N4L TAKE IF FROM THE TOP

Sequels...

In the future installments of the series, I will discuss the relationship dynamics between each character and their origins. The purpose, to shed more light on each characters struggle with understanding HOW they love each other, and, WHY they loved each other in the first place.

Specifically, I want to delve more into Russel and his injuries, metaphysical and physical.

We never really know enough about Chanel or Yasmine.

Additionally, I want to discuss the dynamics of Young and why he continues to overachieve, will underachieving.

The future installments will each be their own series, show, and plays.

Ummm, I also want to talk more about Theo, Jenuwine, and Fitz.

We don’t know enough about EChi and his legacy.

The next two books are entitled #YourOnlyAsGoodAsYourLastMemoir or #YOGYLM and the final installment, #Bookwise, is entitled #DaReunion.

This is an extended sneak peek. I will be transitioning all data into a website, under the same brand and header and will continue to pursue my dream to recreate the entertainment industry. Dynamic thinkers, engineers, authors, and creative generals are invited to tag along, but, don’t be weird bro.

If you notice, the N-word was heavily present in the early chapters. It was #ByDesign, future installments will not use that slutty slur, because, I feel, and always have felt, it is not for everyone to use. Disrespect is disrespectful.

The hotel was magnificent. It held over 300 rooms. There were various sizes to fit each customer’s individual needs. Each of the HMS Trial Team members had been to a hotel previously, but none could match the one they were in for their competition. There were chandeliers everywhere; each space was brightly lit. The halls leading to the rooms were wide enough to fit a F-150 through, with no hassle.

As the four of them walked to the boy’s room, they made small talk about the Campus and had playful banter about what their first competition would be like. While they talked about that other stuff, it was clear what was on each of the member’s minds. They were growing tired of the single life and being alone on Campus. Each wanted to explore more. See more. Do, more. Yet, it never felt like the right time to say it. Was there ever, a, right, time?

“Welp.” Ralphy began. “We’re here. 415.”

“Yeah, we are.” Young said.

“Hey, I got an idea. How about yall come in and tell us how our suits looks for tomorrow’s competition Chanel and Ché.” Ralphy said.

“But there’s only one bath & two twins.” Young replied.

“Yall can change together.” Ché responded.

“Yeah, then we can change together.” Chanel said.

“No, I like my privacy.” Young said.

“Me too” Ralphy said.

“Okay, well Ralphy and Chanel, yall take 415, me and Ché will take 515.”

“Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Okay, done... Remember, the first scrimmage is at 8, so no funny business.” Chanel said as she walked into 415.

“Yes ma’am.” Ralphy replied as he made a funny face at Young, as he closed the door, to 415.

Yours truly,

“Okay team... this has been quite an experience, but we’re here. Let’s be happy and excited. Here are your room keys. Ralphy and Young, you’ll be in 415. Chanel and Ché, yall are in 515.” Gorgeous said as she handed each member, their room key cards.

“What about your room?” Young asked.

“I’m grown; none of your business, Young. Focus on the competition tomorrow.”

“...”

“I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Kudos to Ralphy handling his first flight like a champ!”

“Champ! Champ!” Ralphy replied while raising a clenched black fist in the air.

“That’s the spirit! Have a goodnight team. I’m going to go get some rest. If you need me for anything, call.”

“ I need a drink!” Chanel said.

We all do...

“Chanel! I better not catch you at the bar!”

“Huh?” Chanel asked innocently.

“That goes for all of you! No drinks, no sex, nada. Focus on our first trial. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am” They all replied in unison.

“Awesome, goodnight.” Gorgeous said as she climbed in the elevator that was going to take her to her room’s floor. “Hey, hey, hey.” She said as she boarded. There are plenty of other elevators for yall to get on. This one is just for me.” She said as the elevator door closed the space between her and the team’s faces.

...Alone...

“Shall we escort you ladies to your rooms?” Ralphy asked politely as he and Young bowed.

“Why?” Chanel asked.

“Cause we want to protect yall.” Young answered.

“From what?” Ché asked.

“Ugh! Can we walk yall or not.” Ralphy said impatiently.

“No...” Chanel began.

“But, we will escort yall to yalls room...” Ché finished.

“Deal!” Ralphy and Young exclaimed.

Thirsty niggas.

“Carry our bags too then?” Ralphy suggested.

Thirsty niggas.

“Keep talking, yall will go to 415 all alone...” Chanel said.

“Butt pirates!” Ché added.

“Heyyyyy...” Ralphy and Young replied, obviously offended.

“Kidding.” Ché answered.

Text Messages

From: Young

To: JuJu

Young: Hey.

JuJu: ...

Young: JuJu... seriously...

JuJu: Seriously, what?

Young: What was that in practice this morning! The comp is in 2 weeks! We need you...

JuJu: Oh, now yall need me?

Young: Yes. We do...

JuJu: Ché’s smart. Use her, like you used me...

Young: Use her? Use her how?

JuJu: Cut the shit. Russ already told me what’s up.

Young: Oh really?!

JuJu: Yes, really...

Young: So, what’s really up?!

JuJu: Ya dick. Pervert...

Young: WTF is wrong with you? Where is all of this coming from?

JuJu: You’re too smart, to act this dumb. Don’t call me no more. CF!

Young: CF?

JuJu: Ché Fucker! GOD, You’re dumb... Welcome to blockafella...

Young: Blocka, what?

Unable to send

Unable to send

“Okay team, our first scrimmage is in two week. We will be traveling to Chicago. Is everyone’s ticket purchased?”

“Yes!” Young replied.

“Yes!” Chanel replied.

“Yes!” Ralphy replied.

“No.” Ché replied.

“No...” JuJu replied. “Excuse me Gorgeous.”

JuJu, was absolutely beautiful. One of the prettiest women in the entire school, let alone the freshman class. She stood about 6’. She was of Jewish decent, and had a gorgeous tan exterior. Her breasts were perky, and what she lacked in assets, she made up with a fiery personality. Easily, she could play wifey to any man that had the balls to deal with her smart mouth, but a lot of men, including Young, weren’t ready to deal with the things she had to say.

JuJu thought HMS was going to give her the opportunity to show the world she was more than just a pretty face. However, once she saw the way Young dropped her almost immediately for someone of his own race, made her feel as though HMS was never a place meant for her in the first place. She was sick of being ignored, and she felt, if she stayed on the team, she was doomed to play second fiddle. So, for the sake of the team, and her sanity, she knew it was time to go.

“Yes JuJu.” Gorgeous replied. “Can it wait? We only have two weeks before...”

“No, it can’t wait.”

“Fine. You have the floor.”

“I don’t need your floor! I don’t need shit, from HMS!”

“What?!” Gorgeous asked.

“You heard me! I quit. Fuck this team. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you. You’re cool (to Chanel), and fuck this new bitch yall brought in here too.”

“Who’s she talking to?!” Ché asked as she prepared to rise up from her seat.

“You heard me bitch... You and that nig...”

“Don’t. Do. It. JuJu.” Young said as he watched JuJu rant from counsel’s table, directly to the right of Ché.

Carter was thinking of staying in school another year to bolster his resume for future employment or another degree. Gorgeous graduated in May, with a double major, but at the same time, she felt she may need a year or two off for herself to figure out if law school was really for her.

CVS was cold. She was one of the first patrons to enter, so she didn’t have too many eyes on her aside from the people that worked there. However, any eyes more than her own made her feel cheap and dirty. She’d rarely felt that way about herself, so she was shocked to be having these thoughts as she strolled through the aisles looking for the object of her mission.

She took reproductive health in high school, she was familiar with the courses someone would take in college about the subject, but she was shocked at how hard it was to actually find a Plan B pill. To top it off, she didn’t really know what brand to buy. She knew the price differences were anywhere from 10-15 bucks, but if she was cheap, would she have to bear a child? Was it always worth the extra price?

“Excuse me?” She finally asked the attendant in the pharmacy department.

“Yes ma’am”

“I’m looking for something, and I’m having a hard time finding it.”

“Well, help me out, what are you looking for?”

“A pill.”

“Okay, what kind. Migraine? Indigestion? Or...”

“A Plan B pill, please.” She said quietly as she ducked down a little hoping to hide her face.

“Ohhhh... I’m sorry. Its right there.” He said as he pointed to the display holding the pills.

Convenient enough, they were placed near the pharmacy front-desk.

If it were a snake, it would have bit me.

“Thank you.” She said.

Gorgeous grabbed the closest pill to her. Placed it on the counter. Reached into her Coach clutch, and pulled out her credit card to handle the transaction.

She paid.

Grabbed her receipt.

Gorgeous walked back into Carter’s room, and felt hollow inside.

“Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Good morning, love.” Carter said brightly as he rose from the bed to meet Gorgeous at the door for a morning kiss.

Dodge

“What’s wrong? I didn’t hear you walk out, everything cool.”

No, Nigga.

“Plan B.”

Plan B?

“Yes, you heard me. I need your half.”

“My half of what?!”

“Your half of the Plan B pill.”

“Why would I give you ½ for that?”

“Because, you came in me... that’s why!”

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa... I thought we were in....”

“Lust?”

“No.”

“Love?”

“Yes.”

“Nigga please... You didn’t even last long...”

“Maybe not the first round, but hey, we getting off track. Once nut doesn’t always make a baby.”

“You’re right, but you’re wrong. I haven’t had sex in years.”

I could tell.

“Ok...” Carter finally managed.

“So, I’m probably fertile.”

“Or maybe, you’re just not able to bear...”

“Nigga, are you fucking kidding me?” Gorgeous asked angrily.

“I’m not ‘kidding’ anything.”

“I know! So give me my half!”

“Gorgeous, what the fuck bro. You need to chill.”

“Oh? I’ll chill alright. Right in CVS with MY money, for MY pill, for MY baby.”

“Wait a second!”

“Fuck you Carter.”

“Hello? Neyla, what’s up? I was, busy last night... What’s the urgent issue?”

“Its about Car...”

“Okay, what about him?” She interjected as she slipped out of Carter’s California King bed and went into the hallway for privacy. She looked back to see if she’d awakened Carter, but he was still fast asleep.

“Where are you?” Neyla asked.

“Why?”

“Because I want to tell you in person...”

“Look, if this is about FUBU, it isn’t my thing, I have nothing to do with that?”

“This isn’t about that... Completely.” Neyla replied.

“Are we talking in code or something, because I’m completely lost?” Gorgeous admitted.

“Damn it Gorgeous!?” Neyla yelled.

“Excuse me?!”

“It’s about FUBU, but I don’t want to share this with you over the phone...”

“Seeing that its, 6 AM, you’re going to have to share now before I lose interest and go back to bed.” She said sleepily as she peeked back in the room to check on Carter. He was still knocked out cold.

“Fuck it! Fine!”

“Neyla, I know you feel like you’re on a pedestal these days, but if you keep talking to me like that you are going to get knocked down! State your business before you get hung...”

“Carter cheated!”

“...”

“He cheated, OK!” Neyla said through red watery eyes.

“Cheated how?” Gorgeous asked quietly.

“With FUBU.”

“Explain.”

“He picked me and LiQuor because we asked him to.”

“You asked him to...”

“We approached him while he was reviewing submissions, and we asked to be selected without actually submitting a submission.”

“You cheated too then. Correct?” Gorgeous asked.

“Yes... and no... Yall have run this Campus for a while now. We saw it, but why...”

“Aint no ‘but why’... all of you cheated!”

“We did, but...”

“No buts, you all cheated... for what? A scholarship? A...”

“For an opportunity. We never get noticed for anything but our looks... That’s unfair, we are smart & pretty, not pretty & smart, it’s a difference.”

“A subtle difference.”

“But a difference nonetheless.” Neyla replied. “What should we do?”

“About?” Gorgeous asked.

“What happened!”

“I don’t know. Ask your mentor.”

“He’s not our mentor... You are!”

“I am, but this is out of my hands. I can’t be associated with...”

“Cut the debutant speech. Be real for once.”

“For once?!”

“See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you shit! But here I am trying, and you continue to nit-pick.”

“But I? I want to help.”

“You can’t help. Remember? You didn’t want to be associated. Remember? You just said...”

“I KNOW WHAT I SAID!” Gorgeous interjected.

“He cheated, Dean Dúmás was there, Mr. President was there. We drank, we danced, we were ‘selected’. That’s all I have for you Gorgeous... Do what you want..”

N4L Mobile Application

Gorgeous + Neyla

Direct Message

Neyla: I need to talk to you, it’s urgent!

Neyla: It’s so important, please pick up...

Neyla: Hellloooooo!

Be, forewarned...

X-Rated

FUBayoU: Competition

This can’t be happening!

OMG, Its finally happening!

I knew it would be wet, but this is a waterfall!

“Yes daddy, don’t stop!”

FUCK, it’s only been a minute.

How long can he keep his up? I don’t care just don’t stop.

“Baby, switch, please switch!”

Oh, now who’s begging.

“Why do you want to switch? You don’t like when I throw it back like this?”

OMG, I CANT pull out!

“ You feeling nervous back there?”

Annnnd, she talking shit?!

“Pull out!”

Why?

“Pull. OUT!”

Why?

No. This. Nigga. Didn’t.

“I’m sorry Gorgeous.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For not saying ‘I love you’ sooner”

JuJu: You like her better? What about us? I held you down, and this is how you repay me?

Young: I thought you helped me because you wanted to. Why are you trippin? I don’t even know her like that...

JuJu: Is she attractive?

Young: Why?

JuJu: So that’s a yes. More attractive than me?

Young: Why? What are you talking about? Where is this coming from?

JuJu: Me muthafucker me!

Young: Relax! This got really heated, really fast. Can we talk please?

Text Messages

From: Russ

To; JuJu

Russ: Hey. Let’s meet up.

JuJu: ...

Russ: Look, you dont need HMS. They new, no experience. Lets join the official team & make that the new HMS...

JuJu: Official team

Text Messages

From: JuJu

DC N4L Mobile Application

Young: New Team Member yall. She bad af!

Daniel: How bad?

Young: She badder than the ex-girl, standing with the next girl...

Daniel: Okay, fake ass Drake.

Young: Naw but seriously she’s stunning.

Russ: Man you fall in love with anything.

Young: Anything?

Russ: Anyone, rather...

Cass: Shall we list?

Young: Shall I? I’m Significant, mostly every chick I hit becomes a trophy.

Cass: All your chicks aint bad nigga...

Young: True, but my baddest is better than all your baddest put together.

Herb: Feeling yourself?

Young: Naw but y’all are... Why yall hating? What have I done to any of you?

Daniel: 215...

Young: That wasn’t my fault.

Daniel: Tell my bank statement that bitch.

Cass: Bro, yall gotta chill. 4real. This is not that serious. Pussy is only pussy. Enjoy. Pass. Enjoy. Pass.

Young: When was the last time you passed us anything?

Cass: What?

Young: You get em. Keep em. Hold em. This aint poker nigga.

Herb: Young, I fuck with you, but you come at BMT wrong again... I’m fucking you up.

Young: Shiii, I’ll be at the Dorm after practice. Come chop it up nigga.

Herb: Fuck you nigga.

Cass: Keep talking that hot shit and we gonna have to humble you.

The Break Up...

“Welcome to the first practice of HMS Trial Team!” Gorgeous exclaimed. “Give yourselves a round of applause.”

They were seated in the law school’s mock trial courtroom. It was fake, but it was as real as it gets as far as placements. There was a jury box, judge’s perch, and sides for both defense and plaintiff. To top it all off, there were 5 rows of seats that could hold up to 20 people per row behind counsel’s table. Each person felt like they had finally made it to their dreams the moment they entered. However, there was a new face in the bunch that none of them, aside from Gorgeous, had ever seen before.

“Before we get started” She began. “I would like to introduce the new addition to the team. This is Ché everyone. Ché this is everyone.” She said as she motioned her hand across the team.

Ché was from Baton Rouge, LA. She had long dark hair, full pink lips, and a smile that even a blind man could see. She was short in stature, she stood about 5’2’’, but what she lacked in stature, she made up for with her presence. She was curvy in all the right places, and she could maneuver in the courtroom with anyone that was bold enough to try her.

Back at her old university, and even in high school, she was on her mock trial team and she was undefeated in her mock trial record. On paper, she was probably more qualified than anyone else in the room to be on the team even more so, than Gorgeous. However, she was humble and maintained a humble attitude about the entire situation.

“Thank you Gorgeous.” She replied as she stood up to address her peers. “Thank you all for having me and I look forward to carrying on Mr. Sweatt’s legacy with pride.”

“Hello Team!” A voice yelled from the back gallows of the courtroom. “Thought I’d drop by and show some support, oh wait, who’s that?” Russ asked inquisitively, as he made long strides on his way to the front of the courtroom.

“Bro, what the fuck are you doing?” Young asked.

“Russ, please leave. You’re interrupting us. Again.” Chanel replied as she rolled her eyes.

“Yes Russ, please leave.” Gorgeous said. “We have a competiton to prepare for. We don’t have time for this.”

“I’ll leave. As soon as you tell me who THIS is and what SHE is doing here.” He stated menacingly as he stared in Ché’s general direction.

“Uhh. What’s going on here?! Who’s this guy?!” Ché asked.

“Giirrrlll, he’s a nobody. He knows what he’s doing. He’s being childish and needs to leave.” Chanel replied.

“Yeah, he can leave willingly, or get tossed out this muthafuck.” Ralphy said as he jumped out his seat and headed to the swinging doors separating Russ and the well of the courtroom.

“ You talk a lot of shit to be a nigga with no hands.” Russ fired back.

“Bet.” Ralphy replied as he pulled his slacks up a tad bit higher and squared up.

“That’s ENOUGH!.” Gorgeous yelled as she walked from behind the bench to the well of the courtroom. “Russ, get out of here before I call Campus PD on you...”

“Naw, that’s not necessary... I’m gone.” He said as he walked back to the Exit door, fuming.

He jogged all the way to his next destination. He was perturbed beyond belief.

He rushed into the Dean’s office, ran past the receptionist, and burst into Dean Dúmás’ office. After he caught his breath, and took a seat, he recounted everything he saw at the practice. He told him everything he needed to hear.

“Interesting.” Dean Dúmás said as he sipped on his Starbucks Venti Café Mocha Latte.

“That’s it?” Russ asked in disbelief.

“Yes, its interesting that Gorgeous made room in an already tight budget to add another team member, but I don’t remember that ever being ran by the committee or even Dean Williams for that matter.” He said. “Furthermore, her overstepping those simple bounds and taking an outsider over one of our own sounds a lot like insubordination.”

“So. What should I do?”

“I’ll tell you what, recruit another minority from the current team, and then two of you will be lead counsel on The Official University Team. How does that sound.”

“It sounds like a plan! I already know who would be willing to leave and join.”

“Awesome. Once you recruit them, and then yall join The University team, then we can get rid of HMS altogether. It’s a waste of important funding to have two teams that are fundamentally doing the same thing.”