Melodie POV

You've got it going on
With you, I belong
You undress my heart
From the very first start
You do understand me
Give your body to me
If you don't let me go
Let my love overflow
-Jade

"What do I get my lady who has everything she ever wanted?"

"You get me, honey," Melodie said, putting her arms around Anthony. "You know I don't need anything but my love bunny."

She planted kisses all over his face.

"You know yo girl gone clown me if I don't hook you up. She thinks I don't put in work for you like I sit on my ass all day and following you."

"Babe, don't worry what her salty ass saying, I know you look out for me." She kissed him again. "You love me?"

"Always and forever."

Despite what her girls thought, Anthony had been there for her since day one. Since that first day at Central VPA auditorium to every single show she did, to moving to Atlanta with her and her family, and traveling all over the world. He wasn't just her boyfriend, he worked for her. He helped build all her social media pages and was her personal assistant. And he did that not because he was her boyfriend, he did it because he was good at it.

How else was she more popular than Ginger? She knew she could never top M'Liyah, between her look and her voice, and the fact that little Miss Innocent was everyone's girl next door. Little ole white girl like her, they doubted her from the start. She had to prove herself more than the others. White girl trying to sound Black, when she could not help the fact that that's who she was.

She grew up listening to nineties music and greats like Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and Brandy. She was less into the Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera songs. So whatever. She grew up in one of the toughest areas in south St. Louis City that while diverse, still mostly Black. All her friends were Black.

Despite what some thought, she was 100% white. Her mother and father, still married, were white. All her sisters and brothers were all white, and there were a lot of them. She had three older sisters, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. So yes, seven kids in a small house. She spent most of her youth running around the block and hanging with friends.

It was no surprise to her that her first and only boyfriend was Black. She thought Black men were everything. Something about them for her. Let the haters say what haters say. She liked what she liked.

When Pamela told them they needed to move to Atlanta to grab a record deal, first she moved away with her older sister who was twenty-five. They had a small little apartment and it was cool not having a real grown-up to hound her. But then her sister was a mess and trying to take advantage of her and her money. She asked Anthony to step in and look over everything, and soon as he graduated from high school, he moved out to Atlanta with her.

Pamela didn't like that, but what was she going to do. When the money kept rolling in after the first successful album, her parents and the rest of the family moved there and bought a big house. With her money of course. So she lived in a house with mom, dad and four of her siblings, and two nieces. The house was always crazy, and they all enjoyed living off her dime.

At Least Anthony worked for it. Yes, he lived in the house too. No, they were forbidden from sharing a room, but whatever. Not like she was being watched 24/7.

Ginger thought because she was the oldest she was the first to do everything. Well, ba-bay! She gave up the V-card at age sixteen. What was she waiting on? She had been with Anthony for years. He was only two years older than her, so he was eighteen, though not a virgin.

2013

"I'm not gonna tell LiyLiy or Gin. What? Both they stupid asses will run and tell Pamela."

"I just want to make sure you want to and I'm not pressuring you."

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Baby, I'm pressuring you. I want you! We're going to be together forever and ever."

It was nothing really special about her first time either. At her house, in her room, while everyone was asleep. She didn't remember any pain, or it being super great either. A couple of pumps and they were done. All she cared about was that it was with her man, the love of her life.

Well, she remembered one thing. They did not use a condom.

"Imma just pulls out baby, you'll be alright," he said.

Pull out game was weak. Two months later...

"I'm pregnant," she said after she took a pregnancy test, alone in the bathroom.

Sixteen and pregnant. Sixteen and a super celebrity and pregnant. She was not about that life. What the hell was she going to do?

She cried for three days straight and would not tell her girls what was wrong.

All she knew to tell was Pamela. She couldn't even tell Anthony, she knew what he would do.

"I really didn't expect something like this from you, Melodie," Pamela said in her office. "Not you."

"Not me? Why? I mean, you know I'm in love with Anthony. The other girls ain't even had dates why would they-"

"And I'm going to keep it that way if shit like this happens," she said. "How could you be so irresponsible? We just finished the second album, have this big tour. I thought you wanted better with your life than your parents and a hundred babies."

"You ain't gotta talk about my momma!"

"Well if the shoe fits. Didn't she have the first one at seventeen?"

"And she still with my daddy, what's your point?"

"You really think Anthony going to step up and help you with a baby? The boy barely taking care of himself. He living off you. He doesn't work. What the hell Mel!" She slammed her hand on her desk.

"Why did I even tell you!" She jumped up.

"Sit yo ass down," Pamela said and picked up her phone. "You know you can't have this baby. Just you need to wrap your head around that little girl."

"But-"

"And you know this shit never gets out. You gotta think about the group, not yourself. What does it look like to have the sweet little Petite Trois girls with a big pregnant belly?" She
texted on her phone. "I'll take care of this for you girl. No one else knows, you understand."

"I don't even get a say?"

"What do you say?"

She shrugged. She didn't want a baby right now. She enjoyed her life right now and traveling the world and being a kid and adored by millions. If she had a baby, that was the end of the Petite Trois train and she would end up being "that girl" that destroyed PT.

"I'll do whatever you say, Pam."

2015

She wasn't trying to have a big party like Ginger had. All she had was all her family a few friends and that's it. No celebrities at all. She had other friends besides the PT girls, friends she was still cool with from St. Louis that came to the A to celebrate. Unlike Ginger and M'Liyah, she had other friends besides them back in high school.

Eighteen was a big year for her. That meant a lot of things.

"Yo! Birthday girl, does it feel different being eighteen now?" Ginger asked her.

"No. Does it for you?"

"I mean, being on my own, yeah," she said. "Other than that, naw. Same."

"I think I just like the sound of it. Eighteen, yeah. I sound grown as hell," she said and they laughed.

"Girl, this lil lame party, why didn't you get my girl Ursula to party plan you the event of the year like mine."

"Because this is what I wanted."

"Whatever," Ginger said, grabbing a drink for a server passing by. She took a sip then spit it out. "Girl, what the hell is this? Punch?"

Melodie laughed.

"Girrrllll! Where da liquor? I had it lit at my shit, err'body cup stayed on full with the champagne and whatever else you wanted. Pam even cleared that."

"I don't personally care for alcohol and since last I checked, it is my party, wench."

M'Liyah rushed over to them.

"Guys, Donnie just texted me that he made it here. He should be coming, in any minute. I'm so nervous!"

"Why? This lil kiddy ass party, what y'all gone do, get your face painted and get clown balloons?" Ginger said.

She pushed Ginger.

"How do I look?" M'Liyah said.

"Like an angel girl, go get your man," she said to her and nodded as he walked in.

"I don't even know what to say to him. Is this like a date or-"

"Def not a date babe," Ginger said, waving at him. "And I say this to you, you catch this man, I bow down to you. He fine!"

"I'm with Gin. If I didn't have my man, woosah!"

"Girl, please," Ginger said to her. "I'm telling my brother you said that."

"Why he gotta be your brother when you wanta be a tattle tale, but then you dogging him like a step child all the time."

"Can you guys cut it out, Donnie's coming over!"

Melodie smiled at her friend, turned to sexy Donnie walking over. Swear on everything, she was envious a guy like Donnie was lurking after M'Liyah. The man was everything. Body, face, money in his pockets. She'd watched all his movies and was more a fan than M'Liyah who acted like he was a regular joe. Donnie was blowing up in Hollywood. He was the current It guy.

"Hey ladies," he said with a big smile, and them dimples. Gawd! "Melodie, I got you a present."

He handed her a gift wrapped present and she snatched it from him.

"Thank you boy, you're so sweet.

"You don't even know her," Ginger, the hater, said. "And you trying to impress LiyLiy, you don't get points for this."

"No, really, it's nothing. I'm a fan of all you guys and I'm just happy to be invited to the party," he said, then smiled at M'Liyah. "How are you?"

"Good," M'Liyah said, her lil shy self.

Anthony walked over and put his arms around her and started kissing her. She already knew what that was about. His ass was jealous because he knew she was staring too hard at Don Juan sexy self.

"Hey love of my life," he said. "Hey, what's up Donnie Sparks! What you doing here man?"

Donnie gave him a fist bump.

"Oh, just wishing your girl a happy birthday."

"Right. My girl," Anthony said.

"Well damn," Ginger said and walked off.

"Anthony, really? Excuse him Donnie, sometimes he doesn't know how to act with high calibor celebrities. You two have fun," she said, walking off and pulling her insecure man away.

"Don't think I ain't see you ice grillin that man down. And you always talking about how hot he is and you'd want a pass to get with him. Remember that?"

"Fuck yeah, and remember you want a pass for my own damn friend, M'Liyah," she said to him, hands on her hips. "How the hell you think that makes me feel? I know you were crushing on her too back in the day, stupid ass. You saw her first but little Miss Innocent wasn't giving you the time of the day.

"Aw that's old shit, baby you know it was love at first sight with me and you," he said, kissing her.

"Not love. Not for me. I had to make you beg," she said, pushing him.

"I'on mind begging if the lovin' good," he said, kissing her neck. "Come on, let's get out of here, I wanta give you your birthday gift."

"How Imma leave my own party?"

"They won't even miss you."

She was done with the party. She low-key didn't want a party but people wanted to celebrate her eighteenth. She would rather be stuck in her room, in bed, watching some movies and eating popcorn.

Anthony took her car and drove off. He didn't even tell her where they were going, but when they pulled up to the airport, she was confused.

"Boy, why are we here?"

"My surprise."

"We're going away? Where?"

"It's a surprise."

Boy had a private jet waiting. How he do that when the only money coming his way was money she threw his way? Once they boarded and took off, he finally told her where they were going.

"Vegas."

"Vegas? Why? My ass still only eighteen, what Imma do?"

"Get married," he said, then pulled out a ring. "Will you marry me?"

Her mouth dropped open. That was a nice rock. Where was he hiding the cash for that ring?

"I know you think I'm living off you, but babe, I've been grinding on the low. I'm choreographing for some Atlanta acts and making a name for myself. Spitfire wants me to work with some of his other artists. It's real, and I got an advance."

"What? How could you not tell me that?"

"I wanted to do it on my own, without you stepping in. You've believed in me all these years. And I really want to take care of you. What do you say?"

She looked down at the ring.

"Yes!"

A/N: Soooo.....Don Juan is Melodie's hall pass....and M'Liyah is Anthony's. Too close to home. They are definitely living in a fantasy world.