Please excuse ANY grammatical errors.

April 20, 1996

~DeVanté's P.O.V~

"You dumb fuck!" I told Dalvin.

"What!? I ain't know!" He responded.

"How the hell you ain't know when I went to every damn rehearsal!? Now I look even more different than ususal you niggas!" I told him. "I even asked to ass did you get OUR gear together and your answer was yes."

"Nigga, you went to the other rehearsals and didn't show up to the actual show like you were supposed to." K-Ci told me.

"Right, ain't no use in wasting money on no possible." Dalvin told me.

"Fuck outta here. I showed up those times because I wanted to make sure Jodeci did good. I was fucked up then and could never make up my mind to certify much. Y'all KNEW damn well I said I was coming. This shit is so meaningful, we goin' on a hiatus and I fans should see ALL of us. I want us to look like a group. Then it's the day of that I find out. That's fucked up and y'all know it!" I pointed out.

"Well, ain't no use in complainin'. We got to get ready." JoJo shrugged at me.

"Get ready? Nigga, I guess I'm already dressed!" I told him.

"He meant us nucka." Dalvin said patting my back laughing.

I shrugged him off my shoulder and walked to my dressing room. "Can't stand these niggas sometimes." I shook my head closing the door.

Now I would usually pop a few pills at a time like this but I don't have any in sight nor do I want to. Shit, I would pop pills just because at one point. Yes, I have an urge to do so but I don't want to. Give me a fucking break, I've only been sober for seven months rounded. I am more than pills and I don't need it.

It doesn't help that they have a bunch of bottles of alcohol in my dressing room when I had a slight drinking problem too. The rest of the fellas do too and I'm pretty sure they got the same things in theirs. The difference between me and them is that I want to stop or at least slow down and they don't. There are also headache relief medication sitting there staring at me.

Headaches are common when you get off the stage because of the loud music and screaming fans. They aren't OTC medication but still... I stared at the bottles of liquor and the pill bottles for a long time contemplating. My legs began to bounce involuntarily as I crossed my arms. I stood up shaking my head and grabbed the pill bottle and threw that shit across the room. Then I walked out of my dressing room pissed off.

"Not goin' back to that shit. I'm not going to relapse for shit!" I mumbled to myself. I'm not even a year sober yet and I don't need it. "Aye, who in charge of this shit?" I asked walking up to Reese.

"Sir, what's the problem?" A womanly voice asked tapping on my shoulder.

I turned around, exhaling loudly. "Who's in charge of setting up dressing rooms?" I asked calmly.

"I am. What's the problem?" She asked with a tight smile.

"Look, don't you think you should ask people what they want in their dressing room?" I asked her skeptically and she stayed quiet. "I don't want liquor in my dressing room."

Her smile got even tighter. "Sir, you're in the hip-hop business. Isn't that what you people want!?"

My head jerked back. "The fuck you just say!? You people?" I raised my eyebrows. "And I'm an R&B star, specifically New Jack Swing, not no damn hip-hop. Who the fuck are you people?"

"Aye, man." Reese shook his head at me. "Don't talk to her like that, she's still a lady."

"Nah, fuck that shit man. She over here talking about you people. Don't you look like me? Ain't we the same color? Nigga, you people means you too! She ain't just talking about people in the music biz." I told him.

"It don't matter!" Reese yelled at me.

"Lower yo fuckin' voice nigga!" I told him. "Everybody just feel the need to piss me off today huh? She get disrespectful with me and raise her fuckin' voice, I got the right to correspond. Fuck outta here with that bullshit. I was calm with her so I would expect the same damn thing." I waved my hand at him. "Lady, I want every bottle of alcohol and all pill bottles out my fucking room immediately. I want it replaced with bottled water and some snacks. I want it to be cleared of it all before our show ends. Thank you." I walked off and went to JoJo's dressing room.

"Who is it?" JoJo asked from the other side.

"It's me nigga, open up!" I told him and he opened the door. "I hope yo ass not drinkin', we need this to run smoothly."

"I'm in here getting dressed and emptying my stomach." He said rubbing his stomach.

"Oh, shit! I smell it too." I said covering my nose. "Did you close the door?" I asked him.

"Yes!" He said closing his dressing room door.

"And I can still smell that shit? Gahhdamn!" I said laughing. "You need to stop eatin' all that bullshit before a show. I don't want a repeat of that one time. Had the the whole stage smellin' like shit." I opened the window.

"What's up, man?" He asked.

"What you mean?" I asked confused.

"I MEAN, what the hell you doin' in my dressing room when you got one to yourself?" He asked.

"Mothafuckas pissin' me off today and I'm afraid that if I stay in there alone I may do something stupid that I'll regret." I told him. "Anyways, that shit look fly."

"I know. They did good too. Your girl got skills." He said dusting himself off as I laughed.

"Dalvin wrong for that shit. I'm over here looking like an outsider. Do I look like Rob Lowe or Ralph Macchio to you?" (FYI, it's a reference to the film The Outsiders.)

JoJo chuckled, "You usually look different from everyone, why is it a problem now?"

"Didn't you just hear me out there. I want us to look like a group this time since we're going on a hiatus. AND I asked Dalvin about it last month when y'all helped me move and what he say? YES! YOU was there to witness that shit." I told him.

There was a knock at the door. "Why the fuck y'all niggas keep knockin' on my shit!?" JoJo swung open the door.

"I knew that nigga would leave. De dressin' room is empty. Got the fuckin' nerve to be mad at me. Talking about he want us to look like a grou-"

I peeked my head so I was visible. "I guess Harry motherfuckin' Houdini made a clone of me because I'm at two places at once Dalvin. Why don't you say that shit to my fuckin' face?" I said standing up from leaning on the vanity. I held my arms as a welcoming for him to do whatever.

"De..."

"In the flesh nigga." I tilted my head to the side.

"Nice to know you still here. We got five minutes." Dalvin said laughing.

"Fuck is so funny?" I asked him with a frown.

"You." Dalvin said matching my tone.

"Fight me about then." I told him walking closer. Dalvin walked closer and we both started laughing. I rubbed my knuckles in his head.

"Aye, don't mess up my hair now!" Dalvin stood up straight trying to get it to look right.

"Shit look fucked up when you got here and fucked up now." I laughed out.

"Oh, so y'all not gon' fight?" K-Ci asked and we all looked at him as the room stood in complete silence.

"Good, 'cause I wasn't gon' break shit up and mess up my gear." JoJo said dusting his clothes off once again.

"Aye JoJo, stop that shit. Ion see shit on yo clothes." I told him.

"This my dressing room. Y'all are always free to leave me the hell alone." JoJo pointed out.

"I'm fine with that. Yo shit smell funky anyways." K-Ci said scrunching up his face.

"Sh'oll do! That shit hit me like a landslide." Dalvin stepped out of the room. "As long as you get that shit out before we get on stage we all good."

"We don't need a repeat of that one time." K-Ci said then walked down the hall.

"The same thing I said!" I said laughing. "Y'all should've smelled it before."

"No thank you." Dalvin shook his head then started to walk in the direction of K-Ci.

"See ya onstage!" I told JoJo walking off as well.

The crowd went crazy and we hadn't even moved yet. All they see is our backs. I feel like Michael Jackson right about now. I chuckled lowly which was heard in the mic and our audience screamed even louder. We haven't performed this song in a long ass time. When the music started I turned around.

"Don't talk. Just listen...
First of all, I have to be honest with you baby. I lied when I told you I never wanted to see you again.
Can you please-"

"STAAAYYYYY!" The fellas sang in sync after spinning around to face the crowd.

"Just for tonight and maybe we can do something like make love, watch the sunrise, or listen to jojo, k-ci, sing us a verse. Slide closer baby
Ha, that's DeVanté baby. Oh you feel so sexy, so good." I moaned with the facial expression and all. The girls went crazy!

"DeVanté, I want you to stay baby!" A lady in the front row yelled out to me as I was about to walk to another place onstage.

I walked to her, leaned down, and grabbed her hand. "Baby, want you just stay." I sing the chorus with K-Ci and the rest of them. This lady tried to grab my face with her lips puckered. Then I let go of her hand with a wink and walked to were I was supposed to be to "dance".

During shows I get a bunch of adrenaline pumping through my blood. It may seem like I don't like to perform but I get off of that shit. A hyped crowd gets me pumped. I like to perform but what I don't want is people in my damn business. All I ever wanted was to perform and write music. I didn't ask for the other shit that comes with the territory.

"Throat feel like the Sahara Desert." K-Ci said once we were through.

"That's because yo ass be doin' too much." Dalvin laughed wiping the sweat from his face.

"Can't wait to get in the shower. Those are the most songs we ever performed." I said wiping my dripping neck.

"That's on you. You kept sayin' let's do one more song then we did how many more songs?" JoJo asked me.

"Man, I miss the stage." I chuckled. "My bad y'all."

"Who fault is that?" K-Ci asked laughing. "We didn't put a gun to your head and make you stop."

We all started laughing. "Our fans will be backstage in like thirteen minutes. So freshen up a bit."

"It's not like they ain't gon' like it." K-Ci shrugged.

"What? Our funk?" I jerked my head back disgusted.

"Nahh, our sweat. Most women can only dream of our sweat drippin' on them." K-Ci nodded.

"Nigguhhh, ion care who the bitch is but the only time that shit IS acceptable is when we're fuckin'." I told him. "I'm about to freshen up, ion know about y'all." I walked to my dressing room just to see everything still there. I walked right back out. "Didn't I fuckin' say I wanted all this shit out!?" I said getting angry all over again.

Dalvin and them came my way. K-Ci walked out of his dressing room. "What the hell you yellin' for?"

"These niggas got BOTTLES AND BOTTLES of liquor and headache medicine in my dressing room when I SPECIFICALLY said I wanted it out by the time the show was over!" I pointed to my door.

"Chill out." JoJo patted my shoulder.

"Aye, get this shit out of this man's dressing room!" K-Ci yelled out.

"Please!" Dalvin added.

That same bitch from earlier came walking our way. I'm not using the term loosely because this woman is literally the definition of a bitch. "What seems to be the problem AGAIN?" She smiled tightly.

"It wouldn't be no AGAIN of you did your job." I mocked. "If you don't like your fucking job, do us all a favor and quit. Don't be a bitch." I told her.

Another guy came out way, he's caucasian. "What's the problem?" He asked us. "Please lower your voice when speaking to my employee."

"I asked her earlier to remove all the alcohol and pills out of my dressing room." I said calmly. "She raised her voice at me. Yes, I raised my voice too in retaliation but even my voice raised is low as hell."

"I don't care who did what. Don't speak to my employees like that." He said to us. I just knew there would be a problem and I noticed the microphone still in my hand. Guess what I did? I turned it on. Whoever is still out there will hear and I KNOW for a fact that there are still a bunch of fans there.

"If you ain't hire racist employees like her, this shit wouldn't be happening." Dalvin told him. "All my brother asked was to get every bottle of liquor and pill bottle out his dressing room before the show was over. It's over and it's still sitting in his room. If your employees did their jobs and weren't racist, this shit wouldn't be happening right now. Shit would be peaceful."

"It's just like you people to think the world owes you everything. Why do I have to hate my job? Maybe it's just you." She tilted her head to the side with her finger in my chest.

I pushed her hand off me. "You ain't gotta like anybody. Just do your fucking job." I clenched my jaw. "If I would've threw that shit outside my dressing room then what?"

"See what I mean." Dalvin gestured to the girl.

"She's right though. The world don't owe you negros shit. See, I didn't call you a nigger so that doesn't make me racist." He laughed.

"I'm still stuck on the "you people" part. Who are you people? You a minority too. Ain't you of Asian decent?" K-Ci asked the lady confused. I thought she was a caucasian lady. "And we niggers now?" He asked the guy impatiently. K-Ci is the short tempered one, more than anyone else in the group.

"Look, I just do what I'm supposed to do to please you people. I don't take orders from people like you. You don't scare me." She laughed.

"We aren't trying to scared you but I will be reporting you." I smiled then walked off pissed.

I walked onstage with the microphone. I saw the people who were previously leaving, standing in place listening. "Aye, lemme tell you about this place." The crowd came to a halt.

K-Ci hopped onstage joining me. "The people here got racist employees and employers. They called us niggers and said we think the world owes us."

I continued. "They don't accept us so maybe our money is not wanted either. DON'T our people keep their businesses from closing?" I chuckled. the microphone went off as the crowd agreed with us.

"Fuck this place!" Dalvin yelled out. "Thes-" the microphone went off as the crowd agreed with us.

We turned out heads to the side and saw those same people walking towards us. "Get out!" The guy yelled at us.

"Hell nahh! Our label paid money for about two more hours which comes out of our pockets. We ain't doin' a gotdamned thing!" K-Ci told him.

"I'm calling the police!" The lady walked off.

"We ain't did shit. So go right ahead. We got our audience as our witness." Dalvin said to her.

"Aye man, the police might still believe them. This is racist ass Mississippi." JoJo told us in a whisper like these people wasn't standing right here in front of us.

"Nahh, call 'em." I smirked. "We'll be here. They can't do shit to us."

"Man..." JoJo shook his head and walked off. We soon followed him backstage.

Our fans who had backstage passes were there. "They callin' the police on us y'all. Y'all wanna be our witness?" K-Ci asked.

"K-Ci baby, I'll do anything for you." This one lady said to him. She sounds JUST like that lady on the phone during the interview.

"You sound familiar." K-Ci squinted.

"That's that lady who lied and said you looked the best out of us." JoJo said laughing.

K-Ci looked at her questionably. "That's me! I can't believe you remembered!" She squealed. "Ooh K-Ci you still so fine." I silently laughed as we signed autographs and spoke to our fans.

"She know she lying." Dalvin mumbled to me laughing.

Those racist motherfuckers were standing to the side with the rest of their employees or whatever the hell they were. "Can you take your shades off?" One our fans asked.

"I can. Do you want me to?" I chuckled and she nodded. I took them off and folded them onto my shirt. "How's that?" I asked.

"I love it!" She squealed.

The police walked in. "DeVanté Swing?" One asked.

"That's me." I raised my hand up.

"I'm officer Wright and you have the right to remain silent." He grabbed my hand I held up and put it behind my back then did the same to the other one. He then patted me down, feeling for a gun.

"I ain't do shit." I said calmly.

"You hit a lady because she wouldn't sell you drugs. You also pulled a gun out. We don't accept that here." He told me.

"My brother ain't hit nobody." Dalvin said angrily.

"Sir, back up!" He yelled out. Dalvin never moved, he's been in the same exact place since before they arrived.

"Bullshit! He hit me!" That bitch yelled out.

"You people belong in jail. You need to be domesticated. Fucking wild animals!" The employer yelled out.

A black lady cop and male looked at her sideways. "Where is the security room?" The black male cop who's name tag read M. Johnson asked.

"For what? He hit me and defamed our business!" She yelled. "They all tried to hit me! They yelled at me! They were going to jump me!"

"Ma'am where is your security room?" He asked again.

That bitch eye twitched as another person who worked there showed them the way. I was pushed against the wall still handcuffed. I exhaled as I hit the wall. The cop wasn't rough on me like he was when handcuffing me.

"Aye, don't push him like that!" K-Ci said to him.

"K-Ci..." JoJo grabbed his brother's shoulder.

"They not gon' listen man." Dalvin shook his head. "Calm down."

"Listen to him." Another cop pointed. "Did anyone witness him hit this lady?" There were a variety of no's heard.

"They called them niggers!" Somebody yelled out.

"Yeah!" Some people co-signed.

"That don't mean you hit a lady!" The officer who held my arm yelled in my face. I stayed silent feeling his saliva hit my face. With that being said I tucked my lips in. I don't know what the fuck he got but I do know that I'm not trying to catch it.

After a while of standing there, the two officers and the employee came back. "Let him go!" One of them yelled. "She lied, there is no evidence on her or on tape to prove it." He said and handcuffed her. "You are under arrest for calling the police for false claims."

"What!?" That bitch yelled out.

"Ma'am, please cooperate." He told her calmly.

I was uncuffed and I had bruises on my wrist from them cuffing me so tight. I rubbed my bruised wrists as way way to soothe them. I looked up at the woman chuckling. Ain't that a bitch? They're all calm with her but they roughed my ass up.

"Check their dressing rooms! They took the evidence!" She yelled.

"Ma'am cooperate." The cop told her calmly.

"But they are thieves!" The bitch yelled. The woman cop came and pushed her against the wall and whispered to her.

K-Ci started laughing. What for? Maybe I'll find out later. Dalvin and JoJo just shook their heads quietly. I moved away from the wall the officer hemmed me up on and made my way towards Dalvin and the other fellas.

"Sorry for the inconvenience." An officer nodded and they left with that bitch.

After the police left, I shook my head at the whole situation. "How did you like the show?" I asked one of our fans.

"I loved it. This is my first Jodeci concert." She smiled.

"I hope we exceeded your expectations." I told her.

"Yes, I couldn't make it to the Atlanta show so I'm here."

"Where do you want me to sign?" I asked.

She held out our first album that was on a record. "Here." She pointed. "I want it to say, from Jodeci with love to Courtney."

I nodded and signed exactly what she told me. "Loyal ass fan to come to Mississippi to see us." I laughed. "Elijah?" I asked when I saw him behind her.

"This is my boy Elijah. How do you know him?" Courtney questioned.

"We go WAYYYY back." Elijah emphasized.

"Don't out it like that. We know each other from mutual contacts." I corrected him.

"How y'all know each other?" I asked.

"Mutual friend." Courtney replied.

"Tia." Elijah told me. "The same mutual friend as us." He told me.

"Surprised you here." I told him.

"You niggas goin' on a hiatus and I needed another hut of JODECI." He expressed.

"So where is she?" I asked Elijah while giving back her record.

"She's here." He shrugged and I looked around.

"Where?" I asked. "I don't see her." I responded.

"She's waiting outside. Y'all may have had differences but she loves y'all music." Elijah told me.

"Oh." I said sounding nonchalant. "I knew she was a fan." I laughed. "Where do you want me to sign? We got other fans waiting."

Elijah turned around with the back of his body facing me then put his hand on the band of his pants. "Oh, HELL NAWWW!" I backed up. "Nigga, I'm not signin' yo ass!" I told him.

He turned around. "It was worth a try." He laughed. "It was a joke! The hell would I pull my pants down?"

"Shit, ion know nigga. Why would you?" I jerked my head back.

"I wouldn't!" He laughed.

"Next person!" I yelled out.

The lady behind him cleared her throat loudly. "Excuse me? We all want a chance to talk to him!" She told Elijah.

"Can't you see us in a conversation!?" He told the lady, turning around dramatically.

"Don't talk to my fans like that." I told him in all seriousness.

"Here nigga, sign my shirt." Elijah rolled his eyes at me. I signed it. "That shit a few minutes ago with the police was fucked up. For a minute, I thought you did hit her..." Elijah gave me a look.

"I wouldn't hit a women unless she's trying to kill me." I told him. I'm very well aware of what he's referring to. "Tell her that." I told him.

The lady behind him cleared her throat loudly. "Excuse me? We all want a chance to talk to him!" She told Elijah.

"Me? Secondhand apologies? We zon't zo zat sir." He told me laughing with his hand on his chest. "Great show." He told me then walked off with Courtney.

After signing stuff and talking to our fans, we got the fuck out of there. "What was y'all laughing for back there?" I asked K-Ci.

"That cop told her: Be still BITCH!" K-Ci said laughing.

I started laughing. "It what she get for lying. I ain't even touch her. Y'all know me raising my voice is still low so I barely did anything."

"You good bro? Afterwards you just went on like shit ain't just happen." Dalvin asked.

"I'm good but I'm thinking about pressing charges on that bitch for defamation of character. She said that in front of a crowd of people. Had people thinking I might've hit her." I responded.

July 8, 1996

~Tia's P.O.V~

I'm currently in California for the filming and preparation of Dangerous Minds. We've been filming for about two months now. School has ended for most schools including mine which is the start of our summer break. It's exciting to say the least. Yes, I get stressed doing everything at once but THIS I really miss because I've been away from it for so long now. We ended up back at Sony Studios to check everything out. We wanted to make sure everything was good with the scenes we did shoot so far. Plus we did some photoshoots.

There are a bunch of known stars I'm working with Idina Harris who I previously work with on Juice, Courtney B. Vance who is the lovely Angela Bassett soon to be husband, the beautiful Lorraine Toussaint, Beatrice Winde from Sparkle and many MANY more. Oh, I forgot about DeVanté. I've seen him here and there but yeah... We filmed and did photoshoots all day and night, and it's finally time to go home. Well, me back to my hotel room.

"Babe, I'll be fine. I'm getting my things and I'll be down there." I told Taimak.

"You sure you don't want me to come to you?" He asked me.

"I'm sure." I reassured him. "See you there. I love you."

"I love you." He replied then I hung up the phone.

I checked my trash can, making sure it was empty. Your girl don't need to see any little friends running around here later. This isn't going to be a New York repeat. I made sure my gun had on it's safety before tucking it behind me. Then I gathered all of my things and left my trailer and locked the door.

"Hey, girl!" Idina waved at me.

"Hello, want to ride with me to the front?" I asked her while walking to the golf cart.

"And take that long ass walk? No thank you." She rolled her eyes playfully and I chuckled.

We spoke the whole way about today's events. A lot of things happened. From people being too high to recite their lines, mice and rats running around causing us, including me to run and pause production. If you know me then you know I hate rats and mice. I just got the chills thinking about them.

"Alright, see you tomorrow girl!" She said getting off the elevator at her floor.

"See you." I waved. She's so nice.

I got off the elevator where I told Taimak I'd meet him. I always look around, especially when I'm alone because I get a bit paranoid. I was almost near the parked cars when I saw DeVanté standing there. That made me stop on my tracks. He saw me and made his way towards me. Ahh, hell...

"Hello, Tia." He stopped in front of me. This dude sounds like a villain in a film with that line.

I swallowed. "Hello." My tone was monotone despite how I felt.

"I know that you've been avoiding me as much as possible and I want to talk."

"I'm listening." I responded with a nod.

"Did you read my letter?" He asked me and I stayed silent.

No, I did not read his letter. It's still sitting in my office drawer now that I think about it. The day it was handed to me was the first and last day I even thought about it. Besides, I don't want no damn apology in a letter. I want to hear and see an apology so I can read your body language and all.

He exhaled. "Look, I'm sorry for everything that I did to you and the way I made you feel. I shouldn't have scared you at that hotel and punched holes in the wall too close to your face. Yes, I blacked out but I would never hit a woman especially YOU. I'm sorry for slandering you name and putting your career in danger. That shit was foul as fucking me. I'm sorry about blowing smoke in your face and I wasn't high during that time, I was just being an asshole because I was still mad.

"I'm sorry for call you out of your name. You aren't any of those horrible words I called you. To be truthful you never have been any of those words for as long as I've known you. I was fucked up and would say anything for somebody to 'get of my back'. If you're still angry then I understand. Sometimes you have to suffer the consequences of your actions." He finished.

I stayed silent because everything hit me at once and I definitely wasn't expecting an apology this soon. I wasn't even expecting to run into him as much as I've been avoiding him.

"Umm, are you ready to go?" Taimak said walking up to me.

I nodded and walked away with Taimak leaving DeVanté standing there. We walked in complete silence. When we made it to the car, Taimak turned me around. "Are you okay? Talk to me." He pleaded.

I nodded. "I'm fine."

He opened the car door for me and I got in. He made sure I was in there before closing my door. He got in himself and started the car. "So how do you know him? He's from Jodeci." He turned to me for a few seconds then paid attention to the road.

"We're old friends. Well, at least we used to be." I responded.

"Only friends?" He asked me.

"Yes." I put emphasis on my word.

"What happened? Why did the friendship end?"

"Addiction."

"On who's side? Your's or his?" He raised an eyebrow.

"His."

"Work with me here. I need more than one worded answers hun."

"Why would it be mines?" I squinted at him.

"I don't know. You surprise me with new things all the time." He shrugged.

"Not things of that nature." I chuckled.

"You know, I heard everything he said to you- his apology."

I turned my head in his direction. "Then why'd you ask me?"

"Because I wanted to hear it from your mouth. I was coming to get you when I remembered earlier you told me you have your guards the day off. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let my girlfriend walk alone at night?" He chuckled. "I was about to say something until I found out you knew the guy. So I stood back and let it play out. If you ask me, his apology seemed genuine. Why didn't you say anything back?"

"Because I wasn't expecting it in the moment. I was just left speechless." I told him.

"Do you forgive him?"

"I don't even know. I've been thinking on how he should apologize that I never had that conversation with myself."

He laughed. "That's sounds... Off. A conversation with myself." He laughed louder.

"You know what I mean." I laughed.

"How come you never told me you knew this guy? Were you two STRICTLY friends? Is this the De mentioned that day in your office?"

"Yes and yes. I never told you about him because I wasn't expecting this guy to actually come up to me AND you see."

"Why so much emphasis? Was I not supposed to see it?" He asked me.

"I don't know..." I exhaled. "All these questions and his apology. Look, I'll speak to you about this another time. My brain is everywhere right now. Let's just let the music play." I then turned the radio on low, sat back and relaxed for the rest of the ride.

"Okay, but you should really think about it. I'm a man and he's a man that I could tell was genuine. You should consider it but that's up to you." Taimak said and we rode the rest of the way to the hotel without another word. That is until we got to the hotel.

Author's Note: Donald finally apologized! Tia wasn't expecting it so soon. Taimak heard the whole thing. Do you think Tia acted appropriately after his apology? Personally, I don't think so but again she wasn't expecting it. Yes, I made someone of Asian decent be racist. I've experienced it firsthand plenty of times. That doesn't mean I look at a whole group because of a few handfuls of people. If you're mad, don't be mad at your mother!

Word Count: 5,640
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Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read another chapter of this story. Thank you for staying despite the slacking.💚🖤❤💜💙💛