run of the mill.

3rd

Beyonce swung the door of her dorm room open and threw her books on her desk tiredly. She had just gotten out of her Musculoskeletal and Biomechanical Basis of Movement class and she could hardly think. Her brain had officially fried. She threw herself on her bed and sighed at the thought of basketball practice coming up. She had never been too tired to indulge in her favorite pastime but she was truly starting to feel it wreak havoc on her bones.

Still, she was excited for the opportunity to do a little running around and blow off some steam. The sport would calm her down right about now and that was just what she needed.

Grabbing her gym back and throwing her chaotic braids in a ponytail, she swung her door open and prepared to walk out. T, Latanya as Beyonce later learned, stood preparing to open the door. "Oh was up. You heading to practice?"

Beyonce nodded. "Yeah."

T smiled and stepped inside. "Shit let me get my bag. I'm tryna be like you, early and shit."

Beyonce laughed and waited patiently for her roommate that she secretly envied. T was never in the room, she always had friends coming by to pick her up or invitations to different events. Beyonce on the other hand, hadn't made a single friend outside of her roommate in her entire stay at the school. She was almost use to not talking to anyone for hours at a time.

"You know," T said as they walked up the steps to the stadium. "You should come with me this weekend."

Beyonce tripped up on the last step, causing a tiny chuckle to come from her friend. "Shut up, where you going this weekend?"

"Well me and my baby are going because-."

"Oh hell no," Beyonce said, interrupting T suddenly. "Ain't no way I'm finna play third wheel with you two."

Beyonce had seen the two of them together and it was not something she wanted to be a part of. They were like rabbits, constantly going at it and when they weren't slobbing each other down or sexing each other up, they were cooing in each other's face and talking quietly about private things. It had been one of the worst times she had spent in her dorm room.

"Oh come on we ain't that bad. I'll make Chris bring somebody for you."

Beyonce shook her head. "A blind date?" she shook her head and pulled the door open. "I don't think so. Guys don't take a look at me and see someone they would like to climb on top of."

T shook her head and sighed. "Is that all you think about?"

Beyonce stopped short, watching T stroll off until she noticed that she wasn't being accompanied. "What?" she said turning around and looking at Beyonce.

"Bitch I'll tell you 'what?'" Beyonce said trying to fight the smile from her face. She approached T and stepped closer to her face. "You getting some on a regular basis ok. I ain't getting' shit. Not a damn thing!" T doubled over with laughter and Beyonce chuckled a little but tried to keep a stern sound in her voice. "So yes," she said. "That's all I want."

They arrived at the locker room and were surprised to see Shawn standing outside the locker room. His pose held casual as he looked at something blandly on his phone.

"Was up Shawn," T said friendly as they approached him. "What you doing out here?"

Shawn's eyes looked over his guests and Beyonce wasn't surprised that his gaze focused a little harder on T than it did on Beyonce. At that point there was no competition. T, tall and lean like a model, wore a perfectly fitting denim skirt with a formfitting black shirt that had BeBe© written on it. Her feet were clad in black and gold Chanel© ballerina shoes and she just screamed confidence next to her tomboy of a roommate.

Beyonce had worn a pair of dark men's Levi© jeans with a black and white graphic shirt fit her about as decent as a paper bag. She did, however, know her shoe game; her wore white and black Nike© dunks. She had the particular kind of shoes in almost every color imaginable. Her sister and she started collecting about a year ago. And while T's hair was styled in a beautiful modern long cut that really accentuated her heart-shaped face, Beyonce merely wore her braids with the messy plats in a low bun. They were getting old, but her mother wasn't around to re-braid them and her hair grew like weeds in a yard; almost overnight.

"Chillin' Kim told me to wait for her for some reason." Shawn put his hands in his pockets and his gaze swung to Beyonce as she tried to pass. "So you ain't gon' say shit?"

Beyonce smiled against her better judgment. She was just so happy to be talking to somebody other than T. No one else bothered to make contact. Pushing her glasses higher on her nose, she replied. "I ain't gotta speak to you."

"Oh it's like that now?" Shawn shrugged.

Beyonce faked a sigh and rolled her eyes playfully. "Hi Shawn."

"Thank you, hi Beyonce."

"Let me go tell Kim to hurry up," T said walking past the two of them. She turned and spoke as she walked backwards. "I can socialize since I'm on time and shit."

Beyonce shifted her weight from one foot to the other and ran a hand over her braids.

"So was up? How come I ain't seen you around?" Shawn asked.

Beyonce shrugged although she knew the reason very clearly. It was because she didn't have friends to invite her anywhere. Well except T. Her roommate had invited her to a few things but she declined since the events weren't really in her social jurisdiction. "Don't know. Tryna keep up with these classes," said muttered. And that part was partially true. Her classes were a hassle but she was managing well enough thanks to the day-planner her mother had sent her to help organize her work ethic and study time.

"You sound bored," Shawn commented.

"I am."

"Then go out sometime nigga," Shawn joked like he was frustrated. He found it so easy to talk to her it was crazy. The conversation and light-hearted attitude he had around Beyonce was something that was earned by people that wanted to be his friend.

Shawn was such a shy person before he received a social status because he was so good at football. And when he did become an icon in his school, he was very particular about who he associated himself with. So when Beyonce came along and pulled such easy conversation from him, it relaxed him to know that there was someone here on his level.

Beyonce laughed and started to reply but the door swung open behind Shawn and Kim walked from the locker room, putting her hand on Shawn's shoulder and stating claim to him immediately. She looked Beyonce in the eye and smiled something so sinister; Beyonce felt the hate in her stare.

"Hey Beyy!" Kim greeted. Shawn hung his head in shame. Kim hadn't learned anything. She was still acting totally uncalled for.

Beyonce glanced and Shawn and back at Kim. "Beyonce, Kim. It's Beyonce."

"Oh same difference right girl?" Kim said with too much perk in her toothy smile.

Beyonce sighed and looked down at her shoes. She had already gotten too tired of the starting point guard for now and she was about to put an end to it. Beyonce built her entire persona on being patient with people even though they fucked her over. And she thought she had been more than patient with Kim.

"No," Beyonce said looking at her. "No it's not the same, but that's ok... you'll learn that shit on the court today." Beyonce proceeded to turn the knife in the wound. She looked Kim up and down like she was only three feet tall and then smiled at Shawn. "I'll see you later."

Brushing past a fuming Kim, she walked into the locker room with enough confidence to be a beauty pageant in her Nikes.

Kim turned and looked at the door with a scrawl on her face. "Bitch," she mumbled when the door had closed soundly. "Who the fuck does she think she is? Did you hear what she just said to me?" Kim looked at Shawn like he was supposed to be as outraged as she was.

Shawn, however, was too busy wondering what her reference to the court meant. He admired her for how she handled it. "What did she mean by that?"

Kim rolled her eyes as she spoke, which meant she was lying. She always did that when she wasn't telling the truth. "I don't know! But look, I know you got places to be so here's you ipod. I'll see you after practice right baby?"

Shawn looked at her peculiarly. "Ok thanks," he said taking the device.

Kim kissed his cheek and walked into the locker room briskly. Shawn seemed to sense that there was more to the story than Kim was revealing. She had a nasty habit of keeping secrets to herself like Shawn was working against her. And he could tell that there was something she didn't want him to know about their practice. And he was going to find out what it was.

Shawn sat back, smiling as he rubbed a tired hand over his mouth. The area he had chosen in the empty bleachers provided a perfect view of the ass whooping that Beyonce took it upon herself to hand to Kim. At this point Shawn was laughing so hard his stomach was hurting. All this time Kim had been dogging this woman and for the life of him, Shawn couldn't understand why. But now, when he had snuck into the private practices and looked in on the girls, he knew why.

Beyonce was all in Kim's ass. Kim had long since gotten frustrated and started lightly screaming to her teammates when their coach wasn't aware of it. Most of the time, Kim was just too slow for Beyonce. They would start a play and Kim would be bringing it down the court only to have Beyonce shamelessly steal the ball with excellent defense or simply quick hands.

As the girls settled down to listen to the last of their coach's lectures and commands. Shawn stood up and stretched. As they filed into the locker room, Beyonce hung back, looking casual and unfazed. When the last person walked into the locker room, she fell. Her knees hit the gym floor with a quiet thud and she threw her head back. Shawn saw the wince of pain on her face and started to rush down to her. But he stopped himself.

He figured that she had waited for everyone to leave before she fell because she had some pride. So he decided he would keep her secret.

He watched, however, as she moved to sit on her butt and take the brace off her knee. Quiet, almost inaudible, moans of pain echoed through the big gym as she pushed the material aside and stretched her knee a little. She did it ever so carefully which let him know she had done it before.

"Ah," she whined quietly. Shawn wanted to help her. He wanted to rush down and see if there was anything she needed but he knew she would have been greatly embarrassed if he showed up. He admired her heart though and wanted to cheer or clap when she got up and limped back into the locker room where Shawn was sure she hid the limp she previously had.

He shuffled down to the entrance of the locker room to wait for Kim, giving her the idea that he hadn't been there. She came out before Beyonce, and Shawn guessed it was because her knee had made her move a little slower. He was still, for some reason, immensely proud of her.