run of the mill.

18th

When they pulled up in the driveway an hour later after Tiny actually found the shoes she was looking for, everyone was tired. Beyonce had almost dozed off on Shawn's shoulder. She managed through, and she was thoroughly proud of herself. They stepped out of the car and she yawned and stretched, looking at her breathe as it became visible immediately upon seeing her leaving her mouth.

"Lazy behind," Shawn smirked.

Beyonce stuck her tongue out at him and Shawn had half a mind to advance on the invitation but he was halted when someone called his name.

He and Beyonce looked up the street and spotted about five or six rough looking guys, all conveniently dressed in black, lounging on the corner. None of them looked shaven and they all had a rundown look about them. Yet and still, Beyonce could see crisp while Nike's on some feet and Jordan's on others.

She watched Shawn tense in front of her eyes. Beyonce grabbed his hand and he only glanced at her for they both started to advance on the group, Beyonce didn't like this, she didn't like this at all. But she couldn't let him go over there to those crazy looking nigga's alone. Hell no, not an option.

"College boy," one spoke. He was shorter than the rest but Beyonce could tell by the way most them stood behind him that he had some sort of authority. He dapped hands with Shawn and took a long drag of something that probable use to be a cigarillo but wasn't anymore. "Big man wit' da letterman's." When Shawn didn't say anything the stranger smirked. "Just like high school."

He looked at the guy next to him and grinned a crooked smile. "You rememba d'at shit man? Shawn wit' his jacket and all d'em honey's in his face."

Shawn smiled a little. "Was up, Deals?"

Deals, Beyonce thought after the name was said. She wasn't a judgmental person but she was willing to bet her life that he was a drug dealer. He reeked of weed, he was a grown as man, and he was standing on a fucking corner in the cold. What other job occupation details that and doesn't evolve a sign offering a half off carwash? A fucking drug dealer.

Beyonce let her chin go up and her eyes turn to slits. She was an athlete and therefore had a strong dislike for drugs. It was burned into her brain by her dad and she needed nothing standing in the way of her and her first love, basketball.

Deals took another drag of his blunt and blew it out, some hitting Beyonce with the wind. She squinted and made a face.

"My bad little lady," Deals said, looking over her. "Didn't mean to give you no contact."

Beyonce flicked her bang aside with a whip of her head and said nothing. When his smoldering eyes stayed a little long than necessary Shawn grabbed her hand tighter and turned her to face him.

"Why don't you go in the house? I know you cold," he said quietly. When Beyonce didn't immediately move he nodded to the house and looked her right in the eyes. "Go," he commanded gently.

Beyonce glanced at the people and then she looked back at Shawn. She let go of his hand and walked back to the house as slowly as she could. She didn't want to leave him. Not with them.

Deals watched her walk away with appreciation. "Damn," he said leaning to the side to look past Shawn. "D'ats what d'em college girls be lookin' like. Shit, I might have ta enroll in d'at bitch!"

A few of the guys laughed with him and he looked at Shawn. "You pushin' d'at?"

Shawn was quick to retort. "Why?"

"Cause if you ain't, I'ma get at shawty, you know? See what she learned at college!" He laughed again and took another drag of his blunt. The tip burned orange for a long while before to took it from his blackened lips.

"Yo, man chill the fuck out with that shit."

Deals grinned and blew his smoke into Shawn's face disrespectfully. "Look at that," he said as though he was making a serious observation. "College boy done went and got him some balls."

Shawn didn't say anything. Him and Deals, David, were friends in middle school. Actually they were best friends up until their junior year until David started doing drugs since his parents weren't around. And then he started doing drugs when they were around. And then that grew to doing drugs when anyone was around. By the time they hit senior year, he was selling them and smoking them.

Now Shawn was never one to judge. He didn't grow up exactly like the Cosby Show but he had his head on straight and nowhere in his life did he have time for a drug dealer crawling through his window trying to hide random shit in his closet for days at a time.

"Maybe," Deals continued. "You just dipped ya balls into d'at bitch and lost ya damn mind."

"Hell yeah," someone said.

"D'ats what I think."

Shawn took a step toward Deals and was immediately pulled back by someone behind him. Taye came into his side view on his right. Timothy and Thomas came into his left and he supposed it was Devin that was at his back. It was just like elementary again. Him and all his brothers fighting for one. That was how the Carter's got down. And if they couldn't hit the girl, Tiny's buck wild ass would do it. No matter the age difference.

"Watch out Shawn," Taye said looking Deals square in the face with a stare that Shawn had only seen a few times in his life. "You almost tripped."

Deals smiled a little more. "Oh, it's da whole family." He flicked his blunt and went to dap Tim. "I ain't seen ya'll in a long ass time."

When Tim didn't return the gesture, just looked him up and down, Deals drew his hand back and chuckled. "Aye, Shawn man, I'ma holla at you lata' nicca. Tell ya fine ass girlfriend to call me too. Thick muhafucka."

Shawn tried to advance again. "Nigga, what?" he said. Thomas caught his arm and made him walk to the house with the rest of his brothers. Shawn walked backwards for at least twenty yards. When he turned toward his house he was fuming.

"Chill out man," Taye said when they got to the porch.

Tim looked over the yard at the group. "Yo, I ain't never-."

"-liked that dude." Tom said.

Devin shook his head. "He just got out the pin. Livin' in his mama's house. She had a heart attach this summer and passed away. He drove her crazy."

Taye shook his head and looked at Shawn. "Don't let mama see you like this. You know how she worries."

Shawn nodded distractedly and the front door was opened. Beyonce stood there with a look of worry on her own face. Shawn looked at her and knew in an instant that his brothers had shown up because of her. She had told them. And they continued to look at one another. Tiny was beside her, stripped of her jacket and holding her cell phone and a bat.

"What cho little butt finna do?" Devin asked.

Tiny frowned. "What it looking fool? I was finna help."

Taye pushed her backwards. "Get cho rawdy ass in the house before daddy see you with his slugger."

Everyone marched inside besides Beyonce and Shawn. She stepped out onto the porch with him and waited for the door to close behind her to look away. She couldn't stand it anymore. And when Shawn didn't say anything or walk away she sighed and, bless her heart, her mouth opened.

"I don't know them."

What? She though as soon as she said it. Her speech had already started horribly wrong. That was not was she was intending to say. Of course she didn't know them. She opened her mouth and prepared to tell him that she didn't want him to get hurt and that she cared about him and that that was the only reason she told.

"I need you in one piece."

Really, Beyonce? She thought in disgust. Is that really the best you can do? She sucked at expressing herself.

Shawn did nothing for a moment. Then he slowly slipped off his lettermen's and threw it over her shoulders. She took it welcomingly. Her hands slid into the sleeves appreciatively, warming her instantly. She rubbed her arms and snuggled herself, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Thanks."

Shawn nodded. "Thanks you too... I mean thank you too."
Putting his hands in his pocket, Shawn looked down at his shoe tips. He advanced on Beyonce until he was standing right in front of her. Beyonce didn't step back, she didn't want to. She loved being close enough to Shawn to smell his cologne and soap. It made her nostrils flare every time as she tried to take in as much of his scent as she could. He smelled so damn good, like a man was suppose to smell. Beyonce didn't think she would ever get tired of smelling him like that, the way he was smelling right then. The smell alone made him, appealing and wonderful.

Shawn bent his head down to kiss her lips, still without touching her small frame. He didn't understand it. For some reason, he couldn't keep himself away from her. She was like a giant paperclip and he was the sun. He was drawn to her nowadays like a magnet. He was beginning to wonder if something was developing between the two of them. He quickly pushed that thought aside, knowing that investigating it would only ruin the moment they had right them.

Beyonce responded to his kiss much better than she had done the last two. Her mouth was ready and willing, open and inviting. And Shawn accepted that invitation. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and searched for that taste he loved. Beyonce responded by moaning into his lips and wrapping her arms around his waist. She was loving the invasion and he could tell.

Shawn bent his head more to the side for more access to her mouth and felt her pull him against herself. They fell against the door and Shawn didn't even take his lips from hers. He didn't care. His hands braced both of them and he spread them against the door. Beyonce let out a guttural moan and pulled his body closer to hers, wanting to feel a very particular portion of him against her stomach.

And there it was, practically throbbing against her. Her tongue left her mouth and dived into his while she let her finger nails dig into his back momentarily at the explosion in her pelvis. She rubbed her thighs together tightly. Her body was reacting much too quickly for her comfort. She was so turned on at that point, she was sure that if she felt him stick his sweet wet tongue inside her mouth one more time she would impregnate herself.

Suddenly the door was yanked open and Shawn looped his arm around Beyonce's waist just before she hit the ground. "Ah," she squealed quietly. His other hand caught the door jam and he held on, balancing her in one arm.

Taye grinned and looped his arms under Beyonce's armpits and picked her up. She slid from underneath Shawn and smiled sheepishly when she was on her feet. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Taye nodded. "Yeah," he did a double take and smiled at her. "You got a little glitter on-." Taye pointed to her cheek and then to the other side when she blindly wiped at it. "N-no it's on the other side... it's actually everywhere really."

"Taye!" Beyonce whined sounding so much like Tiny it was scary. She slapped his arm and ran past him to the stairs, covering half her face with a modest hand. Taye laughed and watched her go.

"You and that one right there," Taye commented. "I thought she wasn't ya girl."

Shawn wiped his mouth and closed the door. "She ain't," he mumbled, still mad that he had fucked up his moment yet again. Now Shawn remembered why he was so excited about going to college. No fucking privacy at home.

Taye made a face. "You sure?"

Shawn started to tell him yeah he was sure that to mind his own business. But he wasn't sure. He had no idea. Was he sure? She sure was riding like she was his woman, supporting him, satisfying his carnal needs to the best of her ability given all the people in the house, helping his mother cook breakfast for him, making sure his sister had shoes for the funeral.

Giving up things she considered precious so that she could be close to him, taking on a role as the protector from a group of strangers, holding his hand like he was on a scary rollercoaster... and never ever questioning him about any of the decisions he'd made. Even though most of them would affect her and how she lived her life that day, she didn't say anything. She let him call the shots constantly, making him feel insanely important.

She was fitting the job description of someone he knew he would need one day.

A wifey.

As if hearing her new job title in the air, Beyonce called to him from the small balcony in the foyer. Shawn looked up at her and realized that he was standing alone. When had Taye left? Had he been thinking that long?

"Yeah," he replied.

"Come and iron your shirt for tomorrow. You know you hate to get up early and ya mama said she not doing it."

Shawn sucked his teeth and whined.

A wifey would have ironed it; he joked and teased to himself. She would have told me I could sit and relax somewhere. He started up the stairs.

"You know what? I'll do it because I need to press a few wrinkles from my dress anyway. Don't worry about it."

Shawn almost fell down the stairs.

Ain't that a bitch?