The next few weeks for Regina could not have been more surreal. While she still attended class three days a week, she spent the remainder of her time either in the studio with Marshall and the guys or just with Marshall. While they did have at least one argument a day it was usually over something trivial, like a lyric he was thinking of using and she didn’t like. But they were always quick to make up. Sometimes a little too quick for Dre’s tastes, after catching them making out in the booth on several occasions.

Things were looking up for Ernelle as well who accepted an editorial position at the LA Times after they read some of her articles she’d written for the Rap and Hip-Hop Association. Once she’d finished all her classes at the end of next month, she’d take on the position full time. They offered her a great salary and health benefits.

Regina still hadn’t felt the full affect of her decision to sign yet. So far it felt like just a very odd hobby. She’d go to class in the morning, Marshall would pick her up, then she’d spend the rest of the afternoon writing. It wasn’t until one of her regular afternoons that she realized what she’d gotten into.

“We shoot the video in two weeks Regina, don’t forget,” Dre said. She snapped her head up from the notes she was taking on her book.

“Huh?”

“The video, for ‘Bangin’, shooting starts two weeks, I told you that before, didn’t I?” Marshall asked. She looked around the room at the rest of the guys and they were all nodding.

“No you didn’t,” Regina replied, still confused.

“Yeah, we want to be fully operational as soon as possible. As soon as the video is done, we gonna get the rest of the promo crap out of the way. You know, photo shoots, appearances, things like that.

“You want me on your first single?” Regina asked skeptically.

“Yeah, and you are. Don’t go acting all worried about it or something, you’ll blow ‘em away,” Marshall said laughing, giving her a small push for good measure.

“No, it’s not that, it’s just, I didn’t believe it was actually happening,” she said, her eyes wide.

“Well it is and you deserve it girl. By this time next year, you’ll be doing promo for your own album,” Dre nodded. Regina looked at him is disbelief.

“My own album?” she asked.

“Of course! What, you think you’d just make a few appearances here and there? Girl you’re gonna be as big as Em here. You got mad talent, and the fastest mouth I’ve ever heard on such a tiny woman.” Dre laughed.

“Wow,” was all she could manage to say. Marshall just shook his head and laughed.

“Oh hey, I just remembered, this weekend, my family is having a huge barbecue, you are all invited.” Regina added.

“Does that mean me too?” Marshall asked.

“I said all of you, or didn’t you understand that?” Regina asked looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Most people don’t want me dating their daughters,” Marshall replied.

“Who said you were dating anybody?” Regina asked.

“Oh don’t you two start again! When you two start fighting the only way it ends is with somebody finding you slobbering all over one another in a corner!” Proof whined. Regina laughed.

“Actually my mom isn’t too fond of the idea of you and me, whatever that means. But you are still coming. My brother on the other hand can’t wait to meet you, he’s a big fan,” Regina said pulling Marshall’s hat down over his eyes.

“Why do you always have to do that?” he asked pulling the hat up again.

“Because it pisses you off, that’s why,” she said with the attitude that he knew she was just being a smart-ass.

“All right, why don’t we call it a day. I don’t want to be around when the two of you start making it on the couch,” Dre said shaking his head.

“Yup Dre, cause that’s right on top of my list, fucking Marshall on the couch so you can watch,” Regina said picking up her book again and returning to her notes. Marshall looked over at her and plucked the book out of her hands.

“Come on, I wanted to finish that,” she said annoyed. “What is it?” he asked closing it and looking at the cover.

“’Illusions’ by Richard Bach, hum, what’s it about?” he asked as he thumbed through the pages.

“It’s a book, you wouldn’t be interested,” Regina snapped grabbing the book and flipping back to her page.

“Hey, I read!” he retorted. Even Proof had to snort at this.

“Yeah, the back of the box of Wheaties in the morning, that’s what you read,” Bizarre said laughing.

“I do too read, you know, to Hailie, when she’s around,” Marshall replied.

“Ooh, the adventures of Mr. Pony and his Kitty, how exciting Em,” Fifty said with a childish voice.

“No, really. Come on, tell me, what’s it about,” Marshall said seriously.

“You really want to hear this?” Regina asked skeptically, as her head peeked out around the book in her hand.

“Why not, if you like it, it must be good,” he added.

“Flattery won’t work Marshall.”

“Come on, just read me some of it,” he added scooting closer to her on the couch.

“Why?” she asked, completely confused.

“Because I want to, just read the fucking thing already!” he snapped, completely annoyed. He wasn’t as ignorant as he was painted to be. He did read occasionally, when he had a little bit of free time that wasn’t dedicated to Hailie, or he had some time to kill on a flight. Granted it was mostly magazines he read, but it was still reading.

“All right, I’ll start from the beginning then,” she replied with a sigh.

“Weren’t you almost finished with it though?” he asked.

“Yeah, but I’ve read this, probably four or five times through.” She replied flipping to the first page.

“You like the book enough to read it four times, all the way through?” Kon asked.

“Yeah, it’s a good book. Okay, I’ll start reading it. ‘There was a Master come unto the earth, born in the holy land of Indiana, raised in the mystical hills east of Fort Wayne. The Master learned of this world in the public schools of Indiana, and as he grew, in his trade of a mechanic of automobiles. But the master had learnings from other lands and other schools, from other lives that he had lived. He remembered these, and remembering became wise and strong, so that others saw his strength and came to him for counsel. The Master believed that he had power to help himself and all mankind, and as he believed so it was for him, so that others saw his power and came to him to be healed of their troubles and their many diseases.’” As Regina read aloud from the paperback in her hand it seemed as though a spell had come over the room. No one moved, no one made a sound, everyone stopped what they were doing and listened to her speak. After she’d read four paragraphs she looked up to see them all in rapt attention.

“What the hell is this, story time or something?” she asked.

“That is a pretty cool story,” Proof said nodding. Everyone agreed.

“Okay, wow, you guys are freaking me out.” Regina replied closing the book and stuffing it in her purse.

“Come on, it was just getting good,” Marshall complained. ,p>“Nope, sorry guys, story time is over. I got to get going.” Regina said as she stood.

“That means me too guys, I’ll catch you tomorrow,” Marshall said standing as well. Regina turned and pushed him back down on the couch.

“No that doesn’t mean you too. I have a paper I have to finish tonight, and I can’t work on it with you there.” She said.

“Oh come on, I won’t bother you,” Marshall said, a little annoyed that she didn’t want him to be there.

“That’s the biggest lie of the century. Look, I have one month of school left, literally five weeks. I have finals coming up and I have to study. I’d love to have you around, but you know that when you’re around, I don’t get anything done,” Regina replied very matter of factly.

“And we know why that is,” Swifty laughed.

“Not even that, he’s just a ham, he craves attention whenever he’s around. And though I don’t have a problem with it, I need to get some work done.”

“Fine, then I won’t bother you,” he said turning from her and picking up his wad of papers he’d been working on earlier.

“Oh now he’s going to pout, isn’t he cute when pouts?” Regina asked pinching his cheek. He pushed her off and she laughed at him again.

“Get off, you got a paper to write,” he replied stonily.

“Guys, do me a favor, take him out tonight, get him drunk or something,” Regina said as she pushed his hat down over his eyes. He yanked off the hat and threw it to the other side of the couch and watched her walk to the door. She stopped and looked back at him, laughing slightly. He was pouting.

“All right, come on, but you annoy me once, and I’ll tie your ass down and force you to watch reruns of ‘Dawson Creek.’” She said motioning to the door with her head.

He laughed at her and sat back.

“Sorry, I’m busy and can’t be disturbed, you go on and do what you need to do,” he said waving his hand at the door. Dre and Proof were watching the exchange as if it were a tennis match, watching to each new attack one would launch on the other.

“Okay, see you later, muffin!” She said and dashed quickly out the door. His face fell at the word muffin. All Dre and Proof had to do was look at one another and they whole room was laughing.

“Hey uh muffin, what flavor are you?” Bizarre asked which sent the room into hysterics again. On several different occasions Regina had given Marshall an unofficial nickname, just to give the guys something to torture him with and get him good and pissed off. In reality she didn’t have a nickname for him. She called him Marshall, period. After the night she’d told him about Mario blaming her for the death of their daughter, she’d never called him baby again. Although he couldn’t really blame her, what they had wasn’t exactly labeled as exclusive. In the four weeks in which he had known her, he’d seen and slept in the same bed as her everyday. Sometimes her place, sometimes his hotel, but since the night they’d met four weeks prior, he’d spent his nights as well as his days with her. The guys considered them a couple as far as everything concerned. He himself was starting to consider Regina his girl, though the idea had been in his head since the beginning of their so-called relationship. They had not defined anything between them. Although Regina had said something to the effect of mentioning him to her mother, that didn’t mean she was defining him as anything to her. They didn’t really go out on dates, Regina didn’t really seem the type. Most of the time they were together it was usually just hanging out and talking, watching movies, going for walks or having sex, which they had spent plenty of time on. She didn’t ask to go anywhere or do anything in particular, which he found odd. At some point she had to get bored with just being around him, he was interesting, to a point, though he never really felt all that confident in himself. It was the “What does she see in me” syndrome and he was wondering if she was bored already, telling him that she wanted to be left alone.

“I see smoke coming out cha ears, the wheels are turning, what’s going on?” Dre asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing I guess,” Marshall replied, looking at his wad of lyric papers in his hand and not really seeing any of the scattered words.

“Your full of it and you know it,” Swifty added.

“You and your girl having problems already? This gon be an issue with recording and shit?” Dre asked.

“That’s just it, she ain’t my girl, not in any official way any how,” Marshall replied.

“Again I repeat, that’s a load of shit and I ain’t believing it. God Marshall, you getting more sex than all us combined,” Dre replied.

“Yeah, but she ain’t said nothing about us being anything. It just strikes me as odd,” he replied furrowing his brow as he tried to make out a particularly messy scribbled rhyme.

“You nabbed yourself one that don’t want to be a wife, consider yourself lucky, especially after all da hoes you been with,” Bizarre added.

“Yeah I know,” Marshall replied, still not able to make out the words on the paper.

“I think da boy is getting serious about her, uh oh Dre, I think we need to do a intervention!” Fifty said in a half joking half-serious tone.

“Man, don’t even start this shit, you know this is not a good idea. So if you guys are fuck buddies for a while, I’d say let it go at that, but man we got her signed for a five year contract,” Dre said with a note of concern to his voice.

“I fucking know that Dre!” he snapped as he looked over at Dre.

“All right, as long as you understand that, I ain’t gonna be breaking up all these friggen little lovers quarrels all the time,” Dre added as he watched Marshall snatch up his hat and stuff it back on his head.

“You all want to party tonight or what?” Marshall asked as he stood up.

“Sure, where we meetin’?” Bizarre asked.

“You guys pick a place, give me a call. I’ma gonna go call Hailie.” Marshall made the quickest excuse handy to get out of the room and once he did he still couldn’t get away from the idea that Regina may not want him.