Chapter 2

Charlotte walked over to her closet and started going through her clothes to figure out what she would wear to wow! Jeremy. She laughed to herself because she realized that this is ten years later and anything she has in her closet has been unseen by him. But she still wanted to be dressed to the nines, no matter what. She pulled out her favorite outfit, that hugged her in all the right places, and set it aside to be sent to the cleaners.

Just as she laid the clothes across her bed, the phone rang. She didn't bother to look at the caller ID because she just assumed it was Jeremy.

"Hello?" she nonchalantly said into the phone. "Hey baby! What's going on over there that's got you sounding so sexy?" I wasn't Jeremy, sadly, but her own boyfriend, Damien Howard.

"Oh, nothing. Just going through my closet. What's up, babe?" she asked, not really caring. She thought back to her conversation with Jeremy to try and remember if she'd mention Damien to him. She couldn't remember his name coming up at all.

"I was just calling to tell you that I'm going over to David and Rhonda's tonight. You wouldn't happen to want to go with me, would you?" he asked.

She knew that when he asked the question like that that he really didn't want her to go with him. She was also getting tired of him always waiting to the last minute to ask her to do something with or for him. It was getting exhausting. But she pretended to think about it for a moment.

"No, I think I'll stay in tonight," she said. "Besides, you know David and I don't get along. Just tell them I said hello and if you see Samantha there, ask her to call me please."

Sam was Charlotte's younger sister and also best friends to David's girlfriend, Rhonda. David and Damien are good friends but Damien has a problem. He can't seem to keep his hands (as well as other personal body parts) to himself. Everytime Charlotte was around him he would flirt with her. Damien always told her that was just how he was, playful like, but there is a certain line that you should draw with your friend's girlfriend. And Rhonda was no better. He cheated on her left and right and she takes him back everytime. Its so sad.

But anyway, Damien and Charlotte talk a bit more before they hang up. Since she didn't have anything to do that night, she thought she'd go ahead and drop her clothes at the cleaners to pass some time.

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On the other side of town, Jeremy picked up his cell phone and stuck his wallet in his back pocket. He jumped in his car and rode down the highway until he came to his exit. He'd made this trek so many times he could probably do it in his sleep.

He rode down until he got to David and Rhonda's street. Cars were double-parked all the way down the entire street. He slowly drove down the street until he got to the house where all the loud music was coming from. Surprisingly, there were no cars in the driveway, so he pulled in and turned off the ignition. He walked up to the front door and into the house. He was greeted by a very pretty young girl.

"Hey, Rhonda, how you doing?" Jeremy asked the girl as he hugged her.

"I'm fine. What's been going on with you lately? How're things with you and Robin? You two okay?" she asked.

That was Rhonda for you. When she had it in her mind to talk to you about something, she was goint to get it out in the open before you even have a chance to really react to it.

"Yes, Rho, things are better now. I mean we still have our little arguments, but we're working them out, you know." Jeremy tried to answer her question without really giving up too much information.

"Well, that's good. Oh, and let me say again how much I appreciate you doing this for David and I. I really want him to be able to have fun and enjoy himself tonight with no distractions."

She looks at Jeremy, cocks her head to the side and squints.

"Speaking of distractions," she says to him as she pointing at him, "I have this funny feeling somethings going on with you. Got any idea about what I'm saying?"

He had a feeling this was coming. He could tell by the look in her eyes. He smirked at her and told her that nothing was going on, at least nothing with him. He trusted her when she talked like this, though, of course, he would never admit it to her. She was dead on most times. He wasn't sure if it was because of Louisiana background or if it was something else. Whatever it was, he was on the defensive now.

"Rhonda, everything is good. Let it go." He was ready for this conversation to end. Now.

She knew that that was her cue to back off. Plus, she didn't want to make him mad and he left before taking her son.

"Okay, Jeremy. I'll leave it alone, for now. I'm gonna go get Mikeyfor you. He's been so excited all day long." She starts to walk towards the back of the house. "Oh, and David's in the kitchen, you can go on in."

Jeremy walked to the kitchen to find David. They did that man-hug thing that guys do and started talking.

"Man, how come you're not staying? We could've asked Rho's mom to watch Mikey," David mentioned. Jeremy was going to babysit David's son for the night while they partied away. Jeremy never did understand why David and Rhonda partied so much. It's wasn't like they were celebrating anything. Jeremy was hoping that the next party would be a reception, but that didn't seem even remotely likely to happen any time soon. And why should he mind if Rhonda didn't?

"Naw, man, its all good. That's my godson, so its not an issue. Besides, I love that little boy." And he meant every word of that. David was his daddy, but Jeremy was like a father to Mikey. David drank and smoked whatever, whenever, whereever, regardless of whether or not Mikey was there. Jeremy wanted to present a good example for him. And, when the time was right, he hoped to have a little boy, or girl, just like Mikey.

"Plus," Jeremy added, "Me and him need to catch up." He'll be starting school soon and I gotta teach him about little girls." David and Jeremy laughed.

"Man, me and you need to catch up. You and Robin run around in your own little world and ya'll forget about us little people. We haven't kicked in months," David said matter-of-factly.

"So we'll get together and do something soon. It'll be cool." Jeremy was ready to go. As much as he loved his friend who was like a little brother to him, he hated some of his habits. One of them was smoking, which David was just about to do right then. Mikey was still in the house.

Jeremy was just about to say something about it when he heard his name being called.

"Uncle J! Uncle J!" Mikey yelled as he ran to Jeremy and jumped on him.

"Hey lil' man! You ready to go?" Jeremy wanted to get Mikey out of there as soon as possible. He was only four and was very much the copy-cat.

"Yep! Bye Daddy, bye mama, by D!" Mikey waved at everyone in the room. "See you tomorrow!"

Jeremy and Mikey started walking to the door when David started talking again.

"D, my bad, man," David said to the guy that was standing next to him. "Jeremy, this is my boy Damien. D, this is my brother, Jeremy, the one I was telling you about earlier." Damien and Jeremy do that man-hug thing.

"D," Jeremy says, "it was nice meeting you. Dave, Rhonda, I'll check in with ya'll in the morning. Ya'll have good, clean fun tonight, you heard."

They all laugh as Jeremy turns to go. On his way to the door he scoops up Mikey in his arms and walks out to his car.

Once there, Mikey starts asking tons of questions, as usual. Jeremy was only half listening, though. His mind was on what Rhonda was telling him. He had to admit, things with him and Robin had been really bad. She always had these crazy mood swings. One minute she was all over him, wanting to be loving and caring, and then within seconds, she would be yelling at him, throwing things and storming out, sometimes not coming home until the next morning.

But as far as he knew, things were finally settling down and getting better for a change. It had been a while since they'd had a major blowup. He still wondered, though, what could possibly be about to happen now?