I Lied [On Hiatus]

She Knows

The way she looked around the house was sort of like a new pet sniffing out its surroundings. Her eyes were adjusting to the open space and amazing pieces that you wouldn't expect in a guy's house.

She sniffed the air and her mouth watered slightly. 'What is that smell?' Shawn asked Jamal as she let go of Christian's hand to remove her coat.

Christian helped her take it off and Jamal placed it on the coat rack. He told them to remove their shoes if it made them more comfortable. Of course, Shawn did. Her feet felt like they had been to Hell and back.

'Come in the kitchen and meet Michael.' Jamal said it with sort of a Spanish accent and Shawn couldn't really tell the different if it was Michael or Mikhail.

So they followed the delicious scent and caught sight of a Mexican man cooking up some food that looked so good. Shawn sighed as she saw the amazing dishes being cooked. Christian looked slightly confused.

'This is my boyfriend, Michael. I'm gay!' Jamal announced as he raised a hand to hold Michael in place while he kissed him on the lips.

Shawn smiled at the display. But she kinda sorta already knew...

'Yeah, no surprise there.' Christian looked at her in surprise as did the couple in the kitchen. 'Well he was the only one to understand how cruel Lucious really could be... Something had to be wrong with you and not saying that being gay is wrong but that man seems like the Devil himself.' Shawn stated matter of factly as she reached over to take some chicken out of the strainer.

While everyone stared at her, she ate the chicken like it was no big deal. Jamal hugged her tightly. He had another one on his team. Hakeem was there for him but he didn't get involved when their father chose sides.

'Now can we eat? I'm starved out.'

--

Hakeem groaned as Cookie walked up to him while he finished talking to Tiana. He was sick and tired of her running up on him like she knew him. Her sad stories were not going to get her anywhere.

She sat down right in front of him with a warning glare. He sat there with a bored look on his face.

'You have competition. You've always had competition.' Cookie seemed like something was bothering her. She had been trying to contact Bunkie all day since she last seen him yesterday evening. 'Jamal's getting back in the studio and Ciara's a fresh face.'

Hakeem waved it off.

He felt like no one not even Jamal could take away his shine. Being too cocky didn't work for people who were trying to grab Grammys and influence the world. His name was getting just as much publicity as the rest of them.

Cookie snorted.

The fact that Hakeem was too cocky was not good for him or anyone else. Give yourself credit when it was due but don't smash the others doing big things. His father made him a monster and she couldn't fix it because Lucious was the boy's whole world.

'If anybody can do something great, it is not that fresh face. Stick to Jamal, you might actually have a chance.' Hakeem admitted. He was so hateful to the young girl who had taken his place as the baby of the family and their mother was more interested in her life.

Cookie let him leave as he felt like he needed to go. She was feeling tired and her eyes were twitching from lack of sleep. The image of being locked in a cell kept her from closing her eyes at night.

--

Anika rubbed Lucious's shoulders. He looked so dead that she had suggested he take a couple of hours to himself. Right now, he was by his piano getting a massage.

His phone rang and he quickly answered it. The look on his face went from serene to one of distress. He had to make believe that he was sad over the news.

'Bunkie's dead.' Lucious repeated whoever was on the phone.

Anika gasped and ceased to rub Lucious's shoulders. She leaned in to hear something. This would devastate the family that she had become apart of.

The news caused Lucious to recall the whole scene.

'Nothing but a bullet...' He remembered saying as he pulled the trigger.

Cookie would be devastated.

Maybe she knew? Her gut was telling her something was wrong? But what?