Please excuse any grammatical errors.

January 19, 1992

~Tia's P.O.V~

Today was my last full day of being in New York. All my luggage was packed all up. It was currently 2:43 in the afternoon. Tupac and I just finished playing Spades, I always travel with a deck of cards.

"I won, I won, I shot the BB gun. You lost, you lost, you ate tomato sauce." I sang in his face.

"I LET you win!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I said getting up to head to the bathroom. I heard a knock on the front door.

"You want me to get it?" Tupac yelled from the other room.

"Yeah," I finished my business, wiped myself, and began to wash my hands.

"Who is it?" I finished washing my hands, and headed to back to the sitting room.

"It's them Jodeci niggas!" He yelled back, as I made my way back.

I wonder why they decided to come, "Let them in!" I yelled back.

Just as I walked into the sitting room they were walking into my hotel room. "Umm, hi," I awkwardly said.

"We brought games!" Dalvin said holding up Chutes & Ladder, UNO, and Monopoly. Ughhh, I HATE Monopoly, it takes forever and a half to finish.

"And snacks!" JoJo said as he and DeVanté held up some snacks. They had two bags of potato chips, Krispy Kreme donuts, and some pop.

"We were hoping to play some games with food." DeVanté said.

"That's fine, come sit." I motioned with my hands.

There was only a three cushioned sofa, and two small single cushioned couch-chairs. So, somebody had to sit on the floor. That person happened to be Dalvin; willingly.

"What y'all was y'all playing?" K-Ci said looking at the table that had the french styled cards lay across it.

"Just some Spades," I said.

"Yeah, that you cheated in," Tupac said bitterly.

"For the last time I didn't cheat. YOU just don't know how to play!" I said laughing.

"You cheated!"

"Did not," I yelled.

"YES, you did!"

"Did n- you know what I'm just going to let you continue lying to yourself to make yourself feel better about losing," I waved him off and continued to laugh.

"Y'all argue like y'all sibling." K-Ci butted in. Everybody started laughing.

"So, what y'all wanna play first?"

"UNO," the majority of us said.

"I wanna play some Chutes & Ladders," Dalvin said folding his arms from the floor.

"Let's just do UNO, and then we play that." DeVanté said rubbing his brother head, who was below him.

"Man, stop you gon' mess up my hair!" Dalvin said turning around to his brother, as he began to pick his hair out.

"Alright, then let's go," JoJo said, and started opening up the snacks.

"Who dealing?" DeVanté asked.

"I'll do it," I volunteered myself, getting scrunchie from around the cards.

"Nope, you might find a way to cheat," Tupac said grabbing the cards from my hands.

"What version we playing?" Tupac said, while shuffling the cards.

"Y'all ever played Blast-Off?" I asked.

"Idunno, we don't be having names for it. We explain the rules and just play most times." K-Ci shrugged.

"Blast-Off is the one where a whole round is until there are two people left. The person who lost the previous game stays out while the rest continue. The last person to win the last round which consist of two people gets a point." I replied.

"We played that! Remember DeVanté? You lost in the last round, got mad, and threw the cards." Dalvin laughed. DeVanté rolled his eyes at his brother.

Tupac passed the cards around the table, seven to each player and Dalvin cut the cards.

"Hold up now, it ain't fair y'all all on the couch and I'm on the floor. Y'all can see my hand from up the." Dalvin said cutting the silence. Well it was silent, besides some of them munching on food.

"Yeah? Well, I ain't sitting on no floor." Tupac said from beside me.

"Me either," K-Ci emphasized.

"I'll be right back," I got up and grabbed my packed suitcase.

"Here, sit on this." I said dragging it and laying it down. Dalvin got up and grabbed it from me.

"Thanks," he said laying it down flat and sitting on it.

"You leaving soon?" DeVanté asked.

"Yes, tomorrow." I replied.

"T-tomorrow!?" DeVanté asked in a surprised expression.

"Yep," I happily chirped.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow?" He repeated.

"For a while, yes." I chirped out happily.

"So, today is your last day here?" He asked.

"Yes, nigga! Ain't that what she just said?" K-Ci retorted.

"Right! Stuttering and shit," JoJo laughed. Tupac just shook his head.

"Why don't you just make yo move playa," Dalvin asked turning to his brother.

"And get rejected?" Tupac asked laughing. The other three joined in on the laughing, while DeVanté just sat there frowning.

"Why y'all over here speaking in code." I asked. The other three joined in on the laughing, while DeVanté just say there frowning. Why are they laughing? Am I missing something?

"It's simple, ain't no code." Tupac said dapping up K-Ci.

"There is, but okay. You good over there DeVanté?" I asked looking at his still frowning face.

He look up into my eyes, and licked his lips. "I-uh, I'm fine," he quickly let out his skin turned red, and looked somewhere else.

"Am I looking at DeVanté Swing or LL Cool J? You need love?" Jojo asked. I caught on to the pun, and laughed.

"Cut," Tupac said to Dalvin.

"You first," Tupac said to LL Cool- I mean DeVanté.

We played a LOUD game of UNO. It reminded me of my family, when we'd play games. I miss that but it is what it is... I got hungry, so I grabbed some of the snacks they brought. I'm pigging out today!

"We should order some pizza." Tupac made a suggestion.

"We should," JoJo said.

"What kind do y'all want?" Tupac asked.

"Sausage," K-Ci said.

"Pepperoni," JoJo replied.

"Supreme," DeVanté said.

"Cheese," Dalvin and I said.

"Y'all gon' pay for all those suggestions?" Tupac chuckled.

He picked up the phone and ordered. "Where'd you order it from?" I asked him.

"Dominos," Tupac replied.

"Dominos? You should have gotten some CC's Pizza!" K-Ci said

"CC's, nigga you tripping! Dominos is THE BEST!" Tupac put emphasis on the last two words.

"Nahh, Pizza Hut is wayyy better!" DeVanté defended.

"Nahh, Papa John's is THE BEST, hands down." JoJo said with throwing his hands down.

"Little Caesar's all day," Dalvin said.

"That cheap ass pizza! Shit taste like the box it comes in!" K-Ci laughed.

"You grew up on it!" Dalvin defended himself.

"I ain't grow up on that shit! That was y'all, you and De. The Degrate brothers not the Hailey's!" He said back.

"You guys are something else." I laughed.

"Nahh, that's him." K-Ci said pointing to Dalvin.

"In Dalvin's defense I sort of grew up on Little Caesars, it's delicious. But it was mostly for kid parties. Then again I had all of them as a kid." I said.

"Kid parties? That means it was something they just brought to feed everybody since it's SO cheap." Tupac said.

"True, but--" I was cut off by K-Ci.

"My point exactly!"

~DeVanté's P.O.V~

I guess K-Ci thought about what he said to Dalvin because when they came over they were back on actual speaking terms again. I suggested we go next door, with games and snacks. I wanted to see Tia again, I went to sleep with her on my mind. I had a little dream about her and everything. So, here I was sitting on her hotel couch listening to them bicker about what's the best pizza chain.

It made me feel bad when Pac said I'd get rejected. He's known her more than I have so he probably knows her type. But what made me feel worse was my home-boys laughing at it. I going to keep trying though, but most of the time when I open my mouth to speak to her my tongue decides to stutter. I think made bigger fool of myself. When I looked into her eyes, I got heart palpitations and had to look elsewhere.

"I ain't grow up on that shit! That was y'all, you and De. The Degrate brothers not the Hailey's!" K-Ci said to Dalvin.

"You guys are something else." Tia said chuckling at their childish behavior. As she laughed her big breasts jumped up and down. She had on a wife beater. Why is it called that!? I also noticed her nipples poking out a bit, even though she had on a bra. I mean it was a bit chilly in here.

"Nahh, that's him." K-Ci said pointing to Dalvin.

"In Dalvin's defense I sort of grew up on Little Caesars, it's delicious. But it was mostly for kid parties. Then again I had all of them as a kid." She said defending Dalvin. I couldn't help but stare at her lips while she spoke.

"Kid parties? That means it was something they just brought to feed everybody since it's SO cheap." Pac said.

"True, but--" She was cut off by K-Ci.

"My point exactly!" K-Ci said.

"Man, you always tryna cut somebody off," I said getting kind of mad.

"I'm sorry, did I cut you off?" He asked in a snarky manner.

"N-" I got cut off.

"Then, why bother?" He said.

I was turning red again but this time out of anger. "Look-"

There was a knock on the door. Tia got up to go open it, I watched her walk away.

"Here you go ma'am, that'll be $40.74." The pizza man said.

I hurriedly jogged to the door with the money in my hand. "I got it." I told her. I gave the young man a $50.

"Thank you! Hey, you're apart of Jodeci!? And Tia!?"

"Shhh," I said peaking my head around the corner outside the hotel.

"I'm sorry. Mr. Swing."

"You good," I grabbed all six boxes of pizza right along with the bag that held two 2-liter sodas.

"Sir, your wings and bread," he said holding up two other boxes.

"Thanks, have a good day," Tia quickly grabbed the other two small boxes of wings. She signed the receipt, he left and she closed the door.

"Go 'head," I motioned her to go in front of me, with my hand with the 2-liter sodas in them. She quickly obliged, walking in front.

"Thanks," She muttered.

"I'm a man baby, it's what I'm supposed to do," I told her. Woooaaahhh, where did the boldness come from all of a sudden!? Maybe its because she isn't facing me...

"I didn't know you ordered some wing's and garlic toast," Tia said to Pac.

"Can't have one without the other," he responded.

"Say's who? Wings from pizza places are that good, the breading be too soggy." Tia said

"It's a written rule, and pizza places have the best wings ever." he responded.

"Eww no...Where is that rule written?" I asked putting everything down on the table.

As soon as I sat it down, they started looking inside boxes trying to find which one they wanted.

"Damn, I thought the hyenas ate after the lions." I said to K-Ci, I was still pissed at him.

"Imma let that go. But only 'cause I'm hungry." He said then took a big bite out of his pizza. Dalvin laughed hard as heck.

"Don't start," JoJo said. Tia walked off to the kitchen.

"Idunno, it's somewhere out there." Pac responded to my question prior smacking on his pizza.

          I don't even know why he's here after talking all that shit about her yesterday. Ol' ugly bitch, that's the bro but sometimes I can't stand his lanky ass. Tia came back from the kitchen area from washing her hands, she also had some paper cups and plates in her hand, and sat them on the table. She had to bend down to sit them down. My eyes involuntarily moved to the top opening of her shirt, and I saw her breast.

"Watch it now," Pac said, looking at me look at her, the way I was looking at her. I'm probably looking like some kind of hungry sexual predator right now. However, I am hungry. I grabbed a slice of supreme pizza.

"Cheese," Dalvin said rubbing his hands together, grabbing some cheese pizza.

"All that is is cheesy bread. Ion know how y'all eat that mess." Tupac said shifting his eyes from me to him.

"Because it's the BEST type of pizza." Tia responded grabbing a slice.

"You bugging, supreme pizza is the best," I told her laughing.

"That shit tastes like vomit! Looks like it too with all those colors. You the only nigga I know who actually eats the black olives on pizza." Dalvin laughed.

"Don't front like you ain't ever liked it," K-Ci said to him.

"I didn't, I always picked most of that shit off and ate it." Dalvin said.

"Face it, without cheese pizza, there would be no other pizza." Tia shrugged.

"That's right! Cheese pizza is the Michael Jackson of the group while the rest just singing in the background." Dalvin said with a full mouth.

"Since you put it that way, hand me a slice I'm tryna be like Mike." JoJo said. I just laughed and continued to eat.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" I asked Tia.

"Ten," she responded.

"Okay, bet." I took another slice of pizza.

IMPORTANT STORY ANNOUNCEMENT: Remember back in chapter three I said DeVanté has a baby-mama? Well, I changed that, he has no children as of yet. Ikkkk, I'M SORRY, but I had to for the sake of the storyline.😭😭

Word Count: 2,370

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❤️Thank you for taking the time out to read my book. Updates may sometimes be late I'm still getting school stuff in order.❤️