Old Friends

Part 1

Prince and I have known each other for 4 years. He's a few years older than me. We never went to the same school because I was homeschooled and we met when we I was 16. Prince was almost 20 and was practically living on his own, he was already a successful music artist, and he dreamt of directing his own movie. How did we meet? Well, it just so happens that we met in the oddest of places...the arcade. It was right next to a pizza place in Minneapolis and I was there to visit family. I wasn't much for public outings, but I also wasn't much for meeting family that I rarely ever saw. So, I walked from the pizza place to the arcade where I saw a guy in a hoodie, tight jeans, and sneakers playing Centipede. I didn't really notice Prince at first until I decided I wanted to play. I was waiting patiently, picking at my nails until he finally got off the game. He turned around and saw me. It was an instant connection when I saw he was blowing a bubble with some Big League. "Hey um, can I have some chew?" He popped his bubble giving me a smirk. "Depends, what do you wanna do for it?" I glanced behind him to see what he scored. I was shocked, but I didn't want him to know. "I bet you I can beat your score." I said to him with confidence in my tone. He did this cute little laugh. "If you think you can." I took on Prince's little challenge. I sat at that machine for almost half an hour trying to beat his score only to be down by 400 points. I slammed my hands on the machine. "Damn!" Prince laughed. "Guess you don't get no chew, huh?" I was fuming and I think he knew I was really upset. Even though he was pretty famous at the time, I never knew who he was. Well until I got my own car and could listen to my own music a few months later. I heard his voice on the radio when I was driving to pick up a few groceries. I didn't know we lived a couple of streets apart until I saw him playing basketball. It was funny because I walked up to the little court they had set up in the driveway of his friend's house holding a bag of chew. "Hey!" Prince turned around and looked at me. I grinned holding the bag. His friend was confused, but Prince knew exactly what was going on. "I'll give you chew if you teach me how to shoot hoops." Prince was shocked. I was proudly grinning. And that's how we became friends. When I was 18, I finally graduated home schooling and was still staying at home. Prince and I hung out every Saturday night and since I was 18 there were no more curfews as long as my parents knew where I was going and about what time I'd be home. Even the craziest thing is that they let me stay at his house. My mother loved Prince. She loved it when he came over and played his guitar and she knew Prince and I were just friends. But my father, he despised Prince. My mother and father always fought every time I'd go out with him even though my mother would always tell me it was never a problem. It confused me that I was still allowed to stay at his house even though he hated him. It wasn't long after I turned 19 that Prince was starting to get busier. So instead of every Saturday night it was becoming more of a one time a month kinda thing. He had a girlfriend, his music, and he was going to be moving to an apartment complex deep in Minneapolis which means I'd have to drive a little farther to see him. I didn't have a job, and I wasn't going to let Prince pay for me to come see him. So, we faded. I got a job at a mechanics shop as an assistant a town away and that's where I met Jake. Jake at the time was very sweet and always flirted with me. It wasn't long before we started dating, and he took me to the same pizza place that was right next to the arcade for our first date. I often remembered all the fun times Prince and I had on our Saturday nights we'd spend there. Second date came around, and this time we went to the movies. This is where I had my second kiss. My first kiss being when I was 13 at the bowling alley after I lost a bet. Jake was an AMAZING kisser, but even then all I could think about is why Prince never tried to kiss me. I wouldn't have minded if he did, I'm sure he was a great kisser, too. In the middle of a murder scene on the big screen, Jake and I French kissed in the back row of the movie theater. When he took me home, we kissed again before I went inside. I sat on my bed so confused. Why was I still thinking about Prince at the time when any girl could be in my place? Jake was very handsome. Brown eyes, brown hair, incredible skin. But all I could think about is Prince, big brownish green eyes, butterscotch skin, long fingers. I remember crying because I was so confused. The next day, my mother called me down to the living area to tell me Prince was coming to town to visit while my father was gone for work. I was so happy. I remember spending almost an hour getting together an outfit and doing my hair. When he arrived at lunch time I basically almost knocked him over giving him the biggest hug. And then, I saw the hickies on his neck. I remember feeling this cold, stiff feeling in my chest before faking a smile. "I've missed you." I said. He smiled. "I missed you, too." He looked so different. He had a purple motorcycle and packed on a little more muscle, his hair was long to his shoulders and curly, and he grew a mustache. We went inside and my mother gave him a big hug. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him about Jake or not. I noticed that he had a dangly earring in his left ear which normally meant back then that he was going steady with someone. It tore me up, but all throughout lunch I faked a smile. "So, have you told him about Jake?" My mother asked. I froze. "I didn't want to talk about this right now," Was all that was going through my head. "Who's Jake?" Prince asked. I looked at my plate. "He's a guy I've been going out with and stuff...that's it." He got quiet but my mother was yammering on about how Jake had a cherry red motorcycle and was a mechanic and that he wanted to be a musician. I was mortified. I had never noticed how similar Prince and Jake were. I bit my lip getting up to clean up the kitchen. Doing anything so that Prince didn't have to look at me. "Well I'll give you two some alone time. I've got gardening to do." My mother left through the patio door and Prince came up to me. "You never told me you had a boyfriend. I never heard once in the letters about a boyfriend." I was shocked that Prince had this tone with me. He sounded...jealous. I turned around facing him. "He's not my boyfriend. I don't know what we are. We've only been on two dates and we've only kissed. Looks like you and your girlfriend have been doing more than just that!" Now I was sounding jealous. He had this crazy look in his eye that I had never seen before. Prince looked away. "Why do you care..." he said. I bit my lip. "I don't know...I just...I can't stop thinking about you." I said. I wasn't expecting this to take a turn. Prince looked at me. My heart was racing so fast I thought it was going to affect my breathing. He got close to me and I pressed my back to the counter before he kissed me. I tensed so much at the unexpected action so he pulled away. I watched his eyes before he kissed me again. Prince put his arms around me and I was enjoying the kiss so much that I hadn't heard the footsteps. A man cleared his throat and we pulled away. It was my father. Immediately, Prince started to defend our actions. "Listen, I don't wanna cause any trouble..." my father grabbed my arm pulling me away from Prince. I screamed pushing my father some. I was an adult now. My mother rushed in shocked to see her husband standing there. "Did you see what they were doing?!" He shouted at her. I went back to Prince. "No! They're adults! If they want to kiss let them k-" "I don't want my daughter around that ni-" "Don't you say that word, Gerald!" My mother shouted. I gasped. My father was about to use a racial slur. Prince looked away. "I don't want to cause any problems. I'm gonna go." Prince started to leave but I glared at my father before chasing after him. "Prince! Don't go!" I grabbed his arm. He turned around and I saw he was about to cry. "Please don't go." I was getting choked up. I watched his eyes as a tear started to fall. I cupped his cheek kissing him again. It seemed at that moment I knew this was right. I didn't have this feeling last night with Jake. Prince pulled away. "I gotta go..." I held his arm. "Tell me where you're going, Prince." I hugged him tight burying my face in his shoulder as we held one another. He shook his head. "I don't know where I'm going. But I know I don't wanna leave you, and I have to. Since your father hates me so much." I had my hands on his back. "Don't go too far...I want you to write me. I'll check the mail as soon as it comes so he can't see it's from you. Or use a fake name. Okay? Something I'd recognize and know it was from you." Prince nodded and pulled away reaching behind his neck to take off his long gold cross necklace. "Take it. I want you to have it and when we see each other again I want it back." I nodded as he put it on me before he kissed me again. And that was the last time I saw Prince for another year. In the span of a year, I was willing to do anything to get away from my crazy father. But I didn't want to move away from my mother. So Jake and I got close really fast. Meaning sex, and then moving in with each other in a matter of time. We were living in a rent house in a suburb outside of Minneapolis and Jake had fully quit his job to start playing in bars with his band. I prayed every night that Prince would just so happen to be there where Jake was playing. Since I hadn't had a letter from him in about 4 months now. Jake asked me once where I got the necklace from and I lied telling him it was a birthday gift from my mother. I was 20 now and letting my boyfriend live his dream while I was watching mine slowly die. It hurt that everyday I thought about Prince but could never see him. It hurt even more that I was believing the tabloids about him. I was reading about how he had a baby and was married to different girls. I was believing it all. I was beating myself up over it. But even worse, it was a Saturday night when I was sitting on the bathroom floor holding a pregnancy test when it said positive. I was terrified. I was 20 and about to have a baby with a deadbeat guy that didn't care about what I wanted anymore. This was the time I needed Prince more than anything. I was so scared I could barely breathe. Jake came home that night and I knew I had to tell him what was going on. I sat him down and even sat on his lap to butter him up. "What's something you want more than anything in the world?" I was kissing under his ear and he leaned back on our cigarette hole covered sofa. He smirked. "A Grammy. And a big ass house. And a studio in the house." I frowned, pulling away. "I'm pregnant." Jake got quiet but then he shoved my off his lap. "How the fuck can you be pregnant?!" I got scared. "I forgot to take my birth control the day we went to your sister's wedding!" He back handed me. I held my cheek. "Jake stop!" "No! This is your fucking fault! You trapped me into marrying you!" I shook my head and started crying. "I swear I didn't, Jake please!" He grabbed my hair dragging me to the bedroom and I started screaming louder begging for anyone to hear me. "Jake stop it!" He threw me into the bed sitting on my stomach and I was trying to fight him. He had a coat hanger trying to get it undone. Eventually I shoved him off and ran out the front door of the house screaming and running down the road. I didn't know where I was going but I knew I was terrified. Cut to a few hours later I was roaming the streets of Minneapolis late at night. My nose had just finished bleeding and thankfully the rain was washing the blood off my face. It was cold, and I was in my pajamas. I bet people thought I was homeless. I was trying to get to my mother's house which was still a long walk off. I thought about how I left all Prince's letters behind, all of my clothes, but I still had his necklace around my neck. I felt miserable, and very sick. I decided to sit down at the park for a seconds just to rest my aching legs. I was so tired but I was afraid to fall asleep in the park. Especially on the bad side of town. I closed my eyes for a brief second only to be woken up to a hand on my shoulder. It was a white guy with long blonde hair and a trench on and it scared me so much I screamed. "Nononono! You're okay. I-I know you." I was standing up, my clothes were soaked and the rain was starting to slack. I was shaking. "How do you know me?!" "I'm in Prince's band." My heart swelled, but I wasn't for sure if I trusted him. "I'm Matt Fink in The Revolution...I can take you to Prince. You look like you've been through hell." He was right. I had blood on my shirt. I gave this guy a big hug, but he didn't wanna waste any time getting me back to his car. I swear it was a miracle from God that Prince's keyboardist just so happened to recognize me from the polaroids Prince kept of him and I. We got to this apartment complex that was huge. We walked in and I saw the stairs. There was no way I was going to be able to make it up there. "Stay here. I'll go get him." I sat on the little bench down stairs and was about to pass out when someone scooped me up in their arms. I smelled lavender and felt hairs against my cheek. I don't remember much after that. When I woke up I felt my cheek being stroked by soft, long fingers. I opened my eyes and saw those familiar beautiful brownish green eyes. I gave a weak smile. "Prince..." "Shhh. You're okay. Just relax." I snuggled up to him which we had never done before. I giggled at his chest hairs tickling my face which I never got with Jake. Jake always shaved everything. Prince kissed my forehead. "You're delirious. Go back to sleep." I closed my eyes curling up some more. I fell asleep again. When I woke up the next time I knew I was going to have to get out of his bed to go to the bathroom. I sat up some to see Prince had a purple lava lamp going and I saw that he was laying next to me. The heater was going too and I was still in the same clothes. My nose felt so stuffed up and my throat was sore. I bet I was getting a cold from walking in the cold wet rain. I carefully got out of bed and used the light from the lava lamp to find his walk in bathroom and used it. Before leaving, I checked in the mirror to see what was happening. I could see that I still had blood on my shirt and that my lip was busted, too. I still couldn't believe that Jake did this. When I finished I washed my hands and saw that Prince had rolled over and shifted more to where I was laying. I laid behind him this time spooning him letting my cheek rest on the back of his shoulder blade. Prince felt that I was there and put my arm around him. My forearm brushed over his abs and he rolled onto his back to let me lay on his chest. I couldn't sleep anymore, but I saw his neon purple alarm clock said "4:30 A.M." It was Sunday. We got to spend another Saturday night together. I couldn't sleep anymore so for the next couple of hours I listened to him breathe, listened to the steady beating of his heart and the weird noises he made while he slept. He didn't snore like Jake did thankfully which was so peaceful. I watched the sun come in through the blinds and I snuggled my face into his neck. We hadn't moved for 2 hours. Then at 6:45 his alarm started blaring music. He jolted awake to shut it off. I smiled at him as he yawned. "Good morning sleepyhead." I said to him. He smiled, closing his eyes again. "Good morning." I kissed the corner of his mouth. "You wanna go get something to eat?" Prince asked. I couldn't even think about breakfast. For the last thirty minutes I was fighting the urge to puke. I knew I was going to have to tell him I was pregnant. If I even was pregnant. Maybe I read it wrong and maybe some tests aren't right. "If you want some we can get it, but I don't have any money. Or clothes." I felt bad. Prince opened his eyes rolling over to face me. I put my hand on his ribs watching his eyes. "What happened to you last night? You and Jake get into a fight?" I sighed through my nose. Prince was too smart for his own good. "Yeah...It got pretty bad. But...I guess he had every right to be mad." He stopped stroking my hair. "What the fuck could you have done for him to be mad at you?" Prince asked. His sleepy morning voice was so sexy it was kinda turning me on. Now that for the last three years I've been experiencing sex, it turns out every time I thought of Prince I was getting turned on. Maybe it was just my hormones. "I'm pregnant." I finally told him. Prince's eyes got a little wide. I bit my lip. "Well...I don't know if I am. All I know is I'm really nauseous, I'm late, and moody. The test was so complicated I might not have read it right but...all the signs are here." Prince sat up looking at me. "Are you sure you're pregnant?" I bit my lip. "No. I don't know. I just took the signs my mother told me about when I was a teenager and decided to get a test. It was so complicated..." I sat up with him rubbing my arm. "Jake was really upset when I told him...and he hit me." Prince scoffed. "Dunno why that fool did that. He was the one that put it there. That's why this isn't your fault. Honestly, if anything he can use birth control, too. I mean shit it ain't comfy and all but if you don't wanna make babies then you better wrap it up." Prince was right. This whole time I thought it was my fault, but it wasn't. Jake and I could've used condoms. I held his hand. "I'm really scared. I spent a lot of money on that last test because it was all I saw. No one knows but you and Jake." Prince was thinking. "C'mon. I think I got an idea." We got out of bed together and I looked down at my bare feet. "Prince it's freezing." He handed me some of his clothes. "Put those on. I know they'll fit you because they swallow me." Prince was 5'3 and I was 5'7. When we stand together we roughly look the same height which was good for him because he was always so self conscious about being short. But the issue was that I had a much bigger foot than him, so I couldn't wear his sneakers. He was a size 6 and I was a size 9 1/2. It wouldn't work. He was throwing stuff out of his closet looking for something. "Here we go." They were sandals. "These were Kim's. But she was a size 9. These should work." Kim was the girlfriend Prince had. I wasn't sure if they were still together since he talked about her in the past tense, but I put on the clothes and shoes he gave me. They were almost a perfect fit. I wore an old jacket that barely fit me and sweat pants that oddly fit me. Like I said, Prince was small. And I wasn't so small. We left the apartment and I was wondering where Fink had went. This was going to be the first time I rode on his bike. "We're gonna have to take the car because it's going to be raining." Nevermind...we weren't going on his bike. We wound up getting in his car instead which was pretty clean even though it was an older car. I put my seat belt on and we were driving around Minneapolis a bit. "So....did it say positive?" Prince asked. I nodded. "Yeah I saw the positive sign." He got quiet until we got stopped by a train. "But you were on the pill..." "There was one day I forgot to take it and that was the day of his sisters wedding. We...well you know." He got quiet again. Prince bit his lip. I think he was worried for me. Which I didn't know why. If I was I guess I'd have to take care of the baby. Maybe Jake will come to his senses. The car started moving again and soon we were at a store. Prince and I both went inside and I started to get nervous. As I said in the beginning, I wasn't much for public outings. And going to a store was probably worse than going to a birthday party. At least there I knew people. It was sweet when Prince took my hand and walked me through the store. "We're looking for a good test and not one of those complicated ones." I wasn't sure exactly what we were looking for. I just bought the first one I could find. I bit my lip. When we got to the aisle they were on my heart was beating. A lady walked passed and gave us a dirty look. Prince grabbed a box and looked around before stuffing it in his pants. I gasped grabbing his hands. "No!" I whispered. "We aren't stealing!" I whispered again. "Would you rather us steal it or would you rather the cashier ask us stupid questions." He was right. I let go of one of his hands and we quickly left out of the store getting in his car. We sped away and he leaned back to get the test out. Prince handed it to me and suddenly a thought crossed my mind. How did he know what to get and exactly where they were? It took me almost half an hour to find them without any help. "Prince...have you bought one of these before?" The air felt heavy. He shifted. "....No." I knew he was lying. "Prince tell me the truth..." We pulled into a gas station. "Listen...Yeah I've bought them before. A few times actually...You forget I started having sex when I was 16 of course in the past 10 years I've had girls have pregnancy scares." I was in shock as he got out of the car. What if Prince was already a father?! What if he has a child and hasn't told me? I watched him through the glass of the gas station pay for the gas and come out to pump it. All that mattered right now was the fact that I needed to know if I was pregnant. I bit my lip. We returned back to his apartment and Fink was there on the sofa with 2 other guys and 2 girls. They were watching TV. "Oh shit. Rehearsal..." I had my arms crossed to hide the test. Prince took off his coat. "Just go to the bedroom and I'll be there soon..." I didn't hesitate to stay even though I knew it was rude, but I knew his whole band thanks to the letters. I went to the bathroom carefully reading the instructions. I took the test and sat on the bathroom floor. It was just like the last one...except this one was easier. There wasn't a 30 minute wait, there wasn't a transferring of liquid into tubes or waiting for a certain color or sign to pop up. This was a test that would give me a solid answer. While I was waiting, I curled up with my back against the wall hugging my knees. What if I did have to raise this baby alone? What if Jake never wants me again. What if he's never in this baby's life. I was beating myself up so much that I started to cry. This was MY fault. If I would've remembered to take my birth control like I was supposed to this wouldn't have happened. I looked at the test. Once again, it was positive. I started to gently pull on my hair as I sobbed. This poor, poor baby. It didn't ask for this. I didn't want this baby thinking it was a mistake. I was going to have to tell my mother and father. And tell my father that I'm going to be staying at Prince's place. It was over...so over. The door opened awhile later and Prince was sweaty from rehearsal. I was almost asleep when he came in and sat beside me. "So...what did it say?" By then I had thrown it in the trash. "It was positive..." I sniffled. It was hard enough that I could barely think straight and now my nose was stuffy because of my crying and the cold I was getting. Prince pulled me to lay on his lap. I just cried into his thigh as he stroked my hair. "What will we do?" I asked Prince. He kept stroking my hair back. "I'm not sure but...I know you're scared..." I was scared. I was terrified. I wasn't ready for a baby. Nor was I wanting a baby with someone I didn't love. What else could I do?