run of the mill.

17th

Mama pointed to the refrigerator. "Reach in there and get me some eggs, bacon, milk, and pancake mix."

Beyonce nodded and shuffled around the kitchen like she was asked. "You always wake up this early?"

Debra sighed, "Oh yeah. I have been getting up this early since Taye was about six. When Shawn was about one he got a real bad cold. I was up at the crack of dawn every morning to check on him. The habit kind of stuck after that."

Beyonce nodded and tried to picture Shawn that young. Her mind wouldn't offer her the image so instead she just smiled like she understood. But in the back of her mind she was wondering if there was a photo album she could get her hands on somewhere in the house. She would surely embarrass him if she ever came across a picture of him younger than fourteen years old. With that thought in mind, her smile grew a little wider.

"So you have to make a whole carton of eggs for breakfast?" Beyonce said in astonishment as Debra cooked. She was watching and helping when she could. Right then she was setting the large table for eight.

Debra nodded and smile at the way Beyonce's jaw dropped. "Yeah, I do. All of my kids just love eggs for some reason. Always have." She poured the whipped eggs into the buttered skillet and then moved to another burner, forking around the potatoes Beyonce had chopped. At yet another burner with a big skillet, she flipped the sizzling bacon. Debra slid a spatula underneath a perfectly golden pancake and moved it to an increasingly large pile of others. "You have any brothers and sisters?"

Debra watched a look of pride cover Beyonce's face. "Yeah, I have a little sister, Shelby."

"Aw," the older woman responded.

There were steps heard in the hall and then Shawn appeared with Tiny riding on his back smiling widely. Beyonce smiled and finished setting the table.

"Was up Beyonce, mornin' mama." Tiny hopped down and kissed her momma's cheek.

"Hey," Beyonce said. She put the last fork down and turned around toward the stove to finish helping. Shawn stood in her way. He grabbed her hand and rubbed her palm with the very tips of his fingers. "You ok?" she asked quietly, nervously.

Shawn nodded. "Thank you."

Beyonce knew he wasn't talking about anything trivial like setting the table. It was nothing like not disturbing him when she left his bed that morning. Beyonce knew that Shawn was not that petty. He was thanking her for something much bigger than everything else she had done including following him across the country because he asked nicely. He wasn't saying thank you for the four hundred dollars she shelled out for a plane ticket. It wasn't the cursing out she got from her dad.

He was thanking her for not mentioning any of it. He was thanking her for being so selfless she was willing to get cursed out by the old man in her life, spend four hundred dollars, stay in a strangers home, and possibly lose valuable studying time a month before her finals. He was thanking her for loving him.

Beyonce smiled at him, staring so deep into his eyes her own were staring to burn slightly without the moisture that came with blinking.

"You're welcome."

Shawn touched her hand and brought it up to his face. He rubbed the soft flesh that was her knuckles against his slight stubble that her grown in the night. It was rough against her skin but Beyonce was so engrossed in his eyes piercing hers, she thought it felt like velvet. She loved the feel of his slight five o'clock. Shawn kissed her palm and Beyonce almost smiled but the action seemed too heavy for her face to complete the task.

Pretty soon the rest of the family flushed down the stairs. The twins were just as hilarious as Tiny warned her they would be.

"So you're," Timothy said sitting down. He was slightly thinner that the other brother. Still, it was apparent that they were twins and close. Especially when Thomas, who was standing at the island, finished Timothy's sentence perfectly.

"Beyonce. Shawn's new-." Thomas started.

And like lightening Timothy picked up the end of his brothers sentence. "Girlfriend."

Beyonce looked between the two of them and chuckled nervously. They were hilarious. Timothy nodded his head in approval as if to tell her 'say you are, you know you are'. When she opened her mouth to reply, Shawn cut in.

"Don't listen to these clowns Beyonce," he smiled a little and eyed Thomas.

"Anyway," Tiny said speaking up as she popped Devin's hand as he reached for a piece of bacon she seemed to want. "Shawn you wanna come to the mall with me and Devin today? I need some black shoes for tomorrow and you haven't seen any of your friends."

Shawn shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"Beyonce you should come," Devin said smiling at her. He was too sweet, Beyonce thought. She must have taken on a new mentality because all of a sudden Devin looked so adorably young and... sweet. Not handsome and charming, just pretty. Beyonce chuckled at herself. She laughed a little harder when Shawn flicked some eggs from his spoon at Devin, breaking his stare. "Yo!" Devin said.

"Hey, hey, calm all that down," Taye said sitting at the table with his plate.

Timothy threw a piece of his bacon slickly and hit Taye right in the side of his face. Everyone laughed and when Taye looked down the table Thomas looked at Beyonce. "Look I know you're-."

Timothy picked up. "New and all but here-."

Thomas finished. "We don't throw food at the table."

Timothy nodded and shook his head like he was disappointed. "Get it together, man."

Beyonce giggled a little more and tried to hide it when she couldn't stop herself. She fanned her face and they finally started eating when Mr. Carter came downstairs and Debra joined everyone at the table. It was one of those family dinners you see on TV. There was a trivial argument here and there about who spent the most time in the bath, ridiculous jokes from the twins on everything that was said, and a vote of intellect where Taye was concerned. Beyonce would hardly call him snobby, since he only used his education to make fun of his brothers.

Shawn seemed so happy to be around everyone else. Beyonce was having a hard time figuring out if he was putting on a show for his family or if he was truly enjoying himself. Whatever game he was playing, he was playing it damn well.

They finished eating and then everyone split up to get dressed. Beyonce walked into the guest bedroom and immediately plugged her flat iron into the wall. She pulled her makeup bag from her toiletries bag and sat it on the dresser with the big mirror mounted atop it perfectly. She would need a big mirror and dresser so that she could see exactly what she was doing to herself.

Beyonce pulled her heaven only knows how tight black skinny jeans on and buttoned and zipped them. Shit, Beyonce thought breathing hard and looking over her shoulder to her pronounced butt. Maybe the guys are right, she thought shaking her head, maybe I am kinda thick.

Beyonce sighed when she realized that she had to tuck her shirt into her pants. She didn't think she could fit anything into her pants. She pulled her black belt through the loops and fastened it securely. Beyonce then went to do her makeup, which she hoped wouldn't take her forever since she didn't want to keep everyone waiting. She did it perfectly, since she heard the shower turn on in the bathroom across the hall. She was way ahead of everybody else.

Dark eyes. She did a really smoky eye that made her hazel orbs look even more radiant. She used her blush to lift her cheeks up slightly, just like T had taught her and then she put on a clear lip gloss. Ok, she thought, that looks decent. Beyonce zipped her charcoal over the knee boots up and stood to move around in them. She had, oddly enough, brought three pairs of boots to Texas with her. One for each outfit since Shawn said it was cold. They were her safety net. They were T's since Beyonce bought the light gray ones but her roommate said she could borrow them. She grabbed her plaid jacket from the back of the door and slid it on.

She was sliding a hand over her straightened hair when someone knocked on her door. She flicked the long bang that she was trying to grow out aside and told whoever it was to come in.

Shawn opened the door and asked her if she was ready. She glanced at his white thermal thermal with a blue Ed Hardy hoodie over that and Diesel jeans. In one hand he held his USC letterman's and there was nothing but the doorknob in the other. He looks really good, Beyonce thought as she leaned over the dresser to push up on the mirror and adjust her irritating eye contact. She knew she would have to put her glasses in her purse just in case.

He moved to stand behind her in the mirror and watched as she gently touched her eyeball. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Beyonce sighed. "My contacts are irritating me. Don't worry about it."

Beyonce reached down to pick up the black Clinique Eye liner to make sure she didn't miss anything or mess something up. She had just touched it to her eye when Shawn put a hand on her hip and stepped just a little closer behind her. Her concentrated hand froze in its place and she looked at his reflection for answers about his actions. He was touching her like he never had without the aid of some sort of alcoholic beverage. This was all foreign to her. The entire situation was downright odd. But at the same time, it felt downright good to have him back there, holding her steady while he pushed directly against her box.

Shawn wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were focused on the area where their fabrics touched one another. "You look nice," he mumbled pulling her back against his groin. Beyonce blinked and felt a surge go up her spine at the simple gesture. Could she really be that sensitive to him? Was her body that wanton? Did she crave his touch that much? Ridiculous, she thought.

"What are you doing?" she whispered for some peculiar reason.

Shawn looked up at her as though he had forgotten that the ass he was pushing himself onto actually came with a face. His eyes thinned to slits and his fingers dug into her fabric as he pulled her back on him again. Shawn shook his head and let his eyes travel down the arch that was her back. "I don't know," he replied honestly.

Beyonce heard something hit the floor and she watched his other hand slither onto her stomach and up her torso to her breast. Beyonce hissed upon contact. She had been neglected, her body had anyway. Deprived of one of the two things she discovered she needed at college, a good basketball practice and some great sex. She could get all the practice she wanted no problem, but it was the sex she was missing. And Shawn standing behind her the way he was and caressing her like he was doing, was not helping her get her mind off of what she needed.

"Tell me to stop," he said in a voice that was gruff with sex and just above teasing but just below pleading. Beyonce wanted to find his eyes but hers closed immediately with a thrust of his hips in her direction. Shawn pushed on her chest and she lifted to stand up straight, pushing her back into his hard chest. Shawn kissed her ear and Beyonce's lips flew apart like she as expecting his tongue.

"Stop me," he said quietly.

Beyonce felt him kneed and squeeze her breast and she put her hand over his, dropping her eye liner absently. Shawn kissed her neck through her hair and the fabric of her turtleneck. But he was so impassioned about the erotic vision presented to him in the mirror, he didn't even care. It smelled delicious and it only fueled his flames.

They stood there, grinding slightly and clinging to one another long enough for Timothy to march past the room on a mission and doubled back. He stood there for a moment and decided how he wanted to go about the situation since there were more than enough ways to embarrass the couple. He knew he was losing his time so he simple went with a classic.

"I'm tellin'," he said putting his underneath his armpit and thrusting his hip out like an adolescent girl.

Beyonce and Shawn broke up with the quickness. Beyonce walked deeper into the room and covered her face with her hands like she was ashamed but Shawn only stood and wiped his face like he was frustrated at being caught and something else. When he looked at his brother, Tim could see the hate because of the block he had just performed. But he didn't care, Shawn was a good sport about those things.

Besides, he should have closed the door.

"Get the hell outta here Tim," Shawn said through his teeth.

What the fuck did I just fucking do, Shawn thought.

Tim laughed and took off down the hall to tell anyone else under the age of thirty. Damn, he thought laughing, some shit never changes.

They took all the cars in the driveway with the exception of Shawn's dad's favorite whip. Tim, Tom, and Taye were in Taye's rental and Tiny, Devin, Shawn, and Beyonce were in the Chevy Equinox. Beyonce sat on the back with Shawn and let Tiny sit in the front while Devin drove. He was still learning but he was pretty good. Practice makes perfect.

Beyonce rubbed her thighs with the palms of her hands to warm them up but stopped when she flicked her bang aside and saw Shawn watching her peculiarly. He smiled, knowing she was cold and shook his head.

"You should have brought a coat."

Beyonce whined and sucked her teeth like a child. "I didn't want no damn coat," she mumbled before she poked out her bottom lip.

Shawn laughed at her again. She was cute when she wanted to be. No one could pull of being childish like that but Beyonce. The cutest thing about what she was doing to him was that she was so serious. Had anyone else, he would have looked at them like they had lost their damn minds and told them to grow the fuck up. But he liked it on her. She was so sincere with it. She really did seem to jump back fourteen years in age.

His smile faded a little when he looked at her again and saw her smiling happily out of the window. What was he doing? This moment and all the other ones like it were clearing situations where he was leading her on. He could see the smile on her profile. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea about what they had going. Then again, he thought, maybe I'm leading my damn self on. Beyonce wasn't doing anything but smiling and she was entitled to smile. Why am I panicking about a conflict I made up in my own damn head? She probably ain't even thinking about me.

Shawn couldn't help but get upset at the thought of her thinking about someone else. Who would put a smile on her face like that? This was his moment alone with Beyonce and he didn't want some other nigga interfering with their time.

With that thought in mind Shawn reached over and grabbed her chin. Beyonce looked at him confusedly for a second. "Wha-?" she started but Shawn's tongue slipped between her open lips before she could finish. He allowed his tongue to dance in the sweet flavors of spearmint due to her gum. He touched her tongue roughly and shoved his tongue inside one last time before he pulled away.

"Damn," Devin said from the front seat as he looked in the rear voice mirror. He didn't mean to say it out loud but it sort of slipped on site.
Beyonce had yet to open her eyes. She was hoping that if she kept this closed his lips would come back. She hoped really hard.

Shawn didn't say a word.

It was his time. And he wasn't letting her mind be on anything else. This weekend, there was no Damien, no Zay, no Lloyd, and no fucking Kim. It was just the two of them.

She was his in every way he needed her to be.

Every way.

And when Beyonce peeled her eyes open and focused the beautifully decorated orbs on him, the look in her glossy eyes told him that she understood that.

They arrived at the mall minutes later. Trying to park close to one another was the real problem. After a while it turned into a tag team type thing in which Devin ended up losing because of his lack of experience in driving. It was still fun though, watching him try.

They got out and Shawn wasted no time grabbing Beyonce's hand in his, making a claim on her as soon as he could. Beyonce said nothing, voiced no objections, but huddled close to his tall frame and smiled at him generally. She couldn't remember the last time she had held a man's hand. Before her boyfriend in the eleventh grade, it was her dad when she was six and going to her first funeral. Other than that, no one had the desire to hold her hand.

Beyonce flicked her stubborn hair aside as they entered the mall and she shivered a bit at the too sudden change in temperature.

"Ok," Tiny said turning to everyone. She grabbed Beyonce's arm and attempted to walk away. "I have my cell. Later."

Shawn was not put off. He held on to her hand and looked at Tiny accusingly. "Where you takin' her?"

Beyonce looked between the two of them. She was afraid she was caught in a tug a war. It was secretly pleasing to be wanted. She smiled bashfully.

Tiny rolled her eyes. "I can't stroll the mall with five big ass dudes."

Tim looked at Taye, "did she just-."

"-cuss?" Tom finished.

Taye looked at Tiny. "You cussin' now?"

"How long-."

"- she been cussin' like that?"

"She using it in sentences."

"Subject verb agreement and shit."

"Expert-."

"-stuff."

Tiny rolled her eyes and tugged at Beyonce again. "Come on Shawn," Tiny whined. "Let go, we'll be back."

Beyonce smiled sympathetically at him and he touched his chest. "You choose her? I'm hurt."

She laughed and let his hand go, following after Tiny who was already headed to the store she had in mind. Shawn sighed, great, now I'm stuck with these knuckleheads. He smiled and turned back to his brothers.

Tim threw his arms around Tom and panted. "Oh Shawn, I love you."

"Who's your daddy?" Tom replied.

Taye burst into fits of laughter while Devin held himself up on a neighboring bench. Shawn tried his best not to grin. "I fuckin' hate ya'll man."

"It's ok little bro," Taye said as they all caught up to him. "She's cute."

"Cute my ass-."

Tim finished. "-that's a grown as woman. How old is she?"

"Nigga why?"

Devin brushed his shoulders off and walked ahead of all of them. "Cause man, you don't know what to do with all that."

Taye tripped him up and they all laughed, well everyone except Devin. "Don't be laughin' at me and shit. I'm a man now, damnit!" He said to their backs as they left him. "For real man I hate ya'll! Mama likes me the most!"

Later that hour, Shawn wondered into a Foot Locker when he spotted Tiny at the register. Taye had met a friend from school, a woman so they ditched him earlier. Then the twins spotted the arcade and went to push a little white boy away from the PackMan. Poor kid. Devin, since he had taken Shawn place on the same high school football team, was growing like a tumbleweed so he hit the food court even though they just ate.

He was on his way to the register when he spotted Beyonce sitting on one of the benches. He approached her and sat down. She smiled at him momentarily and leaned back on both her hands to hold her foot up. Her head bent to the side affectionately as she looked at the custom edition Dunk on her foot. Shawn nodded his appreciation.

"Nice," he said.

She grinned again. "Ain't it?" She sighed and put her foot down to look at the shoe. "$119.49 cents which equals $122.93 cents worth of niceness I can't afford."

She started to undo the strings slowly, like she didn't want to take it off.

Shawn looked perplexed. He had been the mall with Beyonce plenty of times and she always bought what she wanted. "Why can't you buy them?"

"Broke," she said blandly. "My," she put her fingers up to make quotations momentarily. " 'allowance' doesn't come until the end of this month. Who knows if I'll still get one considering how pissed my dad is."

Shawn felt like shit. She had given up her last bit of money for him and she had nothing else. She couldn't even buy herself a pair of shoes. His mind made him wonder if he would have done the same and he couldn't come up with an answer. Maybe that's why he wanted to run himself over with the Equinox. Would he be willing to skip the things he considered important in his life right then to follow a friend across the country?

"Whatever," Beyonce sighed. She put the shoe back in the box and looked at it. "I got enough shoes right?" She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him. She hadn't even looked his way. "Another day, another dollar I guess."

Shawn tried to smile but the corners of his mouth wouldn't lift. What had he done to deserve a friend like her? Was he really worthy? He, sadly enough, couldn't answer that question either.

Beyonce stood up and looked around for Tiny. "You coming with us?" she asked, her light spirit never faltering.

Shawn shook his head. "Na, I promised Devin I'd meet him here."

"Well then I'll see you in the car," she announced in a perky manner. Beyonce nodded in understanding and touched his shoulder. She called after Tiny and met up with her to see if she had bought the dunks she had been ogling at in the window.