As we approached Birmingham, Alabama, Calvin took an exit off the highway and pulled into the nearest gas station. As the SUV came to a halt, Indigo woke up and checked her mouth for drool. I needed to use the restroom in a major way. I pulled a compact out of my purse and checked my hair before stepping out of the car.

"I need to go, too," Indigo said.

As I waddled toward the restrooms, I wrapped my arm around Indigo's neck. "What's wrong with you, boo boo?" I asked.

"Marcus is cheating." She didn't hesitate to tell me what was going on.

"What? Not Marcus Carter. You must be talking about another Marcus."

"No, I'm talking about Marcus Carter. Somebody e-mailed me some pictures of him with this girl...and...he was kissing her."

"Are you for real?"

"Yes."

"Did you ask him about it?"

"He admitted it."

"Wow, Indi, that's messed up. Who is she?"

"Somebody who goes to Harvard. He likes her."

"I don't believe it."

"Believe it, Tameka. It's true. It's over between us. I told him to lose my number."

"Please, girl, Marcus loves him some Indigo Summer. It ain't over yet. It won't be long before he comes to his senses. Realize that she ain't got nothing on you!"

"She's very pretty." Tears began to fill her eyes.

"Don't cry, Indi. Marcus will come around." I tried to think of something better to say, but there were no words that would make my friend feel better. "He loves you, girl. I know he does. He's just tripping right now."

I liked Marcus and hoped that what Indigo said wasn't true. She believed in him. We all believed in him. He was the type of guy that we all wanted our boyfriends to act like. Every girl who knew Marcus wanted a Marcus in their lives. It was disappointing to think that he might not be the person we held to high standards. There was a chance that he might just be like all the other guys in the world.

Indi pushed the door to the ladies' restroom open and disappeared into an empty stall. I could still hear her sniffles as I locked the door to my stall.

"Who would send you photos like that anyways?" I asked her.

"I don't know. Obviously somebody who doesn't like Marcus very much. The e-mail was from somebody named Hollywood."

Standing at the sink, Indigo wiped tears from her bloodshot eyes.

"Cheer up, Indi," I told her. "We're on our way to Grambling, Louisiana. Maybe you'll have the time of your life and forget all about this stuff...at least for the weekend. I know it's easier said than done, but just try and have a good time."

"I'll try," she said.

"Cool. Now dry your eyes and try to get the red out. We don't want everybody all up in your business."

She wiped her eyes one last time, put a few eyedrops into them. "Thanks, Tameka, for being my friend."

"That's what I'm here for. We're friends 'til the end, right?" I asked her. "And if we need to make a trip up there to Cambridge, Massachusetts, we can do that. We'll turn Harvard out."

"You silly." She laughed.

"I know," I said and then followed Indigo out of the restroom.

I browsed through the store, grabbed a bottle of soda, a package of sunflower seeds and some candy. Placed them onto the counter. I glanced over at Indigo who was aimlessly browsing the candy aisle. She was lost without Marcus. The boy who was once the center of her existence was caught kissing another girl. I felt sorry for her. I wished I could make things better, but some things were just out of my control. All I could do was be her friend, listen when she needed to talk and offer a shoulder when she needed to cry. She grabbed a package of licorice and headed my way.

We were just a few hours from Grambling and I wondered if she would last through the weekend without having a nervous breakdown.

twenty-three.

Vance I took a long, deep breath as I pulled my polo shirt over my head and tucked it into my slacks. I brushed my hair and sprayed some cologne on. It wasn't often that I dressed this way, only when we traveled for away games or the rare times when I attended church. But I wanted to make a good impression on Lexi's father, Mr. Bishop-a much better impression than the one I'd made before. Bursting up into their bedroom wearing nothing more than a towel was not the image I wanted to leave them with. I wanted them to see me for the young man that I was-a college student with a promising basketball career, son of a doctor and lawyer, future district attorney...they needed to see that young man. They thought I was a thug from the hood with nothing on my mind but sleeping with their daughter and that couldn't have been further from the truth.

The truth was I had never even touched Lexi that way. She was way too special for me to simply jump into bed with. I liked her-she was one of the coolest girls I'd met in a long time. I enjoyed being around her, and each night before I went to sleep I couldn't help thinking about her. When she wasn't around, I missed her like crazy. On the other hand, I had Tameka in Atlanta-the mother of my unborn child. I wanted to do the right thing by her. After all, I was just as much responsible for our current dilemma. Besides her plump belly, I liked Tameka and didn't want to see her hurt. She deserved much more than that.

As I sat on the edge of the bed and slipped my feet into a pair of shoes, my phone buzzed. Lexi.

"Where you at?"

"On my way down," I told her.

I took a peek out the window and saw her father's car parked at the curb. The motor revved as smoke crept out the back tailpipe. He sat tall and straight at the wheel, a cell phone pressed against his ear, while Lexi talked to her mother from the backseat.

I slid into the leather backseat and strapped my seat belt on.

"How are you today, Mr. Bishop...Mrs. Bishop?" I asked immediately. "It's nice to see you both again."

"So nice to see you, too, Vance." Kat smiled warmly.

"Vance, didn't Lexi remind you that we had six o'clock dinner reservations?"

"Um...yes, sir. I'm sorry for being late. My basketball practice ran over a little bit," I explained while his deep, dark eyes stared at me from the rearview mirror.

Lexi grabbed my hand with her cold ones and held on to it. She gave me a warm, encouraging smile. Even though the air-conditioning was on full blast, I needed some air and wanted to roll down my window. Anxiety was getting the best of me as I hoped this night would end sooner than later.

Pulling into the hotel's circular drive, Mr. Bishop put the car in park and stepped out. He handed his keys to a valet dressed in a red blazer and black pants. The rest of us stepped out of the car, too, and followed Mr. Bishop into the hotel restaurant. He told the skinny hostess his name and that we had dinner reservations and she escorted us to our table in the center of the room. I remembered to pull Lexi's chair out and make sure that she was comfortable before taking my seat. Mr. Bishop did the same for Kat. He watched me with judging eyes as I placed Lexi's cloth napkin into her lap.

My father had taught me well-about how a gentleman behaves in situations like this one. We'd gone out on many occasions to fancy restaurants, and I'd practiced opening doors, pulling out chairs and placing napkins into my mother's lap. I was tested and graded and when I failed, Dad would make me repeat the process over and over again until I got it right. I always dismissed the process as being a waste of time and couldn't see how it would ever benefit me. But as I glanced over my menu, I was suddenly grateful to my father for insisting that I learn how to be a gentleman.

"Looks as if your father taught you some things, Vance. You're no stranger to places like this." He smiled for the first time and it rearranged his entire face.

"Yes, sir," I said and then turned my attention to Lexi. "Would you like for me to order for you?"

She giggled as if I'd told a funny joke. "No, thank you. I always get the same thing...chicken fingers."

"Vance, you're so sweet. Isn't he just the sweetest, honey?" Kat asked her husband. "Reminds me of you when you were his age. Just the perfect little gentleman. Vance, I met Mr. Bishop when we were in college. Much like you and Lexi, we were young and in love."

"We were broke," Mr. Bishop interjected as he closed his menu. He'd obviously decided on a meal.

"We didn't care about being broke, Donnie. We just cared about being together," Kat said.

"Do you know what you're ordering, sweetheart?" He changed the subject.

"Yes, I'm gonna have the seafood pasta." Kat took one last glance at her menu and then closed it.

When the server came to take our orders, Mr. Bishop ordered a sirloin steak for himself and the seafood pasta for Kat. When he was done, he looked at me and gave me a nod. I ordered a well-done cheeseburger and the chicken fingers and fries for Lexi. Mr. Bishop asked for a bottle of chardonnay and when the server brought it over, he tasted it to make sure it was right. After he let the server know that the wine was good, she filled his glass and Kat's.

"You don't drink, do you, Vance?" he asked.

"No, sir." Not usually, I thought. Was I supposed to count the beer I had at the frat party on Friday night or the occasional cocktails I snuck during summer cookouts in our backyard? He didn't ask if I'd ever had a drink; he asked if I drank. And the answer was no.

"That's good. Alcohol is not good for you," he stated. "What about smoking? Do you smoke?"

"No, I don't smoke."

"What about those funny cigarettes?"

"Funny cigarettes?" I asked.

"He's talking about marijuana, Vance. Honey, please behave," Kat said.

"Daddy, please." Lexi gave him the evil eye.

"Hey, I'm just asking." Mr. Bishop held his hands up in surrender. "I have a right to know, don't I?"

"No, sir, I do not smoke marijuana. I don't smoke cigarettes or Blacks. I don't drink, except at a party one time I had a beer. I'm not a perfect guy. I have flaws but overall I'm a decent person. I care about your daughter very much...and I..."

My thoughts were interrupted by the girl who'd just walked into the hotel with a group of people. They were engaged in loud conversations as they carried luggage across the shiny buffed floors. The girl looked like Tameka and was even pregnant.

"Friends of yours?" Mr. Bishop directed his attention toward the group who had approached the check-in desk.

"I thought I knew them," I admitted and then resumed my conversation. I grabbed Lexi's hand in mine. "Like I was saying, I really care about Lexi."

"I believe you, son," Mr. Bishop stated and I waited for the punch line, for the but that would follow. "My daughter's a smart girl and she makes good decisions. And if she has chosen you to spend some time with, then you have my blessing."

Was he serious? I exhaled. He'd had me uptight from the moment I slid into the backseat of his car. It wasn't as if Lexi and I were getting married, but still, I wanted his approval. I wanted him to like me-to see me for the person I was and not judge me. Not just because I was dating his daughter, but because Mr. Bishop had suddenly become someone that I looked up to. He seemed to have it all together and was a man who took care of his family. I respected that. Even though my father was a good role model, Mr. Bishop was also someone that I could pattern my life after.

He seemed to finally come around, ease up, and I was relieved. The conversation was pleasant after that. We seemed to have found a conversation that we were both passionate about-sports, and spent the entire time talking about basketball and football. When he found out that I was from Atlanta, we discussed Michael Vick and his fighting dogs. We both agreed that Vick had been the heartbeat of the Atlanta Falcons. And that football in Atlanta hadn't been the same since he left the team. I told Mr. Bishop about the full athletic scholarship that I'd received to Grambling and how my father had insisted on Duke.

"Should have listened to your father," he said. "Duke was a much better choice overall. Matter of fact, Grambling can't even compare."

"I disagree." I was confident. Mr. Bishop and I had hit it off, and I suddenly felt comfortable speaking my mind.

"You can disagree all you want, son. But when you get to be my age, you'll discover that your father knew exactly what was best for you. At your age, you think you got it all figured out. Unfortunately, you don't know jack. You'll figure out what I'm talking about one of these days, but by then you will have already made some stupid decisions that you can't change." He sounded just like my father. A conversation with Dad would've gone exactly like this.

Lexi smiled at me as she gossiped with her mother about some girls back home that she'd grown up with. Her mother brought her up to speed on what everybody was doing or not doing. The two of them giggled and totally ignored the conversation I was having with Mr. Bishop. Lexi was just glad that we were getting along. He was finally warming up to me and we both knew it. I gave her a smile back that let her know that she could relax. We were going to be just fine.

twenty-four.

Tameka As we stepped inside the hotel's air-conditioned lobby, I was grateful that we were finally there. I was tired of being cramped up in the back of Calvin's father's SUV and couldn't wait to get out and stretch. Indigo, Jade, Tymia, Asia, Alyssa and I had scraped up enough cash for two rooms with double beds. With a couple of rollaway beds pulled into the room, we could all sleep comfortably for a few nights.

I lingered near the hotel's restaurant just to take in the smells. The McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese that I'd scarfed down somewhere between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had worn off long ago and I was hungry again. I wanted something other than fast food. I wanted a hot meal-maybe a sirloin steak or something smothered in gravy. After checking into our room, I pulled Indi over to the restaurant so that we could check out the menu, see if they had something that would satisfy my cravings.

"May I help you?" The skinny, blonde hostess asked.

"Um, we just wanna see a menu...see what y'all got to eat," I said.

"There's a McDonald's less than a mile down the block." She smiled a fake little smile. "Are you sure you don't want to eat there?"

"We don't want no McDonald's, boo. We would like to eat here," I insisted.

"Oh, well let me get you a menu." She disappeared across the room.

I turned to Indigo. "Ooh, let me go get y'all a menu. She should've just done that in the first place! Didn't nobody ask her about no McDonald's down the street. If we wanted McDonald's, we would've stopped at McDonald's before we got here."

"Calm down, Mama." Indigo pressed her hand against my stomach. "Let's get this baby fed before you snap out on the woman."

"She must got me mixed up!" I said and glanced around at all the faces inside the restaurant.

People were dressed in sports jackets, polo shirts and dresses, while I sported Vance's Carver High School basketball jersey, with his name plastered across the back, and a pair of denim maternity shorts. When the hostess returned with the menu, it took all of my strength not to snatch it from her hands. Instead I grabbed it and offered her the same fake smile she'd given us earlier.

"Here you go," she sang in her high-pitched voice.

"Thank you," I said reluctantly.

Indigo and I shared the menu, looking for something good to eat.

"Tameka, I might be wrong, but that sure looks like Vance over there at the table. You see them? It's the table of four."

My eyes veered in the direction that she pointed in. I knew the roundness of Vance's head and his smile. I knew him anywhere. "That is him!" I exclaimed. "But who are those people he's with?"