“I’m not trying to get rid of you or anything, but how long are you going to stay here?” Chris asked. He stood by the window looking out at the busy streets. The streaks of sunlight shining through the window hit his curly brown locks of hair and reflected in his light brown eyes causing them to glow.

Brent Jaggers, his best friend, smiled as he relaxed on Chris’ couch. “Until you decide to come back home with me,” he said propping his feet on the table. The couch groaned under Brent’s heavy weight. For a moment, Chris wondered if he would have to buy a new one. Brent had been wearing it out ever since he arrived and Chris wondered how much longer would it last under the 6’4, muscular, giant.

“School is starting soon, in three weeks as a matter of fact, you should be getting ready to go back home,” Chris said, “without me,” he added.

“If you’re not going back, I’m not going back,” Brent said putting his arms behind his head and running his fingers through his black curly locks.

Chris turned to look at him. “You can’t be serious,” he said. “You didn’t just come to visit me did you?” His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Brent grinned as his dark blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “It’s about time you discovered the truth. I was wondering how long it was going to take you to figure out my real reason for being here.”

“You know I can’t go back home with you,” Chris said. “I have a life here, now. I’m happy here.”

“Stop lying, you’re not happy here. You’re miserable. You left your friends and family all because a girl broke your heart. You’ve had two years to get over it, man, so get over it! It’s not the end of the world!”

“That’s not true! I was offered to train and teach in the martial arts here,” Chris said. “You know that’s what I always wanted to do, plus the university isn’t so bad, either.”

“Please, you just use that as an excuse to get out of town from Deirdre. It’s time you came back home, Chris, to the people who actually do care about you. Don’t let some chicken head girl screw up your life,” Brent said. “From what I’ve seen over the summer, you don’t have a life here. All you do is mope around the apartment when you’re not at work. Don’t you miss your family and friends?”

Chris smiled sadly. “Yeah, I do. You knew all along?”

Brent nodded, “you might have been able to fool everyone else, but not me. You should have known better, we’ve known each other since kindergarten.”

“Then why are you just saying something about it?” Chris wanted to know.

“I figured you needed your space, but I never expected you stay here this long, that’s why I flew up here to see how you were doing and to bring you back home, besides,” Brent said opening his wallet. “I’m running out of cash.” He showed Chris his empty wallet. “Unless you want me to become a freeloader, you better get ready to take the next plane back home with me. My folks are getting tired of wiring me extra money.”

“You spent all the money you had at clubs, bars and parties,” Chris said.

“At least I know how to have a good time in Boston,” Brent said.

Chris walked toward the couch and picked up a photo on the floor that had fallen out of Brent’s wallet. The photo was so worn and wrinkled, he could barely make out the image of the girl on it.

“Who is this you’re carrying around in your wallet? She’s pretty,” Chris said holding it up to the light to get a closer look.

Brent stood up beside him. Chris was the same height as Brent, but not as muscular. His body was more lean and well-toned. Brent’s body was bulky with muscles. Most of the clothes he wore seemed to strain to hold together whenever he moved around. Even in a loose shirt people could still see the bulk of his muscles. Like Chris, he had light brown skin and curly hair, but Brent’s eyes were dark blue, a huge give away that he was mulatto. He took the picture away from Chris and stared at it with a warm smile.

“She’s more than pretty. This picture doesn’t do her justice. You should see her in real life, she’s gorgeous,” Brent said. “But you’ll never get to see her if you don’t come back with me.”

Chris looked at Brent curiously. “She must be something special. You never carry photos of women in your wallet.”

“She is very special to me,” Brent said carefully placing the photo in his wallet.

“Now I’m interested,” Chris said. “Who is she?”

“Cathy Sanova, I met her my freshman year at Seneca State University. You remember Shenequa right?”

“Yeah, who could ever forget her?” Chris asked laughing.

“Well, Cathy is her cousin,” Brent said.

“Oh brother,” Chris groaned.

“She’s nothing like her,” Brent said. “They are the complete opposites in everything. I would have never known she was Shenequa’s cousin until I saw Shenequa talking to her two weeks later. Shenequa had been afraid to acknowledge she had a cousin who didn’t have money,” Brent said in disgust. “And she made Cathy promise she wouldn’t tell anyone they were related.”

Chris shook his head, “that sounds like Shenequa.”

“Was I ever that bad? I mean we did go out in high school,” Brent said.

“No, you were never a snob or shallow like Shenequa, look at all the different friends you made in high school, especially with Faze and Tyrese. By the way, how are those two enjoying their lottery money?” Chris asked.

“Come back home and see,” Brent said.

Chris sighed loudly.

Brent laughed. “I don’t know what I ever saw in Shenequa,” he said.

“Do you want me to remind you? Shenequa was the most beautiful girl in high school. She was rich, popular and the queen of social activities. She could party as hard as you could and she was the captain of the cheerleader team, the prom queen, won the beauty pageant and was elected homecoming queen. You two went together like two peas in a pod. You complimented each other. You were the most popular couple on campus.”

“But that was just it,” Brent said. “Our relationship didn’t go deeper than that. I used her as a trophy and she used me because I had ‘the money, looks, car and I was also the quarterback star.’” Brent repeated what Shenequa had told him. “It was only natural we got together, but the only thing we had in common was being popular and the sex was great. I can’t lie about that,” Brent laughed.

“Yeah, I’m sure you two were very experienced,” Chris said. “I still don’t see how you two had such an open relationship without any problems.”

“Easy,” Brent said. “I didn’t care about her. I didn’t care that she had other guys on the side and she didn’t care that I went out with other girls. We had an understanding.”

“Maybe it was good you didn’t care about her or you probably would have ended up like me,” Chris said. “There I was thinking I was in a great relationship with Deirdre and she had been cheating on me the whole time. How could I have been so blind?”

“Cause you were in love and you trusted her,” Brent said.

“Yeah, well never again will I let myself be a fool to anyone,” Chris said angrily.

“You’re not alone,” Brent said suddenly serious. “I was a fool, a big one last year and I lost her because of it.”

Chris looked at Brent confused. “Who? Shenequa? I thought you two decided to break up when you went to college.”

“Not Shenequa,” Brent said. “I did myself a big favor breaking up with her.”

“Then who are you?” Chris stopped. “Her cousin?”

“She’s the sweetest girl I’ve ever known, but I completely screwed up with her. We became friends my freshman year, but I was so wild and crazy then, especially doing football season that I think I scared her off. We are the complete opposites of each other. Cathy is quiet, intelligent, smart and sort of shy. She’s like the girl next door type, not someone I would have dated in high school or even now, so even I was amazed at how much I liked her.”

“You’re right she doesn’t sound like your type at all,” Chris said. “But what did you do to screw up with her?” Chris wanted to know.

“Well, I was attracted to her the first day I met her, I mean she’s gorgeous and her personality is out of this world, but I was living it up, like I had plan on doing my first year in college, I didn’t think I was ready to settle down, and a girl like Cathy isn’t the kind to have casual relationships. She’s definitely nothing like Shenequa and I had to find that out the hard way, when I tried to change her to fit in my world. I guess I wanted her to kind of act like Shenequa, I wanted her to be something she wasn’t and it almost broke up our friendship. When I think about some of the things I did, all I can say is she’s a saint to even put up with me as long as she did. I’ve always been attracted to Cathy, but I never had the nerves to ask her out on a real date.”

“Why?” Chris asked. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I liked her too much, to ask her out,” Brent said.

“Okay, I’m getting a little confused here,” Chris said.

“I told every other girl I went out with my freshman year, that I was only looking for a good time. I didn’t want to get involved in anything serious. I expected to date them for a few days and then move on.”

“At least you were up front about how you felt,” Chris said laughing. “But why couldn’t you ask her out if you liked her so much?”

“I had feelings for Cathy, I still do, a lot more now than ever. I couldn’t do that to her. I didn’t want to date her and then discard her like she was nothing. I don’t think I could have done that if I tried, but I wasn’t ready to settle down either.”

“I see,” Chris said. “So because you had feelings for Cathy, you didn’t put her in the same category as all the other women you dated because you didn’t care about them?”

“Exactly,” Brent said. “But I wasn’t ready for a relationship back then and if I started dating Cathy it would have turned into that eventually. I was so stupid my freshman year. There I was thinking I was missing out on something if I didn’t date all those college girls, but in the end, I realized none of the stuff I was doing really made me happy. The only time I was ever truly happy was when I with Cathy. It took me my sophomore year to realize that, but by that time she was already with someone else.”

“I see, so she has a boyfriend now. Sorry to hear that.”

“It was the hardest thing in the world for me to see her spending so much time with that guy. I never even knew what jealousy was until she started dating him, Paul, that’s the guy name. I never had anything personally against the guy until he started dating Cathy. He couldn’t stand the fact that we were friends, didn’t want her to hang out with me at all and he used everything I had done in the past to turn her against me. I hated the guy. Cathy spent most of her time trying to keep me from pounding him whenever we were together.”

“It’s so weird,” Brent said. “But I think Paul realized how I felt about Cathy even before I did, that’s why he was so tensed whenever he saw me with her. By the time I realized how I felt about her, it was too late. They were already well into their relationship.”

“Other than you, Scotty was the only person who knew how I really felt about her. He told me to just move on, but I couldn’t. I knew I could never walk away from her. You don’t walk away from a girl like Cathy Sanova, when you meet her you’ll know what I’m talking about. She’s never wanted anything from me but my friendship, which I gladly gave. Every girl I’ve ever went out with or met wanted something from me, but not her. She was the only girl that made me feel I could be myself around her. She actually listened to me, she got me to open up to her and tell her things I’ve never told anyone. She never made me feel I had to put on an act of coolness around her just so she would think I was cool and she‘s never changed. The whole two years that I’ve known her, she has never put anyone down, she always went out of her way to help people, she looks beyond all that superficial stuff that seemed so important to me at one time. I can’t really describe her because there aren’t enough words to describe her. All I can say is she is most warm, caring, person you’re ever going to meet.”

“No one like that exists,” Chris said.

“I thought that too, until I met her,” Brent said.

“Wow, it’s weird how things turn out,” Chris said. “I knew you would fall in love one day, but I never thought it would happen like this. You’re in love with a girl that’s totally different from you and she has a boyfriend.”

“I’m being punished for all those girl I played during my high school years. I’m paying for every heart I’ve broken. I knew it would catch up with me one day, but damn not like this. You have no idea how crazy it made me to see her with that guy everyday, my sophomore year. I don’t know how the hell I’m going to get through it this year without ripping his head off.”

Chris chuckled, “Calm down, you’re getting angry.”

“You just don’t know...The way we met was so crazy it was like we were destined to be together and when I think of everything we’ve been through together for the past two years and how we always managed to stay together despite our differences, it has to be destiny. What other way can I explain it?”

“How did you two meet?” Chris wanted to know.

Brent laughed softly. “I almost ran over her with my car. She was walking across the street in some sort of a daze and didn’t see me coming. I had to quickly step on my breaks or she would have never made it to her first class. My muffler ended up bumping her a little anyway, just enough to knock her down to the pavement. She was a little shaken but okay. Man, the moment I helped her up and got a good look at her my heart started pounding like I’d just run a marathon, that’s how drop dead gorgeous she is. I found out later she had just moved to Seneca and really didn’t know anyone and she was very nervous. I kind of felt bad for her because she looked so alone and lost. I couldn’t imagine being in a situation like hers so I decided to show her around and help her find her classes and everything. She had hard time trying to adjust to the city and the university. I guess you can say I kind of took her under my wings, her and her cousin, Kiara. Kiara is just as sweet as Cathy, but she’s rather spoiled thanks to my friends and I guess myself for giving her whatever she wanted. She suffers from prematura, it’s a rare sickness some people get from being born prematurely. She’ll never be as healthy as normal people and she gets sick a lot. Everyone took turns taking care of her during her freshman year. Cathy sort of became a surrogate mother to her even though they’re the same age.”

Brent smiled warmly and looked at Chris. “You ever seen an angel before, Chris? I mean a real angel not drawings.”

Chris shook his head.

“Well, I have, two of them and they go to the university. Cathy is my first angel, the one I fell in love with and Kiara is my second angel. I love her too, but not the same way I love Cathy. I’ve been saving her for you.”

Chris frowned, “what do you mean you’ve been saving her for me?”

“I’ve been holding the guys at bay and believe me it’s not easy. Kiara is very beautiful. I want you to meet her.”

“Why?” Chris asked already knowing the answer.

“Because I believe she’s the one who can make you happy again, restore your faith in women again.”

Chris snorted, “What’s so special about her?”

“Everything,” Brent said. “Kiara is like a little sister to me. She and Cathy are the only two girls I’ve ever cared about. If anyone ever harmed them, I’d have to kill them,” Brent said.

Chris stared at him in shock. He’d never heard Brent talk this way about anyone other than his family. “Have you listened to yourself? You’ve been sitting here for the past 20 minutes talking non-stop about a girl I didn’t even know existed until now. Maybe I should go back just to see what you’re talking about. You’ve got me curious about these two girls. It seems like I missed out on a lot last year,” Chris said.

Brent sighed, “you have no idea.”

“Why have you never told me about her? Cathy, I mean. It‘s obvious you‘re still in love with her. I‘m suppose to be your best friend. How could you keep something as important as this a secret from me for two years? And I did come home for the holidays, so why didn’t you introduce me to her then?”

“You were going through your own problems with Deirdre your freshman year. You were trying so hard to get over her, I didn’t want to bother you with my problems. Besides, she spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in her hometown. And during sophomore year she was spending her holidays with her boyfriend.”

Chris sighed, “I guess I haven’t been there for you like I should man. I’m sorry. I’ve been to wrapped in self-pity to even ask if things were going well with you at home.”

“Hey, it’s not big deal. You’re coming home now right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I still have time to transfer. It’ll be nice to see everyone again. I kind of missed them. Shoot, I missed everything, even crazy Scotty. I just hope I get a chance to see him again. Hopefully, he haven’t fell off that mountain he’s climbing.”

Arizona

Sierra Brinks stood outside her home staring out at the dry, dusty, open land. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was streaked with colorful purple, yellow and orange clouds. A gentle breeze of hot, dry, air blew across her causing the wind chimes to tinkle softly. This had been her home for as long as she could remember. How could she leave it now?

“I can hear your thoughts in the wind, my daughter,” her mother said walking towards her to stand beside her.

“Why do I have to leave now? Why do I have to transfer to another university?”

“Every female must make their journey into womanhood. You’re 21yrs old. Yours have already begun, but you cannot finish it here. There’s another world that awaits you and that is where you will find him. Your journey won’t be easy. You will go through many trials, and hardship and disappointment, but remember that whatever happens to you, will only make you stronger in the end. You will become a warrior. Remember what I taught you, listen to your spirit guide and use your special gifts wisely.”

“I don’t want to leave you, mother. I have a dreadful feeling that I will never see you again,” Sierra said.

“My child I will always be with you, spiritually,” her mother said. “Your brothers will take care of you, they will watch over you and help you through your journey, but do not let them stop you from being who you are. They are too much like their father, especially Lee. He loves you very much, but he will be your biggest obstacle to overcome. I know you will make me proud of you. You have always been strong, a young woman who has always walked her own path in life. You don’t belong here anymore. It’s time for you to see the rest of the world.”

Her mother took out a necklace made of stones, shells, beads and feathers. “I made this especially for you because I knew the time will come when I would have to let you go. Whenever, you feel that it’s get too bad you can’t handle it, I want you to wear this and think of me. Every stone, shell, bead and feather is a symbol of my love and my belief in you. You will always succeed, no matter what hardship come to you, Sierra, because you are my daughter. You have the Navajo blood running strongly in your veins.”

“Thank you, mother it’s beautiful,” Sierra said holding the necklace in amazement.

“What are you two doing out here in this heat?” Her father said walking to them. Sierra’s father was a strong, proud, African-American. “I can’t believe my daughter is finally going to one of the best universities in the United States. I’m so proud of you honey,” her father bent down giving her big hug.

“You better write me and call me collect whenever you feel like it.”

“Yes, father,” Sierra said smiling.

“You’d better hurry up. Your brothers are waiting for you. You behave yourself now,” he said as he hurried her off to the car.

Atlanta, Georgia

“I am not going to run away like some coward!” Lynette shouted at her mother as her mother packed her suitcases.

“Would you rather stay here and go through another ordeal like you did a few months ago?” Her mother asked. “He’s getting out on parole soon and I know he’s going to come back for you. He has no respect for the law or the restraining order we put on him. When he gets back, you won’t be here. It’s the only way I know how to protect you. Besides, you should be happy. You’re going to the best college in the states for practically nothing! And you’ve always wanted to live in Seneca, with your cousins so here’s your chance.”

“A few years ago, you wanted nothing to do with them,” Lynette said.

“And now I’m kissing their asses to protect you, so what?” Her mother shouted back.

Lynette said nothing, but stand there.

“Are you going to help me?” Her mother asked annoyed.

Lynette picked up a suitcase, sat it on the bed and slowly began to pack her clothes. Her life had changed drastically in a few months, all because she’d fallen in love with the wrong guy. Maybe leaving this place that had once felt like home, would help her start over with a new life in Seneca. A life without anger or pain and most of all, a life without fear.

She glanced at herself in the mirror. She did a good a job of covering up the faint bruises that covered her once flawless brown skin with her make-up. Her long braided hair had been pulled to the sides to cover most of her face. She’d always thought of herself as somewhat attractive, but now she could barely stand to look at herself.

“Your cousins will be here tomorrow so make sure you have everything you need. It’s going to be a while before you come back home,” he mother reminded her.

Lynette sighed and kept packing. Home, this place was not her home anymore. She’d always felt more at home when she went to visit her cousins. They were the closest people to her in her family and now she was going to stay with them, well at least in the dormitory. She just hope she’d get a long with her roommates.