"So, you want a Chalupa supreme, and, a large coke?" The girl on the intercom asked boredly. DeShaun leaned out his car window and looked over the menu one last time.

"Yeah, I think thats all that I want." He nodded and sat down in the car again.

"Ok, 7.66, first window please." The intercom said. The speech was broken and the voice sounded warped, the effects of the microphone.

"Yup." DeShaun said, pulling up in the deserted parkinglot. No one was at Taco Bell at 11:53 PM. No one in their right mind anyways. DeShaun chuckled, he was definatly not in his right mind. He turned the radio up slightly as Missy Elliots 'Get your Freak on' came on the station.

He pulled the car up to the first window and drummed his fingers on the dashboard to the beat of the song, as he waited for his order to come. The sliding glass windows opened and he held out a 20 dollar bill. The girl reached out her hand, grabbed the money from him without looking at him, and put it into the cash register. She typed a few buttons and adjusted her microphone. A minutes later she handed him his change and a receipt.

"Thank you sir, 12.34 is your change, and have a nice, er, rest of the night." The girl said, taking his bag from the counter beside her, and handing it to him through the window.

"You too." He said, taking the bag and grinning up at the chick as she rolled her eyes and closed the windows. He smirked and shook his head, putting the bag in the passenger seat beside him and pressing the gas button gently, moving him ahead.

He sighed and looked into the bag, making sure that they got his order right, and glanced at the almost empty parkinglot before him. He looked back down at the bag and went through it. He grinned, seeing that he had everything, and looked up, only a second before seeing another car coming straight at him.

"Fuck!" He exclaimed, hitting the breaks quickly, which wasnt quick enough. The car that was pulling out from the side smacked into the front of his car, it wasnt going very fast, so it couldnt have done much damage, but it bumped him a little bit. He took a deep breath, and looked up at the ceiling as the woman got out of the car that hit him, and walked over to his drivers side window.

He rolled down the window, expecting to see a fat old woman that was gonna yell at him for not looking where he was going, but instead he was pleasantly surprised. He looked up at a thin girl, who looked to be in her late 20's, just around his age. He grinned at her and she scowled back down at him, causing his grin to fade.

"Didnt you see me? I had my blinker on!" She yelled.

"Im sorry, I wasnt looking, any damage done to the cars?" He asked, looking up into her deep blue eyes. She looked so familiar-

"How could I tell?" She asked, her voice sounded different, not angry anymore, just confused. She walked away from the window and over towards where the cars had collided. He had his hand on the doorhandle and he turned the car off and got out, following her to the front of the car.

"Yeah, theres not much. Look, see that front fender is a little bumped up, your gonna have a dent, but itll be ok." He said, showing her the dent in the front of her car.

"Oh SHIT!" She sighed. "This isnt my car."

"Well, um, then your screwed." DeShaun said matter of factly.

She glared at him. "This is my fiancees car. I dont have a car, I just got my license 3 months ago." She said, sighing. "3 months and already I wreck a car."

"Only had your license 3 months? How old are you?" He asked, squinting through the darkness.

"26." She said, sighing.

"Me too. Why are you just getting your license now? Didnt you get it when you were a teenager?"

"Because, I just havent needed it until now." She shook her head. "What do I do now?" She asked, looking over at him.

"Well, now we trade insurance companys and shit."

"Oh great. I dont know the insurance agency!"

"Its ok. You can give me your phone number and Ill call you tommorow or whatever, and your fiancee can gimme the insurance info."

"Thank you." She said gratefully. "Im really sorry."

"Its not your fault, dont worry about it. Im sorry about everything."

"Yeah, guess we both are at fault." She mumbled looking through her purse and pulling out her drivers license. She handed it to him and he looked it over.

Lataya Woodson!? He looked at the picture next to the name. Sure enough, it was the girl in front of him. Lataya Woodson, he couldnt believe it. He looked back at the woman in front of him, standing, looking off at some car across the street as she waited for him to look at her license.

She looked good, she was thin, but not too thin. She had just the right amount of meat on her body, and her eyes were still the same beautiful blue they had always been. He couldnt believe the last time he saw her, she was laying in a hospital bed, pale as a ghost, scars all over her throat and wrist, her eyes were darker and greyer back then. Now they were just a beautiful deep blue, the kind of eyes you could get lost in.

"Fuck, Lataya Woodson?" He asked, looking up. She looked at him at the mention of her name and cleared her throat.

"Yeah..." She said slowly, getting a little uncomfortable with the situation. She obviously didnt recognize him.

DeShaun grinned evilly and decided to scare her a little. "So, you grew up in Detriot right? 1511 East Street?"

"Um, who-?"

"You lived with your mom, and your dad," He said slowly. She nodded and gave him a clueless look. "And, you got kept back in the 9th grade?"

"Who the fuck-?" She shook her head and started getting a little scared.

"And, you always hung around with that boy...What was his name?" DeShaun asked, grinning.

"Oh my god." Lataya said slowly, inspecting DeShaun. The same grin that he always used to grin, the same eyes, he looked like a huskier Chris Rock. A grin slowly spread across her face as she realized who he was. "D?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer, trying to get a better look at him. He nodded and she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. "DeShaun!? Oh my GOD! I cant believe this!"

"Hey girl! You out!" He said, laughing and pulling away from her. "What the FUCK are you doing hitting my car at midnight? Huh?" He asked jokingly.

"DeShaun Holton." She said, grinning at him. "Like I expected to hit you today. DAMN I cant believe this! This is crazy!"

"How long you been out for?" He asked, questions swimming around in his head, but that was the one that seemed to surface itself.

"About 2 years ago. Oh my god! What the hell? This is so fucking weird." She laughed and hugged him again. "Look, your not the scrawny little boy you were 13 years ago!"

"I grew up girl, so aint you! Look, you got figure!" He said, checking her out.

She giggled and pushed him playfully. "Stop checking me out!"

"Sorry!" He laughed. "So hows my girl being taken care of? I heard you was engaged." He grinned at her.

"I am!" She held out her left hand and showed him the engagement ring.

"Ohhhh!" He said, mocking a girls voice. "I got to get myself one of these!" He laughed.

"Shut up!" She laughed and pushed him backwards again.

"Damn girl, how have you been?" He asked, more on a serious note.

She sighed and smiled, looking down. "Alot better. ALOT better. I havent talked to like, anyone that I knew before. Not even my dad." Her smile faded as she mentioned him and DeShaun could hear the hurt sound in her voice. "But Im doing alot better, and Im so glad to be out, you have no idea!" She smiled again. "How was school after I left?"

"The same, boring and miserable, except it was missing a good friend." He said, smiling warmly at her.

"Oh! I missed you so much you have no idea. I think I have to hug you until you explode or something!" She giggled and threw her arms back around him. The shock of seeing him here, hadnt totally registered with her yet.

He laughed and returned the hug, resting his chin on her shoulder and hugging her tightly. He couldnt believe she was really there again, after not seeing her for so long, he never thought he would see her again. "Damn girl. This is fucking STRANGE!"

"Yeah it is." She laughed as they pulled away again. "I see you still dress the same." She said, referring to his baggy clothes and smart ass tee shirts.

"You do to." He said, looking at her clothes, she still dressed in baggy boys jeans and girls tee shirts. "Whats with this? What do you do now?"

"Well, I didnt finish high school," She sighed. "So, I am in night school so I can get a job as a graphic designer."

"Wow. Graphic Designer huh?" DeShaun said, grinning. "Thats cool."

"Yeah. What do you do?"

"Rapper." He said simply.

"Oh, really?" She asked, totally not believing him.

"Ever heard of D12?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Girl, you MUST have heard of Eminem?" He said, in disbelief.

"Oh yeah! But I dont listen to him, are you Eminem!?" She asked. "Whoa!"

"No, Im not eminem." He shook his head. "Im in D12. Nevermind. Ill explain later. So, do you know who Eminem IS?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, eminem?" She asked. "No, I dont. I heard some of his music, just a few songs, my name is and the real slim shady, but I dont know."

"Ever seen a picture of him?" DeShaun asked.

"No, I havent. Im not really a big fan, Ill listen to him if hes on the radio but if something better is on, I'll change it. And I dont have cable so no VH1 or MTV or any of that shit." She explained. "Why?"

"Just wondering." He shrugged. "So, you remember Marshall Mathers?"

"Yeah!" She said, nodding and smiling. "What ever happened to him?" She asked.

"Oh, he dropped out of school, had a baby, married Kim Scott, and now, 12 years later, is my best friend. Hes Eminem." He said, nodding. "Thats why I was asking."

"Shit." Lataya said, looking down. "Hows he doing?"

"Fine." He said. "I talked to him a few hours ago actually. Hey, lets not stand in a parking lot and catch up ok? This isnt the most safe thing to do. Especially in the middle of Detriot. I dont have security with me."

"Sure!" She laughed.

"You wanna, drive your car and follow mine back to my house and we can talk? Or, where were you going so late at night?" He asked.

"Oh, I was actually really hungry and, I didnt feel like making anything to eat so I figured Taco Bell would hit the spot right about now. Damn. Who knew I would see you here?" She said, the irony of the situation just now sinking in.

"I know really. But come on lets go back to my place, if you want, and talk."

"Sure!" She said, grinning. He nodded towards the cars and they got into the car.

"Hey!" He called before he pulled out of the parkinglot. "Incase you lose me or something, you want my address and number?"

"Yeah, thatd help!" She grinned. He gave her his address and phone number and they started on their way back to DeShauns house. DeShaun ate his Taco Bell on the way, it was getting cold from sitting in the car. He couldnt believe that he actually talked to Lataya Woodson tonight. Lataya, his BEST FRIEND when they were kids, and now, he was talking to her again. He was shocked and confused.

He had to tell Marshall about this, he would die. Every so often he would talk about Lataya, comparing her to Kim, and he would always say that he wondered where she was now, and if she was alright. He had always told DeShaun how he wondered what would have happened if Kim hadnt come between them. There was on awy to find out, but at least now they could talk to Lataya again, and at least Lataya was alright.

She brought out a kind of innocence that he only had when he was that age, they had shared so many memories together. It was unbelievable they had met up, and totally came as a shock that he hit her with his car backing out of a Taco Bell at midnight.

She was shocked too. She felt so happy to see DeShaun, she never thought she would see him again. And even though she was mad at Marshall the last time she saw him, she really wouldnt mind seeing him again and talking to him and stuff, just for old times.

It was late by the time that they got to DeShauns house, and they went inside and sat down at the kitchen table. They just stared at each other for a few minutes, in awe. Finally DeShaun spoke.

"So, whoa, this is weird. But like, god, girl, I missed you!" He exclaimed. She laughed.

"I missed you to, jeez, you could have been easier to get a hold of yanno. I tried calling you right after I got out, and like, I couldnt find listings for DeShaun Holton ANYWHERE in Detriot. I found one in Pennsylvania though. Somehow, I didnt think that was you..." She said slowly.

"Its not! But jeez, well I kept getting fans calling here so I left the number as unlisted and hoped no one got hold of it. Yo, did you try looking up Marshall?" He asked.

"No." She said shortly. She didnt want him to know that she wasnt mad at him anymore, she was to proud and stubborn. "Did you tell him those things I told you, like, that day at the hospital?"

"You remember that?" He asked, grinning.

"Yeah, you know, in the hospital not much happens, so, I thought about you and Marshall and all the times we had so much fun. It was the onyl thing I had, yanno? My memories. Thats all I had. And, we were allowed to have visitors, around holidays and shit."

"Shit, If I knew that I would have dropped by." He said, feeling bad that he didnt go visit her.

"Its alright, I didnt know until after I talked to you, and it was to late." She shrugged and looked down.

"So, did your dad go down and see ya?" He asked, not sure of the answer.

She looked at the table,and played around with her hands. "No..." She said quietly. "I havent seen him since I first got put in there, and he didnt talk to me. I um, heard that he died, 5 years ago." She cleared her throat.

"Im sorry..." DeShaun said, feeling bad.

"Dont be." She said shortly. She exhaled loudly and looked up at him. "He apparently, met some girl, and they went to a party and got drunk, and on the way back they drove their car off a turn ramp on the highway and caused a huge pile up, with like 4 cars. No one survived."

"I heard about that." DeShaun nodded. "Im sorry."

"I already said dont be. Hes an asshole. You KNOW hes an asshole."

"Yeah, I know." He said, looking down.

"So you talk to Marshall huh?" She asked.

"Yup. Still, we like, best friends now." He said nodding.

"Thats cool. And you said he married Kim?" She asked curiously. Thinking about Kim opened old scars that she didnt want to open again, but she knew she had to eventually.

"Yeah." DeShaun cleared his throat, knowing how things were between Lataya and Kim made this an awkward moment.

"So, is she different now?"

"Um, no, shes still the same bitch she always was. I tell you this though, she treats him like shit. She treats him seriously like shit. I dont know why he put up with it all this time, maybe for Hailie." DeShaun said, shrugging.

"Hailie?" She questioned.

"Their daughter, shes 6 now, God Marshall worships that kid. Shes everything to him." He said, shaking his head and grinning.

Lataya smiled. Marshall sounded the same, still as sweet as before. "Thats sweet. Shes cute?"

"Yeah, she is, shes adorable." He laughed. "He made this song, about killing Kim and dumping her dead body in a river or something, and bringing Hailie along for the ride when he went to dispose of the body. It was hilarious." He laughed again.

Lataya grinned evilly. "Sounds like Id like that song. God she was such a bitch back then. Ugh, cant believe that stupid prick went and married her." She rolled her eyes. "And you said she dont even treat him good? Whats going on with him?"

"He tried to break up with her like, a million times. But you know as well as I do, if Kim wants something, Kim finds a way of getting it. And Kim wanted Marshall. I dont talk to Kim if I can avoid it." He shrugged. "One time, last year, we was at a night club, and Kim and her sister and me and Marshall, and Byron and John were all tlaking, and Kim jumped Marshall and Byron had me hold back Kim and he was holding back Marshall, and Kim punched me in the jaw, it was fucking madness. And then like, later that night she got arrested for drunk driving. Ha, that was interesting. Marshall was worried though. Even though shes a bitch, he still worries about her. Maybe he likes her deep down. But from all the shit he says about her, you wouldnt be able to tell."

"Ahh." Lataya sighed. "I dont see how he could like her, but I dont know. I feel bad for saying that because, I really dont wanna hold a grudge or anything...and I feel like Im judging her." She leaned back in the chair.

"This is Kim we talking about." He said, raising both eyebrows.

She laughed. "I know, but lets not talk about her anymore."

"Fine by me." He laughed.

"You know, Im glad we met up again. Thanks for being my friend, way back then. I know people gave you alot of shit for it, and stuff, but you really were the only person in my life that stuck by me. So thank you." She said, looking up at him and smiling.

"Dont thank me. Dont thank me. Im glad we were friends, Ive missed you girl."

"Ive missed you too. But, I really gotta be going. My fiancee is probably wondering where the fuck I am."

"Whos your fiancee?" DeShaun asked.

"Matt Knowings. Hes really nice. Hes awesome." She said, smiling as she said his name. DeShaun could tell that she liked him alot.

"Yeah? How long you known him for?"

"About a year and a half." She said, nodding. "We just got engaged like, 3 months ago. I was so happy. I love him." She said, laughing. "But you dont wanna hear about that, I should get going."

"Yeah, its late. Listen, Im having a party this weekend, you and your husband guy should come." DeShaun said, as they both stood up.

"Husband guy?" She laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Sure we can come. Its here right?"

"Yeah." He said nodding. "You have my number?"

She nodded. "You have mine too from insurance right?"

"Sure, call me ok?"

"You call me too ok?"

"Sure." He laughed. "Ill talk to you later girl, dont lose that number, and call me about saturday!"

"I will." She said as they walked towards the door. She had her jacket hanging over one arm, and the peice of paper in her hand. When they got to the door, she reached up and hugged him again, with one arm. He returned it, grinning happily.

"Bye D." She smiled up at him and walked out of the house.

"See ya Lataya." He said, watching her get into the car and pull out of the driveway. This day was too weird.