"Zach, wait for me." Angel called out to her son.
"Mommy, we're gonna be late for school." He ran to the doors of his school.
"Sweetheart, it's just orientation. You don't have a class or anything. They're just gonna tell the parents about the upcoming information for your grade level." He waited by the door as she approached the doors.
"No class?" He questioned.
"No, but you do get to meet your teachers."
"I guess that's exciting." He said with a little disappointment.
She chuckled. Walking into the building, she went into the cafeteria where they held a general meeting for the parents and students. When the meeting was over, the parents got to meet their children's teacher.
Angel and Zach were walking down the hallway.
"We're looking for room, four oh four. It's your art class. Teacher's name is A. Robinson."
"My teacher has the same last name as me? Are we related."
"Robinson is a common name sweetheart, so I doubt it." Angel answered.
They arrived to room four oh four and walked in.
"Alex!" Zach ran to Alex when he saw her.
Angel's eyes followed to where he'd ran to and who it was. "Alex" She was surprised to see Alex.
"Hi!" Alex gave her a hug.
"What are you doing here?" Angel asked.
"I work here." Alex answered. "This is my classroom." She grinned.
Angel glanced at Zach's schedule and read the name under the art teacher. "Ohhh A. Robinson! Wow! I'm so slow." She laughed, tapping her hand, lightly on her head.
Alex laughed.
"When did you start working here?" Angel asked.
"Just started this summer. They needed a new art teacher and ya girl fit the description perfectly." Alex.
"That's great." Angel acknowledged. "I guess I'll be seeing more of you then, this one here is real active in school." She gestured to Zach.
"I guess so." Alex said. "I've been meaning to tell you that my kids are moving to Cali with their dad and wanted to do something for them."
"We can have a dinner at the house or something. I bet you're gonna miss them." Alex suggested.
"Of course, I'm gonna mss them. Those are my babies, but they love being with their daddy and Mya, and I can't stop that. They'll be with me until they move, so I'm gonna be so busy spoiling my kids for the rest of the month.
"Awe. We can definitely throw a party." Alex said.
"I'll call you later and we'll come up with something." Angel said.
"Mom, where's my teacher?" Zach asked.
"Alex is your teacher."
He stared at Alex with wide eyes, gasping. "Really?"
"Yes," Alex smiled.
"And when you're in her class, you must refer to her as Mrs. Robinson." Angel said. "For a second I felt like I was talking about myself."
"Isn't it crazy? You'll get used to it, Mrs. Robinson." Alex giggled.
Before Angel took a step to walk away, she turned to Alex. "Hey, I'm gonna plan a little get-together at the house and I was hoping that I could have your help." Angel requested.
"Sure." Alex immediately agreed. "Just let me know when you need me." She said.
"Are you busy later this evening?" Angel asked.
"No, I was just gonna go home afterwards."
"Well stop by the house if you want." Angel said. "I'll let you get back to your other student." Angel said. She then looked at Zach and snapped her fingers. "Come on, son. Let's go."
Leaving the school after Zach met his other teachers, and they went home. "Heaven? JJ?" Angel called out to her two oldest children.
"What?" She heard JJ respond. She heard his voice from the living room, also hearing the game system through the speakers.
She sighed and then rolled her eyes. "Teenagers." She mumbled to herself.
She didn't know what she was going to get them into for the week. Angel was so ready for school to start for them.
"Zach, go see what your sister is doing." She lightly tapped his shoulder.
"JJ, turn that crap down!" She yelled over the game as she walked into the living room.
"Huh?" JJ's eyes were glued to the tv.
She walked over to the coffee table, picked up the remote control to the tv and pressed the power button.
JJ's eyes grew, as he sucked his teeth. "Mama! What are you doing?" He stood to his feet staring at her.
"Boy, you better watch your tone!" She said in a tone for him to calm down. "You either turn it down or you turn it off. Don't let me tell you again." She walked away.
Heaven came down the stairs with Zach right behind her. "Mom," she walked into the kitchen then into the living room, looking for her mom, but she wasn't there. She then went to her bedroom and found her mom there.
"Hey, sweetie." Angel was sitting on her bed.
Zach jumped onto his mother's bed with excitement, but Heaven nervously stood afar. Her hands were hiding behind her back, clamped together and she looked a little sad.
"What's wrong?" Angel observed her daughter's body language.
Heaven glanced at her little brother, who want paying either of them any attention, and then her eyes landed back on her mom.
"I'm bleeding." She looked her mom in the eyes, but she seemed to be embarrassed.
Angel frowned and scanned Heaven's body, but she didn't notice anything unusual. "Where?"
"Mom, I'm bleeding." Heaven didn't want to elaborate.
Hearing the emphasis, Angel's eyes softened. "Awe, my baby." Angel nearly squealed.
Heaven frowned. Her mood grew colder. "Mom... no."
"We have to go to the store and get you something." Angel got up, "but first, let me give you something for now."
"I have something on already."
"Oh." Angel was surprised that Heaven was prepared.
"You and Mya always told me that this will come soon. She even talks about it with the dancers just in case."
"How are you feeling?"
"Weak and disgusting."
"How about you go lay down and I'll bring you something? I'm still gonna go to the store to get some more stuff for you."
When Angel left for the store and came back, Derrick was home. He was playing the game with JJ, looking like a big kid compared to her son.
"Hey babe." She said to her husband. Derrick was so tuned into the game that he didn't hear or noticed she walked in.
She'd gone to check on Heaven and went back into her bedroom. After about thirty minutes, Derrick walked in.
"Whoa!" He jumped once he'd saw her sitting on they're bed, Indian style. "When did you get here?"
"I've been back for about forty-five minutes." She giggled.
"I didn't even know you were here." He approached her, leaning in and kissing her.
"I know you didn't. I spoke when I came in, but you were having the time of your life with JJ and that Xbox."
"Sorry, sweetheart." He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her.
"How was work?" She asked.
"Work was good, but home is better. Won another case today, working on another one that's pretty tough." he answered. Suddenly, he jerked up and hopped onto the bed. "Actually, I got the funniest phone call from Drew today." He let out a random laugh.
Angel had given him her undivided attention already, keeping her eyes on her husband.
"Drew called me today after I left court and told me the funniest thing ever."
"What did he tell you?" He asked.
"Trice got beat up."
Angel's jaw dropped and then she began to laugh. "What?"
"Guess by who?" He questioned.
"Who?" She asked, not thinking to guess.
"Alex."
"Alex?" She asked. "Drew's Alex?"
He nodded with a smug on his face.
"When? I just saw her today." Angel said.
"This was some days ago apparently."
Angel laughed. "It's about time somebody kick that woman's ass." She commented. "But Alex of all people?" Angel was in shock.
"Maybe Alex been waiting to whoop her ass?" Derrick mentioned.
"I'm sure. That woman has been raising hell probably since the day she was born." Angel leaned on her husband.
"Especially after Drew and Alex's wedding." He added.
"That's kind of their fault though. They shouldn't have invited her to the wedding. I wouldn't even invite that woman to my funeral. She's screwed up in the head."
"I don't know what my brother ever saw in her, but whatever."
"I gotta give Alex her props for that though. Everybody's around here putting up with Trice and being nice to her, Alex drew the line and apparently Trice crossed it and got a taste of something she's been asking for but wasn't expecting."
"True." He mumbled. "Honestly, I thought you'd be the one to beat her up, certainly not Alex. She seems way too sweet."
Angel gasped. "Me?" She asked with her hand on her chest.
"Baby, don't act like you don't remember you being real feisty and snappy back then. You were full of anger and always had an attitude."
"But I'm not like that anymore." She defended.
"I know, but that doesn't mean that you don't have it in you to slap a bitch when she gets outta line with you." He laughed.
She laughed with him. "Whatever."
"See, you didn't even deny it, so I must be right."
"I just know how to handle those kind of situations much better now than I did before."
"And I'm still proud of you for that." He kissed her cheek.
The doorbell rang. "I'll get that." She got up and went down the stairs. She knew her children weren't going to answer the door.
Approaching the door, she opened it and it was Alex. "Hey!" She said with a smile.
"Hi."
"I wasn't expecting you until later on." Angel said, welcoming Alex into the house.
"I know, I hope it's no big deal with me coming this early." Alex said.
"No, no, it's fine." Angel closed the door after Alex walked in. "Me and Derrick were just talking about you."
"Oh yeah?" Alex followed Angel into the kitchen.
"Now, I want to keep my mouth shut, but is it true?" Angel asked.
"Is what true?" Alex was confused.
"Did you really beat that woman up?" "
"How'd you find out?" Alex asked as embarrassment took over her face.
"Girl, our husbands are gossip girls." Angel laughed.
Alex sucked her teeth. "I see. I told him not to tell anyone."
"Girl, I just wanna give you your props for that. She deserves to hit in the face. And you should have known Drew was gonna tell his brother. They're so messy." Angel joked.
"I know right!" Alex shook her head. "But, girl yes, she tried me, and I nearly lost it."
"Let me pour you some wine before you get worked up again." Angle grabbed a bottle of wine that was already sitting on the countertop/
"Umm, actually, no thank you. No wine for me." Alex kindly rejected.
Angel froze and stared at Alex for a slight second. "No wine?" She asked.
"No, I'm cutting back from the alcohol."
"Are you pregnant?" Angel asked as a smile crept on her face.
Alex let out a light chuckle. "No, but, we're trying."
"Oh my goodness! That's exciting!" Angel put the wine bottle back where she'd grabbed it from.
"It will be once it happens." Alex mumbled.
"What?" Angel looked at her.
"Nothing." Alex said. "Where are the kids?" She looked around.
"Girl, everywhere." Angel rolled her eyes. "JJ in the lving room playing that damn game, Zach is somewhere, probably bothering his sister, and Heaven is..." she paused and smile. "Girl, Heaven started her period today." Angel placed her hand on her chest.
"Awe." Alex smiled. "Zach might not want to mess with her then." She joked.
"She's so sad, it's actually kind of funny, but she's taking it all so well, you know? She was expecting it and it was like she's been preparing for it."
"Wait until those symptoms hit her."
"Those symptoms are a bitch!" Angel laughed.
"Tell me about it. It makes us women seem like we're so crazy." Alex commented.
Angel laughed. "We are crazy. We just have to remind people once a month to not play with us!"
"Mine would be twice this month. That was just a preview I gave that woman. I just feel bad about it though." She said.
"Feel bad? Why?" Angel questioned. "I'm sure she asked for it."
"Because Joy saw it happen. I feel like she's gonna see me differently, you know?"
"I see what you're saying. It's bad enough that her own mom can't set an example for her, so I get what you mean." Angel leaned on the counter.
"Yea, things have been pretty awkward around the house lately, so I'm gonna try and talk to her tonight, hopefully."
"Just do what you can."
"I am. I love that girl like she's my own and I certainly don't want to lose her trust or have her turn on me because of that."
"Totally understand."
"Okay, so on to this party that we need to be working on." Alex clamped her hands together, wanting to change the subject. "Don't need it getting too late and have Drew calling me all worried."
Angel let out a laugh. "True."
For the next hour and a half, the two women talked and begin to plan things for the get-together.