entered the elevator. As soon as we made it downstairs I spotted my bodyguard; Jax.

(Tia's Bodyguard. Y'all, he's fully clothed.)

"It's hot as hell out here." K-Ci sighed.

"It is, I'm already sweating." JoJo said using his shirt as a fan.

"We riding with her." Donald told them.

"Yeah, but you can drive, because I'm not. Hand him the keys Jax." I told him, he threw Donald the keys.

"Who he?" Donald asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"My bodyguard..." I said in an obvious tone.

"You a big nigga!" K-Ci shouted.

"Why you so loud?" Dalvin frowned.

"Right, all up in my ear. Fuck away from me man." JoJo said slowly pushing K-Ci away.

~DeVanté's P.O.V~

          There were fans swooning over us. This shit was crazy. It's a lot but I know we're about to have fun. The security was handling it. There were people here but it wasn't as packed as I thought it'd be. The place was called 'Fun World,' that typical ass name. This place has indoor and outdoor activities.

"Wow," I heard Tia say from beside me.

"You might as well get used to the shits now." I said chuckling.

"I have to hey used to it." She shrugged. We went to the counter and got wristbands that includes everything.

"Y'all wanna do the inside or outside activities first?" Mike (Michael) asked.

"Inside, let it cool down some out there. I ain't finna be funking up the place, coming from outside." JoJo told Mike.

"Y'all, lets do laser tag first." Wanya suggested. We went into the laser tag line, waiting for our turn.

"Who on who team?" I asked.

"Simple, us against y'all." Nathan stated, pointing to JoDeCi then themselves.

"What about the girls?" K-Ci asked. It was just Tia and Tionne here, those other two didn't come.

"I'll be on their team," Tia said pointing to Wanya and them.

"Traitor," I mumbled.

"For real, you a traitor. We all know damn well, we gon' lose with these two on the same team." K-Ci said pointing to Dalvin and Tionne.

"It's best they stay together. He ain't gon' shoot her, she got the upper hand." JoJo said to us.

"A'ight, then it's settled, Tia on our team." Shawn said shutting it down.

"A'ight, y'all we next." Mike announced. The lady let us through.

We had to watch this LOONNNGGG ass two minute instruction video that none of us payed attention to. After that we got our suits and firearms.

"Y'all what color we choosing?" Dalvin asked.

"Pink," Tionne answered.

"No..." Me and the fellas said almost in sync.

"We're orange." Michael said to his team.

"We blue." I told the lady, and that's what she set it to. "Imma make sure I get yo ass. You my focal point, and you goin' down." I said pointing to Tia.

"Thanks for the heads up." Tia chuckled. "Don't trip, with ye clumsy behind."

"Ahh, he ain't gon' get shit." Shawn said laughing patting Tia on the shoulder.

She looked at her shoulder from the corner of her eyes like she ain't want it there. I could tell that she was uncomfortable. Shawn cool and all, but I don't blame her, because she just met him today. I moved his hand, and placed my arm around her.

"You know I don't hit women, but I'm finna beat yo ass in this game!" I laughed in her face. We walked in and immediately Tia twisted my arm from around her.

"I'm not friends with competition." She smiled, walked to their base backwards, so she was still facing me. "You're mine DeGrate."

"A'ight, bet." I chuckled. The lights flickered off, the neon lights came on, and our gear lit up.

We started and it feels like World War II in this joint. Lasers were flying everywhere, people were taking bullets for their team members. Mostly Dalvin taking them for Tionne, she suck. I wanna switch teammates. She kept on getting hit. I was looking for Tia, but couldn't find her. I was getting hit, and I knew it was her, but I couldn't spot her nowhere.

"Tia?" My gear was activated again. I turned around and I saw a lit up orange suit duck. Bingo, but before I could shoot her she shot me.

"I was behind you all this time, dummy." Tia said running off laughing.

Tionne was about to get shot by Wanya, but Dalvin junoed in front of her. I swear it was in slow motion. "Nooooo!" Dalvin yelled out falling to the floor, fron jumping in front of Tionne. They both got hit. It was like a movie scene.

"Y'all fucking suck!" K-Ci grimaced. "All three of y'all stuff out."

Mines came back on, and I spotted Tia. Right as I was about to shoot, I heard Wanya yell. "TIA!" But, it was too late, she already lost a life. Her body shook, and she fell to the ground. Dramatic, I tell you! Wanya shot me at the same time I shot Tia.

I went back to my base. There was K-Ci hiding. "Man, let's smoke them fools! They shot yo goddamn teammates in front of you nigga! You gon' let that shit ride?" K-Ci said hitting my chest with the back of his hand.

"Hell nahh, I ain't letting that shit ride! We gon' smoke the fools that smoked us." I said back. "Let's go!" I said as my gear was activated again. We ducked and rolled all on the floor, avoiding the other team.

I felt a gun on my head, I looked over and Michael had a gun up to K-Ci's. I looked up and it was... You guessed it, Tia. She cocked her head to the side. "Any last words, DeGrate?" She smirked.

"Kill me. Shoot me ten times, because I got cat lives." I said and she shot me in the chest.

K-Ci was shot in his back. Dalvin, JoJo, and Tionne was behind Tia and Michael. JoJo shot Tia in shoulder and she dropped her gun, falling to the floor groaning. Dalvin shot Mike, and he fell to him knees.

"I thought we were friends, JoJo." Tia said in a weak voice, seemingly crying. "Help... Me... Losing... Too much... Blood." She whispered, reaching out with her other arm. Her eyes closed.

"I was waiting for the right time." JoJo chuckled.

"Fuck you." Mike groaned out, talking to Dalvin falling face first on the floor. Then the lights came back on. Basically, telling us our time was up.

Tia opened her eyes and stood up. Mike followed suit. We walked out and found out that my team lost by two points on the screen. I blame Dalvin and Tionne. Why save someone whose going to get hit anyways? She was dead weight on our team. We were all taking off our gear.

"You are dramatic as hell. Boffa y'all." I said laughing at Tia and Mike. "I know yo face hurt, you falling on it and all." I said to Mike.

"Ahh," he waved his hand. "I'm good."

"I told you I was in theatre." She smiled. "I'm about to hoop."

"Y'all fucking suck! I'm not being on y'all team no more." K-Ci said to Dalvin and Tionne.

"I'm not gon' lie, Tionne you was dead weight." I said truthfully. "Why save the dead?" I asked turning to Dalvin.

"Fuck y'all. We killed the people whi killed yall. Be glad." Dalvin laughed out.

"We already lost our lives at that point. Where was you at JoJo? I only saw you at the end." I asked.

"Oh, I was hiding in the corner. I ain't wanna lose a life. But the heros come at the end." JoJo cheesed nodding his head up and down. Tia walked off with her bodyguard. They went to the basketball machine.

"JoJo, lets play air hockey." I motioned him over to it.

"A'ight." JoJo followed me.

I put the puck down on the board and turned it on. "You finna lose." I said grabbing my striker.

I hit the puck and it slid towards him. We went back and forth and it slid into my slot. "That's cool." I nodded. I took it out of the hole and sat it back on the table.

"Always the shit talker, but never the winner." JoJo said to me focused on the puck that was sliding back and forth across the table.

"I may talk SHIT..." I hit the puck hard. "But, you look like it." It went into the hole on his side, gaining me a point. We played three games and I won two.

Wanya and Tia was playing the dancing game with the mat. Tia was losing. Lord KNOWS that girl can't dance. I went over to them. Tia's gloved hand gripped the pole, while her feet moved at rapid speed. She was missing EVERY single move.

"Damn, maybe you should quit while you behind." I said to her shaking my head.

"Shhhh," she laughed, her legs still moving. Then the game finished showing the score.

"490 to his 2240, you gotta do better." I patted her shoulder.

"He dances and sing for a living, I don't." She said twisting my arm from around her, and patted my shoulder. After a while of indoor activities, we went outside. We are currently playing bumper boats. "

"DeVanté, you squirted it in my hair!" Tia squealed out. She then squirted me in the face and eyes with the water gun connected to the boat. I should have been put my shades back on. (Pause💀)

"You squirted me all in my eyes." I wiped the water out of my eyes. She had me stuck in the corner of the pool. I grabbed my shades and placed them on my face.

"Payback is a motha." She laughed and squirted me some more. It went all on my forehead and dripped down to my eyes. My face was soaked, as well as my shirt. I pressed the gas and bumped her hard. Her boat and body jerked.

"Dude," she backed up and came at me full force. That pushed me back into my previous corner.

Shawn pushed her boats, making her go into the other corner. He was laughing hard as hell. She was able to turn around and when she did, she squirted him in his eyes. As he was blinded by the water, she took the opportunity to leave the corner.

We decided to get on this ride. The ride looked like the regular ferris wheel, but it had a spin to it, literally. It went in all directions. (Its a real ride at 6 flags, and scary as heck. I just can't remember the name. That ride is not safe...) Tia and I went to the same cart, since it was two people per cart. She was sitting between my legs and I was behind her. There was only one seatbelt.

"Is it supposed to be like this?" I asked the person that controlled the ride.

"Yes," he said closing the door and locking it.

"This flimsy ass shit. How we supposed to be secure in this lil shit?" I told Tia.

"We should be fine." She said strapping us in.

"Hopefully." I said as we waited for it to start.

It started off like a normal ferris wheel then our cart turned upside down. My head hit the roof, and Tia was sliding back and forth. Her head hit the roof too. She was screaming like she was being murdered. I put one of my hands to the ceiling and the other around her waist securing her. Both of her hand were on the ceiling of the cart, and her back pushed tightly against me. Her feet were flat on the wall.

"Oh shit!" I yelled out. Damn my head... I shook it off.

"Tia, calm down!" I said loud enough for her to hear over her screams. She was freaking out bad, and hyperventilating.

"I gotta use it!" She yelled out. I was laughing, it was too funny.

"I got you." I said into her ear. "Calm down." I told her, but she continued to scream. She probably was crying too. The ride stopped after a while. Tia stepped off with wobbling legs. I was right behind her.

"Y'all need better security belts or some shit." I said to the control man, I was mad as hell. I knew it wasn't his fault but he was all I could blame.

"Get up here." I said to Tia referring to my back.

"Yo, that shit crazy as hell. My head hit the roof." Dalvin said rubbing his head.

"DeVanté don't drop me. If you drop me- you bet not drop me." She said wiping her face of tears.

"I'm not, I got you. Trust me." I laughed and she hopped on top of me. She locked her arms around my neck, and I locked mines around her thighs.

"You know I'm not the one to trust words. I trust actions. Don't drop me." She said sniffling, still calming down from the ride experience.

"I had you on the ride, right?" I asked looking at her. She nodded. "A'ight, then. When I say I got you, I got you." I laughed and walked forward.

Word Count: 4,755

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