Please excuse ANY grammatical errors.

January 1, 1993

~Dalvin's P.O.V~

"LISTEN!" I yelled out to everyone, tapping silverware against the glass cup. I was standing on a chair. Everybody stopped what they were doing and paid attention to me.

"Alright, '92 was a great year for Jodeci and Uptown Records, but '93 will be an even greater year! Geesh, five awards." I said shaking my head in shock."It's only up from here! TLC too! Tionne... Cheers to a new year!" I held up my glass.

"Cheers!" Everybody yelled clinking their glasses together. I jumped down from the chair without dropping an ounce of my drink.

"Thanks, baby." Tionne said then kissed my lips.

"Mmhm," I mumbled. "You tryna go somewhere and do something?" I smirked at her.

"I'm tryna have some fun on New Years."

"Me too, but I'm talking about another type of fun." I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

Tionne looked at me funny. "Boy-"

"Hi, Dalvin." I heard a voice say from behind me.

          I turned around and it was Jaléa, one of my flings. I know I said I'd stop cheating, but I'm a young buck, balls full of nut, and I can't resist a slut with a nice butt willing to give it up. I can't control that, and I'm constantly on the road. A man got needs, and I needs me some pussy.

"Wassup," I greeted her, awkwardly scratching the back of my head.

"That was a good speech you did there." She chuckled. Don't you see me with my girl?

"Uhh, yeah. It was nothing. REALLY." I nodded at her. "Umm, thanks. Have a nice day." I awkwardly smiled.

"Wait, you haven't introduced us." Jaléa said to me while looking at Tionne. Tionne then looked at me.

I started, "This is-"

"Tionne, his girlfriend." Tionne greeted.

"Aww, I was unaware that you had a girl." Jaléa said chuckling. "I'm Jaléa, it's nice to meet you." Jaléa held out her hand for Tionne to shake.

Tionne hesitantly shook her hand, "Yes, he does. It will be three years." Tionne smile.

"You un that girl group TLC, right?" Jaléa asked.

"Yes, how do you know Dalvin here? And for how long?" Tionne asked sipping her drink.

"For a while now, a year. I know him from the tour. I'm a dancer for MC Hammer." Jaléa replied.

"Interesting..." Tionne squinted her eyes at her then at me.

"Yeah, umm, have a nice day now..." I trailed off.

"See you later." Jaléa looked me in the eyes and walked away.

"Later? Why later?" Tionne asked turning to me.

"Just what some people say, ya know?" I shrugged.

Her eyes squinted, "Ok." She drank some more of her Martini.

"Why are you being awkward?" I asked her.

"I'm... Thinking. Why was you so awkward when she was over here?" Tionne asked me.

"It was unexpected. The tap on my shoulder scared me." I lied.

"Oh, okay." Tionne nodded at me. "She's... cute. Wouldn't you think?"

"Nahh, she a'ight." I instantly replied.

"Well, imma go rap to Lisa and Ro. Imma see you LATER, okay?" She tightly smiled at me.

"Okay," I replied. The minute she left, I let out a relieved sigh.

De came up to me laughing. "I saw that shit. That girl knew what she was doin', and Tionne knows SOMETHING. Messy as hell, but that's yo fault too." He put his hand on my shoulder.

"My fault? How is THAT my fault?" I asked him.

"You sleepin' with boffum, dumb ass. We industry niggas man, you gon'- you bound to run into somebody you fucked with. Even I do, and I don't even remember fuckin' with half of 'em. This shit is all connected bruhh. " De said slapping my chest with the back of his hand.

"That's bullshit, and you know it." I pushed his hand away.

"Bullshit? A'ight, but if I'm right, you own me two stacks." De laughed.

"A'ight, deal." We shook hands.

"Ion care how far we made this deal, but whenever I find that I'm right, you givin' me my money." De laughed.

"A'IGHT!" I damn near yelled out. He irritating me.

          I already got to deal with Tionne and that chicken head. Got some damn nerve comin' over here with me and my girl. These chicken heads need to stay in they place. She knew her place from jump.

"Look at Lisa, she over there looking over here at you like you shit. They over there talking about you bruhh. New year, new drama, or old drama. That shit been goin' on for a while now." De chuckled. "Oh, yeah. This year gon' bring a lot of that." He shook his head looking at me.

          One thing that I don't understand is why women bring other people into they relationship problems? Lisa is messy as hell. Lisa relationship is shit, so I don't know why she taking part of being in our business. Or the one she working on getting in. That nigga Andre in the corner right now talking to a honey, but they eyes on me.

"What about you and ol' girl?" I asked him changing the subject.

"Who? I know a lot of ol' girls?" De chuckled, taking a swig of Dusse straight from the bottle.

"You know who I'm talking about. I would have said chicken head if it was anybody else."

"You mena Tia?" He asked.

"Of course." I said irritated at his ignorance.

"Shiii, yo guess is as good as mines. Still ain't spoke to her, man. She went ghost, and I don't een know what for. Shits weird, man. Maybe her ass is playin' games with a nigga." He shrugged.

"You sure y'all ain't argued or nothing?" I raised my eyebrows at him. "You tend to get mad quick. You always had a lil temper."

"Nahhh, I told you EVERYTHING was good the last time we did speak."

"There go Pac over there. She seems pretty close to him. Why you ain't ask him if he heard from 'er?"

"That nigga drunk off his ass. He don't know up from down right now. Look at him. He high too." De laughed out.

"You high and drunk too. Shit, most of us here are. Ain't gon' hurt to try right?"

"I know what I'm doin' though, fully aware. It ain't gon' hurt to try either, but..." He trailed off and walked over to him. I followed him.

"What's up Pac?" De hunch over to dap him up.

"What up bright-eyed nigga? What goin' on playa?" Pac asked De, dapping him up.

"Shit, just enjoying the party. What about you?" De asked sitting down across from him.

"You see me. I know yo ass ain't come over here to interrupt a nigga with smalltalk. What is it?" Pac said to De, drunkenly gesturing towards the women beside him.

"Is Tia good? I ain't heard from her in a while, did you?" De asked taking a swig of Dusse.

"Nah, not in a while now. Like a month in a half. Lately, I been busy. As far as I know, she is good though. YOU ain't heard from 'er?" Pac raised his eyebrow in shock.

"Yeah, about the same amount of time as you. A month maybe less." De frowned.

"That's... Off. You called? Because I haven't did that in a minute. We both ain't spoke in a minute." Pac asked.

"I called, and no answer."

"You called her house and cell? How many times." Pac asked.

"Yes, I did that. Straight to voicemail. Ion know how many times, but plenty." De responded. I know he called a hellava lot, this nigga don't even know how much.

"Y'all into it or something?" Pac asked.

"Nah, not at all. We good as far as I know." De said with his hand on his chest.

"Call her again. I'm finna call her house." Pac said grabbing his phone and called. He put it up to his ear, then put it down. "Straight to voicemail. Call 'er cellphone, imma keep callin' her house." Pac said pushing the women away, standing up. "I got a bad feeling. It's loud ass hell in this bitch, I'm finna go outside. Can't really hear shit." He sobered up quick.

"Yeah," De said standing up, he walked out the door. He was worried, I could tell he was, I was too.

I was about to follow both of them, then Tionne walked up to me. "Where are you going?"

"Gotta make sure my brother straight." I replied.

"What do you mean? What's goin' on with him?"

"I don't even know, hopefully, its nothin' bad- no bad news." I replied.

"I'm coming with you." Tionne followed me outside.

We made it outside and I could spot them. "Where they go?" I said aloud but to myself.

"There they go," Tionne pointed to Pac and De. We walked near them.

"Anything yet?" I asked them. Tionne looked at me oblivious because I ain't tell her everything.

"Nahh, imma call one more time. If there is no answer I'm goin' down there." Pac responded to me.

"You know where she live?" I asked Pac.

"Nah, but I can find out." Pac told me.

"Maybe she ain't answering right now because she sleep. It is early in the morning. Most people still sleep around this time." I threw out attempting to calm him down some.

"It's New Years, just about er'body up right now." Pac looked at me like I was stupid.

"She 'on't celebrate a lot stuff." I shrugged.

De ain't say nothing, he just called her cellphone again. He waited for a few seconds, then he dragged it away from his ear sighing. "Man, ion know..." He he rubbed his hand against his face, then took another swig of liquor.

"It's gon' be okay man." I patted my brother's shoulder.

Pac called once more, "Hello, who dis?" He said into the receiver. He pulled the phone away from his ear. Maybe he had the wrong number?

"This is Pac and I'm looking for Tia. This is her phone?" Pac asked the person on the phone. I'm assuming someone else picked up.

"This Pac- Tupac, her friend." Pac said into the phone, he said impatiently.

"Aye man, yo phone can go on speaker?" De asked Pac. "Put that shit on speakerphone then."

~Yasir's P.O.V~

"Yasir, go to your sista house and grab some more clothes. It's already a bag packed up in her closet, on the left side." My mama said to me from the chair next to the bed.

"A'ight, imma be back." I said getting up from my seat, looking down at my sister. She covered her head with the white blanket, most likely to cry. She never likes to cry in front of people, not even me; her brother and mama.

"Tia, baby you gotta eat more and talk sooner or-" my mother said to her as I left out the room. I didn't hear the rest but I knew it's exactly what she's been saying for a while now.

          Tia speaks but to a minimum, and she eats but not as much as she used to or should. I know that my sister has been through a lot, and this is just extra baggage. She's been talking about going to therapy for some years now, but never did. I hope she really go soon because what she's doing now is not healthy. At least her face and stuff is healing. It hurts to see my sister laying there like that, but I can't show it, she won't show it either.

          Appearing to be weak is something we as siblings don't do. I didn't even know all of that stuff happened to her as kids until we got older, or how much it affected her mentally. We both been told from young ages to withhold our emotions, our mama taught us both that. Tia is doing a pretty good job with not displaying them to us. Her face almost seems emotionless 95% of the time.

          I took off from work for some days. I feel like I failed again as a big brother at protecting her for a second time. She's the only sibling I got, besides from our sperm donors other kids, but I barely fuck with them. I barely even know them, or him. All I know is that dude ain't shit. He can't even come up here to see his daughter in the hospital. I'm just happy that the people that found her, found her when they did.

          I jumped in my car and turned it on to warm-up. It's cold here, but not as cold as it is in Indiana. I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed I was crying. I don't even know how I ain't feel it with this weather. I wiped my eyes and readjusted my mirror. After it got warm enough, I began driving to her house. I still can't believe all this happened. The moment I find out who did all this, whatever it is that happened, I'm messin' they asses up. Like I always say, I don't play about my family, especially my sister. The detectives put together some evidence but nothing can be confirmed until she talks.

          Every time someone asks her what happened she puts the cover over her head and cries silently. The only thing she does for distraction is schoolwork. My sister is very driven, I don't know how someone can go through what they went through and still focus on school. I arrived at her house and walked up to the door. It's hard as hell opening her door, but I managed. I made my way to her room and checked on the right side of her closet, and nothing.

"Mama, ain't no bag on the right side of the closet." I said through the phone.

"I said the left side, boy. Look to the left side." Mama said.

"I'm looking and... no bag." I frowned.

"Boy, look good. You half lookin'. It's in the corner of the left side of her closet." She said in a loud tone. This big ass closet! It's a whole lot of left side.

"I still don't see it, mama." I told her truthfully because I don't see crap.

"Boy, leave the closet." She ordered me, so I did. Tia's house phone rang.

"I'm out." I told her.

"Now, go back in."

"I'm in the closet now." I announced just as the house phone stopped ringing.

"Now, walk about ten steps, then look to your left."

"Okay, I'm looking..." I trailed off. I was staring in the same spot for a few seconds, then I looked over a couple of inches and saw it. "I see it! Wait, is it the black suitcase?" I asked.

"Yes, boy. Grab it and come back here. Be safe."

"Okay, I will." I said and then I heard the dial tone. Just as she did that, Tia's house phone started ringing again.

"Who the fuck keep on calling!?" I went to the phone and answered it.

"Hello, who dis?" I heard a dude ask.

"How you gon' call somebody else phone and ask who it is?" I said with my eyebrow arched into the air. "The question is who are you?"

"This is Pac and I'm looking for Tia. This is her phone?" The dude answered. He had a familiar voice.

"Yeah, this her phone, who is this again?"

"This Pac- Tupac, her friend." Tupac? I forgot she knew this dude.

"Aye man, yo phone can go on speaker?" I heard someone else say on his side of the phone. "Put that shit on speakerphone then."

"What you want with my sister? Who is that in the background?" I asked. This a hood dude, the first one I ever seen her with. Which is why it surprised me when I found out she knew him and worked with him.

"This De, the dude you tried to intimidate. Where Tia at?"

"Aye man, don't be talking to me like one of these dudes off the streets, 'cause I'm not. Let's set that shit straight." My voice serious.

"My bad, man. I'm just tryna find out what's goin' on." De apologized to me.

"You cool, man. Just don't do that again. As for my sista, she in the hospital."

"HOSPITAL!?" I heard about three different voice yell in almost sync.

"Yeah, so-some stuff went down a while a-ago. It was all on the news, I'm surprised y'all ain't know. I was starting to think y'all wasn't her real friends."

"What happened man?" Pac asked.

"Don't nobody really know the details of it all but umm... Yeah, but my sista in the hospital, been for a little while now." I explained.

"What hospital she at?" Pac asked.

"Umm... Emory."

"Which one? It's a lot of them." Pac asked.

"The one in Atlanta..." I said obviously.

"I know Atlanta, it's a lot of Emory hospitals out there. What it's called?" Pac asked.

"The university one."

"A'ight, imma be there as soon as I can!" De yelled then I heard the dial tone.

"This ugly ass nigga got one mo' time..." I got up from the couch, and grabbed her bag. Just as I was about to go the phone rang again.

"What?" I said into the phone.

"We need a contact number to get in touch." It was De.

"I'm not givin' another dude my number. Call the hospital and they 'a direct you to her room. Somebody gon' answer." I said and hung up. I left out the house and I made sure to lock up.

          Before I made my way back, I stopped at a fast food joint, and got us both some food. When I made it back, my sister was sitting up with her face in a book, a school book. She registered for college in late October and been going to school since November. I really don't think she should be doing this right now, she was in a coma. It was a short one but still... I think she should rest.

"Maybe you should get some rest." I suggested and sat her bag in the corner of the room. She looked up at me for a split second, fixed her glasses, and kept right on with what she was doing.

"You just gon' keep ignoring everybody? A'ight, I see how it is..." I laughed, and I saw a slight smile. VERY SLIGHT.

"You know it's New Years day right?" I asked her, no response. "Okay... Hey, you gotta speak sooner or later. What if this person or people get to somebody else?" I told her. She sat the book down, turned out the light, and covered her head. I just hope nothing other than robbing happened to her, because if not...

"I'm sorry." I told her, because I know she heard this a million times since she been here. She's stubborn as hell and she gon' talk when she want to. I sat down on the couch near her bed.

          My mama looked at me sideways with a warning. Then our step pops came in here. He just came back from work and most likely came to pick up my mama. He's a cool dude, and I give him a lot of respect for taking on the responsibility of another dude. They aren't officially married yet, but they been together for a minute now. We just say that they married.

"How she doin' now?" He asked.

"The same as she was when you left earlier." I sat back, getting comfortable.

"Damn..." He shook his head looking at her. "This shit is crazy."

"She's right here, she can hear you..." My mama trailed off, now looking at him sideways.

"We'll be back tomo." My mama said to me and Tia, who probably wasn't listening. She grabbed her purse and walked out with our step pops.

"See y'all." I waved. "You hungry?" I asked her as if she would talk. "Good." I scooted up and sat the bag of food on the food tray that was near her bed.

I heard a small and hoarse "Thanks." Eh, that's something. First time I heard her speak all day.

"Eat up." I made my little bed on the couch and laid down. The TV was on, adult swim was on right now.

I looked over to her, "Aye, you know them dudes called. Pac, and De. That nigga got one more time to disrespect me." I laughed out. "They seemed... worried. I guess you could call it that. Actually they was worried, they said they was coming. Well, that dude De did. Ion know about the other one. You okay with that?" I asked looking at her. She was still covered from head to toe under the blanket.

January 2, 1993

~Yasir's P.O.V~

"You gon' eat?" I asked her, noticing the bag of food still in the same place. She grabbed it and looked at me. She opened it and started eating.

"You want me to warm it up? Imma go warm it up." I grabbed her food from her. She hates cold food.

Nurse Danielle came in. "Hello, how is she holding up today?" She asked me.

"She's... better." I nodded.

"Okay, I'm just going to check her vitals, clean her wounds, and change her bandages. Alright?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"You feel like talking today?" Miss Andrews asked Tia and no response. After a few minutes she waa finished checking her vitals. "Everything is looking better Miss Andrews. You're healing up just fine. Let's get these bandages changed up."

"Imma go warm up your food." I told her and headed to the cafeteria in the basement. I put it in for five minutes and took it out. When I made it back to her floor I saw De, Pac, and some other dudes about my size. I'm assuming they bodyguards.

"Tia Andrews, she's in this hospital room. I know she is." De raised his voice at the receptionist.

"I'm sorry sir. We aren't allowed ro disclose any of the information you're asking. If you aren't family or on the list, you can't go back there." She explained.

"I'll shut this whole shit down. Where she at?" Pac said to the lady.

"Aye, they with me. Sorry about that ma'am." I said once I made it to the desk. "This way." I instructed them.

"You Tia brother?" Pac asked, he ain't ever seen me.

"Yes, I'm her brotha. Y'all need to learn that y'all can't talk to people any kind of way, especially if you want or need something. Ion care who y'all is." I said talking to them, even though I was in front of them.

"My bad. How she doin'?" Pac asked.

"Better than when she first arrived."

"How long she been in here?" De asked me.

"A little over three weeks." I answered.

"What happened?" De asked me.

"She was beat up, and robbed. That's all we know. She ain't talking much. She barely says two words together. She bandaged all up, so ion want y'all to be surprised when you see her and make some type of expression to make it worse." I turned around to them once we made it to the room.

"Where was her bodyguards when all this went down?" De asked me then looked up to her bodyguards in front of the door. "Where was y'all at?" He asked them.

"She told us she was good for the rest of the day." Jax explained.

"What they injure?" Pac asked.

"They hit her in the head with something. She has a footprint on the skin in front of her left ribs, so that's all bandaged up. Breathing is a bit difficult for her, so there is a machine helping her. But like I said she's doing better. Then there's her foot, but it came from her gun. I'm guessing it ricocheted and hit her, but it missed any tendons, so that's healing up pretty well. Then all the money she had in her pockets are gone." I explained to them.

"Damn..." De rubbed his hands down his face in frustration.

"Wait, lemme make sure everything ia good before y'all come up in here." I said and walked in. "Is everything fine?" I asked the nurse.

"Yes sir, she just fell asleep." The nurse quietly spoke, trashing the old bandages. She washed her hands.

"A'ight, thank you ma'am." I nodded and held the door open as she left. "Y'all can come in here and see her, just don't make too much noise. She's ain't had much sleep, and she a light sleeper." I motioned them in.

"Appreciate it man." De said dapping me up.

"Yeah, thanks pad'na." Pac dapped me up next.

We all entered and they both stood over her. "Well, sit down. She can feel when somebody standin' over her. Y'all gon' wake 'er up." I motioned them to sit down. I placed her food back on the food stand and sat down on my "bed."

"You said she won't talk? Why not?" De asked.

"Ion know nigga, I ain't in her head. Do you see a crystal ball in my hand?" I asked turning my head to the side. Pac laughed at him, shaking his head.

"Where was she when all this went down? What was the date?" De asked me.

Author's Note: New year, new drama... Prepare for this rollercoaster ride. It's 1993. How did you like Yasir's point of view?

Word Count: 4,320

Please feel free to like and comment. Feedback gives motivation, and motivation makes me write more. I will try my best to respond to you all.

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