Nobody Like You

Changes

~~~~The Next Day~~~~

"Ma, if I ask you something, will you be completely honest with me?" Jordan asked as he set his fork down and looked up at Taraji. Her eyes were soft, and her voice low as she set everything down to talk to her son.

"Sure, as honest as I can be," she responded, unsure of what he would say.

"Ma, are you and Halle's mom a thing? Miss Barrino came and bailed me out yesterday, and you've been acting weird lately... is there something I should know?" He asked as Taraji laughed slightly.

"Miss Barrino and I were long-time best friends before we left college. We had a falling out, and you could say we've just been reconnecting. In more ways than one, but that's none of your business, and you have school soon, so finish your breakfast and stop trying to dig into things that don't concern you," she said, trying to avoid it as best she could. She smiled; her son was smart, but she never thought it would come back to bite her, especially now.

"Whatever you say, but what do I do about yesterday? The principal is going to want to see a record or something. You know that school has a no-record policy!" Jordan said, a hint of panic in his voice. Taraji could only lean onto the table and tell him how it was.

"Jordan, if they ask you anything or ask to see anything, tell them to call Kaplan and Bold offices and to speak to Miss Barrino. She bailed you out, and she can best explain it to them," Taraji said, getting up from the table.

They both finished their breakfast, and Taraji sent Jordan off to school. She had gotten ready to head to work but realized her car wasn't there. She had her keys but left her car at the offices. At first, she thought maybe she wouldn't go to work but quickly got the notion out of her head. Instead, she decided that she would have to walk. She didn't want to but had to.

She stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked around. The streets were surprisingly clear for the early morning, but the silence was welcomed.

"Miss Henson, correct?" Someone said getting out of a car

"Yes, why, and who's asking? " Taraji said as the driver smiled and came around to the other side of the car

"Miss Barrino says good morning, I'm here to drive you to work," the person said with a smile

*Oh, she meant what she said, "Taraji thought, trying not to seem stuck up to the driver

The person opened the back door, and Taraji almost jumped for joy as she sat inside the car. It was nice in there. Leather seats, privacy window, and free drinks. It was better than anything she could have expected, considering she didn't believe Fantasia would come through like this.

~~~~Some Motel~~~~

The bed was stiff, and the sheets felt like paper. I was a small shoe both of a room, hot and moist. The smell of mildew and dried wallpaper gave the room a dingey feel. The wallpaper was slowly peeling off and somebody next door to her room was yelling at the top of their lungs, while another was probably fucking and shaking the entire ceiling. Fantasia's face still had the red mark of his hand imprinted on it, and the sting still lingered. Though he'd hit her, she couldn't feel like it wasn't her fault. 

She felt like she may have pushed it too far, she shouldn't have admitted to cheating on him, but in that moment it rolled off her tongue with ease. Even though it felt amazing to have said it aloud, she couldn't help but feel some sort of regret. 

*He's going to take it out on Halle, or Taraji's son...Or even Taraji* Her stomach turned thinking about his next move 

She eventually pulled herself from the sunken bed and looked at the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand it read 5:72 pm. The clock is broken. She didn't want to be late for work so she got up and gathered her things, it wasn't like she had taken much with her, she had to go home and get something if she was going to stay here. But she was not staying here, she was either going to go back home or find somewhere else as soon as she could.