Dinah's POV

Walking back into the kitchen with Normani behind me, I see Mama Dre at the sink washing what looks like the last of the vegetables. I walk over to her and start putting up the ones she already washed, so she can get done quicker. Normani walks over and opens the fridge then goes to grab some of the ones I didn't get and does the same as me.

"Well isn't this a nice surprise, my daughter actually helping me put away food I must be dreaming. the only time she helps me is unless she wants some money."

"Well we don't want any money, but we do want something."

"I knew it was too good to be true. Okay. What do you want?"

"Can we have the rest of the girls over? We need to talk about team stuff."

"You know I don't care if you have the team over."

"Well I wanted to ask because your back was hurting and we could've went somewhere else if you said no, so we wanted to ask before Dinah called everybody."

"Helpful and considerate all in one day? Dinah Jane did you and Normani switch bodies while you were upstairs?"

"No ma'am, that is all Mani. I had nothing to do with it."

"Well I think I'll be fine with the girls coming over, but only in the basement or your room. All your girls tend to leave a mess behind".

"Okay deal. Dinah make the call, but do it on my phone, otherwise they won't answer."

"Okay."

I go back to Normani's room and grab her phone from her nightstand and go back downstairs and sit at the kitchen table. I unlock her phone and go to the contacts. I decide to call Ally first because she can get Camila on her way over here because they live real close to each other. I hate when I have to use Normani's phone because, just like me, she has nicknames for everyone. If you don't know the nickname for the person you're looking for you'll be scrolling for days. Luckily I know who I'm looking for and go straight to the 'S' section for short stack and tap to call.

"Hey Mani, what's up?"

"Its not Mani."

"Oh. Hey DJ what's up?"

"Team stuff is what's up?"

"Okay want me to get Camila and get over there?"

"You always are ahead of the game AllyCat."

"Whatever DJ. See you later."

"Later."

I hang up and go back to Mani's contacts to call Jilly when my phone goes off in my pocket. I fish it out of my pocket and see it says twin, so I put Mani's phone down and answer mine.

"Sup Bri?"

"Hey, where are you? I got something to tell you." 

"I'm at Normani's house why what's up?"

"Can you ask if I can come over I kinda want to tell you this in person."

"Okay okay I'll ask. Hey Mani?"

"Yeah?"

"Can Briannah come over? She says she has to talk to me and it's important."

"Where is she now?"

"My house."

"Sure as long as she doesn't interfere with team business I don't care."

"Okay I'll tell her."

I put the phone back to my ear to relay the message back to Briannah.

"She said you could come over."

"Okay I'm on my way."

I hang up and put my phone down, then pick Mani's back up to call the last person on the team. I go to the 'A' section for A1 and hit call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jill it's D."

"Sup DJ?"

"Are you busy right now?"

"Nah, not really I just got done working out. Why?"

"Mani is holding a team meeting since we have tryouts soon."

"Okay so we meeting at her house?"

"Yup."

"Alright I'll be there."

"Alright later."

"Later."

I hang up on Jilly and put Mani's phone back in her room and plug it in the charger for good measure. I check my phone and see it could use a bit of juice so I go to my bag and get the spare charger I bring with me everywhere and plug in my phone too. Once I'm done with that I go back downstairs to the kitchen to re-join Normani. Getting back to the kitchen I go the the fridge and grab some grapes and wash them in the sink. I get a paper towel and sit down with my snack.

"You done with all the calls DJ?"

"Yep Ally said she would pick up Camila so I didn't have to call her. I put your phone on the charger by the way."

"Thank you, I would have forgotten to if you didn't do it." 

"Your welcome, I mean that's what best friends are for."

"No best friends are for eating all your food! Who said you could have some of my grapes!?"

"Uhhhh, well you see I didn't know they were yours. I just saw grapes so I grabbed them."

"So, now that you know can I have my grapes back please?"

"Well you see I then already washed them and started eating them so it would be a waste not to finish them."

"Or you could give them to their rightful owner so they can finish them?"

"But possession is 9/10ths of the law so now they're mine."

I don't like the look Mani is giving me right now. It's the 'say one more word and imma slap you' look. Usually only parents have that look, but Mani has had that look down since we were 12. I know I have about one more minute before she attacks me so I slowly get up from the table and run out the back door, grapes in hand.

"COME BACK HERE DINAH JANE!!"

I know I'm not faster than Normani. I've learned that the hard way every time she chases after me when I prank her. But I know I can outsmart her so I start to eat the grapes as I run so when she catches up to me there will be none left. As I'm stuffing the grapes in my mouth I hear Mani getting closer to me so I try to speed up and eat the grapes.

"YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T OUTRUN ME DINAH!"

"DOESN'T MEAN I CANT TRY!"

I'm lucky I wore my Jordans because all this running in any other shoes and my feet would be killing me! I look back and realize that was probably the worst decision ever because Mani is a lot closer that I  thought she was at first. I can almost feel her at the back of my neck if she were to reach for me, shes that close. I look down at my hand and see that there are only two grapes left so I slow down my run and let Mani catch up to me.

"You're too late the grapes are all gone!"

"So why are you still holding the stem in your hand?"

"Because there's only one left and you're gonna watch me eat it."

I take the last grape and toss it in my mouth with a smirk on my face. I don't know what happened next but I started to choke on the grape. I must have tossed it in my mouth too hard and it went straight down my windpipe. Mani rushes over once she sees that I'm actually choking and tries to help me by patting my back. It works and the grape comes up and I instantly spit it out into my hand.

"You okay D?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so."

"Lets get you some water, come on."

She helps me back into the kitchen and sits me down at the table. Then she grabs two bottles of water from the fridge and hands me one. I take it gratefully and down half of it in one gulp.  

"Hand me a paper towel so I can throw this grape away will you?"

I ask quickly while she's still standing up. She hands me one and I ball the grape up in it.

"Want me to throw it away for you too?"

"Would you?"

"Girl."

"Okay you're right I should do that myself."

"Yeah you should especially since you choked all on your own."

"Okay, okay I get it. I'll do it myself."

I get up and throw my napkin away, but not without Normani smacking me upside the head as I pass her.

"What was that for?"

"For being an idiot."

"Okay true."

"Look I'm gonna go clean up the basement, you coming?"

"Nah I should stay up here so I can hear the doorbell when everybody gets here."

"Fine by me, but since you're staying up here can you get my phone before you come downstairs?"

"You mean you want me to go all the way up the stairs to your room to get YOUR phone and THEN walk ALL THE WAY through the rest of YOUR house to the basement just to give you your phone?"

"Yep!"

".......I hate you."

"Thank you!"

After Normani goes down stairs I figure I should go get the phone now because I want to check on Bri to see if she is lost because it shouldn't be taking this long to get here even if she did stop somewhere on the way. I make the trip to Mani's room and grab our phones. I put hers in my pocket and unlock mine to check my messages. I see that I have two from Bri and one from Jasmine. Looking at Jas' contact name now after all the night and morning we had makes me feel sorta bad so I should probably change that soon. I go to look at the messages from Bri when I faintly hear the doorbell ring. Since I'm the closest to the door I go answer it.

"Hey Dinah."

"Hey Jilly. Mani is downstairs."

"Okay."

Jilly walks past me and towards the basement. She's an old dance camp friend of Mani's. She used to live in LA but she moved down to Houston the summer before freshman year. We didn't even know she was down here until we all tried out for the dance team that year. As soon as those two remembered each other they became almost inseparable, it was kinda annoying. When Mani and I weren't hanging out she was with Jilly, and when she wasn't with her, Mani was with me. The two of us only hung out together when there was a group activity or a performance happening. Not that we didn't like each other, it was quite the opposite, we just didn't have much in common. We need a buffer in place so we never hang out alone that much unless there is something to do. I go to sit on the couch and finally read my messages.

Twin: whats the address again i don't remember it.

Twin: nevermind i asked Mama Milika for it will call when im close

Those messages were from ten minutes ago. I'm glad she figured it out on her own, but it's still taking her too long to get here. she probably stopped somewhere so I'm not too worried about her. I actually wouldn't be surprised if she got lost with the directions, she would forget her head if it wasn't attached to her body. Oh my god I'm starting to sound like my mom, but she would probably say something way worse. If I'm being honest if we weren't the only to Poly kids in our grade we wouldn't even be friends. She's what I call a 'seasonal friend'. You know that friend that you don't see often and you don't really have that much in common but the important things, and that's why you stay friends with them? That's Briannah! We've known each other for years but only hang out with each other at family gatherings and in the summer because we go to different schools. She is kind of a follower too. She never really wants to do anything for herself unless someone else does first. Its kind of annoying especially if it's not in your favor. She also has a HUGE crush on Mani. It's borderline creepy how she acts around her. Like for instance at my birthday party the other day, whenever they were around each other she just kind of stared at her until she got uncomfortable and walked away. You would think this only had to happen one time before Briannah came to her senses and tried to stop, but no. This happened multiple times throughout the night and she never said a word to Normani but Hi and Bye the entire night, like I said creepy. I hope bringing her over to Mani's house won't be weird for anyone. I go back to my messages and read the one Jasmine sent me. Knowing her it's probably something passive aggressive about not texting her yet when I promised that I would. That girl is a lot of things, but she is not patient.

Hot but Crazy: heeeyyyy

D-Mac: hey boo i was just thinkin bout you

Hot but Crazy: o rlly what about

D-Mac: just you in general

Hot but Crazy: what about me is so thought provoking

D-Mac: everything

Hot but Crazy: oh okay so what you doin

D-Mac: waitin on my friend to come over

Hot but Crazy: Mani?

D-Mac: nah you dont know her

Hot but Crazy: you not cheating on me already are you??

D-Mac: nah girl chill its just my friend from the party

Hot but Crazy: oh okay ill let you go then

D-Mac: okay later

I can't believe that girl. How could she think I was cheating on her if we aren't even dating yet? On second thought I might not change her name in my phone just yet, it's way to accurate. I get up from the couch to trow my empty bottle in the recycling when i hear the doorbell again. I swear these girls are making me feel like that episode of SpongeBob where he always misses the bus as soon as he moves form the bus stop. I put the empty bottle back down and get the door. It's Camila and Ally at the door, so I let them in and brace myself for hugs.

"China!!!!"

"Walz!!"

Camila tackle-hugs me and I catch her because she weighs almost nothing no matter how much she eats. Ally is just standing on the side of us with a smile and shaking her head at our silliness. Normani and I have known Camila and Ally since our freshman year of high school. Each year all the new students get split up into groups by your class year and each group is given a tour by an attending student. Camila, Normani, Jilly, another girl Mahogany, and I were all put in one group and Ally, being a sophomore at the time, was our tour guide. Camila and I hit it off right away being the goofy people we are, and Normani and Ally hit it off as well trading stories about making sure their trouble-maker friends, Mila and I, don't get in trouble. Ally actually lives in the same neighborhood as Camila which is why she drove her to the house. After I feel that Mila has overstayed her welcome attached to my neck I tap her shoulder and start to pull her off of me. Once she is done with her Koala impression, I turn to Ally with my arms still open.

"I didn't forget you Smalls, come here!"

"You never do Biggie. You never do."

Ally and I became close around the time Normani and I broke up. I couldn't necessarily go to Normani to talk about things, so I would call Ally to talk to. Now I can come to her with anything. Her and Mani are the older siblings I always wanted. I give Ally one more good squeeze then let go of her and put her down.

"Hey guys come on in. She's in the basement."

"You aren't coming with us?"

"Not yet. I gotta make a phone call, but do me a favor and take Mani her phone for me?"

"Of course DJ."

"Thanks, Tiny."

I pull Mani's phone out of my pocket and hand it to Ally and they head towards the basement too, but not without Mila taking my snapback off my head and putting it on her own. And she wonders why she has to wash her hair so much. As they walk past me my phone goes off. It's another text from Briannah, hopefully telling me where she is. I open it and shake my head at what it says.

Twin: had to got back home to watch little sis while mom is at the store come by later??

D the Greatest: yeah sure ill let you know when im leaving

Since I don't have to wait on her anymore I grab my water bottle and make my way downstairs to the rest of the girls.

AN: I think I'm dead but here is chapter 5 and as promised new characters!! I hope you enjoyed it. I made two references in this chapter and if you figure them out I will love you forever. Next chapter you will meet Zendaya and chapter 7 will be Dinah and the girls in the basement. As always Vote Comment and Share if you want and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALLY even though I'm posting this after 4 am. I'm pulling a Lauren "Its still your birthday somewhere!!". One last thing in chapter two when Milika says Dinah has a birthday coming up ignore that. I've changed the time frame of the story to the day after DJ's bday. It will make sense later and it's important to introduce Lauren to the story. 

Happy Reading
Peace,
Meags