Now that she was back in Springfield, trying to focus on her life, she decided to attend classes every day even though they bored her. It was her trying to be more social.

For most of the class, she was on her phone doing anything but paying attention to the professor. She was either texting her sisters or even texting her new friend Tori. She was cool, but she had not met up with her since she did her makeup.

"Hey Nola, missed you last couple of classes," Ronan said to her when he sat beside her.

"Did I miss anything exciting?"

"No, but I missed you," he said.

She smiled at him. He was flirting with her and she liked it. After leaving Brendan and not going into a relationship with him, maybe she could go forward in a relationship with someone more on her level.

"Want to hang out after class?"

"What? Nola Kelly asking me out on a date." He laughed and she threw him a serious look. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry Nola!"

"Don't let me put my mace all up in your face."

After class, she decided staying on campus with him to have lunch would be okay. She blended in with the other students, she looked like a nobody, even with her new clothes and makeup done. They talked a lot as they walked to the Student Union.

"So what are your plans after you graduate this year?"

"Grad school," he replied. "Where, I am not sure. I have some top options. You?"

"I have another year here and then I finish with both my bachelor's and master's."

"Whoa! After taking off one year of college you still seem to finish on time."

"I would have graduated last year and gone right to med school."

"Which you would have accelerated. It must be nice to have a mind of a genius. I have to work hard to keep my grades modest. I was considered a nerd in high school, but the funny thing was I didn't have the highest GPA."

"A nerd doesn't mean you're super smart."

"Exactly! Not in my case."

They made it to the Union and Ronan was a perfect gentleman, holding the door open for her.

"I'm not sure they have something super healthy for you here."

"I'm not so strict, I can eat what I want."

They went to Burger King and she ordered a whopper and fries, something she had not eaten in months. Something about Ronan made her want to just be a normal, average twenty-one-year-old girl having fun with a hot twenty-one-year-old guy who liked her.

"Tell me why you don't have a girlfriend?" she asked, munching on a fry as she watched him eat a grilled chicken sandwich and onion rings.

He thought on it a moment before he answered. "Do you know, it seems like every time I am interested in a girl, she doesn't feel the same way about me? I've settled with some girls I didn't like a whole lot, and that never ends well. It's so hard dating at our age, you know. It's all about hooking up, sex, and whatnot."

"Let me guess, but you're not like that."

"I like sex!" he said with a chuckle. "But I am interested in building a meaningful relationship."

"I'm a virgin!" She had no idea why she blurted that out to him. She was not embarrassed about it either.

He nodded his head, not at all shocked by her confession. "Gotta say I don't see that a lot."

"You still like me then?"

"I want to get to know you, Nola, sex isn't on the table unless you want it to be."

She liked him, she would admit that. After they finished eating, he insisted on walking her to her car.

"You know I don't need your protection, I can handle anyone that steps toward me."

"Oh, I know," he said and rubbed his chest where she kicked him. "You have to teach me some of that."

"Sure."

They made it to her car and she did not want their little date to end. She stood there, not wanting to get in her car just yet.

"Can we umm...go on a real date sometime? Maybe this week?" she said to him.

"I'll pick the place and pick you up." He leaned in as if he was going to kiss her but she held her hand up to his face.

"Whoa, whoa! You are not going to kiss me after you ate onion rings." She laughed at him and then kissed him on his cheek. "There."

"Remind me to not eat onion rings on our next date."

"Bet."

She felt giddy inside as she drove away. This was a nice feeling. This was what she needed.

Instead of heading to her house to go work out, she drove towards the mall but passed it up to go to her sister's house. But Kitty was not there, Icee was there with IceeJay, outside at the pool.

"Yo baby sis, what's good?"

"Where are Kitty and the twins?"

"They went to Sarena's. Me and my lil man having a boys' day. Come on, sit down and talk with yo bro."

Icee grabbed IceeJay out of the pool who was about to turn one this weekend. She could not believe he was that old already.

"You guys going overkill for lil Icee's birthday party?"

"Of course we are. And since he won't remember in ten years, we're filming the whole thing. You better come."

"I will not miss my only nephew's birthday."

She took IceeJay from Icee to play with him.

"Oh yeah, yo boy and his new...fiance may be there."

She held in a groan. She did not want to be face-to-face with the happy couple. No way! That would be uncomfortable for all. Maybe she should bring a date. Bring Ronan and show him off.

No, she was not that comfortable with Ronan sharing him with her family. And why did she need to flaunt another boy in front of Tone? She was over him.

"That's cool," she simply said, kicking off her shoes so she could sit at the edge of the pool.

"How's school?"

"Passing. All As, but it's still early."

"Now with any other kid, I would be on them about their grades, but I know I don't have to sweat that with you."

"I'm not a kid I'm twenty-one!"

"Listen, you're the only baby sister I will ever have so I like calling you that."

"Why didn't your father have other kids? I mean, you, and then he thought Craig was his...but he could have been making babies all over the place."

"You don't know my Pops then," he said with a chuckle. "He's a ladies' man for sure, but he never was about making babies with randoms, and he made sure I grew up with that thinking. He took care of his, and I take care of mine."

She gave him a mean mug look. "Icee, you know you were out there with the groupies. How do you know if there is not one of yours, looking like IceeJay out there right now."

"Cause if a honey had my kid, they would be after my pockets right now. And trust, a brother wrapped up, never slipped up, never messed up, it was not going down like that."

"Uh...you slipped up with my sister. You guys were not married when she got pregnant."

"Listen, you couldn't tell me we weren't at the time. Anyway, I knew she was the one I was going to be with for the rest of my life anyway, it did not matter when it happened. But hey..." He nudged her shoulder. "Why the talk about babies and shit? You trying to tell me something?"

"Boy stop!"

"What?"

"What nothing."

"Nola if you have a baby before you finish college I'm kicking yo' ass."

"You're gonna what?"

"I ain't scared of you with your little training from Victor. I will check yo lil ass and the motherfucker that did it to you."

She laughed and ignored him. She knew Icee strapped up with a gun sometimes, as was the life of a rapper, but he really was not a fighter. She knew she could take him down without much effort.

She liked talking to Icee like this. It was different than how she talked with Victor. Victor was like a father. Icee was like a brother, better yet a friend.

"I did meet a nice guy."

"If they say they are a nice guy, they probably aren't."

"No, really. He's cool. You know I stay leery of people right now, but I'm taking my time getting to know him."

"Good. Everyone needs someone." He took IceeJay from her. "Just be careful. There are crazy people out there."

A/N: Nola is getting her inner peace better, hanging with Ronan and just being a normal twenty-one-year-old. No extra drama...for now.