It didn't take very long for me to start missing the single life. Collin started irritating the crap out of me on a small level first. Like talking too much about nothing. I mean, that boy would go off at the drop of a hat about any and every little thing. Especially when it came to me.

If my clothes were too tight, what the hell was I dressing like a ho for? Trying to impress somebody? Where that fool at? If they were too baggy, what was I trying to do? Make Collin look bad? That's why he never took me anywhere.

All this, and especially listening to him constantly bitch about how I kept getting fatter (even though I had been wearing the same size since high school) and how I couldn't do this or that right, so just let him do it, totally pissed me off. But I was used to that. What I couldn't take was that every time I turned my back, Collin was either giving some hooch the eye or trying to pick a fight with some dude that accidentally breathed on him wrong while on the way to minding his own damn business.

One guy even made the mistake of helping me catch my balance after Collin's sorry butt bumped into me and kept right on walking, eyes steady fixed on some little hotass that was walking in front of us. She was swishing her tail extra wide so Collin could get a good hard look.

Why did dude even have to try to help me out? I'm telling you, these freaking southern gentlemen got me hemmed up every single time. I don't think this guy even realized that I was with Collin in the first place, the way Collin was flying past and knocking me out of the way, trying to catch up to old girl.

I also don't think Collin realized that he had bumped me into the guy and that I was just thanking him for catching me before my inconsiderate jackass boyfriend knocked me to the ground. All he saw when he turned around was me smiling at this guy who was smiling back and walking in the opposite direction.

Collin was so pissed that he didn't even waste his time trying to start in with ol' boy. He just grabbed me by the arm and dragged me along like I was his little dog on a leash, and I just followed him right out to the car like I truly believed that I was his little dog on a leash. Of course, after we got inside the car and closed the doors he immediately went off on me. What's funny, though, is that all of a sudden I was just so bored with the whole Collin scene. Not angry, not frightened. Just bored.

And I told him so...

Right before I got back out of the car and walked away.

Of course we had been kickin' it out in the boonies and I had no way of getting home after that, so after unsuccessfully trying to get in touch with Shayna, who was still my roommate at the time and Drama, who by that time may as well have been living with us too, I had no choice but to call Kenney...the only other number that I knew by heart – besides Collin's and my parents' - and asked him to come pick me up.

This was around the time that I hated having to ask Kenney for anything. To be honest, at that point, I hated even hanging around Kenney a lot of the time because he was always looking at me like it might be the last time he would ever see me. But I sucked it up and asked him to bail me out again, mainly because I didn't have any other choice.

As usual, the first thing he did when I got in the car was visually scan my arms and check me for bruises. This was exactly why I was starting to hate being around him more and more. And as usual he found what he was looking for, the most recent of the bruises being around my wrist, from forty-five minutes earlier when Collin pulled me like a dog to his car.

At least this time Kenney only shook his head and kept his mouth shut.

It still pissed me off that he shook his head, though.

"So..." he began with his little fake nonchalance. "What's the haps kid?"

"The haps?" I retorted sarcastically. "What are you a hundred and fifty seven? I didn't realize I called Grandpa to come and pick me up."

Kenney only looked over at me, then back out at the traffic. He always did know how to just let me go until I got tired. I guess to him it was like dealing with one of those little windup toys. If I got wound up too tight, the best thing to do was just let me run around like an ass until I slowed back down. I'll always love Kenney for understanding me better than I could ever even try to explain myself to anyone else. However, I also came very close to strongly disliking him for always thinking he knew so frigging much about me.

"So..." I tried to make amends, but couldn't think of anything else to say. I looked over at Kenney for a few more seconds, then sat back in the seat and relaxed.

"Tashi," Kenney began hesitantly.

I shot him a warning look. I wasn't in the mood for his big brother crap right then.

He looked away quickly. "Nothing."

"No, what?" I snapped and sat straight up in the seat, preparing myself to pick a fight.

Well? I had to take it out on someone...

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Nothing."

I pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

Kenney's head snapped around in shock. I wondered how he didn't get whiplash. The look of horror on his face was priceless. Who did he think he was, anyway? I had seen Kenney do a whole lot worse. Well, at least I thought I had since he was always around it, but looking back I had never really seen Kenney do any dirt at all. Except beatin' Collin's ass that one time...and I guess playing all those girls freshman year. But let Kenney tell it, none of those girls were ever "his girl," so they shouldn't have been trippin' anyway.

"Natasha! What the hell is really good?"

I cracked up. "Whatever Bud. Just watch the road and get me home safe."

Kenney shook his head in disbelief...or disappointment ...or both.

When we pulled into the parking lot of my complex, Kenney grabbed my hand before I could make the quick exit that I had been planning for the past few blocks.

"Hey Natasha, I..." his words caught in his throat when I looked back at him, "...call me later, ok?"

"Alright." I faked a smile for him, even though I knew I didn't have to. "Hey Bud," this time the smile was real. "Sorry."

"Take care of yourself, kid."

"Uh-huh. You too," and I ran inside.