************6 Months Later***************

I woke up to a hard knock on my door. Before I could get up Travis was getting up from the bottom of my bed looking bewildered as hell. I couldn't help but laugh as his eyes bucked at me.

"Who the fuck knocking on your door so hard?"

"I don't know" I shook my head "But my feet numb since you decided to use them as a pillow"

"I told you to let me go home"

"Boy bye! Your ass was drunk when you got here then you finished off my wine and half of my crown! What kind of best friend send you home like that"

"A bad one" he shrugged as the banging started back "Go open the door before they break it"

I shook my head and hopped out of bed to go open the door. I looked out of the peephole to see Ralph. I was hella confused and didn't want to open the door. I looked back and Travis was still in my room. I took a deep breath before opening it knowing I would have to explain.

"What the hell?" I said as it open

"Get dressed!" Ralph said blankly "Hurry up!"

"What's going----"

"Just listen to me and come on"

"What's going...onnnnnnnn" Travis came out seeing Ralph "Sup Ralph"

"What the---- fuck that! Come on Micah!"

"What's going on?" I put on my chucks and grabbed my jacket "Can you tell me something"

"It's Tiana" we started leaving "She's at the hospital"

"What?" Travis and I both say

"What do you mean? RALPH!" I grabbed him

"I don't know! Carmen called me and said somebody called her!"

"Fuck!"

I ran to my room and threw on some sweats and a jacket to cover my sports bra. Travis grabbed his shirt and we both followed Ralph out the door. I got in the car with Travis to follow Ralph to the hospital.

When we got there I ran to the emergency room and asked for Tiana. They sent us back to her room where she was putting on her shirt and Carmen was talking to the doctor in the hallway.

"Bubbles" I hugged her "What the fuck happen?"

"I'm okay I promise"

I let her go and looked at her. Her lip was busted, her eye had a cut under it, and she looked like she was in pain.

"What happen?"

"I was walking to my car and some creep walked up on me. I didn't even know who he was" she shook her head "He was talking about taking me home and I told him fuck off"

"Fuck boys" Ralph shook his head "Where he at?"

"Bruno and Mag end up coming out back to smoke and saw him beating on me. Next thing I know, I'm being put in Cin car and driven her. The police came by and said they arrested him. I'm just ready to go home"

"I can't believe this happen?" I rubbed her hair "You need to stay with me"

"I'm o----"

"It wasn't a question" I rolled my eyes "Ralph go get her some clothes"

"I got the keys"

"You don't----"

"Stop saying I don't! I know I don't but that doesn't mean I'm not"

Carmen gave me her keys before leaving out with Ralph. I was helping Tiana get her stuff together trying to find her phone. Travis hadn't said anything but his eyes never left Tiana's face.

"Where were you even at?" Travis was still looking at her face in shook

"Paradise Island" she sighed "Ugh I think I left my phone"

"What were you doing there?"

Tiana looked at me puzzled before laughing

"I work there. Duh!"

"Wait" he looked between us "Tiana you're a stripper?"

"Yeah" she got up and put on her jacket wincing in pain "And I'm not a stripper, I'm the HBIC"

"Stupid" I laughed at her

"Why would you want to be a stripper?" Travis looked genuinely confused "It's clearly not safe"

"First of all, it's not your business but I strip because I like dancing and money. Two things I like to have in my life at all times. Secondly, I've been a stripper for hmmm four years now and this is the only time a nigga has tried some dumb shit. I think it's safe to say my safety aint in danger"

"I'm just saying Tee" he shrugged "I mean you're a gorgeous girl but you hella smart. You aint gotta be that type of woman"

"Gotta be? Type of--- Do you hear yourself right now? Yo B check him"

"Guys chill----"

"Check me? I'm the one being honest with you! I wouldn't say it if I didn't care about yo stubborn ass. You Micah people but don't get wrong with me because you want to throw pussy for money"

"Bitch I don't give a fuck about your opinion! You spoiled brat ass rich kid thinking you a man but you still taking from Mommy and Daddy! The fuck yo opinion mean to me?"

"Tiana----"

"Fuck him!"

"You know what" he chuckled shaking his head "I'll catch you later Micah. Get your friend"

Tiana was visibly heated as Travis walked out the room leaving us there. I didn't know what to say or how to feel. Everything went left so fast I couldn't feel anything but shock.

"Ti----"

"What?"

"Chill---"

"I'm not going to fucking chill! You bring this nigga up here and he start wilding and I need to chill? Fuck that! You wasn't telling him to chill when he got fucking bold and disrespectful!"

"I tri---"

"Like you was a fucking stripper longer than me! You just got out the club and now you think that shit don't apply to you?"

"Tiana you know it's not like that!"

"Does he know you stripped?"

I sighed "No! But---"

"Man fuck you B! You're supposed to be my best friend and defend me but you stood there and let some nigga talk down on me! You want to hide your truth and pretend to be something you not cool! But don't fucking look down on me! I like my fucking life! Fuck you and yours! If this is the kind of person you are now... then I don't want you as a friend and I damn sure don't need you in my life!"

Tiana stormed out of the room and I was once again left in shock. I mean what do you say to some shit like that. I held my tears because I honestly didn't know which part to cry about first. I shook my head before leaving the hospital and heading home.

When I got home, it wasn't long before Carmen was knocking at the door. I opened it and handed her, her keys before trying to close the door. She stopped me and I knew I couldn't help but cry. She gave me a hug and wanted to know what happen. I knew Tiana had told her but as always she wanted to hear both sides. We sat on the couch and I told her everything that happen after she left. She shook her head before looking at me sideways.

"Car she didn't even let me say anything! Neither of them did! Travis was dead as wrong but she was so hung up on the fact that he doesn't know I use to strip"

"Well B..." she sighed humping her shoulders "That was five years of your life. And if we being honest if you gone hide it, it's like you are ashamed of it. From Tiana's perspective if you ashamed of where you came from then you ashamed of yall friendship and everything that is tied to Paradise"

"But I'm not! That was a bad part of my life! Not because I'm ashamed....but stripping and everything comes with Kane and David and the pregnancy and every fucked up thing that happen while I was there. I'm not ashamed of who I am or where I came from! Hell everything she said was shit I would say when people would talk down on us! But I'm not explain my life like that to Travis.... He wouldn't understand. I'm not going to make him either. We are friends and can have different opinions.... That's if either of them are even my friend anymore"

"Teetee just need time to cool off"

"I know.... But it hurt Carmen! It hurt to think she feels like I'm ashamed of me"

"Maybe it hurts because a part of you is"

"What?"

"I mean.... When I first left the club and start on this journey with Keith, we never spoke of it. Honestly we still don't. He has always made it clear that he has no problem with it but I do. I hate the fact that I had no choice but to figure it out because my family had nothing. I hate that we all did. It's not fair. And I know life isn't fair.... but dammit we've been through enough"

"I never thought about it like that" I sighed "I was just trying to get rid of the bad memories.... but realistically it's all a bad memory. You're right we didn't have a choice..... but at some point I did. And I chose the club life because it made me feel.... I don't know. Important, loved, wanted, just.... perfect"

"I know" she sighed "Like I said just give her time"

"What about Travis?"

"Tell him or not.... That's for you to decide but you're going to have to talk to him no matter how pissed you are if you want to mend the friendship"

"But I don't know if I do" I shook my head "In that moment.... I felt like he was no different from Dav---"

"Don't bring up Satan!"

"Whatever"

"Look don't compare him to David just yet. Last month you were saying how different he was. I think maybe you should just talk to him and let him see your perspective.... Tiana's perspective. Sometimes it just take speaking up to change a mind"

"We shall see I guess"

I shrugged my shoulders before getting up and walking Carmen out. The more I thought about it the most pissed I felt at Travis and somewhat Tiana too.

It's been almost two week since I talk to Micah, and it wasn't for lack of trying. Every time I tried to call her she would ignore it, she left my text on read, and even told my sister not to tell me anything she was doing. I knew she might be upset about me and Tiana fighting but damn.

Reagan had been on snapchat with her so I knew she was at their place. I pulled up with some sour patch kids (her favorite) and headed inside to apologize. I don't know why I felt so bad but I got so use to being around Micah it didn't feel right having an issue in our friendship.

I knocked on the door and Ralph opened it looking surprised. He laughed when he saw the sour patch kids but shook my hand and let me in.

"How bad is it?" I asked

"Dude you already know" he shook his head "If you got to buy the kids, she ready to rip your head off on sight... but she been pretty chill all week"

"That's go---"

Before I could fully respond, a pillow hit me in the side of my head.

"Damn man!" I looked in the direction of the pillow.

Reagan was on the floor laughing and Micah looked pissed. I put up my hands in surrender being sure to shake the sour patch kids box. She rolled her eyes and walked out on the balcony. I shook my head before following behind her and closing the screen door.

"I come in peace I promise" I gave her the sour patch kids "Are you finally going to talk to your best friend or am I still in trouble?"

"Whatever" she took the candy "I don't want to talk to you but since you stalking me I guess I have to"

"I mean you don't have to but I know you miss me"

"That's what you think"

"I know it" I smirked at her eye roll "I miss you too best friend. Let's just make up"

"It doesn't work like that"

"You know I'm sorry Micah!"

"Sorry don't always fix things Trav" she shook her head as she open the box "One of my best fucking friend still won't talk to me because of you. You had to go run your mouth about something you know nothing about. A world you will never understand"

"I know I messed up but I didn't mean to----"

"You don't have to mean it to hurt people!" she threw a piece of candy at me "You have no concept of life outside of your world! Where people have to fight to eat! Where being alive is a privileged not a right! How dare you look down on someone who has lived their life fighting for everything they have! I'm not mad that you said it or that you don't get it! I'm mad because I thought you were different! I thought you were better than the typical silver spoon assholes that look at me and my friends as trash because of choices that were never choices to begin with. Tiana's not perfect but neither am I! I've been fighting for everything in my life since before I could function on my own! I had to do whatever it takes to get my degrees and get to were I am now! I am damn proud of myself and my life!" I could see her eyes glisten even though she wouldn't cry "Tiana, me, or anybody who doesn't have the luxury of living in a fucking bubble of the privileges life can only offer some don't need people like you looking down with your nose in the fucking air! If you were really my best friend.... you would've never even thought it"

She walked past me and into the house. I could hear Reagan running after her into a room as I just stood there. It wasn't long before Ralph came outside shaking his head with a smirk.

"Bruh how can you laugh? She just bit my head off!"

"Sit down" we sat in the lounge chair "If she didn't bite your head off that would just mean she doesn't care about you. Micah doesn't let anybody hurt her....so if you can you should feel special as fucked up as it sounds"

"Yeah definitely not feeling special right now"

"Look, if you can't tell by now Micah likes you. And as much as yall play on this friend thing, you clearly like her. And before you can object to what I'm saying all that doesn't matter. I said it to say, she's dated a guy who treated her..... horrible doesn't even hit it. But long story short it all boiled down to who she was and where she came from. He never let a day go by without her feeling like she was perfectly less than him and where he came from. She put you on a pedistall because you came from the same place and instead of being like him you were better. Then you kinda made her think she was wrong"

"Damn" I shook my head "So what do I do?"

"Show her you were right"

I shook up with Ralph before heading inside. He was right and even though I didn't take the argument serious it was clear Micah and Tiana did. I open the door to see her laying on the bed with Reagan trying to talk while she lean against the dresser. Reagan rolled her eyes at me so I decided to just interrupt.

"Micah" she sat up "Before you yell at me again just please listen. You are my best friend. I mean outside of Rea you're the only person I can truly be myself around that only wants me to do things I want to do. You are an amazing person and friend. I wasn't trying to look down on anyone. What I said was stupid. It shouldn't be that we live in two different worlds. In reality we live 30 minutes from each other and that should be the only problem. I don't want you or anyone to think I put myself above them. Shit what do I have to make me do that anyway? I told you I'm still finding me. Please don't hate me! I just didn't know it would all be taken this way. I didn't think of it that way and it's not fair. I am sorry Micah"

Micah and I stared at each other for a while. It felt like forever but I wasn't moving and neither was she. She got up and before I knew it she punched me in the chest, knocking some wind out. I held my chest leaning over nodding. But just like a sour patch kid she pulled me up into a hug.

I honestly didn't realize how much I actually care about Micah. I mean I still just want to be her friend... I think