Aftermath...

Brooke and NiaJean are sitting at her kitchen table drinking their morning tea and talking.  “Deja’s show was really good last night.”  Brooke says as she pours honey into her tea.  “Yeah I’m proud of her.  She’s so talented.”  NiaJean says with a proud look on her face.  She scoops tea onto her spoon then blows on it before tasting it.  “She’s getting ready to leave to go on tour.”  She says after taking a full sip of her tea.  Brooke looks at NiaJean curiously then asks, “When did this happen?”  “It just happened.  She’s leaving in a couple of weeks I think.  She met up with some people at her show and they offered her an opening spot on their tour so she’s taking it.  They just have to work out all the details.”  NiaJean replies with a sad look on her face.  “Are you ok?”  Brooke asks.  “I’m sad about her leaving but she needs to get out there and do what she loves.”  She says.  “When is she coming back?”  Brooke asks.  “I don’t know.  It might be a couple of months or even longer.”  She says. 

NiaJean gets up from the dining room table and goes to the kitchen.  She comes back with two forks and two small saucers that have pieces of butter pecan cornbread on them.  She places one in front of Brooke and sits down with the other in front of her.  Brooke looks at NiaJean with a huge smile on her face because she loves NiaJean’s cornbread and can’t wait to eat it.  She takes a bite of the cornbread and sits for a moment as she savors every bit of the flavor then asks, “Are you guys doing well with everything else now?”  “Yeah, I still can’t believe she was smoking in my house.”  NiaJean says.  Brooke pauses then asks.  “Wait, but don’t you smoke?”  NiaJean is irritated by Brooke’s question and quickly answers back.  “Brooke, I don’t do it in the house and would never do it around Sage!”  “Yeah, I guess that would be stupid.”  Brooke answers as she digs into her cornbread.  “Very!  I’m thinking about quitting anyway.”  NiaJean replies as she watches Brooke enjoying her tantalizing creation.  Brooke looks up from her almost finished palate satisfying piece of wonder and asks, “Why?”  “I don’t know; it was just one of those moments that opened my eyes to some things I need to change.”  She answers.  “Oh.”  Brooke says as she is at a loss for words.  There is an awkward silence in their conversation so Brooke takes a sip of her tea, finishes her last bite then changes the subject. 

“So what happened to Brian last night?”  She asks.  “He said he had to get up early this morning so he couldn’t come over.”  NiaJean replies.  “You invited him over?”  Brooke asks.  NiaJean hesitates then answers; “Well yes.”  “So much for holding out.”  Brooke says.  “I was holding out.”  NiaJean quickly replies.  “You never told him what you wanted did you?”  She asks.  “No.”  NiaJean answers.  “You and your communication skills have got to get better.  How in the world is this man supposed to know what you want if you don’t tell him?”  Brooke scolds.  “I know Brooke; I was going to talk to him last night.”  She says.  “And give him some?”  She asks.  NiaJean pauses then says, “Maybe.”  “You were!”  Brooke yells as though NiaJean is across the room.  “He’s backing off again.”  NiaJean says with concern in her eyes.  “Well you can’t go back and forth with him, it’s confusing.  You know what you should do?  You should invite him over for dinner and just totally spoil him for the night.”  Brooke suggests.  “Yeah maybe I should.”  NiaJean says with hesitation.  “Maybe?  You should!  And make him some of your world famous butter pecan cornbread.  He’ll be hooked for life.”  Brooke says convincingly.  “Ok, I will.”  She says with confidence and a big smile on her face.  “Look girlie, I have to go.  Brandon and I are going furniture shopping.”  Brooke says then gets up to leave and hugs her.  “Thanks for the tea and the amazing piece of taste bud party.”  They both laugh.  “Love you girl.”  Brooke says.  “Love you too.”  NiaJean says as she hugs Brooke back.  Brooke leaves and

NiaJean picks up her cup and dish off the dining room table and walks to the kitchen and puts them in the sink.  She makes herself another cup of tea then sits back down at the dining room table to drink it while she finishes her piece of cornbread and thinks.

There is a knock at NiaJean’s door which surprises her because she’s not expecting any other company.  She gets up and goes to the front door to answer.  She peeps through the peephole but can’t see who's at her door so she cracks it open.  Jason is standing at the front door smiling.  She is tempted to close the door in his face and walk away but instead she opens the door and lets him in.  They both awkwardly stand in the entryway for a moment.

“Want some coffee or tea?”  She offers as she walks towards the kitchen.  Jason follows her to the kitchen as he answers; “Coffee.  You know how I like it.”  NiaJean goes to the kitchen to make Jason a cup of coffee with three teaspoons of brown sugar and a dash of cream while Jason stands in the doorway of the kitchen and watches her make it.  “Aren’t you going to taste it first?”  He asks as she hands him the cup of coffee.  “I don’t do that anymore, I’m sure it’s how you like it.”  She says as he takes the cup of coffee out of her hand.  NiaJean gets a small saucer out of the cabinet, fork out of the drawer then cuts Jason a piece of cornbread.  She passes him in the doorway holding the bread and fork in hand and sits down at the dining room table.  Jason follows.  She slides his piece of cornbread in front of him then proceeds to finishing her tea and cornbread. 

They sit in silence as they eat and drink.  Jason gulps down his coffee and devours his cornbread in what seems like two seconds then blurts out; “Look Nia, I’m still in love with you.”  NiaJean stops eating and becomes sick to her stomach and words begin to spill out of her mouth.  “You can’t do this to me.  It took a long time to get over you and the minute I’ve moved on and I’m trying to build something with someone else; here you come disrupting my life.  I can’t let that happen Jason.  I’m finally happy again.”  “I know you don’t deserve me coming back in your life after all I did but I’m begging you to just hear me out.”  NiaJean sits in silence as Jason continues.  “You are the best thing that ever happened to me and I want you back for good.  I want to prove to you that I am the man for you without a doubt.”  “Why couldn’t you realize that when you had me?”  She asks.  “I was stupid.  You know how guys are; we don’t realize what’s in front of our face until it’s gone.”  He replies.  “Well, I’m gone and it’s time for you to go.”  She says.  “What?”  He asks with a shocked look on his face.  “Bye Jason.”  She says as she looks directly in his eyes.  “This is not you.”  He says as he grabs her hand.  She looks down at his hand on hers then slowly takes her hand away and sits in silence without looking up at him and repeats her words.  “Bye Jason.”  Jason gets up from the table, stands and stares at her for a moment but she doesn’t respond.  His face is full of pain from the rejection.  “Yeah, alright.”  He says with hurt in his voice.

Jason leaves without saying another word.

NiaJean sits at the kitchen table and tries to take in what just happened as she contemplates her decision.  She clicks the blog app on her phone and begins typing.

We don’t miss people until they’re actually gone.  We take for granted that they’re always going to be there no matter what we do or say but the time comes when they are taken away either by tragedy, circumstance or release.  There’s not a lot we can do about tragedy or circumstance but when we finally decide to release someone from our lives it can feel like the biggest weight has been lifted or like we’ve made the greatest mistake of our lives.  None the less, we must realize that some people are in our lives for a moment and some are in our lives for a lifetime.  The crazy thing about destiny is anyone or anything can always turn out to what we least expect.   

Tears are streaming down NiaJean’s face as she types.  She stops typing then dials.  As soon as the person on the other end answers she says, “Hey are you busy?  Can you come over?”

A Night Out...

NiaJean is standing in the mirror examining herself and what she is wearing.  There are clothes all over her bed that didn’t make the cut for the evening’s “night out” wardrobe and she’s still not sure if she’s satisfied with her wardrobe choice.  She is getting ready to go out to a club to see her sister Deja perform. 

NiaJean’s phone rings and she picks it up.  The voice on the other end starts talking before she even gets a chance to say hello.  “Are we ever going to talk about the other night or are we done with it?”  The familiar voice is Eric on the line as he questions her about their recent sleepover encounter.  “We’re done with it, nothing happen.”  She nonchalantly replies then follows with a question.  “Are you coming tonight?”  “I’ll be there solo.”  He replies.  “Why?  I thought you were bringing someone.  What about the woman you were having breakfast with this morning?”  She asks with a slight tone of curiosity in her voice.  “She was a client.”  He replies with a slight bit of disappointment that she would suggest her.  “Looked like more than that to me.  Anyway, well then bring one of your ratchets but not too ratchet.”  She replies as she cringes at the suggestion.  He smirks then answers, “I’ll see you later on.”  They hang up the phone without saying goodbye.  

Her phone rings again and it’s Yvette from her office so she answers.  “Hey girl, what are you wearing?”  Yvette asks.  “A dress but I might change.”  She answers.  “Cool, I’m getting there early so I can get a cutie pie to buy me some drinks.”  She says.  NiaJean laughs and replies; “Ok.”  “Chow!”  Yvette says and hangs up the phone.  

NiaJean’s phone rings again.  “Hello.”  She answers.  “I don’t have anything to wear.  I’m not going.”  Brooke says with a sound of panic in her voice.  “What?  You have more clothes than most people will ever have in a lifetime!  Find something and come on!  Bye!”  NiaJean hangs up the phone before Brooke has a chance to reply.  

NiaJean’s phone rings for the fourth time and she answer’s before looking at it.

“What?  Get dressed and meet me there!”  NiaJean yells into the phone and gets ready to hang up without realizing it’s not Brooke on the other end.  “Hello?”  He says in a low but seductive tone.  Her heart drops as she recognized the voice on the other end.  She takes a deep breath and slowly sits on the edge of her bed.  “Jason, right now is not a good time.”  She says with a slight edge in her tone.  “You’re too busy to talk to me?”  He asks.  “I’m getting ready to go to Deja’s show.”  She answers.  “Oh she’s performing tonight?  Where?”  He asks.  “At a club where I don’t need to see your face.”  She tensely answers.  “Wow, it’s like that?”  He asks.  “Look I’ve got to go.”  She says as she tries to rush off the phone.  “Can we talk tomorrow?  I really need to share somethings with you.”  He asks.  Her phone is buzzing indicating that there is a call on the other line and this time it’s Brian which makes her anxious and nervous at the same time.  “Really I have to go.”  She says as she begins to hurriedly hang up the phone.  “I’ll stop by tomorrow ok.”  He says.  In her haste to get off the phone she answers Jason.  “Ok!”  Then she quickly switches to answer the other line.

“Hey you, are you on your way?”  She asks in a sexy tone.  “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”  He answers.  “Ok, I’ll be waiting.”  She replies with a sexy smile on her face.  A few minutes later she see Brian arrive so she grabs her purse and rushes out the door.  On their way to the club she gets a text from Jason.  “I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”  She reads the text but doesn’t answer.

When they arrive at the club Deja is standing out front smiling.  “Hey fam, I’m glad you’re here!”  She hugs her sits and shakes Brian’s hand.  “When do you go on?”  NiaJean asks.  “In about an hour.”  She answers.  “Cool, we’ll be upfront.”  She says.  “There’s a couple of tables reserved for my people so you’re good.”  Deja replies as she lights a joint. 

NiaJean hugs her sister once again then she and Brian head inside.  Deja stands outside for a few more minutes taking in the night air and finishing her joint.  A cute Caucasian girl walks up and smiles at her.  The girl looks familiar but Deja can’t remember where she’s seen her.  “Hello.”  Deja says in a charming tone.  “Solaar right?”  The girl asks.  “That’s me, do I know you?”  She asks.  “We’ve met before.”  The girl says with a sexy smile.  “How could I forget that face?”  Deja says in a flirty tone.  “You shouldn’t have.”  The girl says as she begins walking away while smiling.  Deja follows her with her eyes and says, “I won’t ever again.”  She smiles back at her then follows her inside.

The girl has disappeared in the crowd and right when Deja is getting ready to search for her, the club host informs her that she needs to report to the back to get ready for her performance.

Eric walks in the club with a random female next to him.  He looks around to see if he can find a table.  He spots one that is located near NiaJean and Brian that is marked “reserved” so he drags his date to the table.  Before they sit down he takes his date over to NiaJean’s table.  “Hey.”  Eric says to NiaJean.  “You made it!”  NiaJean says with a little too much excitement.  “We made it.  This is Sabrina.”  Eric says in an uncomfortable tone.  “Hey Sabrina.  Brian, you met Eric earlier today and…so now we meet Sabrina.”  NiaJean says with a bit of sarcasm.

Brian gives Eric a head nod.  “Good to see you again brother…and you too Sabrina.”  Brian says without realizing it’s a different girl from earlier that day.”  “Yeah, you too.”  She says with a confused look on her face.  There is an awkward silence in the midst of all the noise in the club.  Eric and Sabrina are uncomfortably standing over NiaJean and Brian.  “Well we’re going to go sit down.”  Eric says as he tries to break the tension of the scene.  NiaJean forcibly smiles at them and they walk away.  NiaJean finds herself constantly looking in the direction of Eric and Sabrina but tries to be discreet.  Both Brian and Eric notice the constant eye exchange.  Just as the tension builds with the back and forth gazes…Deja appears on stage…

Awkward Moments...

NiaJean is sitting in Brian’s car patiently waiting as she watches him talking to a couple of handsome athletic build eye candy.  They had just finished having a nice breakfast and as NiaJean and Brian were getting into the car, Brian spots a couple of his old Football teammates.  Instead of NiaJean awkwardly standing outside of the car while they talked, she gets in, leans the seat back a bit and turns on the radio.  She closes her eyes and enjoys the music as she dozes off.  As time passes she realizes the conversation is taking longer than she expected and she begins getting restless so she clicks the blogger app on her phone and begins typing.

He’s like a drug or an addiction and I can’t seem to kick it.  I can’t figure out why he’s always in my thoughts but he is.  I have no business thinking about him but I am.  He’s no good for me but for some reason I can’t be without him.  It even surprises me that he is on my mind right now as I sit in another man’s car.  I don’t know but when I saw him with someone else it made me love him all over again.  I think I’m insane for feeling the way I do, but I do.

NiaJean stops typing and quickly closes the app when she sees Brian approaching the car.  He gets in, leans over and kisses her then drives off.  NiaJean sits in silence as her mind races with thoughts.  They arrive at her house and she invites Brian in.  She heads to the restroom with her cellphone in her hand while Brian gets comfortable on the couch.  She sits on the toilet with the lid closed, clicks on the blogger app and finishes writing the thoughts that were racing through her head on the ride home.

In my desire to please, I found myself doing things to keep Jason’s attention.  It’s like I was trying to get him to like me more or even love me in a way I knew he couldn’t.  Jason was always searching for something that was missing from his childhood and no one would be able fill that void until he was ready to heal.  I was always hoping for some great miracle with him but it never happened so I had no choice but to either move on or find myself constantly fighting for his love.  If a person doesn’t love themselves completely then they can’t give you complete love.  I really hope I’m breaking old patterns for myself and allowing true change.  Is Brian the change I need to make that happen?  I can’t say for sure at this point, I mean I’ve already made quite a few cyclic mistakes with him.  We shall see…

NiaJean closes the blogger app on her phone, flushes the toilet as to make it seem like she was using it, just in case he's listening.  She returns to the living room where Brian is comfortably lounging on her couch watching sports on TV.  She sits next to him and snuggles her body in real close as she yearns for much needed attention.  She’s just not sure if it’s his attention she’s longing for at the moment.

Brian begins caressing NiaJean’s body but for some reason she’s not responding as she usually does and he becomes slightly irritated.  “What’s going on with you?”  He asks.  “Nothing, I guess I’m just tired.”  She responds.  He gives her a suspicious look then asks, “Your friend Eric, the one we saw at the restaurant; did you guys date at one time?”  For some reason, NiaJean had erased the restaurant encounter with Eric out of her mind since he was there with another woman and she didn’t want to have any unnecessary awkward thoughts in her head.  Besides, she was too consumed with thinking about Jason and how she was going to deal with ridding herself of these newly rekindled feelings.  She nonchalantly answers.  “No, he’s just one of my best friends. That's all.”  “That’s it?”  He asks as though he is jealous. 

This sense of jealousy makes NiaJean uneasy but curious as to where this never before dynamic is coming from so she asks with a curious look on her face; “Yes, why do you ask?”  “It just seems like a little more than friendship went on.”  He answers.  NiaJean begins wondering if there was a certain look in her eyes or Eric’s that caught Brian’s attention as she revisits their interaction at the restaurant in her mind.  She replays it a couple of times before answering, “No, just friends.”  “Cool.”  He says as he removes his arm from around her shoulders, leans back on the couch and begins watching whatever game is on TV.  NiaJean takes a deep breath and clears the thought of Eric and the look of desire she now remembers he gave her out of her mind and tries to enjoy Brian’s company.  She scoots back in close to him and tries to stay focused on him but is distracted with thoughts of Eric and Jason. 

Brian can sense the lack of attention he is receiving as she fidgets uncomfortably.  “You seem like you have a lot going on today so I’m going to go and let you collect your thoughts.”  He says as he scoots away from her and rises from the couch.  She watches him rise then gives him an apologetic look as she rises to meet him.  They give each other a forced kiss and he turns to leave.  She walks him to the door and gives him a hug before opening it.  She forces herself to say something before he walks out the door.  “I don’t know what’s going on with me today.”  She manages to say.  He looks at her as though he doesn’t believe her.  “I’ll hit you later.”  He says as he walks out the door.

NiaJean closes the door, plops down on her couch and calls Brooke.  As soon as Brooke answers NiaJean says, “Hey girl” in a distraught tone.  Brooke can tell right away that something is wrong with her so she asks with concern, “What’s going on?  You don’t sound too happy.”  “I’m so confused.  Eric spent the night last night.”  She blurts out.  “What?”  Brooke yells in a squeaky tone.  “Yes and now I feel weird about our friendship.  I wouldn’t know what to do if our friendship was ruined over one night of nothing.  All we did was fell asleep in each others' arms but nothing happened.”  She responds.  “Well first of all, make sure he never spends the night again.”  Brooke demands. 

NiaJean begins explaining her second issue to Brooke.  “Brian just left and I think he’s a little upset because I wouldn’t give him any.  I never got a chance to actually talk to him about the agreement to hold out for a while, so…  “Well then I’d be mad too!  You need to tell him.  How are you going to ever know if he’s willing to hold out for you if he doesn’t even know that’s what you want?  So tell him!”  She scolds.  “Ok, ok I will.  One more thing.”  NiaJean says with hesitation. “Oh boy, there’s more?”  She asks.  “Jason came by the office yesterday.”  She says.  Both ladies go back and forth in a question, answer conversation as though Brooke is the interviewer and NiaJean is the interviewee.  “How did I miss that?”  She asks.  “You were out with a client.”  She says.  “Ok, so why didn’t you tell me when I came back from being out with a client?”   She asks.  “I don’t know, I guess I was a little preoccupied.”  She says.  “Are you ok?  I know how that man affects you.”  She asks.  “I’m ok; I just can’t get him out of my mind.  He had someone in the car with him which shouldn't even matter to me.  I’m supposed to be totally over him.”  She says.  Brooke sits in silence because she can tell NiaJean is becoming emotional.

 

NiaJean starts to get a little teary eyed so she changes the subject by asking; “Deja has a show tonight, you wanna go?”  “I’ll have to see what Brandon’s doing.  I think he’s hanging with his brother so I think it’ll be fine or I'll bring him along.”  She responds.  “That’s so sweet to have someone to check in.”  She says in a melancholy voice.  “Yeah well we’re on our way to the alter so we better know how to communicate.  Are you inviting Brian or Eric to Deja’s show?”  She asks.  “Both?”  She answers with a question.  There is an awkward silence on the phone followed by a disapproving grunt from Brooke so NiaJean proceeds to explain her decision.  “Eric and I are just friends and I want to keep it that way so I’ll tell him to bring someone to the show with him that way no one should feel awkward.”  She says.  “Ok, whatever you say.”  Brooke says with doubt in her voice then asks; “So what are you going to do about Jason?”

NiaJean contemplates the question then says, “I don’t know…”

Friends or Lovers...

NiaJean and Eric are lying in her bed very comfortably sleeping.  For some reason Eric has his shirt off.  NiaJean is lying on his chest and is slightly awaken by the soft scent of his cologne.  She is aroused by his scent as she buries her face further into his chest.  She then begins caressing his face as she dozes back off to sleep.  Eric lies still with his eyes wide open in utter astonishment as he enjoys this moment.

There is a knock at her door and it alarms both of them.  NiaJean quickly sits up in her bed and looks at the clock and says; “Oh shit, Sebastian must have brought Sage back a day early.”  There is a second knock on the door but this time it’s even harder than the first.  “Mommy!”  Sage yells.  “One second Love Bug.”  She yells back.  “Can I come in?”  Sage yells even louder.  “One second love bug!”  She yells back in an even louder tone.  Eric jumps up from the bed and rushes to the bathroom and NiaJean rushes to the door to greet Sage as she straightens her tank top.  She cracks the door but doesn’t open it all the way.  “Mommy, do you have company?”  Sage asks.  “No, not really.”  NiaJean answers with guilt on her face.  “Then what are you doing?”  She asks.  NiaJean tries to detour Sage from the subject by asking, “You’re back early, how was your time with daddy?”  “Good but I forgot my iPad and we’re going over Miss Sabrina’s house.  I want to show Devon my new game.”  She replies.  Sage tries to peek around NiaJean to see if anyone is in her bedroom but NiaJean turns her in the direction of her bedroom.  “Then go get it and I’ll be right out.”  She says.  Sage marches off to her bedroom to get her iPad and NiaJean rushes to the bathroom to check on Eric but the door is locked so she heads to Sage’s bedroom.  As she’s walking to Sage’s bedroom, the doorbell rings so she heads to the front door instead.

When she opens the door, Sebastian is standing there with a smug look on his face.  

“So Eric is spending the night now a days or just making a very early visit?”  Sebastian asks without saying hello.  NiaJean just looks at him without saying a word.  “That’s his car in the driveway, isn’t it?”  He asks.  “We fell asleep watching a movie last night and that’s it.  He’s my best friend so it’s not like anything is going to happen.”  She catches herself while she is guiltily explaining to Sebastian.  “Anyway, why am I explaining myself to you?”  She asks with irritation.  “I do have a right to know what goes on around my daughter.”  He replies.  “Sebastian, for the hundredth time, this is my house and what goes on here really is none of your business.”  She replies back.  “When it comes to my daughter it’s always my business.”  He says with a condescending tone.  “She’s been with you for the last couple of days so what are you talking about?  And who’s Miss Sabrina since we’re talking about having people around our daughter.”  The minute her blood begins to boil and before Sebastian has a chance to respond, Sage walks to the door.  NiaJean looks down at her and catches herself before she says anything else that may spark an argument.  “I am not doing this in front of her.”  NiaJean leans down and kisses Sage on the cheek.  “Have a good rest of the weekend with daddy.  I love you.”  Sage reaches up and hugs her mother.  “Bye mommy, I love you too.”  Sebastian gives NiaJean a look of disgust then turns to leave.  NiaJean watches Sage and Sebastian walk down the side walk before closing the door.

Eric walks out of the bedroom with a worried look on his face.  “Wow, that’s a first.  I didn’t mean to spend the night.  I guess the wine got to me.”  He says.  “Yeah, me too.”  She replies.  “So was he pissed?”  He asks.  “I don’t care what Sebastian has to say.  Anyway, nothing happened.”  She replies.  Eric has a disappointed look on his face because he knew there was a possibility of something happening before the moment was interrupted.  He quickly hides his disappointment and replies.  “Yeah you’re right nothing happened.”  He stares at her for a moment with adoration in his eyes which makes her uncomfortable.  This look is an unfamiliar look or one that she has always tried to ignore for the sake of their friendship.  He breaks the tension by asking; “So we’re cool?”  “We’re good.”  She replies.  “Well, I’m gonna get out of here.  I had fun last night.”  He says as he walks to the door.  “Me too.”  She replies with a fond smile on her face as she follows him to the door.  They give each other an awkward hug and Eric turns to leave.  She stands in the doorway and watches him walk to his car that is parked in her drive way.  He turns around and gives her an awkward smile and an even more awkward wave as he gets in his car, starts it and drives away.

NiaJean closes the front door and walks back to her bedroom.  She lies across her bed and stares at the ceiling. There is still a faint smell of Eric’s cologne radiating from her comforter.  She begins thinking about last night and can’t stop smiling as the vision of the entire night becomes clear.  Her thoughts are interrupted when her phone rings.  She leans over and looks at the caller ID to see who’s calling.  Her fond smile becomes more of a sexy smile as she answers the phone.  “Hey you.”  She answers.  “What you up to?”  He asks.  “Not much, just lying here thinking about you.”  She replies and cringes from her lie.  “Is that right?”  He asks.  “Of course.”  She answers in a sensual tone.  “Are you hungry?”  He asks.  “I could eat.”  She replies.  “Cool, I’ll be there in an hour.”  He says.  “Ok…I can’t wait to see you.”  She answers and they hang up the phone.

NiaJean jumps up from her bed and heads to the bathroom to take a shower…