when we were young (JEM#1)

5.

" let's make a secret handshake, so anytime we reunite well do it, but make sure you never forget okay?"

"Reem?"

"Mie Mie"

Silence took over them as they just stared at one another. As if on auto pilot they had done the hand shake that been created over 15 years prior as if they had done it the day before.

Emotion welled up in Jamie's eyes but she refused to let the tears fall.

"Hi." She gave a watery smile as Kareem closed the gap between them and wrapped is arms tightly around her.

"Hi."He whispered against the top of her head.

The two had been caught up in their world as they rocked back and forth not letting go of each other.

Not yet seeing the onlookers Kareem pulled away and planted a loving kiss on Jamie's forehead. "Your forehead is still big as hell."

"And your still skinny as hell." Jamie retorted back with a grin. The two soon broke into fits of laughter. As they continuously verbally assaulted each other like when they were younger.

"Jamie I see you've met my oldest son Kareem." Christina skilled as she walked up to the two of them."

A look of confusion crossed over Jamie's face. "Ms.Christy, this is your son?"

"Wait Jamie how do you know my mom matter of fact why are you even here?" Kareem had been equally confused. The two of them had never met each other's families. They had a strict school and sports-only friendship.

"Why are you here?"she retorted back.

"This is my sisters wedding. Your turn, spill."

He had gotten her that time. " I'm here as a plus one. I came with a friend."

"Which friend?" He questioned back

"Chance."

"Chance as in my cousin Chance? What you doing here with him, don't he got a pregnant girlfriend or something?" The jealousy Kareem was emitting was comical. He sounded like whining baby.

Jamie just smirked

"Boy if you don't shut up. Chance's girlfriend is in Atlanta right now so he asked Jamie to come with him, what's it to you?" Christina was simply adding fuel to the fire.

"Nothing mama. I just wanted to know." The skin on his caramel cheeks turned red as he continued to whine.

"Whatever boy, anyways you gonna tell me how you know Jamie or not?" Christina was just trying to look out for her son. The last female he had been that comfortable with was shakiyah and she ruined him.

"Jamie and I went to the same middle school. Shit, we used to be best friends up until the move. This is the first time I'm actually seeing her since than." Kareem said whilst looking at her with remorseful eyes. He had never meant to cut complete contact, it just happened and guilt are him alive.

"Ah, that's why you look so familiar. I remember seeing pictures of you around Kareem's room."Christian said with a sly grin on her face

"You kept pictures of me in your room, aww did you miss me that much Reem?" Jamie mused. She lived for bullying Kareem.

"Shut up." by this point his entire face was showing a not so subtle undertone of pink.

The cute moment was cut short when chance rushed down the hall. "Jamie I've gotta go the alarm in my house Is going off and I've gotta turn it off manually, can you find another way home."

"Yeah sure- " he didn't even let her complete her sentence before running towards the parking lot hopping in his car and leaving.

"Well damn, guess I'm taking an Uber home." Jamie said with a grim expression on her face. She never enjoyed taking an Uber by herself, especially at night." Anyways lets get to the party, since I'm ubering home might as well get drunk."

Kareem watched as Jamie made her way to the open bar and helped herself to 3 vodka shots. He couldn't and wouldn't keep his eyes off her. She had changed completely, gone was the chubby girl with an attitude he knew so well and there stood a beautiful dark skin woman with voluptuous assets. One thing that stayed the same was her mouth. Those thick lips never stopped spewing insults at any given time.

"You gonna join her or keep starting, 'cause you look stupid." Kareem didn't respond to his mother and made his way toward Jamie.

Joining her at the bar Kareem refrained from ordering any alcohol to keep his sobriety and decided to start small talk.

"So what have you been up to Jay?"

"Well you know I work with chance at the Lincoln law firm as a corporate lawyer. What else, I stopped talking to shakiyah cause she's toxic as fuck, I honestly do know why it took me so long to do that. I made new friends and that's it my life is pretty boring. How about you 'cause I know you're famous and shit now mister NBA." the vodka shots slowly started taking effect making Jamie slightly slur her words.

Chuckling Kareem took a shot before answering. "I mean things have been going well for me. Making hella money doing something I'm good at and enjoy so I have no complaints there.  But Me and shakiyah broke up a few years back when I caught her cheating."

"I'm gonna be real with you. I told you a bunch of times that girl was no good for you but did you listen, no and it came back to bite you in your ass in the worst way possible."

Jamie had known shakiyah long before she and Kareem had started dating in middle school. The two girls were best friend's since elementary school but shakiyah had to make sure she was better than Jamie in everything. The most notable moment was when they were in middle school shakiyah knew Jamie had a crush on Kareem and decided to seize the opportunity and make Kareem hers before Jamie could even try. Shakiyah made Jamie's life a living hell when they were together and Kareem never tried to stop it because he was blinded by love.

"I know Jamie, I fucked up I should have listened to you."

"You even let that girl convince you to stop talking to me, whilst I was going through the worst time of my life." the alcohol and pent-up emotions caused Jamie to cry. "Fuck you, Kareem"
(Jamie was bullied in middle school.)

Kareem sat there as she cried. He knew if he tried to console her she would just get more angry so he waited till her cries subsided before speaking again.

"I said I'm sorry jay, I wasn't thinking back then, alright I just thought if I did it she would stop whining about it. You know how jealous she could get."

Jamie hadn't even told Kareem the worst part and she wasn't going to, she didn't need his pity.

"Whatever man." Jamie got up from her seat and made her way to her seat in the back without so much of a look at Kareem.

"Fuck man!" leaving the bar with an exasperated sigh Kareem went to go socialize with his family with a heavy heart and fake smile.