run of the mill.

5th

Beyonce swung the door open to her dorm and threw her bag in effortlessly. She walked straight to her ipod touch, perched in its stereo, and pressed play. Lil' Wayne's 'The Carter III' instantly started playing.

...I'm just a soul whose intentions are good, oh Lord please don't let me be misunderstood....

She looked at T's side of the room to find it was perfectly neat and completely empty. Her roommate had become even more scarce with the progression of the year. They were well on their way into September and she had been seeing less and less of the ambitious rebellion.

Beyonce noticed the box sitting on her bed and looked over it for an address. It was from her house. Beyonce ripped at the box, not bothering to look for something to open the box with. She picked up the Acuvue Contact lenses box. There was a letter from her mother beside it inside.

"These came last week. I called but you didn't answer. There's money on your debit card for the month. Love you, Mom."

Beyonce had, in her mind, become a robot. Her life was a very well played out routine. Her schedule consisted of classes, practice, her study-group, and the occasional laundry day. She had put plenty of time between the things to eat but she was usually alone. She hadn't made any new friends outside of the three people she had met in her small study-group she joined in the lab. She didn't need a study-group. Her grades were top notch do to her lack of a social life. But for two hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she liked the companionship.

She had become numb to the fact that in all the organizations and people in college, she had yet to find her niche. It was beginning to seem like she didn't fit in. The only person she'd told was her sister when she whined about wanting to come home about three weeks prior to now.

"Well you know what you have to do right?" Shelby said.

Beyonce made a face. She actually didn't. "What?"

Shelby made a noise somewhere between a huff and a growl. "Fit in! Ditch all the shit that you thought was cool in high school and get with the program!"

"What no," Beyonce protested as she surfed the web. "I like my style."

"Beyonce you ain't in high school no more. This is college. You're a freshman again, starting all over. Nobody cares what you like. If you want friends and to fit in, you gotta conform. Just like freshman year in high school."

Beyonce chin lifted a bit. "I shouldn't have to do shit."

Shelby nodded even though her sister couldn't see her. "Yeah you shouldn't but you do."

Beyonce shook the conversation from her head and kicked off her shoes. She turned on her XBOX 360 and grabbed a grape soda from her small fridge while she waited for it to load. Scratching her head because her scalp was dirty and she hadn't done anything but wash her hair and throw it in ponytails for the past month, she opened her soda and took a gulp.

She had just kicked up her foot when there was a knock at the door. She rolled her eyes, assuming it was her neighbor in 30C telling her to turn her music down. She ignored it and let her favorite game, Madden '09 load. When someone knocked again she cursed under her breath and yelled a casual 'come in' over her shoulder.

Shawn opened the door, half expecting her to be working on some homework. According to T that's all her roommate ever did. So when he found her lounging and holding a white remote controller, he was a bit shocked. He took in the scenery since she was clearly unconcerned about who she let into her room.

She wore skinny jeans, men's skinny jeans but skinny jeans none the less. They oddly enough accentuated her legs since they squeezed her softly. He supposed it was because of the fact that he had seen her legs previously. His mind offered him the vision of her long, scar free legs as a reminder of what she was indeed hiding under her jeans.

He shook the thought off and made his presence known. "Was up shawty," he said as he closed the door behind him.

Beyonce's neck whipped around to look at him. She sat unmoving for a second as if registering that he was indeed in her room again. The thought that she was shocked brought a small smirk to his lips.

"Hey," she said, her agape lips barely moving. "H-hey."

Shawn walked further into the room and inspected the videogame she was playing. "Chris and T are in my dorm so I figured I could chill here for a minute if you were ok with it."

Shawn's mind took a moment to think back to his arrival to his dorm room just minutes prior. He reached for his doorknob only to find that it was locked. There was a thud just behind the door and then it was jerked open just a bit.

T stood there with a longing, feline like look in her eyes. "What?"
Shawn only smiled, knowing that if Chris wasn't in his view, there was no telling what he was doing behind the door. "Whatcho mean 'what'? This is my room!"

T suddenly started to stare off to something just behind Shawn's head and then her eyes started to role to the back of her head. "Ssss....."

Shawn made a face and then shook his head. "Ya'll nasty," he said pulling the door closed.

He had paddled across the campus to the girl's dorm, figuring that there would be some space there for him to chill and kick up his legs. Now that he thought about it, Shawn wondered why he hadn't went to hang out with Bleek since that was his nigga. But he realized that he wanted to be around Beyonce for some reason, maybe to try out her XBOX 360.

Beyonce nodded and then asked him if he wanted to play. "Hell yeah," he joked in an enthusiastic manner. Beyonce chuckled, seeming to calm down in front of his eyes.

"There's soda in the fridge over there," she nodded in the direction if the small compartment. Shawn walked over and grabbed a soda happily, wondering why he didn't have a fridge in his room. Because your coach would kick your ass, he reminded himself. He settled back down and picked his team to play with.

"So they kicked you the fuck out hunh?" Beyonce said to Shawn while she focused on the TV. She was too physically, emotionally, and mentally drained to care that Shawn had shown up. Between doing all of her work ahead of time, practicing for two hours after practice just because she had the time, and not having anyone to talk to, she didn't give a damn about anything anymore. Her head was swimming and she could only focus on one thought at a time. And at that particular moment, the only thing on her mind was the rookie she was about to cut from her team on the video game because he was a slow ass runner.

"Hell yeah," Shawn said as he looked over her choices and decided that he was gonna pick a team with a dominating running back because her defensive line was slow but her offence was decent. "Freaky asses."

Baby you understand me now...

Lil' Wayne's lyrics still flowed and they just held their remotes and sipped their sodas comfortable. Shawn sat on the floor while Beyonce sat on the round lounge chair with her sock covered foot on the small entertainment center.

"Yeah," she said after she had saved her settings for her team. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and responded. "They be kicking my ass out too."

Shawn nodded. "You should come chill with me when they do, shit I don't be doing nothing."

Beyonce nodded, barely hearing him above the music and the game. She was numb, tired, and anything else that might have been a handicap to her senses at that particular moment. It might have been that very feeling that made her calm and collected enough to actually be herself around Shawn instead of putting on a performance like she would have done.

She was too tired to be anyone else but Beyonce.

And he seemed to like it.

And she liked that he liked it.

"You know you getting yo ass whooped by a woman right?" she teased about an hour later. They were still playing the game and had been very into it. In fact, the only time either of them bothered to get up was to pop more popcorn or get more soda for the two of them.

Shawn looked at her and sucked his teeth loudly. "Nigga please, it's just the third quarter."

Beyonce chuckled lowly in her throat. "Yeah ok Shawny."

It wasn't the most original nickname that you would ever hear but it suited the two of them just fine. And sure Shawn had been called Shawny before but it had never stuck. Its emphasis would usually wear out of people would fall back into the habit of calling him Shawn or J. But still his comfortable and serene surroundings caused the blatant uses of the new nickname to go unnoticed.

It was the most comfortable either of them had been in college so far. It was so comfortable in fact, in that neither of them noticed.

The sound of a popular Jay Z song flowed into the room and thoroughly disrupted the synthetic sounds of a cheering audience from the game and the musical styling's of T.I on the ipod.

"Yeah," Shawn said putting his LG Voyager to his ear and keeping his eyes on the television screen. Before his caller could even respond, Shawn screamed. "Oh hell yes!" he looked over at Beyonce to see her trying to frown but failing as he watched the instant replay of the play his offence just made. "You see that shit! Fuckin' beautiful!"

"Shut cho' ass up nigga this shit aint over," Beyonce said.

Shawn, who had long ago kicked off his shoes and stretched out on her bed on his elbows, settled down and smiled. "Don't hate Bey, don't hate."

"Yo who is Bey?" Chris asked into the receiver.

Shawn barely responded he was so into his game. "Man you know Bey, T's roommate."

"Beyonce?"

"Yeah I guess," Shawn said distractedly.

"Nigga I just called to tell that you can come back now, T left."

As if hearing her name being spoken into the air, T pushed the door open and entered her dorm room.

"Hey ya'll," she greeted, looking between the two of them.

Beyonce turned and nodded at her and Shawn smiled. "Yeah she just walked in."

"Who you telling my business to?"

Shawn handed her the phone and continued to play his game. They had just entered the fourth quarter. He needed to concentrate. T finished up his conversation and threw the phone on his back carelessly.

"Hey I'm finna get in the shower so you need to go baby," T said sitting on the bed beside Shawn.

"Damn," Beyonce laughed, never letting her eyes leave the screen. Her body ducked as though she was physically receiving the tackle her running back had just experienced. Fuck, his ball. "They kick you out everywhere you go hunh Shawn?"
Shawn replied quickly. "Hell yeah."

T giggled. "Yeah whatever you just get yo' big ass off this twin size bed and go to your dorm."

Shawn paused the game and sat up. "Don't hate on my full size."

Shawn and Chris had chosen to get bigger beds, making their sleeping arrangements more comfortable but their loving arrangements impossible. The small slit of walking space between the two beds was almost too much to bear. T would have guessed that it was about a foot in a half unlike everyone else's meter or more.

"I ain't," T said. "Just save your stupid game and bounce nigga." She stood up and grabbed a yellow fluffy towel from the rack hanging behind the door. She picked up a matching yellow bag and left the room.

Beyonce saved the game and stood up to stretched. She dropped the remote on the floor in front of the 20" LG plasma screen she had bought herself as a graduation gift. She turned to Shawn and smiled. "You know you woulda got your ass whooped right?"

Shawn sat up and stretched. He grabbed his black Nikes from the floor and started to put them back on. "Seriously Bey, I was just finna start kicking yo ass," he said.

Beyonce laughed and stood up, stretching. "Oh shut the hell up."

Shawn smiled, knowing he wasn't telling the truth but liking how it sounded coming from his lips. "Yeah ok." He slipped his other shoe back on and dusted his jeans absent mindedly. "Look where's ya damn phone. I gotta put my number in that bitch so you can tell me what my stat's were. I gotta get up out before T kicks my ass."

Beyonce felt around her pockets from her discarded phone. Finding the Sidekick 2008 sitting on the floor beside the chair she vacated, she picked it up and tossed it to him. He saved his number and tossed it back. She caught it with one hand and yawned, sitting on her bed.

Shawn glanced around final time. "I like your fishes," he said taking note of the small aquarium atop her dresser. Behind it was a cork bored with sticky notes of different colors and sizes. Shawn squinted his eyes and looked closer at it.

Anglo-Saxon Weaponry, Finished. Due October 7.

Beowulf comprehension rough draft, Finished. Due September 23.

Physical Examination and Dif. paper, Finished. Due October 29.

Diagnosis in Patients with Medical Disorders paper, Finished. Due November 8.

Shawn had heard of working ahead but he had never seen anything like this. Papers that she had completed had red lines crossed over them with the word 'finished' written boldly over it. Was work all she did? Surely she made time for her social life. Sure she did, Shawn taunted himself, you've seen her at all the parties you go to.

Shawn turned back to her Beyonce as she picked up the soda cans and empty popcorn bags. "Hey, there's a party I want you to go to this Saturday. It's at the Beta house."

Beyonce shook her head and tied the bag she had been stuffing trash into. The room had returned to its previous neatness. "I don't know. That ain't really my scene."

Shawn shrugged. "How do you know?"

Beyonce bit her lip and shrugged. "Don't know."

Shawn's eyes found the cork bored again and he persisted. He didn't want to drag her from her studies but that, what she was doing, was not was college was all about. There was so much more to the experience and she felt like it was his duty as an upperclassman to show her. "Just call me alright? I'll tell you about it later this week."

Beyonce shrugged. "Ok whateva nigga get out I'm tired."

Shawn smirked and did as she said, opening the door and throwing a 'see ya' over his shoulder. It was all he felt that he had to do. Beyonce was his homie. He didn't need to do any more or any less.

"Hey where you been?" Kim asked as soon as she answered her phone. Shawn rolled his eyes at the lack of greeting but didn't comment on it. That was Kim nowadays. She had gotten so comfortable that greetings and paying for her own meal were all things beneath her. "I came by your room looking for you today. I wanted to have sex." Apparently, Shawn thought to himself, so was flirting. There was a barely a twinge of remorse that he missed some pussy but that was a short-lived. While he loved him some pussy, Kim was starting to ruin it for him.

She was too stiff and unwilling and awkward. She use to please him and go out of her way to make sure it was an enjoyable experience for the both of them. But now she just lay there and got off like a robot or something. What the fuck did she think this was, TV? Shawn wanted something added to his bed just like she did.

Still he was too comfortable in his niche to break up with her. Plus that was a shitty ass reason to break up with someone in his opinion.

"I was chillin' with a homie."

Kim nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Oh ok."

Shawn wrapped up his conversation with her and lay in his full size bed, getting ready to fall asleep when Chris walked in.

"Sup nigga," Chris greeted, throwing his towel to the hamper and going to his bed. He had just gotten back from the shower. Pretty boys always take the longest showers, Shawn thought to himself.

"Shit, was up?"

"Not a damn thang, finally sent T's ass home."

Shawn smiled. "Don't act like you was happy to see her go. You know you love that girl."

Chris shook his head and gave Shawn an exhausted look. "Hell yeah. That's my heart but man... I ain't never met a female that fucks as much as that girl do."

Shawn shook his head. "Oh yeah?"

Chris yawned. "I love that shit. She'll break a nigga back if I let her. T don't play no games."

Shawn smirked and grabbed the remote from the floor beside his bed. He decided that sleep wasn't happening as long as his roommate's loud talkative ass was up. He found a channel that was showing a recent speech by Obama and stopped. "Shit I'm tryna be like yo ass."

Chris looked over at him. "Shit that reminds me. Kim came by looking for your ass. I guess she don't know what a fucking rubber band on the door means. She banged on the door until I finally climbed from under T's ass to open it... I was cussin' like a muhhafucka."

Shawn laughed at the sight of Kim standing there getting her shit handed to her by a horny Chris. Chris, being fueled by his laughter, chuckled himself and continued. "Then she was tryna start conversations and shit. 'Tell Shawn I was here. Do you know where he went?'"

Shawn chuckled a little more and shook his head. "She be tryna keep tabs on me nigga. Like she won't call before she bring her ass over. Be askin' my friends where I'm at and shit."

Chris nodded. "I noticed that shit... what you gon' do about it?"

Shawn shrugged and licked his lips. "Don't know... but I gotta do something."

His girlfriend was getting way too comfortable...