Rena:

THUD!

"Who the hell are you?! What are you doing here?!"

"Okay, calm down first-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO FUCKING CALM DOWN AND YOU BUST UP IN OUR HOUSE UNANNOUCED! WHO THE FUCK ARE YALL?!"

"Okay! Damn, I'm here for Rena!"

"Who?!"

"Re- Morena to you! My name is Brian. This is Tiarria and we're here to see her-"

"How the fuck did you get in here?"

"Her old roommates gave me a key for if she were to have a seizure and she were here by herself. You got anymore questions or can I see her now? It's an emergency."

This was all going on at 11:30 at night. I was wrapping up a last-minute astronomy paper and didn't do it earlier because they gave me more hours at work. Priorities, right?

"OW! What the hell was that-"

"Don't fucking move. I'll get her for you."

They probably thought I was asleep but my eyes were wide open as my fingers struggled to make their way across my laptop's keyboard. I stared at the computer screen waiting for words to come across the Word document somehow.

It's not like I have been getting the best sleep around here either. Like it's bad enough that I haven't slept wells since the girls left. Now, I have these weed-smoking, music-blaring, food-stealing, public-friendly, loud ass roommates that can throw a party every. Single. Weekend.

It's the stereotypical college experience that you see in those young adult films except with a bunch of ratchet ass bitches that don't know how to keep their sensual experiences in their own bedrooms. Then again, it sounds worse in the bedroom.

Note to self: Ask property manager for sound-proof walls.

These new roommates were nothing like my girls. They were actually worse. Every time I went to get some food out of the refrigerator, someone had company in the living room and they always had something to say about me. They'll say something on the side as if I can't hear them. Then they laugh about it. If Jess were here, she'd slap those whores.

A knock came to my door and I opened it to see Anayla standing there with an angry look on her face. Her black horse hair fell over her shoulders and down towards her hips while her arms were folded over the hair. She wore some very short pajama bottoms and a tank top that showed her large chest. She looked like a short beautified version of an oompa loompa.

"Your boyfriend is here. Make sure you take that key from him as your old roommates don't live here no more and I don't feel comfortable," she spoke rolling her eyes and walking away.

Like he was really my boyfriend. He'd never be my boyfriend. I'd rather eat a bowl of dog food than be with him.

Walking towards the door, I saw him standing there in his black and white pajamas with his hands on his hips. He was stressed out. Poor guy.

"Is there a certain reason why you had to use your key to get into the apartment at 11:30 at night? Did you forget that the other four females that were here don't live here anymore?" I snarled in a fake frustration. One of my new roommates were standing in the kitchen probably trying to be nosey.

To be honest, Brian has been visiting for a while just to see how I was holding up. He would come over to hang out with Tiarria at his hip. He would help me with my homework, watch a movie with me, we'd listen to music, he'd make dinner, or he'd take me to the park sometimes.

We've gotten closer as friends but the last thing I wanted to do is be with this guy and for my roommates to think that I wasn't taking this seriously. He wasn't serious about anything.

Well, scratch that. He wasn't serious about anything but his child, so I have to give him props for that. Brian was a wonderful father and maybe that's why I continued to hang out with him. A man that goes above and beyond for his family is unmatched.

But I let him keep the key just in case I did happen to have another seizure. I've had problems with seizures since I was a baby but they never popped up unless I was stressed out. My fitness watch would go off every time I had a seizure and alert Brian every time I had one. Ever since the girls left, I've had about seven. They all happened here at the house and my roommates called the ambulance the first time. Brian took over after that.

Anyway, he never just bombarded into our apartment unannounced like this so I was a little worried. This had to be serious.

"Rena, T's got a problem that I can't handle alone," he spoke taking me out of my thoughts. Suddenly, a teary-eyed Tiarria peaked out from behind him with a look of shame. My heart hurt as soon as I saw that look.

"What's going on, honey?" I asked kneeling to her and holding her hands.

She sniffled and wiped her face with "Rena...I'm hurting-"

"She's bleeding, Rena. She's bleeding in a place I never thought she'd bleed from. I'm scared as hell. I don't know if this is from school or what but I do know that I'm going to jail for murder if someone hurt my baby, Rena. I swear," he said as he paced around in a panic.

Oh shit. My eyes shifted to the newly-turned 10-year-old as she covered her privates in so much shame and her tears came down faster. Poor girl was so scared and I didn't blame her with the father she has. Brian was probably overreacting and Tiarria was just on her period.

Taking her hand, I led her to the bathroom with Brian following behind. Once she stood in front of the toilet and I kneeled in front of her, I realized that this was nothing like school where you couldn't exactly talk about these things to the kids. Even if it happened for the first time in your program. If you could, you'd have to go through so many loopholes and tunnels to get to the point.

This moment was completely different. This was a precious moment between, Tiarria, Brian and I that took place in my apartment. This was a time to educate this sweet young girl about something so dear that we both can relate to. I didn't think I'd be able to properly teach a young girl about her period ever, especially with Carmon actually being a mother to Raina now, but this changes things.

I looked up to her and saw her cheeks slick with tears and cried even harder as she clutched onto her pajama bottoms hard. She slowly pulled her pants down and her body shook heavily as the pants lowered. Once they finally got around to her ankles, she sat back on the toilet as her underwear revealed a medium-sized spot in it. Then, she just bawled in shame.

Banging fell upon the bathroom door and so did a "Morena, I need to use the bathroom."

Chandra...of all people. She's the one I share this bathroom with and stays in here for hours. It's almost midnight and she needs to use the bathroom?

"Use the one up the hall for just a second. We have a problem in here right now," I said wiping T's tears. Poor girl was so scared that I had to wrap my arms around her and hug her.

"Uh, sorry, but I'd like to use my own-"

"Didn't you hear her say that there was a problem in here? My daughter is the one with women problems going on in here and if you can't survive going to a different bathroom for about 45 minutes while a CHILD needs help, you don't need to be living with roommates. Now beat it," Brian told her off before she rolled her eyes and stormed off. They have a bad habit of rolling their eyes.

Something about Brian going off on my roommate made me feel differently about him a little. I saw a different side of Brian. A serious side and I liked it.

"Okay, T. It's okay to be afraid but I'll tell you what's going on. Every month...we call her Mother Nature but this is called a menstrual cycle or 'a period'. Every month, blood will come from your vagina and that's okay. It's a way for your lady parts to get clean in a way. I promise you're not dying. This is also an indication that there's no baby in stomach. To catch the blood though you're going to need a pad or a tampon," I spoke as I pulled one out from under the cabinet and showed her where it would go on her panties. No, I didn't pick them up.

Looking up at her with a blank face, I continued with "I know it feels like a diaper, but it's nothing to be a shamed of. If anything, it's a sign that you're becoming a beautiful young lady and that you're ready for what the world throws at you."

While I explained to her what was going on with her body more, Brian ran off to get T's night bag that they keep in his car for emergencies. Apparently, Jana isn't the only one that keeps a bag in her car. I was shocked.

Once he left, T slowly stopped crying and she talked about her day at school. She explained how these girls were bullying her at her new school and how she didn't like the way her hair looked. She just opened up to me about everything she didn't like about herself because everyone else didn't like those things about her. It broke my heart instantly.

It's terrible that we live in a world where it's okay to make fun of someone's appearance just because they're different from them. They don't look like them or they don't look a certain way. It's ridiculous. These children shouldn't have to go through this, especially at such a young age.

Of course, Brian walked in on the bullying part and goes overprotective on her. Asking for the names (first, middle, and last), what classes they were in, who their parents were, addresses, social security numbers, and what they looked like. Sometimes, he gets on my nerves.

"Chill out, Pops. You're only making things worse. She's scared right now. T, with bullies, they're usually disappointed with their own lives so they take it out on people living their lives in peace. When they see you sad, it makes them happy because their lives aren't good. Don't let them see you down. If you ever need to cry or punch a pillow, call me. Also, if someone tries to put their hands on you, you call me. I'll set them straight," I ended.

"And Daddy's coming with a damn belt because I don't play about my baby. On God," Brian spoke while he popped his knuckles.

After T and I chuckled at her dad's crazy antics, we got her changed and she felt so much better. She begged to stay at my place with a smile on her face and I just couldn't refuse. She needed me more in this moment than ever before and I didn't mind having a little girls' sleepover.

As soon as we entered my room, I turned to Brian while he studied my endless positive posters all over my walls. It made me a bit nervous because he never really came in my room before.

"Rena, I love your room so much!" T said as she jumped on my bed and snuggled up under the covers. As she made herself comfortable, I chucked a little. Seeing her much better made me feel better.

"So, you ain't gonna tell your daddy goodnight? You just gonna let Rena take you away from ya own daddy? No goodbyes? No hugs? I see how it is, T," Brian said right before T ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He gave her a big kiss on top of her head before letting her hang out in my bed.

I passed the remote to her and let her watch a kids' movie on Netflix before helping Brian out of the apartment. We walked towards the door and he spoke with "Rena, thanks for helping me with this situation. Thanks for being there for T in our time of need. I got scared and it's hard raising a little girl when you aren't one. Knowing that she has that...motherly figure in you makes me feel better. I really appreciate you being that role model for her. Goodnight, Rena."

He smiled at me before opening the door and walking out. Once he took a step out the door, I pulled him right back in. For some reason, that moment made me want to keep him around a little longer. I didn't want him to leave.

"Rena, what's up? You alright?" he asked as he stood by the open door.

That moment we shared with Tiarria had me feeling some type of way. It was a whole different feeling I've never felt with anyone else. Something I would never admit to Brian is how much his fatherly nature really turns me on. When he's in father mode, he doesn't play and I love it.

Clearing my throat, I nervously said "Would you like to stay around for a while and just watch a movie with T and me? After everything that's happened, I figured we all need a minute to relax."

Never thought those words would come from my lips but they did. A small smile came across his face before he leaned in to grab my chin and lift it. Once his lips softly connected with mine, our tongues intertwined and we got more into the kiss.

I couldn't fight the feeling. We both wanted it to happen but I didn't want to go any further than that. He respected that and showed that by pulling away slowly. While heavily breathing, he spoke with "Sure. I'll make the pizza."

My eyes were still closed thinking about what just happened. Not to mention, his sexy scent lingered from behind and I fell in love with it.

"Just to be clear, Rena...just friends, right?" he called me as I opened my eyes to him opening a box of frozen pizza. A smile came over his face once I looked over to him.

"Yeah...um...just friends," I said trying to come down from a much-needed high. We may have to take our time on this thing we got going on.