Part Nine Of "Long Distance Loce"
by Jamaal
(TeamXtremeDude@aol.com)
**Late October 1999**
Beyonce sat in her room waiting for Kelly to come in. They were gonna talk about everything that was going down between them and LaTavia & LeToya. Beyonce and Kelly thought that they had changed but the truth was all of them had changed. The girls had gotten older, they drifted apart and they let the success of "the Writing's On The Wall" get to their heads. It was triple platinum now. Still, they didn't see it that way. It wasn't like they weren't getting along, they just weren't as close. Beyonce and Kelly insisted that they had changed ever since they got with Brandon and Brian. LaTavia and LeToya thought that Matthew wasn't treating them the same as Beyonce & Kelly. All of this conflict wasn't shown in public though. In the public's eyes, they were a happy girl group. The girls wanted it to be like that for real but it just wasn't happening. Beyonce really didn't want Destiny's Child to end like all the other girl groups. This group was her life and she didn't know what she would do without it. Most of all, she didn't want to let all the fans down. They meant the world to her and she would feel awful if the group that she had sacrificed so much for would have to come to an end.
Beyonce's room had turned into a Matt Hardy haven. She had framed pictures of him everywhere and all she watched was his wrestling matches. Solange would record wrestling for her whenever she was gone. Beyonce thought about him constantly and had written tons of songs about him. They wrote letters back and forth to each other too. It had been a month since they hooked up. Her mother had fussed Beyonce out because of her cell phone bills since she was always talking to Matt as well. It was all about Matthew Moore Hardy.
"You've got mail." Kelly imitated the AOL voice as she tossed a package to Beyonce when she came in.
"Who is this from?" Beyonce asked.
"Stop asking me stupid questions."
Beyonce laughed. She knew exactly who it was from. It was from Matt. She put her ear to the it and shook the package.
"He could not have possibly remembered our one month anniversary."
"One month anniversary." Kelly rolled her eyes as she sat down on the bed with Beyonce.
"He's got the most sexiest handwriting." Beyonce said as she looked at the way he wrote her address on the package.
"Girl, open the damn package!"
Beyonce opened the package to see a letter. She smiled and un-folded it. She skimmed it and touched her heart.
"What does it say?"
*********
Dear Beyonce,
What's up, girl? Happy one-month anniversary. Yes, I did remember and I'm so happy that we've survived one month without any problems. I got you a little gift from when me & Jeff were in Los Angeles for Raw.
I asked Amy about it and she said you would love it so I hope you like it. You have no idea how proud I am of you and the group. I was psyched when I heard the album had sold over three million copies. You deserve it, girl and I wish you four nothing but the best in the future. Hopefully, you'll work things out with Tavia and Toya because y'all are too talented to break up. I've been looking at the tour schedule for us and it doesn't look like I'll be seeing you anytime soon but we might be able to find us a way to see each other. Me and Jeff are so happy with all the praise we're still getting from the Ladder Match at No Mercy. We feel that we have finally made it as WWF Superstars and it feels great. Oh yeah, speaking of great things, Amy just signed a contract with the WWF! She's finally made it and you know Amy, she is just going crazy about it. I don't know when she'll be on television or who they're gonna pair her with but I'll keep you informed. Well, I gotta go now. I'll be thinking about you. I look forward to when we talk again. I love you. Take care.
Sincerely,
Matt
*********
Beyonce folded the letter back up and sighed hapilly as she fell back on the bed.
"Do you have any idea how much I love that boy?" Beyonce said with a huge smile on her face.
"Here's something else that was in the package." Kelly handed her a jewerly box.
"Oh, my god. What did he buy me now?" Beyonce un-tied the red string from the box.
"Y'all always buying each other. I can't believe you bought him those $150 Timberland boots."
"If I wanna buy my baby some shoes, I'll buy him some-"
Beyonce gasped as she opened the box. It was a platinum necklace with a charm on it that read "Beyonce and Matt." Kelly stared at it with amazement in her eyes. It was so beautiful and shiny. Tears started to form in Beyonce's eyes. She reached her hand out as she started crying. Kelly knew exactly what she was saying. She got her phone from the cradle and handed it to Beyonce. She continued crying as she dialed Matt's cell phone number.
"Hello?"
"I love you." Beyonce sobbed.
"I love you too, baby. What's wrong?"
"This necklace you got me. It's so beautiful." Beyonce cried as Kelly got up off the bed to get her some tissue.
"Oh, you got the gift! Happy anniversary."
Beyonce sobbed onto the tissue that Kelly gave her.
"Don't cry, baby."
"I ain't sad. I'm just so happy you're in my life."
"Well, I am too. Where are you?"
"I'm at home. Here in my room with Kelly. Where are you?"
"I'm driving home. Jeff is in the back sleeping. Put on the necklace and think of me, okay? You've already got two necklaces now."
"I'm putting it on now. I'll never take it off just like I never take off the other one. You wearing your shoes?"
"I sure am but let me call you back. My battery is about to go out. I'll be home in two minutes."
"Okay. I love you."
"You too. Glad you liked it."
Beyonce hung up the phone and looked at Kelly.
"He's more than a man, girl."
"Yeah, he's cool but look, what are we gonna do about LaTavia and LeToya?"
"I don't know and I don't care. I love them but they have changed. It seems to me they care about their boyfriends more than the group."
"Exactly and you know that ain't right. I love them too but I think something bad is gonna happen. I'm just afraid."
"Well, I will say that it's not right what daddy is doing to them but I can't control his actions. That's my father and he ain't gonna listen to me."
Beyonce and Kelly jumped as the door burst opened as a furious Matthew Knowles stepped in with a piece of paper in his hands.
"LOOK AT THIS! LOOK AT THIS!" Matthew yelled as he tossed the piece of paper to the girls.
Kelly picked it up and skimmed it in question. It was a letter from LeToya and LaTavia's lawyers.
"Lawyer? What do they need a lawyer for?" Kelly asked.
"LOOK AT THAT BULLSHIT!" Matthew yelled louder than before.
"Daddy, calm down. What do all these big words mean?" Beyonce asked.
"They don't want me as their manager anymore. They want a seperate manager for themselves."
"Why do they want a seperate manager?
"They think I favor you and Kelly more than I favor them and that I don't treat you four equally as a group."
"Well, if they feel that way, give them what they want."
"No, Kelly. This ain't right. As long as we've been together, why would daddy treat them any different than you and me? He loves us all the same. After all the sacrifices he's made for this group, they can't see that?! They know EVERYTHING my daddy gave up for Destiny's Child. How can they....after everything we've been through, money is all that matters to them?!" Beyonce said as tears began running down her face.
“Well, we have a much bigger problem than that right now baby. The album is doing monster sales and the demand for you girls is high. I just don’t know what to do. Why did they have to pick now to do this? Now you see my point. Columbia Recors isn't gonna deal with two managers!” He yelled, putting his head in his face, weighing the severity of the matter at hand.
"I don't give a fuck about Columbia Reocrds! What I do give a fuck about is the group and our fans! How can they do this to them? They don't care, they can't care, they must not care about the people who buy the tapes and CDs with Tavia and Toya's voices on it! They're the ones who spend money to see Tavia and Toya perform...but obviously, their money was wasted because they didn't care! All they want is fuckin' money! How can do they do this to me and Kelly?! Do they have any idea how much this group means to us? We've worked our asses off since we were nine to get where we are and we formed a bond with them but as soon as the damn money pours in, they decide they want more!" Beyonce yelled as she noticed Kelly crying since she now understood every word she was saying.
"Why couldn't they tell us this to our faces? They know we wouldn't do anything to hurt them." Kelly sobbed.
"They've changed, they're not the friends...the sisters we THOUGHT we once had. That's quite obvious with this letter." Beyonce tossed the letter to the ground with more tears running down her face and laid down on the bed.
Matthew looked at his two daughters with concern in his eyes. He never realized how much Destiny's Child meant to them and how much they cared about the fans. Kelly just cried a river onto Beyonce's bed and just stared at the ground with her now blood shot eyes. Beyonce was shivering and stared into space as a tear would occasionally fall from her eyes.
"And where does that leave Destiny's Child...nowhere." Beyonce sobbed as her voice trembled.
"Leave, Matthew." Kelly said in a serious tone without looking up.
"But-"
"Just leave!"
Matthew left the room slowly as he close the door. Beyonce's whole body was trembling on her bed like a cold infant. Beyonce's hand struggled to reach her phone. There was only two people who could help her right now. God and the man who she couldn't live without, Matt Hardy. She laid on the bed while slowly pressing the numbers that had become so familar to her.
“Hello?”
A fresh round of tears started as she heard the southern drawl of Matt’s voice.
“Beyonce is that you? Baby are you ok?” He asked, the concern evident in his voice.
“Matt, the group is finished. My career is over.”
He heard the tears become louder over the phone and his heart broke. Whatever had happened between the group of girls was major and he couldn’t help but feel sorry for everyone involved.
“What do you mean the group is finished. Beyonce let me into that head of yours. What’s going on?”
“LeTavia and LeToya went to a lawyer yesterday and tried to have their contract with my dad annulled. They say they want new managers, more money, and out of the contract. Do you know what that’s going to do to this group? If we don’t have unity we can’t go any further.” She said as she felt the salty, hot, tears fall into her mouth as she rolled over, clutching a pillow to her stomach.
"No, Beyonce. This is your dream. You worked your cute little butt off ever since you were a girl to get where you are today. I know you're not gonna give up Destiny's Child that easily. No way, man."
“My life is over as far as I’m concerned because if I can’t sing Matt, I don’t want to live. This is everything I have ever worked so hard for in my life and now someone wants to take it away from me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”
"It's obvious that you were put on this Earth to sing, sweethart, and somehow, you're gonna have to get through this. Maybe you, Kelly, LaTavia and Toya can conquer this and be a stronger unit."
"There is no LaTavia and LeToya. They knew exactly what they were doing when they sent this letter! They don't care! They turned their backs on me and Kelly after putting so much trust and faith into our friendship and they turned their backs on the fans...and nothing turns me off more than that. A girl group can't survive that way and that means Destiny's Child is over." Beyonce just cried her heart out to Matt.
"Bullshit. Why don't you and Kelly just go on as a duo?"
"I don't know, baby. They just want new managers, they don't want to be out of the group. They would probably go to court with that. That tells me a lot about our 'friendship.' I feel so used. I just don't know how I can tell these people who support and love our music so much that it's just over." Beyonce cuddled with her pillow more as she continued to cry.
“Baby, nobody can tell you how to feel. You’re gonna have to run through the motions yourself and just see how everything plays out. I'm sorry that this is happening to you and I understand that you are upset, but you’ve gotta promise me you’re going to calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Listen, why don’t you go take a shower, and then get some rest. Everything will look better once you feel better. Ok?” He said in a soothing voice.
Beyonce nodded her head even though she knew he couldn’t see it and whispered yes to him.
“Just remember, that if you and Kelly are strong you can get through anything in this business. If you and me are strong…we can get through anything in life. I love you, don’t forget that. I’ll call you later on to see how you’re doing.” He said making a kissing noise into the phone.
“Alright, I love you too.”
They hung up and Beyonce looked at Kelly leaving to go to her room. She wanted to be left alone. Before Beyonce went to take a shower, she fell on her knees and went to the one person who would listen to her when no one else would, God. She closed her eyes and put her hands together. All of a sudden, the words just began to flow out of her mouth.
"God...I come to you in prayer, asking that, You would...send me and Kelly a blessing. An angel. Something to help us survive this. I don't what I have done to...deserve this but I deeply apologize and regret whatever I did to deserve this. After all we've been through, you obviously have another plan for me and Kelly. Somehow, through Matt's words, I feel that...Destiny's Child isn't over yet. I honestly and deeply feel like it is and I can't shake that thought out of my head but something tells me that we'll get through this. I'm not asking for much, God. I just wanna say...two things. First of all, thank You for already sending me an angel in Matt. He shows me the light when all around me is dark. He helps me get through the toughest situations. I know I can depend on my boyfriend when everyone else doesn't wanna listen and I want to thank You...no words can express the gratitude I have towards You for sending Matt to me. Thank You so much and I just want You to bless him for the saint that he is. And the last thing I wanna say is...once again, God...I don't know what it will be. I don't know who it will be. I don't even know if it's a person...I'm just asking that you would send me and Kelly an angel, a blessing, some kind of savior from everything that's happening in our lives right now...thank You for listening to me yet again, God. I love you. In your son's name I pray, Amen." Beyonce cried harder onto the bed after she prayed and just sat there on her knees for a minute.
But after awhile, she took a deep breath and remembered Matt's words, as she went into the bathroom to take a shower, hoping that the warm water would wash all her problems away.
Part Ten Of "Long Distance Love"
by Jamaal
(TeamXtremeDude@aol.com)
**November 1999**
Matt rolled over on his bed, looked at the clock and sighed. It was 2:47 in the morning. He was exhuasted. He had a real stressful week with everything that was transpiring in his life at the moment. He had been talking to Beyonce ever since 4:07 yesterday morning. It wasn't as if Matt was sick of her, it was just that he had tons of errands to run. He would have to fly out to New Jersey for the weekend's house shows the day after tomorrow. Yet, Beyonce showed no signs of getting better. She just continued to pray and weep. She had been in bed for about four weeks now. Throughout this time of struggle, she just depended on her pastor at her church, St. John's United Methodist Church. She wouldn't talk to her parents, Solnage, Kelly or anyone else that wanted her to feel better. Matt learned from his mistakes with Amy and had been sacrificing tons of his time to be there for Beyonce. This was really when she needed him the most and she honestly would have killed herself long ago if Matt hadn't had been there. Despite Matt's stress, he was gonna keep talking to his girl until she got back to her normal self.
"Beyonce, honey, you've been in bed four weeks now. You're gonna make yourself more sick than what you already are." Matt spoke into the phone.
"What's the point of getting up if I can't sing? None whatsoever. It would be worthless and I don't wanna waste nobody's time."
"You owe it to God, yourself and to me to get up. I'm telling you, Bee, Destiny's Child ain't over. I just know it. You've gotta believe in yourself like I believe in you."
"I love you for that, Matt. I really do. Somehow, I just don't see things the way you are. I mean, I've made calls to see if anyone would be interested in joing the group but they haven't gotten returned. My life is miserable without no Destiny's Child." Beyonce sobbed.
"Exactly. Your life is miserable because you won't get out that bed! You have to get up, put on a happy face and re-create Destiny's Child. You have to forget about the past. You've gotta leave that old shit behind. You've come too far to turn back now. God still wakes you up every morning so your purpose for Him obviously ain't over, girl. You've come so close to committing suicide but you've always changed your mind at the last minute so you must know it in your heart as well as I do."
"You know, I absolutely feel the same way you do when Pastor Rasmus is counseling me. Yet, after awhile, I'm depressed again."
"Yeah, every time we talk after you go to his appointments, you sound great. Your relationship with God is amazing but it could be stronger. I think when you reach that level, you'll be the same again. You'll probably even change. How's Kelly?"
"I don't know. We're dealing with this by ourselves. I only see her at church. We're just getting some space from each other right now."
"Are you still not eating?" Matt asked as he kept turning the channel with the television remote.
"I hear mama call Solange and Kelly for dinner but I just stay up here and cry or tlak to you."
"That's not healthy, Bee. You need to eat something. You can't let this get the best of you and that's exactly what you're doing."
"Can you blame?! I'm just...I'm...so confused." Beyonce cried again.
Matt sighed, got up, left his room to go to the bathroom, he turned on the sink and splashed some water on his face. He honestly didn't know what to do. He would give anything to make his girlfriend feel better but it was like his words went into one ear and went out the other. He sat down on the bathroom floor and leaned against the door.
Jeff was just about to walk out of his room to pick up his girlfriend, Beth, from the airport, when he noticed Matt with a sad look on his face. He looked at Matt for a minute and noticed something. He looked the exact same way he did when Amy dumped him, except this time, he looked worse. The look on Matt's face scared him. It really did. He had never seen Matt so sorrowful. Matt's matches hadn't exactly been their best ever since Beyonce became depressed. It was as if they were going through the exact same thing. Jeff had the feeling that something bad was gonna happen but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Look, Beyonce, I really want nothing more than for you to get better. I'm trying my best to do my responsibility as your boyfriend to help your achieve that but all I'm trying to say is this has gone on for too long. You are a very strong female and I know you can't see it but I can. You are going to get through this. Something or someone is gonna come along to stop all your problems. I can gurantee that to you and until that happens, you really need to wake up and realize that God ain't gonna do all the work. You have to put forth some effort to get through this too."
Matt sat scared for awhile since he heard nothing but silence for a minute. He hoped he hadn't had upset Beyonce. That's the last thing he needed now. After awhile, Matt broke the silence.
"Beyonce, what are you doing?"
"I just...got up out the bed and opened the door."
"Are you serious?!" Matt asked hapilly as he got up quickly.
"Yeah."
"What changed your mind?"
"What you just said. I don't know what it was about what you said but...it just felt right. It was so true. I thought about it and just got up. God has another plan for Destiny's Child and I have to accept it, not reject it."
"Now, you are talking some sense, baby."
"I think-"
Matt listened as he heard a door open on the phone.
"Who is that?"
"I'm going into Kelly's room. Hold on."
Matt could tell she put the phone on the carpet but he could hear every word they were now saying.
"Hey, Kelly."
"Oh, my god! You came out your room! You came out! What changed your mind...wait a minute, there go the phone, it must have been Matt."
"Yeah, my baby."
Matt blushed and went back into his room to play his PlayStation.
"I was just getting dressed for our appointment with Pastor Rasmus."
"Oh, yeah! I forgot all about that!"
"Wait! Wait! Before you go, I god some good news. Apparently, someone called back Matthew and there's two people who want to be in Destiny's Child."
Matt smiled and silently said "Yes" as he continued to listen to their conversation.
"You're kidding me!"
"No, their names are Tenetria and Farrah. I was gonna tell you earlier but you were locked up in that room for about a month. I'm really glad you came out, Bee."
"This is just amazing. In such a short amount of time...so much has changed for me."
"Let's go talk to Pastor Rasmus about it."
"Okay, girl. Let me go get dressed....hey, Matt?"
"Yes?"
"I'll call you later after I get back. I have a lot of things to talk about. Thank you so much for putting up with me, baby. I really appreciate it, boo."
"No problem at all. Anything for you. I'll be waiting for your call. Love you."
"I love you too. Bye."
***********
Matt sat in his room three house later, still waiting for Beyonce to call. He had figured they would be back sooner, but he still had gotten no word.
To say he was a bit worried and a bit hurt would be an understatement. His world had revolved around her for the last month. Every free moment had been spent calling her, worrying about her, cheering her up, and just plain wanting to be with her. It was as if he had been replaced in a matter of minutes.
Cursing when he heard someone knock on his door, he got up, reluctantly letting the phone go from his grasp. He pulled the door open, fully intent on telling the person who was behind the door to leave him the hell alone, he stopped when he saw that it was Amy, who was wearing tight blue jeans and a white tank top.
“Hey.” He said quietly, throwing the phone behind him, not wanting to appear as dependent on his girlfriend as he really was.
"Hey, I just wanted to come over and check on you."
"Thanks. I appreciate that, Amy. Come on in."
Amy knew her way around the Hardy household so just went on in the always clean living room and sat down as Matt followed.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, thanks. Matt, I came here 'cause I'm worried about you. This thing with Beyonce is really stressing you out."
"Yeah, it is. There's a reason for that though. I mean, this whole time, I haven't really had the chance to talk to anyone but Beyonce. It's just that...everyone is so busy."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Matt. I had no idea." Amy said as she put her arm around him.
"I'm not mad at them or anything. I understand that they don't have the time. I would talk to dad but he's still trying to accept the fact that I'm with Beyonce. He had his heart set on me and you staying together. So I don't wanna make it any worse for him right now. Jeff has been spending all his free time with Beth and I can't really talk to him on the road since he's sleeping every chance he gets. Shane is too busy with WCW and...you've been too busy getting all your contracts straight with the WWF."
Amy felt awful. She had no idea that Matt wanted to talk to her when he needed her the most just like how Beyonce needed Matt. She just took Matt in her arms and held him for a minute.
"This is really hard for you, isn't it?"
"Yes, I don't want Beyonce to end up doing something stupid. If I were to tell her my feelings about all this, she would be more depressed than what she already is. So I've had to keep them all to myself."
"I'm so sorry. If I would've known, I would have put everything on hold just for you. Why didn't you tell me you felt this way earlier?"
"I don't know. I hurt you so bad before that I didn't wanna do anything to mess up the friendship we have now."
"Exactly. We have a friendship. I don't give a fuck what's happened in the past, you come to me when you need to talk to me. Don't you ever think like that again, Matt."
"Okay, it's just been hard for me knowing that none of my friends can be there for me."
Amy got up quickly and looked at Matt.
“Look, we gotta change this sad mood of yours, man. I want you to join me clubbing. If not, I have to go by myself, something I don’t wanna do.” She said smiling down at him.
He had to admit, her idea was appealing. Jeff was busy with Beth who had flown in that morning and he was feeling pretty much like a pansy sitting around waiting for Beyonce to call.
Matt looked back at the phone and then back at the woman in front of him. It was as if he was dealing with his past and present all at once and he wasn’t sure which way to go. His heart yelled for him to stay and wait for Beyonce, but his head yelled at him to not sit around and wait for her.
“Let me get my jacket.” He said as they smiled at one another and left arm in arm.
***********
They arrived at the club, both bobbing their heads to the beat of the bass pounding from the speakers located all around the club. Seeing no one that they knew, Amy held out her hand to his.
“For old times.” She said as an explanation.
He hesitantly took her hand and lead her onto the dance floor. Thoughts of Beyonce were fleeting as he felt himself get lost in the music. They had always danced well together, he and Amy, forgetting everything that was going on with the outside world. Looking into her eyes, he was pulled in. He felt the familiar pang of love that he had felt earlier with her. As their lips were about to touch, he heard Beyonce’s voice over the speakers and pulled back, eyes wide.
“Matt, I am so sorry I don’t know what came over me.” Amy said putting her hand over her mouth.
Matt smiled wide, as he put his hand up to her.
“It’s alright because you know what? I just learned something. The minute I heard Beyonce’s voice I realized that you two are the most important women in my life and that I'm so grateful to have a friend like you.” He said twirling her around, laughing at the discovery he had just made.
"Well, I'm glad you feel that way, man. I couldn't be more happy about the fact that I just cheered you up. That's the smile I don't see enough of."
Matt smiled as he and Amy kept dancing to the Destiny's Child song. As he was dancing, Matt realized that he had never been this happy in awhile ever since he hooked up with Beyonce. His life, at the moment, couldn't be better with Amy there and that was when he knew something he had always known, Amy still had feelings for him...and he did too.
Beyonce and Kelly looked outside the front window patiently so that they could see these two girls, Tenetria and Farrah, whenever they arrived. Matthew had just called them from where he picked them up and told them they were on their way. After a month of depression, both for Kelly and Beyonce, they had finally healed from their struggles because they had a very successful meeting with Pastor Raymus. It was more than a meeting for the two ladies. It was a revealation. The pastor explained so many things to them and they were so lifted, so thankful, so influenced by it, that it felt as if God, Himself, had came into their bodies and took all the sadness away. As that was happening, they felt it. They REALLY felt it and because of that, the girls just started speaking in tongues. Pastor Raymus knew exactly what was happening to them because it had happened to him when he became a pastor. God was just taking them over and was answering all their prayerrs in that one moment. After that, the girls' lives had been changed. They had never felt so good, so inspired in their lives. It was an unbelieveable moment for them and they just cried & cried afterwards because they knew it was over. The past was finally behind them and they were going to focus on the future. They were still the same two people as they were before but they were stronger and wiser. The future was obviously going to be these two new girls who wanted to be a part of Destiny's Child. Beyonce and Kelly couldn't wait to meet them.
"Beyonce, Kelly..." Tina Knowles stepped into the room where the girls were waiting.
"What is it, mama?" Beyonce asked with her eyes still looking outside.
"What are y'all gonna do to these girls?"
"What do you mean by that, mama?"
"I just wanna know what exactly y'all are gonna do to them. Are you gonna make them audition?"
"No, we're not gonna do that to them. We're just gonna welcome them into this house and just talk to them. There probably nervous enough as it is. I wouldn't wanna make their nervousness worse. We just wanna be some kind of friend to them now." Kelly explained.
"It's not gonna happen over night, you know." Tina replied.
"Yeah, we're aware of that, mama. You and Solange just be nice and respectful to them. Just talk to them as if you had known them forever." Beyonce said.
"Okay. Let me go get your sister then." Tina said as she walked away.
"I hope they like us, Kelly. I don't think we could stand another break up of this group."
"This is gonna work, Bee. I'm not gonna question whatever God has in store for us. They'll be some problems on the way, I'm sure of that, but nothing too serious. It'll just make us stronger."
"I hope you're right, girl. Farrah looks just LaTavia. Tenetria kind of looks like LeToya."
"You know how I don't go by my full name, right?"
"We might have to see what Tenetria's middle name sounds like 'cause that is kind of ghetto."
"Yeah, it is ghetto." Beyonce laughed.
"Hold up! There's the limo! There they are."
"Okay. This is it. We prayed a lot. He hasn't let us down before. He won't do it now. This is the answer to my prayers. Those girls in that limo are angels 'cause..."
"Destiny's Child is forever!" They both yelled as they opened the door.
The girls walked over to the limo. They did what was natural and tried to be as nice as possible when they came out. The girls looked at each other as the door opened. A tall girl by the name of Tenetria stepped out. She was wearing a orange Tommy Hilfiger shirt and tight Tommy jeans. Her hair was long. She had a pretty complexion. She smiled at Beyonce and Kelly.
"Hi." Tenetria shyly said, looking at the ground.
"Hey, girl!" Beyonce said as she gave her a big hug.
A short girl by the name of Farrah stepped out next. She had a kind of sophiscated look to her. She was wearing short shorts and a blue top that said "Princess" in red letters.
"Hello, how are y'all doing?" Farrah spoke to them both.
"Hi...Farrah, right?" Kelly shoke her hand.
"Yes, that's me."
"It's very nice to meet you. Did y'all have a safe trip?"
"Yeah, it was okay." Tenetria replied.
"Well, y'all better get used to it because Destiny's Child flies a lot. Come on in." Kelly directed them to the door.
"Thank y'all so much for coming. We were really happy when we heard about you."
"Yeah, well, I've always been one to take advantage of an opportunity so I was more than happy to do this." Tenetria smiled at Kelly.
"You have a beautiful home." Farrah said as she looked around the Knowles' house.
"Hello there." Tina and Solange appeared out of nowhere.
"Tenetria...Farrah...this is my mother. You can call her Miss. Tina and this is my little sister, Solnage." Beyonce introduced.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss. Tina....Solange." Tenetria and Farrah both said as they shoke their hands.
"I like your shirt." Solnage said as she pointed to Tenetria's shirt.
"Thank you."
"So where are you ladies from?" tina asked.
"I'm from Los Angeles." Farrah replied.
"I'm from a small town in Illinois. Rockford, Illinois."
"Oh, okay. I've never heard of that. Are y'all excited about this?"
"Very excited, Miss. Tina. I've never experienced an opportunity like this before." Tenetria said.
"Well, it ain't all fun and games. It requires a lot of hard work and commitment. Apparently, you two have that in you since you're here." Kelly said as they all sat down in the living room.
"That brings me to a question...I know that you two and LaTavia & LeToya were together for awhile and y'all looked so good in performances since y'all were a group for so many years. Are we gonna do something new or just master everything that they used to know?" Farrah asked.
"Well, we will definitely be praticing a whole lot whenever we get started. I can gurantee you that." Beyonce said.
"What's the first thing we're gonna do when we master everything? Are we gonna record a new album or something?" Tenetria asked.
"We still wanna release some more songs off of 'The Writing's On The Wall.' Columbia wants to release 'Jumpin, Jumpin' and 'Say My Name' before we record a new one."
"LaTavia and LeToya do know about us, right?" Farrah said.
"My husband is gonna take care of all that. Don't you worry. Y'all are in good hands."
"Yes, your husband is a very nice man."
"Thank you, Tenetria. Are any of you girls hungry?"
"I hope I don't sound rude but I am a little hungry." Tenetria said as she looked at the ground.
"You're not being rude, sweethart. Solange, help me in the kitchen."
"Yes, ma'am. Nice to meet y'all." Solange said.
"You too." Farrah and Tenetria replied as they walked into the kitchen.
"Come on, we'll show you around the house." Beyonce said as she got up.
********
Beyonce, Kelly and Tenetria got along great. They were chilling in Kelly's room now. Tenetria was telling Beyonce & Kelly stories about her old boyfriends and they all were cracking up. Farrah was silently reading a magazine to herself. She looked up as the other three girls started laughing again.
"Okay, okay, so listen, listen...so then, he goes, no matter what I do for you, it never seems to be enough. Girl...I couldn't believe he said that!"
"I've never understood boys. They're just so weird, you know. I've had so many boyfriends though. It's just unbelieveable. Some of the songs on this CD are based on a true story for me!" Kelly said before Tenetria laughed.
"You should see her box. Kelly has a shoe box of like all her past relationships. Like, she'll keep notes that her old boyfriends gave her and she has all their pictures in there. She's got ticket stubs from the movies they went to."
"I can't stand going to the movies with boys. All they wanna do is make out with you. I made out with this boy once in the movies and we got kicked out. From then on, I was like...no, you need to concentrate on the movie, not eating my pussy." Tenetria said.
Beyonce and Kelly fell out laughing. They fell in love with Tenetria. She was a comic. She liked to make people laugh and that's what they liked about her. They knew she was gonna fit in perfectly with the group. Farrah was cool but she kind of silent and to herself a lot. Beyonce & Kelly were bonding with Tenetria but that wasn't the case with Farrah. They hoped it wouldn't be a problem in the future.
"Girls! Y'all can come and get it!" Tina yelled.
"Okay, Miss. Tina!" Tenetria hapilly said as she hopped off the bed.
Farrah, with the same look on her face, put her magazine down and followed Tenetria.
"She's a little...too serious." Kelly whispered to Beyonce as she looked at Farrah.
"I know but she's friends with Tavia so you could expect her to be a little weird."
Beyonce and Kelly knew they were wrong for talking about someone behind their back but it was her first day meeting them so they expected her to feel a little awkward. The girls went downstairs and made their way to the kitchen. Tina & Solange cooked a huge meal and they couldn't wait to start eating. They sat down, Farrah said the blessing and they began to eat. While this was going on, Matthew came in with papers in his hand.
"I need your attention for a minute, girls."
They all looked up at Matthew, who was always working very hard for Destiny's Child.
"Okay, the first thing, in the morning, we start praticing. Beyonce and Kelly, I need y'all ready at 10:30 in the morning to start teaching Farrah and Tenetria everything Tavia and Toya used to know. This whole week is gonna be nothing but praticing, okay? Next week, we're gonna shoot the video for the next single."
"What did Columbia decide on, daddy?" Beyonce asked before she took a big bite out of her fried chicken.
"They decided on 'Say My Name' so we'll be shooting the video for that next week. After that, y'all have a press conference to explain what happened to Tavia & Toya and to introduce the new girls. Speaking of new girls, Tenetria..." Matthew said as he took his glasses off and sat them on the table.
"Yes?"
"We have to change your name."
"What's wrong with my name?" She asked.
"Nothing's wrong with it, honey. It's just too...ghetto."
"We are ghetto." Kelly mumbled before everyone laughed.
"I know we are but Tenetria...um...what's your middle name?"
"Michelle."
"Now, that's better! That's perfect! Beyonce, Kelly, Farrah and Michelle. Can you work with being called by your middle name from now on?"
"It'll take awhile to get used to since I'm so used to being called Tenetria but I'll try."
"Good, then, it's settled. Everyone call her Michelle from now on." Matthew said as he walked back to his office.
"He works real hard, doesn't he?" Michelle asked as she scooped up a mouthful of peas from her plate.
"Yes, he does. My daddy works very hard." Solange replied.
"You sure you don't mind being called Michelle?" Farrah asked.
"No, it's cool. It does fit in better with all of your names."
"Yes, well, as long as you're happy...Michelle." Beyonce smiled.
**********
Beyonce smiled at Michelle as she climbed into her bed. It was one in the morning now and the girls desperately needed some sleep. Kelly, Beyonce & Michelle had stayed up all night watching movies. Farrah went to bed in Kelly's room right after the big meal she ate. Beyonce and Kelly had no doubts about Michelle, but they were very skeptical about Farrah. They had also noticed that Michelle's faith in God was as deep as theirs. The girls had no problem whatsoever with that.
No sooner than when she had climbed into bed, Michelle was knocked out. That left Beyonce and Kelly, who was sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag, some time to themselves.
"Hey, Bee, i just realized something."
"What is that, Kelly?" Beyonce asked as she started filing her nails.
"You haven't called Matt in a week."
"Who?"
"Matt...Matt Hardy, your boyfriend."
"Oh, him. To be honest with you, I forgot about him ever since the day we spoke in tongues."
"What, you don't like him no more?"
"No, girl. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here today. I love that boy. It's just that my career is back in full force now that Michelle and Farrah are here."
"Hold up. You're confusing me. Awhile ago, you taked him non-stop. Now, you act like you don't even care."
"I don't know. I don't know. Nothing's wrong with our relationship. We have nothing to talk about, okay? You're asking the wrong person." Beyonce said before she tossed her nail filer to the floor, turned around and got comfortable in her bed as she tried to figure out the answer to Kelly's questions.
The End Of "Long Distance Love"
by Jamaal
(TeamXtremeDude@aol.com)
**December 1999**
Jeff and Beth were frantically making out on his couch. As his tongue was caressing her, he slowly moved his hand up her thigh. He ended the make out session and started nimbling on her neck as he went take off her short shorts with his hands. She moaned as his tongue reached a very sastisying spot on her nack. She ran her fingers through Jeff's rainbow hair.
"Hurry up...come on...come on...hurry up, Jeff...oh, yeah...damnit, what's taking you so long?! Hurry up, man...come on." Beth whispered as her breathing increased.
Jeff finally got her short shorts un-done and smiled evilly down at her. He got down on his knees and moved in closer to it. Suddenly, the front door burst open and in came Matt & Amy laughing their asses off with cotton candy and huge stuffed animals in their hands.
"Oh, man! Can you believe that dude came so close to throwing up on you on the ferris wheel?!" Amy fell back against the wall laughing as she dropped everything in her hand.
"I know, I know! Then, do you remember when they kicked us off the ride 'cause we were drunk?!" Matt laughed on Amy's shoulder.
Beth lost all the energy she had for Jeff and looked at them like they were crazy. Jeff wanted to kill them both for interrupting this. Beth zipped her shorts back up looking very pissed off.
"Fuck!" Jeff yelled as he stomped off to his bedroom.
Matt and Amy stopped laughing and looked at Jeff.
"What's wrong with him?" Amy asked.
Beth rolled her eyes and just followed Jeff to his room where they could do their thing with no distractions.
"They were probably about to have sex again. Don't worry about it." Matt said as he sat down on the couch.
"I've never had so much fun at the state fair, man. You kick ass, Matt." Amy said before she sat next to him.
"What's on TV tonight?"
"Matt Hardy watching television? What is the world coming to?" Amy joked around as she grabbed the remote.
"I know right." Matt smiled.
Amy flipped channels and stopped on MTV. She looked at Matt with concern on her face as she heard the words, 'Destiny's Child' come from the television.
"And here is the world premier of the new Destiny's Child video, "Say My Name" right here on MTV."
Matt didn't take his eyes off of it. He watched weirdly as he saw two new girls Beyonce didn't tell him about.
"They replaced LaTavia and LeToya!" Matt said.
"Why she didn't tell you?"
"I haven't talked to her in like a good month."
"Are you serious? Boy, time flies. How come?"
I don't know. It's like I forget all about her...when I'm with you." Matt said as he looked into Amy's eyes.
She returned the favor and looked at him. Without taking her eyes off of him, she grabbed the remote and put the TV on Mute. Matt didn't know exactly what was going on between him and Amy. They had been spending tons of time together ever since she signed with the WWF and he loved every minute of it. Every night, he would lay on his back in his bedroom and think back to the night where they almost kissed. He would close his eyes and would just go back to the days where he and Amy were happy together. He could feel her lips on his and taste her tongue in his mouth so well. Surprisingly, he longed for those days again. Every time he saw Amy's face, his heart smiled. He felt as if he was created in this world just to make her happy. He never felt that way about Beyonce. Amy moved in closer to Matt and she could feel Matt's breath on her face.
"Matt!" Jeff yelled from the back.
Matt cursed under his breath and sighed.
"Yeah?!"
"Dad's on the phone! He wanna talk to you!"
"Um...I gotta go, Matt." Amy said as she quickly picked up her things and walked to the door.
"No, Amy, don't leave." Matt said before he almost tripped over his own foot.
"I'm sorry. I drive all the way home and pack. I'll be here tomorrow ready to go. Tell Jeff I said bye." Amy said as she quickly opened the door.
"But-"
Matt sighed when Amy closed the door. He ran his fingers through his hair and sat down on the couch. He was so confused right now. The tension betweem the two was driving them both crazy. It had been about a month now and he wasn't sure if he could take much more of it. Whenever he or Amy wanted to release their tension, Beyonce popped into their heads. Amy didn't wanna cause any problems in their relationship and just because of the simple fact that he had a girlfriend made Matt think twice about kissing Amy. He knew that this could not go on forever since he could tell that Amy was going through the same thing. The day in which he would have to choose between Amy and Beyonce was coming soon and Matt knew he could nothing to stop it from coming.
"Matt! Are you gonna pick up the phone or what?!" Jeff yelled.
Matt rolled his eyes. He really did not feel like dealing with Jeff's attitude. He loved his brother to death but when they got mad at each other, they fought and he wasn't in the mood for that so he just picked up the phone.
"Hello."
"What's wrong with you, son?" Mr. Hardy replied.
"I'm sorry, pop. Jeff is getting on my nerves."
"Oh, well, I'm glad I ain't there to hear it. How you doing today?"
"Kind of confused today, dad."
"How come, son?"
"Well, dad, I don't know what's going on with me & Beyonce right now. Also, Amy and I were this close to kissing each other a minute ago but Jeff interrupted us. I don't know who matters more to me."
"You've known Amy longer than you've known this Beyonce girl."
"I know that, dad. It's more than how long I've known them. It's just something I have to deal with myself, dad. Look, I've gotta get out of here. I don't like being at Jeff's house when he's focused on learning more about Beth's assets...if you know what I mean."
"That boy. I don't know what I'm gonna do with him."
"Me either, pop. I'll stop by and see you tomorrow. We'll talk about it then."
"Alright, son."
"Alright, dad." Matt hung up the phone, tossed the phone to the floor, grabbed his jacket and left Jeff's house without even saying goodbye because he could hear the sounds that were coming from his bedroom.
***********
Matt turned down hsi radio as he drove closer to the stoplight. He just wanted to go home and sleep. So many emotions were running throughout his mind. There were two very important women in his life right now and now was the time for him to decide who had more importance to him. For Matt, that was a very hard decision. Beyonce was an angel when Matt was miserable. She saved him. She brought him out of an extreme depression and he would always be grateful to her for that. Amy meant the world to Matt. She had became his best friend and she always made him put on a happy face when everything else seemed to get him down. She had always brought so much joy into Matt's life from the moment he & Jeff met her. Yet, he knew he wanted to be more than friends now. All of a sudden, sleep was the last thing on his mind when he saw Amy's car parked in the Chick-Fa-Lay parking lot. Despire the red light, he turned right into Chick-fa-Lay. He parked right beside Amy and imediately lost his mind when he saw Amy crying in the driver's seat of her car. He got out of his car and walked over to hers. Ironically enough, the doors were unlocked so he got in and comforted Amy as she just cried on his shoulder.
"Amy, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"I love you, Matt. I miss you. I wanna be with you. I want you back and I can't deny it no more. I really do love you."
Matt looked at Amy in the eyes and smiled a big smile. He started laughing at her and gave her a long kiss. She laughed with him as tears continued to fall from her eyes. Matt held her right tight and just smelled her red hair.
"I love you too, Amy. I love you too. You've made me realize something today."
"What, Matt?"
"It made me realize that we belong together. I think I know why I fell in love so deeply for Beyonce."
"Why?" Amy sniffed.
"I wanted Beyonce to be you. I wanted Beyonce to replace the feelings I had for you in my heart but she never succeeded in that. I guess you could say I wanted Beyonce to be the black Amy."
"Oh, man." Amy laughed.
"Beyonce really did help me out when I needed her. I really helped her out when she needed me but when we don't need each other..."
"You guys really have no relationship."
"Exactly. This thing with Beyonce wasn't real. It just showed that we needed a friend at those times. Not a girlfriend or a boyfriend."
"When you hooked up with Beyonce, I felt so much jealousy but I ignored it, you know. I really wanted you and me to work out the first time."
"Well, it's going to work out THIS TIME." Matt smiled.
"Oh, I love you." Amy said before she started her own make out session.
***********
Jeff, Beth and Amy looked at Matt. He just sat there with the phone in his hand. He knew what he had to do. He and Amy were finally a couple again. That's what Matt longed for all this time. He had to call Beyonce and work out everything that was fucked up in their relationship.
"We're not leaving until you call." Beth said.
"Okay, okay. I was just trying to think of something to say."
"Call that girl before I beat your ass!" Jeff said.
"Fine!" Matt sighed, he reluctantly dialed the number to Beyonce's home and waited as the phone rang.
Amy came over and sat next to her boyfriend. She put her arm around him and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm very proud of you. You're being very brave. Just tell her the truth." Amy whispered into his ear.
"Hello!" Kelly answered.
"Hey, Kelly, it's Matt. Is Beyonce there?"
"Yeah, she's here. Why ain't you called her in so long?"
"I'm about to explain that now, Kelly. Why didn't y'all tell me you replaced Tavia and Toya?"
"Alright, alright, you got me. We're praticing right now but I'm quite sure she'll wanna talk to you. Hold on....."
"Hello?"
"Hey, Beyonce...it's Matt."
"...Hello. How are you?"
"I'm doing very well actually. What about yourself?"
"Aw, fuck it. Matt, what's going on between us?"
"I have the answer to that question. Look, Beyonce, tell me the truth. If you could choose between me and your career, what would you choose?"
Silence was present on the phone now. Matt knew what she was gonna say. Amy made him realize that too.
"My...career."
"Exactly. Beyonce, you came into my life when I needed you. I helped you out when you needed me. Now that all of that shit is over, we really don't need each other no more."
"Wow. I couldn't agree...with you more. You were like a best friend to me, not really a boyfriend. I love you dearly but not like that anymore."
"That's how I feel, Beyonce. I think we can safely say that you and I are through. We're just friends, right?"
"Right." Beyonce hapilly said.
"So what's going-"
"You hooked up with Amy, didn't you?"
"Yeah." Matt blushed.
"I knew it. I saw it coming. I ain't even surprised, Matt. You can get any girl you want."
"I had you."
"See! I told you! I guess, y'all realized that you don't know what you have until it's gone."
"That is true, Bee. I love this woman so much." Matt kissed Amy as he put her in a playful headlock.
"Well, I really hope y'all are happy together."
"You're gonna be very busy, aren't you?"
"Yeah, we gotta get Destiny's Child back out there. 'Say My Name' just went #1 so we'll be very busy, Matt. I still wanna keep in touch with you. You still got all my numbers, right?"
"Yep, yep. I'll call you every now and then just to check on you."
"Deal. I'll do the same. I'll always love you, Matt. Thank you so much for being there for me. I would have died without you."
"Same here, sweethart."
"Hey, Michelle is calling me back to pratice. I gotta go."
"Who?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. The new girls names are Farrah and Michelle."
"You should've said that before, Bee. They're very lucky to be in a group like Destiny's Child."
"Aww, you are so sweet. Calm down though, you have a girlfriend now."
"Oh, don't worry. Amy isn't going nowhere. This time, we're staying together."
"Alright. Well, I'll talk to you soon then, Matt."
"Okay, Bee. Thanks for understanding. Take care."
"You too, Matt."
Matt hung up the phone with a smile on his face and with that, all of that sadness that he once had was long gone. The emptiness in his heart had subsided and his confused brain now felt at peace. Matt was very proud of himself. It had taken him a while, but he was now able to realize how he felt. He was through with messing around with his feelings and denying himself the happiness he felt with Amy. He and Beyonce had survived everything that had tried to bring them down and had become great friends, but that was all. His heart and thoughts were with Amy. He had a great father, he had a great brother, great friends, a wonderful job and a phenomenal woman in his life now. Because of that, Matt couldn't be happier. Funny how it took two amazing women to show him exactly what he had been missing. He shook his head and gazed at Amy, admiration in his eyes. She would always be a mystery to him no matter what, but now that mystery wasn't so scary. That mystery made everything worth it.
The End.