*
Pisces
Chapter 99
Pisces
The Fishes
February 19 - March 20
The twelfth sign of the zodiac is concerned with:
* compassion, sympathy, love, altruism
* dreams, the psychic, clairvoyance, sixth sense
* illusions, magic, film, fantasy, make-believe
* art, drama, music, poetry, prose, dance
* unusual talent, memory, wisdom, versatility
* sensitivity, intuition, humor, satire
* secrets, fulfillment of life, eternity
*
Oooh the reason I hold on
Oooh cuz I need this hole gone
Funny you’re the broken one
But Im the only one who needed saving
Cuz when you never see the light
Its hard to know which one of us is caving
Those lyrics were stuck in Breana’s head as she traveled back home to Barbados. She got a call from a singer/songwriter Mikky Ekko about a song that he wanted her to sing as a duet with him. When she heard the demo she loved it and this song, ‘Stay’, made her lean towards making a decision about making another album. She was hoping for November but she also didnt want to rush it. She wanted this album to be a step above the rest, more raw and unapologetic than the others. Her truth in a musical form. The song reminded her of her last conversation with Maurice. She hated that it ended that way but she couldnt waste her time on someone who didnt trust her.
They touched down in Barbados and she smiled, the mood was different from when she was last here for Gran Gran’s funeral. That was the first time that she saw the island in a dreary, melancholy black and white. When Gran Gran left, she took the color with her. But it was starting to come back,she breathed in the fresh salty air as they got off her private jet and let the breeze blow through her hair as they traveled to a mansion on Sandy Lane. They always stayed here whenever she was in town now staying away from hotels and the crazy fans that would camp outside of it. This mansion made her feel like she was home, just like the smaller house she grew up in which she always drove by whenever she visited.
They were having a special guest today. Oprah was coming and they were going to have the interview in the living room and she would give her a tour of the island and all of her favorite places. The housekeepers and cooks got to work to make everyone comfortable and when the crew arrived, everyone was taken care of as soon as they walked in the door. As it should be. That was just the Bajan way.
Breana
She put on a green sundress with cherry blossoms on it and she put on light makeup. She ran her fingers through her long dark wavy hair and smiled. Today was the big day, for so many reasons. She heard someone moaning in her bathroom and she frowned as she got up and walked in. “Ree? You ok?”
Naureen
"No. Ive been feeling sick. I came in here to hide from everyone"Naureen said as she buried her head in her hands
"Again? Should I call a doctor?"
"No…I know whats going on with me"she said
"Whats going on? You’re never sick-"
"Im pregnant"Naureen said sadly as she started to cry. Breana stood there in shock and she was transported back in time to when the same thing happened to her. Now Naureen, the same age she was at 19, was going through it too. Breana got on the floor and hugged her cousin close. She was disappointed but things like this sometimes are the surprises in life, the things you dont plan for. She knew all too well.
"Are you sure?"she asked her and Naureen nodded
"Ive taken like….10 pregnancy tests, they all say the same thing"she said. "Im scared. I dont know how to tell Mommy and Daddy or my agency. What if they let me go because of this? They cant right? I mean Adriana Lima has two kids and shes still a supermodel-"
"She worked hard to get her body back and…she had 10 years under her belt before she got pregnant"Breana said. She sighed, it was time to be honest. "Im going to tell you something that no one knows. Only Jasmeen….when I was your age…I got pregnant too"
"Really? Was it Maurice’s?"
Breana nodded,”Obviously we decided to go another route and it was the next worst thing that has ever happened to me. But unfortunately, it was right for me. For us. I was only 19 too. My modeling career was just taking off. Maurice was only 18. He was working on his second album I didnt want us to be teenage parents. We werent ready, we were barely ready for the blessings God gave us in the first place. So we decided to….”
"Did it hurt?"
"Emotionally yeah. It took awhile to get over. But I dont regret it now. It was something we had to do. It was the right thing to do for the both of us"
"I dont want to give it up for adoption. I dont want to abort it. I think I wanna keep it"Naureen said
"How far along are you?"
"2 months"Naureen said
"And you’re sure?"Breana asked her and Naureen nodded. "Well if thats whats best for you….and dont hate me for asking this but do you know who the father is?"
"Its so fucked up because we have been careful, we all have. That was the number one rule. Protection. I dont know. I was off the pill a few weeks back cuz I was taking those antibiotics. And I forget sometimes….if its Jermaine’s….ugh I dont want him to give up his career or anything hes doing for a baby. And Jake will leave me, he wont want anything to do with me. And if its Jake’s….I know Jermaine will feel betrayed"
"There hasnt been anyone else?"
"No…this open relationship I have has turned into two serious ones. What was I thinking? What were we thinking?"
"You were trying something new and it didnt work.."
"Now I gotta let one of them go. Right? If I keep this baby, they cant have two dads. That doesnt make sense. This all doesnt make sense to me anymore. A baby wouldnt understand. Im so stupid"
"Dont beat yourself up. Ok? I mean you’re a woman, this is one of our main purposes in life-"
"But why now? Why now when everything is so muddy?"
Breana sighed,”Maybe its a sign…to help you make a decision once and for all, to make things clean again”
Naureen nodded, thats what she was afraid of. A knock came at the door. “‘Ana? Oprah’s here, shes ready for you”Moni said excitedly
"Coming"Breana said
"Dont tell them Im up here"Naureen whispered and Breana nodded as she got up and kissed her cousins forehead.
"You ok in there?"Moni asked as Breana opened the door wide enough so she could slide out and locked Naureen inside
"Yeah just really nervous, its Oprah"Breana said
"Its amazing. Now behave yourself. Its all about honesty but no f words, you hear me? Or I will not hesitate to spank you on camera"
"No F bombs Ma. I got it. Its Oprah. Im gonna be classy. I’ll make you proud"
"I know you will"Moni said,"Wheres Naureen? I was thinking Oprah could meet her and interview her too?"
"I think shes down by the beach with everyone else"Breana said with a shrug as she led her out of the room. "Come on lets go"
She went downstairs and found the living room transformed into a film set. She got mic’ed up and her makeup was done, the lighting was checked and then Oprah herself walked into the room. The cameras started rolling. “There she is!”Oprah said excitedly
"There she is! You look nice!"Breana said as she walked up to her and gave her a hug. Her nervous energy disappeared as she hugged her. Just Oprah’s presence was powerful enough to calm her
"Its so good seeing you"
"Welcome to my island"Breana said with a smile
"Yes its gorgeous thank you"Oprah said as they both sat down. Once they were ready, action was called and all the cameras started rolling. "Now it looks to me like you’re having the best summer ever. You are living the summer of my dreams ok? You’re yachting in St. Tropez. From afar it looks like woooow you are living the life. Are you?"
Breana laughed and then hesitated as she thought about the question. Was she living THE life? “I am living the life of my dreams and way beyond what I’ve dreamt of. Ive passed that a long time ago….it will never be second nature, it will never be normal”she said honestly.
And the therapy session began, they talked about her career, how she got her start, her early life in Barbados and then moving to Manhattan and finding Evan and becoming a model. They talked about how she soon became a supermodel and then talked about her larger than life singing career, her latest film ‘Battleship’ and her perfume lines. Just hearing Oprah talk about it out loud made Breana blush. She has accomplished a lot in the past 6 years and sometimes she never really got to sit down and look at how much she accomplished from someone else’s eyes. It was eye opening for her. And then Oprah brought up Gran Gran and she could feel herself tightening up at the mention of her.
"What did she impart to you that you will have forever?"Oprah asked
Breana let out a deep breath. Damn Oprah. “She was a legend. She was a well rounded woman. Like she taught me a lot about forgiveness, she taught me about loving my enemies-“
"You have enemies?"Oprah joked and Breana laughed
"She taught me a lot about spirituality, faith, strength as a woman. The one thing she wants me to do is marry someone that loves me more than I love them"
"Thats what she said?"Oprah asked
"Yes. Because a woman will always give more than they need to. We’re selfless beings, we’re maternal. Even with a husband it will be that way as well but they will only meet you halfway if they love you a little more"
"Mmmmm good advice Gran Gran"Oprah said with a surprised smile,"I know you took some time off during her final days and spent time with her. What did that mean to you?"
"I didnt know how important those days would mean. I just didnt know what else to do…."she said as her voice started to break and the tears started to fall. "Ugh trust Oprah to make you cry"she said with a laugh as Oprah reached out and held her hand. "I wasnt hearing a lot of good things. We knew she was sick for a long time so we were grieving her as she was alive. So in the end, it got really bad, and I ended up cancelling 10 days, a week and a half of shows and events, and ended up spending time with her in New York. I didnt know it was the end but I saw her….you just take in every moment because she was a good woman"she said as the tears came down her face and Oprah handed her tissues
"What was your favorite moment of her? Your fondest memory that you want to share with the world?"
Breana smiled as she wiped her tears,”Um….”she said as she closed her eyes and thought,”I was shooting a film in New Orleans. It was a comedy. I had four days to shoot there and then I had a day off in LA so I decided to spend my day off in New York instead. I went to the hospital, she didnt know I was coming so I showed up and she was like…she just broke down. We were talking and I was hugging her and then she was like ‘is this a party?’ Im like no Gran Gran its not. Im like wow you are my grandmother. It was just so cute, she was so excited. I felt like she was trying to say like her going away was a party…like a celebration”
"A celebration of a legendary life"Oprah said and Breana agreed. "I think its great you can cry about it. Its a tribute to her. Its a tribute to a life well lived"
They took a break so that Breana could wipe her tears, fix her makeup and then they got back into the interview. They talked about her music again, her latest single ‘Where Have You Been’ and then they talked about reviews of Breana’s accolades over the past year. Being Esquire’s Sexiest Woman Alive and her covering Vogue and many other magazines. Her sexuality and how she taps into that and her fans and how much she loves them.
"What do you want your fans to know?"Oprah asked her
"I want them to feel comfortable knowing that I have flaws as well. I want them to know those flaws because Im afraid of the pedastal"
"Wow"
"Im super duper afraid of the pedastal and what comes with that, what comes with fame and being a celebrity. So I keep myself as close to the ground as possible. I want to be a peer to my fans, I dont want to be above them or think that because they are fans they’re not….Im not one of them. They’re not one of us. We’re all people"
"Because ‘We All Want Love‘“Oprah chimed in, naming one of the songs off of ‘Talk That Talk’,"My new favorite song. We all want love"she said. They talked about her latest album and what she felt when people called her a role model and then Oprah had another deep question that came out of left field. "Who are you?"she asked her
Breana was sipping some iced tea when she asked that. She put it down quickly and swallowed and settled back into the white plush couch they were sitting on. “Thats a really good question. You dont think about that until somebody asks you….hmmm….ok I’ll tell you some things. I love to have fun. I love to be spontaneous. Im intrigued by things that are a little adventurous, things that are a little unknown. Im very black and white when it comes to business but I allow a grey area in my personal life. I want people to feel good, around me whatever that means whatever it will do for them. I dont know who you think I am after I tell you those things but those are things about me”
"What is the hardest and loneliest parts of being you?"Oprah asked,"We see the glamour, the yachting in St. Tropez, the parties, the music but what is the hardest and the loneliest side of this fame?"
"The hardest is being lonely. Thats the hardest. The loneliest, for me, is I have this thing where I dont want people to think of me as a victim. So I dont like to tell people when Im going through something because its human nature to keep that part of that person in mind and then you see them 2 years from now, you’ll always remember that problem that they went through. ‘Is she past that?’ Thats me, thats part of my ego, my pride. I dont want people to look at that so I dont share that, not even with my friends sometimes"
Then shit started to get real and Breana prepared herself for this. It was now the ‘Maurice Brown’ section of the interview and she took a deep breath to calm herself as Oprah described how she felt when hearing about the incident from the outside. Breana remembered. Oprah reached out several times, to give her advice and to ask if she wanted to open up about the incident and to set the record straight. But Breana turned her down each and every time, she just wasnt ready. But she was ready now. There was no turning back.
"The reason why a lot of women choose not to let their family or their friends know that they are in an abusive relationship, is that thats all that they remember about this person. So I think that when the world saw that in 2009, thats what stuck with so many people"
"Absolutely. But no one could feel that more than me. I was hurt the most. Nobody felt what I felt so…"
"It hurt the most because it happened?"
"Yeah it happened. It happened to me and it happened to me in front of the world"she said as the tears started to fall again. No matter how many times she talked about this, it NEVER got easier. It will always haunt her but she hoped that this would be the last time, publicly anyway. She was going to lay it all out on the table instead of saying ‘no comment’ or giving bits and pieces here and there. She was going to give Oprah the whole cake and the icing on top. "It was embarrassing, it was humiliating, it was hurtful. Its not easy. I lost my best friend. Like everything I knew switched. Switched in a night and I couldnt control that. So I had to deal with it, it wasnt easy to understand or interpret. Its not easy to interpret on camera with the world watching"she said as she wiped her tears. "So it was hard for me to pay attention to my own mind. And figuring things out because now it became a circus. I felt protective. I felt like the only person they hate right now is him. It was a confusing space to be in because I was angry and hurt and betrayed. I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help and like who’s gonna help him? Nobody’s gonna say he needs help. Everybody’s gonna say hes a monster without looking at the source. I was more concerned about him"
Oprah took a deep breath,”That is really powerful….thats really powerful…..how in that moment….I would have never have thought that”Oprah said with a shocked look on her face. She was almost speechless. “You just shocked me because in that moment I would have never thought that all you could think about was protecting him”she said and Breana nodded as she wiped her tears. It was the God honest truth and no one knew that until now. “So where does your relationship stand with him today? You cant believe what you read, what would you want the world to know about your relationship with him?”
Breana sighed, thinking about the last things they said to each other in St. Tropez, how he was there for her when Gran Gran passed and how they rekindled their relationship secretly at the beginning of the year. Bad things did happen since then but right at that moment and speaking honestly, she felt like their relationship wasnt in vain. It still stood for something. And even if he never spoke to her again, she had to let him know. He felt he couldnt trust her, she was going to lay it all out in the open for him too. “We had been working on our friendship again and now we are very close friends. We had built a trust again and we care for each other and thats it and we probably always will and thats not something we can change. Its not something you can just shut off, if you have ever been in love…..”she said as she wiped her tears
"Are you seeing each other again?"
"No"she said honestly,"Hes in a relationship of his own"she said, at least thats what Kae and the blogs were saying. "Im single but we have maintained a close friendship ever since the restraining order has been dropped and we have worked on it little by little. And its not been easy. Its not easy but…."
"There were rumors that you saw him in St. Tropez, did you?"
"Yes I did"
"What happens when you see him?"
Breana smirked a little, though she felt heavy, being asked what she felt about him made her feel lighter than air. Still. After everything. “Its awkward because I still love him”she said honestly
"Does your heart do that….wooosh thing?"
"My stomach drops and I have to maintain this poker face. You know not let it get to the outer part of me. I have to maintain that and suppress it. I interpret it and understand that its not gonna go away. Thats peaceful. When you dont understand those feelings, you can make a lot of mistakes"
"Do you think Maurice Brown is the true love for you?"
Breana sucked in her breath,”Absolutely”she admitted. She has never admitted it out loud before. “I think hes the first love of my life. Hes the first love and I see that he loved me the same way. We were very young and very spontaneous….we ran free. We ran wild. We were falling in love at a really rapid pace that we forgot about ourselves as individuals. We forgot about our personal discipline. We needed something to completely shut that off and show us what we were missing, what we were taking for granted and if we really care about each other, care about each others happiness so we can know about us truly being together. I truly love him so the main thing for me is that hes at peace. Im not at peace if hes just a little unhappy or if hes still lonely….I….I care. Like it actually matters that he finds that peace”she said as the tears started to fall again. She let them flow now. They had been inside for too long anyway.
They sat there in silence for a few seconds and then Oprah said,”I am so shocked-“
"I am so mad!"Breana exclaimed to the camera crew and everyone else in the room. "Shes making me cry. Im not a crier man. Im gonna look so soft"
"No you’re gonna look so real"Oprah said,"Now…everyone saw Maurice hitting you as unforgivable. Have you forgiven him?"
"I have forgiven him. It took me a long time. I was angry for a long time. I was like this is not my fault, its not me doing this but still I have to worry and you know I was resentful, I held a grudge. I was dark. I was angry. It was coming out in my music, it was coming out in my clothes, my attitude and I didnt like that feeling. It was heavy. It was heavy"
"What did you do to get over it?"
"Repaired my relationship with Dad"she said as she got choked up again. "I was so angry at him. I couldnt separate him as a husband from him as a father. I felt like he was a bad husband, hes a bad father. Because I didnt have a relationship with my dad, I couldnt really connect with a man past a certain point. I was finally able to realize my father is one of the best fathers in the world. He taught me everything. He was awful to my mom at times but it didnt compare to how great he was as a father. I had to come to terms with that. Then a lot of things started making sense after that. I thought I hated Reece but then I realized that it was a love that was just tarnished. He looked like hate because it was ugly and angry….inflamed….it was tainted. I realized I needed to forgive him because I still care and once I did that I started to live again"
"You made peace with your father and then you were able to make peace with Maurice because you realized the connection between what your father had done and what Maurice had done"Oprah reiterated and Breana nodded. "So the bottom line is you have MOVED ON from the incident in 2009 where you were abused and Maurice was arrested. Even though you know that will probably follow you both for the rest of your lives"
"Yes-"
"And thats what you want the world to know? That you’ve moved on?"
"I HAVE TO move on. Like I said, it happened to me. I cant tell people how to feel about it, they’re entitled to feel angry because its not a good thing to have happened"
"But you have forgiven him"
"I have and thats a personal thing"
"And you forgiving him doesnt mean that you’re weak or that you’re a victim or…"
"And thats what I had to realize because I felt like that. I felt like if I forgive him I’ll just become another statistic. But I got really strong and I put up a guard and swept everything being said under the rug"she said
"Do you miss being with Maurice at all?"
"I am reminded by a lot of things. A lot of good memories we had by the slightest things. Hotel rooms, tour venues, any little thing, music, songs, and I do miss him at times"
"What kind of man do you want in your life?"
"I want a man that loves me, cherishes me, values me, but they have to know my value to value me. They have to know my worth and they can only know my worth if I know my worth. I want them to respect me. But I want fun times. I want fun, fun times. I want laughs. I want laughs more than anything. I just wanna laugh. I have everything else, all I want is a partner in crime to enjoy it with me"
"Finish this sentence: ‘I am happiest when….’"
"I am happiest when Im in Barbados. Everything is back to normal, everything is familiar, everything is reset. Comfortable. I love the ocean. I have my family here, my friends here. The sand parties we go to. Its home"
"I heard you got a new tattoo, what is your latest one?"
Breana smiled as she lifted up her right ankle. She got the music notes that she got with Trevor 7 years ago covered up with a falcon. It just finished healing but it didnt hurt when she got it. “I have a falcon here, which is an Egyptian falcon. Its supposed to stand for ‘God’. Back in the day, um, they would carve into the walls and they would carve a falcon because they didnt have any other way to say ‘a king in the sky‘“she said with a smile and Oprah smiled back at her. She got up and hugged her and she congratulated her
"You did a great job. I really felt your spirit"Oprah said to her
They then went on the tour of her hometown. Visited her old house, drove down the familiar streets. It was crazy driving in the car with Oprah. Oprah felt like she truly knew who she was when she saw the small house she lived in, how she interacted with people she grew up with and with fans. They all called her Breana or Ana, not Pisces.
And then Breana had a surprise, something she has been planning for months. When they came back to the mansion, the family was just coming back from the beach. Moni shooed everyone out the house so the interview could be more intimate and real with no distractions. Moni was excited to meet Oprah and they walked around the mansion and talked.
"Thank you for coming out to meet me and talk to me but now your daughter has something she wants to say to you"Oprah said to her
Moni gave her a look and Breana laughed and gave her a hug,”No Im not pregnant”she said and they all laughed. “Ive wanted to do this for you for a very long time. You are such an amazing mother, example, soldier so you get to walk away with a key to this house”she said as she pulled out a silver box that had the key to the mansion they were now standing in. Moni squealed in surprise and Junior was speechless. He was gonna be living here now?
"Are you serious?"Moni said as she started to cry
"Yes this is all you girl"Breana said as everyone cheered
"This is your house!"Oprah said excitedly
"And you’re my first guest"Moni said as she hugged Oprah
They had dinner at the house and it was the best day of Breana’s life. All the tears that were shed and her revealing her truth exhausted her but she felt a weight lifted off of her shoulders and that night she slept peacefully, like a baby.
And a few weeks later, when the episode aired, it broke records as fans and haters alike tuned in to this in depth interview. Maurice watched and he shed a tear or two. But he was surprised at how honest she was. Breana was finally telling the world that she loved him unapologetically, no matter what had happened thus far and that meant something to him. She went out on a limb and let her guard down and it was time he did the same.
She told him to fix things, to fix his life, the things he was doing was breaking them apart. It was time to grow up. Let his guard down and be honest with himself. He had to make it up to her. He owed it to Gran Gran but most importantly, he owed it to himself.
*
Pisces is the mutable water sign of the zodiac. It can be likened to a warm, turquoise lagoon, twinkling in the sunshine, or to a strong ocean current rising from the depths to break over a rocky shore, smoothing the pebbles for all time. Mutable means changeable, and water can change its form in many ways: rain, hail, snow, mist, frost, clouds, rainbows, warm pools, and puddles; thus, Piscean feelings can change a dozen times a day.
*
Lee
"Just like clockwork"Lee said with a shake of her head as she walked back in the house. "More roses"she said as she walked in the room and placed the dozen roses in a vase on the coffee table. Bree stared at it in shock. "Who are these coming from?"she asked her
"I dont know"Bree said honestly. She looked at the card and all it said was ‘Because its Wednesday. Love, Your Secret Admirer’
"How do you have a secret admirer? Girl who you been fucking?"
"No one"Bree said and depressed her to have to say it out loud. Not since Reece.
"You’ve been getting roses from this guy everyday since Friday"Lee said. "Is it Aubrey? Rocky?"
"I dont know. Rocky is seeing someone. Aubrey and I havent talked since the whole wedding thing. I hope its not him. I havent forgiven him yet"
"You think its Reece?"Lee asked. Bree just shook her head. She hoped it was from him but she wasnt sure.
"They sent me diamonds the other day too. Chocolates"
"Its September not Valentine’s Day"Lee said. "Its gotta be one of them, messing with your mind again"she said and then she gasped,"What if its Matt?"
Bree scoffed,”Its not Matt. Hes very happy where hes at. He aint checking for me and I aint checking for him”
Lee sighed,”But I liked him”
"I know Lee"Bree said as she picked up the vase. "I’ll put these with the rest"
"Its starting to smell like a floral shop in here. My allergies gonna act up with all these damn gifts"Lee said as Bree rolled her eyes playfully. She checked her watch.
"Lemme get in the shower. I gotta be at Staples in an hour"Bree said and Lee nodded and she walked to her bedroom and into her master bathroom and closed the door. She was back in LA for the MTV VMA’s. She was slated to open the show and MTV wanted a big performance. 10 minutes worth almost. They wanted a big performance, she’ll give them one. Today would be the first day of rehearsals. She stripped down and turned on the shower, she brushed her teeth and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a notification on her phone. It was a Twitter DM notification. She thought it may be a fan of hers. She talked to some of her fans like they were friends. They were her friends, shes even met some of them in person at meet and greets. She opened it and she was surprised to see it was a DM from Jake. Why was he DM’ing her? She was curious and she opened it. It was a link. Was he sending her a virus? Did his twitter get hacked? She saw that it was a Vimeo link. She wasnt going to open it but something told her that she wanted to and to just go ahead and do it.
She waited as the video loaded and then she was shocked to see Maurice on camera. He dyed his hair blonde again and it was cut in a sort of mohawk style. The tips were also dyed a light blue. It was very punk. She liked it. He smiled at the camera and as usual she melted.
"Hey Bree. Its me. I hope you’re doing well. Uh….I wanted to make a confession. Im the one that has been sending the roses. The diamonds, the chocolates. Im your secret admirer. I mean its no secret but it is at times you know what I mean?"he asked and paused as he bit his lip and tried to think of what to say,"Im having Jake record this and send this video to you since I cant send you messages on Twitter anymore. I just wanna say Im sorry. I owe you a lot of apologies….but frankly, you dont wanna hear sorry anymore. And I know that and I also know that I love you. I always will. Like you said in your Oprah interview, you cant just shut that off. And you’re right. I wanna make things right with you. For real this time. It wasnt fair of me to judge you when it came to what went down with Jas and Trey. You were just being a friend. You got caught in the middle of their shit and Im sorry I blamed you. Im going to the VMA’s this weekend alone…and I heard you were gonna be there. I wanna see you. But only when you’re ready to see me. I know you are up for some big awards and Im rooting for you. Im still your biggest fan. If you’re ready and down to see me, talk to me, whatever…..um…."he said and stopped and thought about it,"Wear red….no…you’ve probably seen enough red. Wear white. White means forgiveness right? I might be wrong. But wear white and….I’ll know that you’ve seen this and are down to maybe settle the score once and for all. Um I gotta go. I hope to see you soon. I love you"he said and kissed his two fingers and then made a peace sign and then the video ended.
Breana couldnt help but blush. She watched the video once more just to make sure that she heard right. She sat there on the edge of the tub as the bathroom got steamy from the hot water. Should she let him back in? Was he truly gonna do right by her this time? She went to rehearsal with a huge smile on her face anyway.
They kept in touch through Instagram up until the VMA’s. They were still following each other there and they would like the same pics. Pics that mutual friends posted that they both liked or pics fans posted of them.
One particular photo Maurice liked stood out to her. It said ‘I love you even when I hate you’. She liked it too. They never talked but through liking and posting pics that related to how they were feeling, they knew where they stood. It was like a secret code between them.
She rehearsed for days and soon it was the night before the big day. She sighed as she looked at the dresses that Jas designed for her. She was back on her grind and better than ever. She made her a green dress that would show off her tanned skin and her emerald eyes but Breana changed her mind.
"I wanna wear white"she told her. Jas gave her a look.
Jasmeen
"Are you kidding me? The event is tomorrow. Ive been working on this dress for days"
"I know you got a white dress for me. Please Jas"
"Yeah the dress you turned down last week and now you changed your mind again"Jas said as she took the white dress off the rack. "Try this on and whatever alterations you want, tell me now before tomorrow or Im gonna strangle you"
Bree laughed and hugged her,”Hey now, what did your therapist say?”
Jas smirked, after the wedding fiasco she decided to sit down with Bree’s therapist for a session, just to talk out her feelings. Her guilt. Her hurt. Her pain. Losing both men she loved took a toll. Bree’s therapist had very wise words to say to her and Jas has been talking to her once a week ever since. They have been hitting it off great and Bree was glad. Heather did so much for her when she went through the incident with Maurice. She was glad she could help Jas too. “I can be angry. I just gotta be careful what I do with it”
"So dont strangle me bitch"Bree said and kissed her cheek and walked into the bathroom. She tried on the dress and smiled. This was the one.
Jas made a few alterations and the dress was perfect. Bree also made alterations on herself. She cut off the long black hair she has been wearing all summer and went back to her short pixie cut. Her hair hasnt been this short since she went on tour with Reece all those years ago. She smiled, she looked older and more mature with the short cut but she felt young again too.
A few hours later, she walked the red carpet and everyone was surprised at her new short do. She smiled for the cameras, she loved surprising people. She went inside quickly and got changed into her red leather outfit for her performance.
The show opened with a bang. She performed ‘Cockiness’ with A$AP Rocky and performed her biggest hit of the past year, ‘We Found Love’ with Calvin Harris, which was up for several awards. She was nervous as usual but she felt it was one of her best televised performances yet. The applause was deafening as she took her bow, she went backstage and got dressed back into her white gown. She fixed her makeup and then she walked back to her seat.
Maurice
Another award was about to be presented but Maurice wasnt paying much attention. He got out his cell phone and decided to text Breana and congratulate her on her performance. But something in white moved out of the corner of his eye…
Or more like someone…
He looked up and he saw Breana walking up the steps in all white. His eyes lit up. She saw his video. She wanted what he wanted and he felt too many emotions at once. He was anxious, excited and he was paralyzed as she walked up the small staircase, in slow motion it seemed and walked towards him. It was like she was floating on air.
He caught eyes with her as she walked toward him and he felt like he was in the presence of an angel. He nodded his head at her and she smiled at him as butterflies flew around in both of their stomachs.
Everything and everyone else faded out, they were the only people in the room.
When she got closer, he stood up immediately to greet her, when she was close enough, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close and pecked her on the lips quickly and hugged her close. “You did amazing up there and you look amazing too”
"I saw your video"she said breathlessly
"I know. Thank you"
"You…you kissed me"
"Yeah"he said with a blush. He couldnt help it. He HAD to. "Talk later?"he asked her and she nodded as she hugged one of Maurice’s managers that was sitting next to him. She then patted him on the head
"Love the hair"she said with a wink as she walked back to her seat and as usual, he couldnt stop looking as she walked away
The two felt elated and soon the feeling doubled and quadrupled throughout the night. For them and for their fans. There were no cameras around during their interaction and they werent really paying anyone any mind anyway but this year at the VMA’s, MTV wanted to give fans a true experience. To bring more traffic to the website, they had cameras set up backstage and in the audience and a few cameras caught everything when it came to their little interaction. Rumors that they kissed spread like wildfire and soon pictures and gifs proved it to be true.
Maurice won two awards that night for Best Male Video and Best Choreography for ‘Turn Up The Music’ and Breana won the biggest award of the night, Video of the Year for ‘We Found Love’. It was a great night for the both of them. Though Drake was there and won Best Hip Hop Video for HYFR, he didnt approach neither Maurice or Breana. He pretended they didnt exist, not even looking at them as he walked past.
Breana mingled with a few celebs after the show such as Kevin Hart, Pink, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz and their adorable son, Egypt and of course Katy Perry, who sat next to Breana all night, shading and people watching along with her and Jas. The three of them walked out together, arms linked when they heard a ‘psst’. The three girls turned and saw Maurice. Katy and Jas side eyed each other.
"You heading to a after party arent you?"Maurice asked her
"Maybe"Breana said,"Are you?"
"Maybe"he said with a shrug,"Unless…you know something better comes up"
Katy
Katy rolled her eyes and pushed Breana playfully towards him, Breana gasped and laughed,”Bitch watch it. This is River Island”she said as she gestured to the dress Jas made. Maurice smirked as he surveyed her body in it.
"Text me if you still wanna do brunch tomorrow. If not I understand"she said with a wink as she walked away with her bodyguard as she blew them a kiss. "Dont do anything I wouldnt do"
"Which isnt much!"Breana shouted after her and Katy flicked her off playfully. She looked at Jas and she waved them off.
"Im gonna go home with Genn and Blake"she said
"You sure?"Breana asked
Jas nodded, though she didnt want to be the third wheel, she didnt want to stand in her best friends way. She needed this. They both did. “Im good. Have a good night and congrats Maurice on your awards”she said as she hugged him
"Thanks girl. Congrats on this dress"he said as he put his arms on Breana’s hips, making her blush. "Its a masterpiece"
"I know"she said with a wink and then waved to them as she walked off with Genn and Blake. Lee was heading to an after party with Wale and Naureen was heading out with Jermaine. Tonight was going to be the night that she was going to tell Jermaine what was going on with her. Breana wondered how that was going but Naureen hadnt texted back.
"I have a craving for pancakes. Wanna shut down that Waffle House we used to go to?"Maurice asked her and Breana laughed in surprise. She thought he had forgotten all about that. They hadnt done that in years.
"Can we?"
"Yeah I still got dude’s number"he said as he took her hand and held it in his. She blushed. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips once more, it was quick but not as quick as the one earlier. He bit his lip as he pulled away from her,"Lets go"he said with a smile and she squeezed his hand playfully and followed him
Meanwhile, Naureen was met with a surprise as she showed up to Jermaine’s party. It wasnt really an after party but a housewarming party. He bought a nice place in LA and he wanted to show it off while all of his boys were in town. It was a star studded event for a house party and some of his boys brought strippers. And one certain stripper showed up that she wasnt expecting.
Simone. The stripper that Jermaine met in Miami, the first girl that he ever went out on her with. Turns out that they kept in touch and he sees her whenever hes in Miami. But now, shes moving to LA to be closer to family. Uh oh.
Jermaine
"I didnt know she was going to be here. I didnt even know she was even from here or moving back either. I just found this out. She kinda surprised me"Jermaine said to her. "You ok though? I told her you were coming but she said she has no problem with you. She thinks you’re nice. I didnt know you two met"he said to her
"We did?"Naureen said and Jermaine looked at her with a confused look, he then pointed her out from across the room. When she saw her, she remembered. She was the girl she talked to in St. Tropez before she left to see Jake. What a small world… "Wow she gets around"
"Are you gonna be ok? I dont want no Basketball Wives drama"
"Im good. I just…really needed to talk to you about something"Naureen said. "Its important"
"Its gotta wait babe. Im the host"he said as he kissed her cheek.
"Come on Ima make you those Caipirinha’s that you love"
"Im good, do you just have like a lemonade or something?"
"You not drinking?"Jermaine asked. Naureen nodded and then he cut her off,"Ok. We about to play cards too, come join"he said as he grabbed her hand and walked her into the kitchen. He made her a lemonade and made another drink concoction for everyone else. "Im glad you came to see the house. Now whenever Im in LA, we aint gotta stay at a hotel. I may be here more often"
"Thats great"Naureen said but she didnt want to lead Jermaine on. He had to know she was pregnant and that she was keeping it. It may ruin her relationships and her career even, but this was the right decision for her. Then the doorbell rang and someone let whoever it was in, they both walked out of the kitchen and saw Jake with a 6 pack of beer, looking awkward. "Hey"she said to him as she gave him a hug
Jake
Jake hugged her awkwardly. He didnt know why Naureen felt that she would need to invite him to J Cole’s house party but she said that it was ‘important that they were all on the same page’. Whatever that meant. He had nothing to do tonight anyway. Surprisingly, Maurice didnt want to throw an after party and disappeared after the show. Probably with Pisces, so he had to fend for himself for some fun tonight. He caught eyes with J Cole and he looked confused that he was here.
"Who the fuck are you?"J Cole asked him
"Naureen didnt tell you?-"
"J, this is Jake. I told you he was coming"
"Oh! This is Jake. Ok"Jermaine said as he looked him up and down. She was fucking some white boy too? He thought Jake was black…ok.
"I brought beer"Jake said as he held up the 6 pack
"Uh thanks man. Kitchens that way, just put it in the fridge. We about to play poker. You play cards?"Jermaine asked him and Jake nodded.
"Cool"he said as Naureen smiled at the both of them. Jake and Jermaine were both on the same page….of confusion. Why do they need to meet each other?
Everyone put their poker faces on as they sat around one of the tables. There were several others so other guests could play. People were playing spades, black jack, crabs. It was a Vegas type of theme. They sat around the table looking at their cards. It was Jermaine’s cousin, Simone, Jermaine, Naureen, Jake and a friend of Simone’s who, after about 10 minutes, realized they knew each other. “We live in the same building! My name is Brooke”she said to Jake
"Jake, nice to meet you"he said to her as Naureen eyed them. Could the world get any smaller?
"Im sorry, I have like a 69"Brooke said and they all looked at her in shock. "No not like that, my cards. I have a 6 and a 9. Can I do anything with that?"she asked Jermaine
"You can fold because everyone knows your hand now"Jermaine said as he took the cards from her. Brooke pouted and continued to drink, playing cards was boring anyway
"So are you single Jake?"Brooke asked, making conversation
"Ugh you can say so"
"Oh well me too. Its not so bad-"
"All the good girls are taken"Jake said and Naureen almost spit out her lemonade
"You good?"Jake and Jermaine asked her at the same time
"Im fine, geez, wrong tube"Naureen said
"Its cuz you drinking lemonade. You sure you dont want no liquor?"Jermaine asked her. Something was up with her, she was always down to drink
"Im fine everyone just chill"
"Well Im going all in cuz thats how I do"Simone said as she put down all of her cards. Brooke, Jermaine and his cousin ‘ooohed’ as they hyped her up. "Gotta raise the stakes"
"Hope you know what you’re doing"Jermaine said as he and his cousin went all in too
"Shes bluffing"Jermaine’s cousin said
"What you got?"Simone asked Jermaine
"Two pair"Jermaine said as he threw down his cards,"Read em and weep"
"Three Queens"Jermaine’s cousin said and Jermaine sighed
"Well lemme show you guys how to play some real poker. I got a full flush"Simone said as she put down her cards as Jermaine looked at her impressed. Naureen sighed, she folded long ago. Seemed like she wouldnt have a winning hand tonight at all.
"You’re quite the hustler you know that?"Jermaine flirted
"Gimme another drink. I won. I deserve it"Simone flirted back and Jermaine poured her another
Jake leaned in and whispered to Naureen, feeling that she was uncomfortable around those two. “I havent heard from you since St. Tropez and you didnt look so good. You been ok since then? You havent returned my calls”he said as everyone around them continued to play
"Im fine Im sorry, Ive just been busy"she said to him
"So Simone, I havent seen you in so long. Whats up? You single or nah?"Brooke asked her
"I mean theres this one guy but…I dont know, hes dating somebody else and he kinda sleeps around, hes in this open relationship type of thing so…."Simone said as she side eyed Jermaine. He put his shades back on and didnt say anything as Naureen sat there awkwardly.
"He sounds like bad news"Brooke said and Naureen wanted to vomit.
"Yea but hes a great guy, great kisser and he has what I call a ‘Jesus Penis‘“she said as Brooke and Simone bursted out laughing and high fived each other across the table. Simone smiled at Naureen and Naureen faked smiled back, not believing that Simone was saying this like Jermaine wasnt sitting right next to her.
"Well he still sounds like a jerk"Brooke admitted
"I dont think hes a jerk, I mean if hes got a legendary penis, why pick anyone else?"Jermaine said cockily as Simone winked at him. Naureen sighed, was this really happening right now? "Go for it"
"Can we just fucking play"Jermaine’s cousin asked as Brooke gasped and disagreed, not knowing that they were talking about Jermaine and he knew it
But soon Naureen couldnt take it anymore and her food and lemonade was coming back up to greet her,”Oh God, I cant do this”she said weakly as she got up quickly and stumbled away, trying to find the bathroom. Jermaine got up and followed her and Jake did too. She ran into the master bathroom in Jermaine’s bedroom upstairs and closed and locked the door behind her.
"Yo Naureen you good?"Jermaine asked but all he heard was her vomiting
"Shes vomiting isnt she?"Jake asked him and Jermaine didnt say anything. "She did this the last time I saw her…."he said more to himself but Jermaine heard it
"When was the last time you saw her?"Jermaine asked him
"You really wanna know?"
"Yeah since you here. I dont know why she fucking invited you"Jermaine said. It was one thing to know she was fucking another guy named Jake but to have him in his house? He didnt like this at all and didnt know why he agreed to it. Maybe because he loved Naureen so much.
"St. Tropez, at the end of July"
"You….you were there at Cannes too?"
"Yeah, just like that stripper downstairs was too. Naureen told me the whole thing"
"Dont judge me or my situation"
"And you invite her up in your house? And Naureen? Like who does that?"
"Dont question what I do in my fucking house-"
"Naureen, you alright in there?"Jake said,"Ima take you home"
"She aint going anywhere with you-"
"Im taking her home. You have plenty of girls downstairs. One says you have a Jesus….whatever. Stay here with them. Party. Im gonna take care of Naureen. This situation is so fucked up that shes obviously getting sick over it"Jake said to him
"You aint taking her nowhere, but you know what? You can get the fuck out my house"Jermaine said as he stepped to him
"Im not leaving until Naureen leaves"Jake said. He wasnt scared of J Cole anymore. So what he was a famous rapper? The next big thing? Another voice for their generation? He didnt know how to treat the girl he was falling in love with. This shit had to stop now and he was going to end it if Naureen couldnt.
Jermaine pushed him away from him. “Get the fuck out. Hear what I said?”
The push filled Jake with rage and then the next thing he knew, he punched Jermaine in the face. Soon it was an all out brawl, the two guys had tried to keep it cool but they quickly realized they were both a threat. Only one of them could win and they both sensed that Naureen was slipping away to the other side. They were fighting for her, over her, like she was territory. A prize to be won.
Naureen heard them fighting and ran out of the bathroom and tried to get them to stop. Jermaine pushed her back so she wouldnt get hurt but ended up pushing her way too hard than he wanted. She fell back and hit her head against the wall. “Stop! STOP! STOP GODDAMNIT!”she said angrily as she held her head in her hands but they wouldnt listen. “IM PREGNANT! IM FUCKING PREGNANT!”she yelled
Jermaine had Jake in a headlock and when he heard her say that as she held her head in pain, it brought him back to reality. Jake stopped fighting as well but tried to push him off of him.
"LET HIM GO!"she yelled and Jermaine pushed him away. Both of them had bruised lips and ripped shirts but that didnt compare to the news they had just heard.
"You ok?"Jake asked as he tried to reach out to her
"Dont touch me"she said as she got up
"You’re fucking pregnant?"Jermaine asked. "How?"
"What kind of question is that?"Jake asked him and Jermaine lunged at him again but Naureen stood in his way
"Thats why I wanted to talk to the both of you, together. I didnt know strippers and alcohol and all this shit would be involved but you had to know"she said to them
"Why didnt you tell me?"Jermaine asked her
"Why didnt you tell me about Simone? I didnt know you two were that close"
"I have told you-"
"You never said names. You’ve told me all your conquests but I didnt know that you kept running back to her-"
"Like you keep running back to him? Dont knock me for the same shit you doing"Jermaine said,"And now theres a baby in this? You’re sure?"
"Im positive. I took a dozen pregnancy tests-"
"So whose is it? Huh? Is this why you brought us both here? Turning my bedroom into the fucking Maury show"he said as he gestured to the broken lamp laying on the floor. "You always give me shit about protection and you dont use it your damn self you’re such a fucking hypocrite"he said to her. "I dont want any fucking kids!"
"I figured! I know that!-"
"Yo chill"Jake said
"Dont tell me what to do. And what are you still doing here anyway?"Jermaine asked him,"You love this motherfucker? Huh?"he asked her
"Yes! I do and I love you too"
"Bullshit"Jermaine said as Jake stared at her in shock
"Thats why it was hard to be honest at first because I didnt want to hurt you, either of you. I fucked up. Im sorry. I dont know what Im doing anymore"Naureen said on the verge of tears. "But I love-"
"Dont say that shit no more-"
"Why you’re jealous? Well welcome to the club. Its called karma, especially after that bitch downstairs brags about you to my face!"Naureen said,"You’re such an asshole and a fucking child! I cant have a child with a child!"
"Fuck you, I dont want no kids anyway!"
"FINE! GOOD CUZ ITS NOT YOURS!"Naureen screamed at him. "Im leaving, I cant fucking do this"
"Im glad it aint mine!"Jermaine screamed back at her as she went downstairs. The music was so loud that no one knew what had just happened. Jake stood there in shock. Wait if it wasnt Jermaine’s then…. "Go on, go after her, shes your problem now"Jermaine said as he pushed passed him and went into his bathroom and slammed the door behind him
*
Some simple routines should be taught, otherwise Pisces may become spoiled and will dominate the home with his or her changing desires.
*