run of the mill.

8th

Shawn strolled into the gym and checked his watch casually It was just about time to pick up Kim's ass. He didn't have time to be wasting trying to run all her errands on his schedule. He was almost positive she would say she needed something or to go somewhere as soon as she showed up. He didn't have time for that.

As usual, he arrived just in time to see the girls being dismissed. He stood in the far corner and watched the ladies file back into the locker room tiredly.

"Beyonce I need to see you now." the coach announced in a very authoritative voice. Beyonce, who had been sitting on a ball in the center of the court, nodded and waited until the rest of the girls were gone and the gym had gotten silent.

Shawn's ears perked up and he was aware that he was eves dropping but he didn't care. He listened intently to try and hear what the coach was saying. Because she had been around the loud girls and the equally loud students of the school, her voice tended to carry so he could hear.

"You know that I was considering you for my starting point guard?"
Beyonce nodded and said a meek 'yes ma'am'.

"Then you have to understand my concern about your vision."

Shawn didn't hear what Beyonce said but he saw the look on the coach's face begin to look a little more annoyed. "Well I don't want glasses on my court and it's as simple as that. Can you fix this problem for me?"

Shawn saw Beyonce nod vigorously. He saw the coach's mouth twitch into a smile and then she patted Beyonce's shoulder and walk into the locker room. "Get some rest KNowles. You look tired." As soon as the door closed, Beyonce fell to the floor of the gym. Shawn stood up with the intention of going to her rescue but he restrained himself. He knew this drill.

Beyonce slowly bent her knee to her chest and whaled quietly to herself as she moved the limb. As she unstrapped the brace Shawn heard a moan of agony in a form so frail it made him hurt just to hear it.

Needless to say he waited for Kim outside the locker room once Beyonce had made it inside. She stepped through the door holding her gym bag in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She approached him while she listened intently to her phone. Shawn made a move to kiss her since he had noticed how tired she'd looked as the girls got dismissed to the locker room but she ignored him, giving Shawn her cheek and a wince like he was annoying her.

He said nothing, taking her bag from her hand and putting it over his shoulder. "Well tell him I'll be there to pick it up in about twenty minutes... yeah I can make it..."

She made a move to walk past Shawn and head to the exit with her little Chanel purse that he bought her. Her arm was bent at the elbow with the purse handing on the crook and her hand hung lazily on her loose wrist. Shawn was about to follow after her but the door to the locker room opened and T stepped out. "Was up baby," T greeted him.

Shawn looked over her and did a double take. "T, your hair!"

T just laughed and rolled her eyes. It was more than common for T to get that kind of reaction so she was quite use to it. Chris nearly cried and then they did it in his car to make up for such a drastic decision without him. "Hi Shawn it's nice to see you too."

Shawn closed his mouth and chuckled. "My bad, come here," he said pulling her into a warm hug. "How you doing?"

T shrugged and threw her bag higher on her shoulder. "I'm straight. You like my hair?"

Shawn smiled, truly surprised. "Yeah girl. Shit's hot."

She said thank you and Shawn glanced over his shoulder at Kim still on the phone talking like she was just too good to greet a nigga. "You want me to walk you to your car?" Shawn asked pointing at her Nike bag that looked kind of heavy.

T shook her head. "Na I'm waiting on Beyonce. You go ahead."

"Yeah, ok."

Shawn said his goodbyes and made sure to tell her to have Beyonce call him. He walked past Kim and she started pacing beside him. She hung up her phone and looked at him. "I know you saw me waiting on you. I was in a hurry and you conversating and shit."

Shawn looked at her and back ahead. "The fuck you talking 'bout?"

Kim pointed back and looked at him. "I know you and T is cool and shit but I got places to be and I just thought you would be a little more considerate of my schedule."

"I just stopped to say hi."

"But you knew I had shit to do Shawn, that's what I'm saying. You know I got stuff to do after practice and you wanna lally-gag. You can say hi to her anytime."

Shawn shook his head and tried not to listen to her.

"Are you even listening to me?" Kim asked in a tired voice and reeked with authority. Her damn jeans were getting too fucking loose and she was forgetting that he was a grown ass man. "Shawn I know you hear me! That's that bullshit I be talking abo-."

Shawn stopped. "I hear you. And you gon' stop talking to me like you done lost your damn mind. I don't give a damn how big a hurry you in. You on my fuckin' time and my fuckin' dime. Get this damn bag and get your ass in the car before you piss me off." Shawn dropped her practice bag and continued to pace to the stadium exit. "And I'm takin' yo naggin' ass to ya fuckin' dorm!"

Shawn pushed the door to his dorm room open and sucked his teeth at the boxes piled by the door. Chris, since he had pledged, was moving out and into his fraternity house. Shawn had to admit that Chris was a cool roommate but he was gonna like the space. Since he and Chris both had full size beds, the room was ten times smaller than any other the other dorm rooms. But because Chris was taking his bed with him since he paid for it, they were going to put the twin size bed provided by the college back.

"Nigga when you moving all this shit out the way?" Shawn said after he dapped Chris.

His ex roommate picked up a box and looked at him. "I'm making trips now."

"You need help?"

Chris shook his head. "Na, I got some freshman helping me." Chris immediately recognized the GameStop bag in Shawn's hand and anxiously asked him what he had.

"Oh I rented some games to try out."

Chris squinted. "For a 360?"

Shawn nodded and sat on his bed. "Beyonce's got one. Shit's hot my nigga."

Chris nodded. "Since when do you chill with her?" he asked as he made his way out of the door.

"Since yo bitch ass left!"

Beyonce hoisted her very cute Cassette bag up on her shoulder and treaded across the grass to the men's dormitory. She checked her watch and folded her arms to hide herself from the very cold breeze blowing through. The weather was so unpredictable. She was clearly stepping on discolored fall leaves, hinting at the beginning of the colder seasons. But just yesterday there was a high of seventy eight degrees. She blew out a gust of cold air and quickened her pace to the big double doors.

Once inside she sighed in content and wiggled her toes in her tan snow boots. cute but thin beige Abercrombie jacket and faded jeans were doing nothing to protect her from the cold but she hated bulky layers.

She was proud of her new look. She had T help her incorporate some new styles that weren't too feminine into her wardrobe while maintaining the dignity that she had. She liked it though. She felt pretty and she was happy grooming herself on occasion. Plus, she received compliments.

She hadn't gotten a compliment on anything that wasn't sports related since she was about four years old participating in the church Easter Pageant. And now that she had taken the men's out of her skinny jeans, she was getting attention left and right. She didn't really have space in her closet for the clothes that she and T went to buy so she sent a lot of her clothes home to her parents. A lot of men's skinny jeans and hoodies went. But she kept a few for her odd days.

Pushing all those thoughts aside, Beyonce stepped further into the dorm foyer and made her way to the lobby. It was a pretty plane sight; a tv, some couches, some tables to eat or study at, and some odd things here and there like a water fountain and a bookshelf.

She pulled out her new Sidekick and flipped it open. Going to her recent calls list, she stopped at Shawn and pressed send. Flipping her crazy, barely done hair from her face, she called him.

"Was up, you downstairs?" he answered on the first ring.

Beyonce nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Yeah hurry up."

"Yeah."

She hung up her phone and looked around, trying to see if there was anyone there she knew. There were a few people milling about, talking to one another or watching TV. From under her low bangs she spotted a guy from her Lit. Class and she started to say hello but stopped herself, remembering that he had bad breath on most occasions. She didn't know if this was going to be one of those occasions but she wasn't going to chance it.

"Was up Beyonce?" she heard someone say.

She turned and met eyes with Damien. Beyonce smiled politely and flicked her bangs aside a little with a whip of her head. "Hey was up?"

He grinned and pushed his hands into his pockets. "Nothing much. How you been?"

She shrugged. "I'm ok. Hangin' out. You finish that Bone Marrow paper?"

He shook his head. "Na, you?"

Beyonce nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, just finished it." And by just finished it, I mean three weeks ago, she thought bitterly. Back when I didn't have a life.

"That's good, glad somebody in that class knows what they're doing." He chuckled and Beyonce giggled just a little and checked her watch again when she thought he wasn't focused on her. "You know, I could really use some help on that paper. We should study sometime when you're not busy."

Beyonce nodded again. "That sounds ok I guess."

"Well look," he said taking out his phone and pressing some buttons. "I'm calling you now-."

Beyonce looked at him peculiarly. "Where did you get my number?"

Damien grinned. "You worried about the wrong things. But anyway, I'm calling you now so save the number."

Beyonce glanced at her phone. "Ok, I will."

Shawn appeared out of the corner of her eye before he spoke. "Bey," he greeted. "Sup."

Damien looked at him and they dapped each other up. "I'll see you later Beyonce," he said. His hand reached out and stroked her chin with its thumb. Then he left.

Beyonce couldn't help but blush even though she was nowhere near interested in him like that anymore. Well... she thought, he is really cute. And his baby momma ain't got shit to do with me. And it ain't like he asking me to adopt the baby. Mmm. It wouldn't be so bad to get involved with him. And from what Beyonce had heard around the dorm, he wasn't actually with the girl anymore, he had just gotten her pregnant. They were still separated. He's still available.

And it wasn't like she was trying to build some new, beautiful relationship. She was just trying to find someone to occupy her time and lay the pipe for a while. And from the way she was tossing and turning night after night, that's all she needed. A little, big dick in her life. T said that she might stop being such a stiff ass.

When she had finally come down from her thoughts she wasn't surprised to find Shawn just looking at her. He stood there with this odd smirk on his face like he knew what she was thinking which was impossible but still weird nonetheless.

"What?" she said.

Shawn only stared a second longer and then shook his head like he was amused and disappointed at the same time. "Nothing."

Beyonce squirmed under his gaze. "Whatever nigga. You get the games?"

Shawn showed her the bag and nodded. "Yeah I got 'em. Let's go."

They were just leaving when a senior, T.J saw Beyonce from the kitchen. "Hey Beyonce."

Though one name was said, the both of them turned. "Oh hey TJ."

TJ was also in her Lit class. He had failed his first semester his first time around and he was taking the class again. She had been helping him with his studies sincerely and he was getting better. It was a nice little seventy-five dollars a week and he was nice to look at.

"I been meaning to call you about the reading assignment. I read over the first three chapters like you said but I didn't understand how the comprehension questions pertained. Can you help me out?"

Beyonce pulled out her sidekick. She immediately went to her calendar. "I have some time tomorrow morning at around noon, meet me in the lobby and we'll go over them."

TJ cheesed and grabbed her in a bear hug. He picked her up off her feet and held her suspended in the air. "I knew you had my back. I owe you one, baby."

Beyonce laughed. "You're welcome TJ. Aw, let go!"

TJ put her down and nodded a greeting to Shawn. "See you later."

Beyonce shook head and tried to shake away his cologne. He really was easy on the senses. Not bad at all to take in.

"You ready to go now?" Shawn asked her when she sighed and turned back to him and the door. She rolled her eyes and pushed him toward the door playfully.

"Just move," she said smiling.

They started toward his whip and he unlocked the doors to his baby; a black 2006 Mustang GT. It was his pretty little pride and joy that he had gotten just last year for good behavior.

"So we going to get something to eat first right? I'm hungry than a bitch." Shawn pulled out of the parking lot and onto the not so busy street.

"Yeah but I don't feel like going to the pit. You mind a drive-through?"

Shawn shook his head. "I was thinkin' the same damn thing." Beyonce sat back and enjoyed the heat taking over the little car. Shawn glanced over at her and smiled. "Especially since I'm with homecoming queen and shit. I'd hate for Miss Popularity to get swarmed under my guard."

Beyonce cut her eyes and him and chuckled. "Fuck you Shawn." Shawn only grinned and raised his eyebrows. "You know if you wasn't driving I'd kick your ass man."

"Hey," he said putting a hand up in surrender. "All I'm saying is you sure is stackin' em' up. The nigga's, I mean."

Beyonce smirked. "I ain't stacking shit. I mean I be choosin' but not none of them nigga's you just saw."

"Even Damien?" Shawn smirked. He couldn't keep the words in his mouth. He had to say something. News of Beyonce's transformation had been a fire topic, setting the entire dormitory ablaze with fresh hormones. There was this quiet, almost ice princess with D-cup breasts and a high round ass. She was a southern girl with swag and because she was new, that freshmen freshmeat, that made her goodies all the more tempting. No one on campus had had them before. And she was a basketball player, a damn good one too. She was intimidating to half the student body because of that factor alone.

He wasn't the only one that was thinking about her in that manner now. Somehow nigga's were getting her number and switching it around the hall like spare highlighters. There were thousands of women on campus but nigga's were still coming in from classes talking about spotting Beyonce from behind in the hall.

And he didn't like that shit at all. At first, he tried not to think about it. He tried to remind himself that he wasn't obligated to protect her and he didn't have the right to feel like she was a secret that he could keep all to himself. But that didn't stop him from wanting to pop a TJ and Lloyd and Damien and all those other nigga's in the face. He could only imagine what they would do when they found out how cool and down to earth she was. Hell he would lose his woman to nigga's with flowers and commitment and other shit he couldn't offer because he was t-.

Hold the fuck up! His Woman??? He thought to himself. Shawn shook head and looked ahead. The smirk no longer rode on his lips. Instead there was a faint frown. He wasn't pleased with himself or all the attention she was getting at the moment.

Beyonce walked him for a while before she answered. She saw his thoughts all over his face. The satisfaction of a light grin that turned upside down into a scrawl all of a sudden. It was all there. "I don't know about Damien." She couldn't lie and say that she had no intention of ever letting something physical develop between them. "He seems like he got something to offer."

Shawn huffed. "Yeah dick."

Beyonce did laugh. She had to. It was funny to her. "Shut up! He ain't that bad." She turned and watched him pull up to a stoplight. "Plus, that ain't sounding too bad right about now." Beyonce's head fell back onto the headrest like she was tired at she thought of the long... long amount of that had gone by since she'd gotten some. She hadn't even realized she'd said it aloud.

Shawn smirked and looked at her. "What you horny or some shit Bey?"