The Girl Next Door || J. Cole & Taraji P. Henson

N i n e t e e n

Nicki -

The next morning I woke up to smell of bacon being cooked. I got out of Robert's bed to find him not there. I sighed as I walked over to his closet and threw on his robe and house shoes.

I reached inside my purse and grabbed my tooth brush and toothpaste. I always kept a spare of everything, I learned that from my mother.

I walked out the room and down the hall to the bathroom. I couldn't believe how disgusting the toilet seat looked. I opened the shower door and closed it right away. It smelled like piss and cigarettes.

The smell got so bad I had to take the robe and cover my nose. When I went to turn the water on the water was yellow. I almost wanted to vomited.

I opened the door and ran out the room. I made it back inside and grabbed my phone off the night stand.

I went to my call long and typed in Aubrey's number. Just as I was about to hit send it hit me. Tears began falling down my eyes as I thought about what I did to Aubrey.

I never meant for any of this to happen. I love Aubrey but I fell for Robert. It was something about him that I just couldn't shake. Just the thought of me and Aubrey not being together made me double over and throw up.

"Nicki! Yo! You alright?" Robert asked as he stormed in the bed room. "I wanna go home," I cried as I fell down to the ground with tears streaming down my face.

"Okay Nicki-"

"Take me home! Take me home!" I cried as I began to rock myself back and forth. "Alright Nicki alright come on," He said as he picked me up and carried me out the room.

He carried me out the house and into his car. He left for a few moments and then came back with my belongings. I curled myself up in a ball as he started the car and drove off down the block.

Kendrick -

I couldn't seem to shake the nervous feeling that I was having as I paced back and forth in the hallway of the hospital. Here I was again with my mother waiting at any moment for the doctors to give me a bad report.

Two years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer and it's been hard on me. My oldest brother August was away at his military base serving his time. He had came on holidays to check on mama but that was it, it was all pushed down on me.

Whenever it came to making sure she had her medicine, I did it, when it came down to making her doctor appointments and taking her to her treatments it was all on me. I didn't mind doing for my moms I mean she carried me for nine months, she was the only mother I would ever get so it was my job to appreciate her and help her.

I just wished that I had help sometimes. I can't understand why my old man bailed out on us and started a new family with a bitch and her kids across town. Why did he ditch us for them? Why he leave mama high and dry to raise two kids?

August got tired of the drama and the pain so the first opportunity he got he left. As much as I want to go away to school and get my degree I can't. I can't just leave my mama here with no body. I have to be here for her. I was going to make this rap shit work. I wasn't telling nobody but I had been working with this guy named Top Dog he was a rapper back in the day.

I had performed at the cafe across from the hospital a few days ago and he said my piece "i" blew him away. He said he wanted to hear more music from me so he had given me studio time. My first tape was almost finished.

I had been working like a dog to prove to him that I was ready. I sacrificed everything, even my relationship with Rihanna. Lately we been kind of distant and I was hoping things worked out with this record deal so that I could take her out on a real date.