New Edition Plus Me

Chapter 1 - Creating us

1978

"Yo Alyssa, game next week you coming" Mike says to me. "Bet" I said shaking his hand. He dribbled the ball and I stole it from him. He chased me for his ball. He grabbed me taking his ball back laughing. 

"Hey Alyssa, Hey Mike" I hear Ricky. Me, Ricky, Mike and Bobby Been best friends for a long time.

"Hey man" Mike said as we both fist bumping him. "Yall coming with me to See Bobby" Ricky asked. "Oh yea, tonight is his show right" I asked. "Of course we coming, let's go" Mike says. We followed behind Ricky rush to the center where Bobby was performing.  He loves to sing and a great friend of course I'm gonna support him.

As soon as Bobby was on stage, me, Mike and Ricky got up Cheering and clapping for him. "Get it Bobby" I yelled. Music started but he just stood there looking at everyone nervous.  People stared booing him since he was scared. He ran off stage to the back.

"Man" Mike says. "I could of been playing ball all this time if he was just gonna run away" I said. Mike nodded agreeing. 

"Yo that's yall boy up there" A dude turned around asking us. "Yeah" Ricky says. "That little kid suck" He shouts. "I know he did better than your monkey ass can do" Mike said. "What did you say" The dude says. "He didn't stutter, your monkey ass deaf or something" I asked. He came up to us and he was way taller than us. Mike, Ricky and I shared looks. We had the same thought we all shoved the guy making him fall and ran away.

We ran back to the OP. "See yall tomorrow alright" I said. They nodded and we all went different directions to our buildings.

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I had my basketball and saw Mike. "Hey Mikey" I said rushing to him. "Told you to stop calling me that...it's weird" He says. I laughed. "Wanna go play-"I asked then Ricky ran to us. "Hey" He says. "Hey Ricardo" I said hugging him. "Where you two heading" He asked. "You know me about to play some ball" I said spinning the basketball with my finger. "Nice" He says smiling at my move. "Yeah I might join her" Mike says. "Aye Alyssa, Mike, Ricky wait up" Bobby says running to us. Me, Mike and Ricky shared a chuckle then looked at him

"Wassup Bob" I said hi fiving him. "Nothing much, what yall bout to do" He asked. "Me and Alyssa bout to go whoop some dudes ass in basketball" Mike says. I smiled and nodded.

"How was your show last night" Ricky asked Bobby. "My show..." He says then did a dance move. "You know your boy did his thing"

"You did your thing" I asked. "He did his thing" Ricky says holding in a laugh. "Yo! We was there" Mike shouts laughing. "Saw the whole thing" Ricky says laughing.  "Yall did"Bobby asked embarrassed. 
"Yea almost got in a fight with some cathedral dude talking shit" I said as we continued walking. "They threw me off with all that damn screaming. But now I know what to expect next time" Bobby says. We stopped and looked at him. "Next time, You going up there again" I asked. "You damn right I am. But I won't be alone, I want you three up there with me" Bobby says. Is he crazy?

"Whoa whoa I don't know about that" I said. "Come on B you played yourself"Mike says. "Yall talk way to much smack. You know what forget it, how about this I go get Corey and Travis, cause yall scared" Bobby says. Corey and Travis was our other friends. "Aint nobody scared" Ricky says. "Whatever B" Mike says.

"Look all we have to do Is pick us a great song, great outfits and we'll win first prize" Bobby says. I looked at Mike and Ricky as we shared silence and shrugged.  "As long as we all get to sing" Ricky says. "I know you want that money" Bobby says to Mike. "You damn right" Mike says shaking hands with Bobby. "Ally, I know you want people to hear that singing side of you" He says. I looked down and nodded. "See, we on our way"Bobby says. "On our way to what, only 4 of us" I said. "Yeah this ain't no group" Ricky says. (LOL technically it is but whatever)

"How about we get Corey and Travis" Bobby says. "Nah" I said. "I know who we should get" Ricky says. "Who"I asked. "Know that kid Ralph" Ricky asked. "Oh hell no" Mike says. "That little kid that be doing Kung fu" Bobby says. "Never heard of him" I said.

"Yeah! He my boy. He good people" Ricky says. "Can he even sing" Bobby asked. "Yeah man Ralph can blow, you guys never heard him sing" Ricky asked. "Everytime I go talking to him, he's always kicking and stuff" Bobby says. "Let's go"Ricky says. We ran to the other side to another OP building. 

We saw a kid doing karate moves. "Nah this kid weird" Mike says. "Trust me on this" Ricky says. We walked to Ralph.  "Yo sup Ralph" Ricky says. Ralph continues to kick and stuff.

He turned to Ricky. "Wassup" Ralph says and goes back to his karate. I saw he was staring at this one girl. "Yo man. Why don't you just go over there and talk to her" Ricky asked.
Ralph finally stopped. "Nah man it ain't the right time" He says. The girl waved at him.
"Stay here. I'll go talk to her for you" Ricky says. Ricky ran off and next thing he started singing to that girl.

"Yo. He just played you" Bobby's says. "I know you ain't gonna take it like that" I said crossing my arms. Ralph rushed passed us and started singing pushing Ricky away. They both started singing to the girl.

"He ain't bad at all" I said dribbling my basketball. "He alright" Bobby says. They came back to us after all the kids ran off for ice cream. "How'd it go" Mike asked. "He got her name" Ricky says. "That's it" Mike says.  "Well at least he got something" I said shoving Mike. Ralph looked at me up and down and smiled. "Yeah, thanks" He says holding his hand out. I shook his hand. "Alyssa, nice to meet you Ralph"I said smiling. He just frozed. "Is he alright" I asked. Bobby pushed me to the side. "Yo Ralph we was talking about starting our own singing group, you want in" Bobby asked.

"Singing group? Sure! " He says. "Yes!" Ricky says. "How about we meet up at my place and start practicing tomorrow" Ricky says. "Alright" Bobby says. We all shook hands and went our ways again, me and Mike went to still play basketball.