i believe in u & me. | 𝐌𝐉.

𝐕𝐈𝐈.

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I BELIEVE IN U & ME.

( chapter seven • ain't no stoppin' us now. )

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"Where. The. Fuck. Are. THEY?!?!?!" Janet exclaimed, her voice laced with fury as she glared at the clock. The party was set to begin at 7:45 P.M., and neither Marquis nor Cyrus was home. This infuriated Janet. "I'm about to rip all this shit up!"

"Calm down, baby. Just give them time; they'll be here soon." André's deep, comforting voice tried to soothe Janet, but her agitation was palpable.

"I know, snookum-pook." Janet sighed. "I just really hope Marquis isn't late and Cyrus brings his ass here so we can have this party! You know, Mommy doesn't let Applehead and me have parties here ever, so this means a lot to me."

"Applehead?" André asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"That's my nickname for Michael. Don't laugh at it."

"I'm not, I promise."

Janet pulled out her phone and dialed Cyrus. "Cyrus, answer your phone, bitch," she muttered under her breath.

...

"So I been hearing this rumor, and just wanna know if it's true..." Marquis started, looking at Cyrus with genuine curiosity, as they chatted about their hometowns. "Do y'all really have rats up in Brooklyn?

"Yeah, but after a while you get used to it, I swear." Cyrus replied with a smile, making light of it.

"Yo, that's wild." Marquis laughed. "I knew you was from New York the first time I heard you talk."

"Yup, I'm Brooklyn bred. What, you could tell from my accent?"

"Yeah. You be sayin' 'talk' like tuwalk."

Cyrus' phone rang loudly, breaking their playful banter. "Marquis, answer that for me. I can't get it right now."

Marquis fished the phone out of Cyrus' bag and saw the caller ID. "It's Janet," he said, smiling as he answered. "Hey, what's up, cuzzo?"

"Marquis? What are you doing with Cyrus' phone?"

"He's driving and told me to answer. What'chu want?"

"Um, I want to know where the hell y'all are right now. What's taking y'all so long?"

"We on the highway, girl. Damn, why you in such a hurry?"

"Movie night," Janet lied. "We're watching... Rush Hour."

"Oh. Okay. I like that movie."

"Yeah, I know! That's why I want you and Cyrus to come home! How far are y'all from the house?"

Marquis turned to Cyrus. "Yo, White Shawty. How far are we from Mike and Jan's house?"

"About 15 minutes." Cyrus switched lanes to a faster route. "We'll be home soon, don't worry!"

"We're 15 minutes away, Janet."

"Okay, cool. See you both soon."

"A'ight. See you later." Marquis hung up and put the phone back. "Can I turn on the radio?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Cyrus answered. The car filled with the smooth R&B tones of Usher's "You Make Me Wanna...".

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