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Although her life was complicated and a growing total mess, she was in no rush to give it up. She was having too much fun. I’m on my way papi….I’m on my way.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Best Friends, Boyfriends, Backstabbers
     
     
     
    “ Miss Spears I think it’s safe to say that you are definitely a desirable candidate. Noting your experience with your high school and college newspapers, and also your charming personality and witty humor in the demo piece you provided us, given your passing of the background check and mandatory drug testing, I would love to bring you on to Caramel magazine as a journalist.”
     
    Jordin took a deep breath and smiled so hard that her cheeks felt like they’d pull a muscle.
     
    “ Oh my god, are you serious?”
     
    “ I am,” the sharp, older black woman reiterated with a smile.
     
    “ Oh, thank you Jesus,” she whispered. “Thank you so much,” she thanked the woman second. The two shook hands and Jordin almost teared up, her dream of writing for the well-known, prominent, African-American women’s magazine now becoming a reality. The minute she reached the outside, she pulled out her cell and dialed the one person she couldn’t wait to share the news with.
     
    “ Hello.”
     
    ‘ Slim! Hey baby. Guess what? I got it! I got the job.”
     
    “ Wait, hold on.” There was a long pause, some noise sounding like heavy machinery and then he spoke again. “What? What you say?”
     
    “ I said I got the job. The job at Caramel magazine! Baby, that magazine has some of the best-”
     
    “ Huh? Yo, I gotta call you back,” he said, sounding like he was straining to hear her. “I can’t hear shit!”
     
    “ Hello…hello. Baby you hear me? I got the job!” Click.
     
    Jordin sighed, frustrated, and then she smiled and called her best friend.
     
    “ What’s up mama?” Noelle greeted happily, sounding like she was driving.
     
    “ Guess whatttt Noe?” Jordin was ecstatic as she walked toward her Honda Accord.
     
    “ Whatttt?” Noelle asked, whipping her cherry-red Benz coupe through the New Brunswick streets, nearing her destination.
     
    “ I got the job. Caramel magazine, I got it!”
     
    “ Shut up!” Noelle screamed, so happy for her. “Are you kidding me? Oh my god, that’s fantastic J! We gotta celebrate!”
     
    “ I know…where you heading? Maybe we can grab lunch.”
     
    Noelle closed her eyes and reopened them, feeling like total shit.
     
    “ Um, just have to handle something really quick. This um, damn J…a cop. I’ll call you back. Congrats! Call you right back.” She ended the call before she could say anything more and she pulled up to the huge site, where over 100 construction workers had been called in to work on the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 9. Noelle banged her hands on her steering wheel in frustration.
     
    “ Shit!”
     
    “ What’s wrong mami?”
     
    Noelle jumped at the sound of his voice but then exhaled, realizing it was only Slim.
     
    “ Oh my god, you scared me papi.”
     
    “ I don’t wanna do that,” he said biting his lip. “Open the door.”
     
    She hit the unlock button, and he walked smoothly around the car and got inside. He adjusted his seat and leaned back, and then rested his hand on her thigh, noticing her tension.
     
    “ You aight, what’s wrong?” She could tell he was genuinely concerned.
     
    Noelle sighed and then looked over at him.
     
    “ That was J, did you speak to her?”
     
    He shrugged, not wanting to talk about Jordin. He hated when she brought her up, it made him feel fucked up.
     
    “ She called me a few minutes ago but I couldn’t hear her. I told her I’d call her back.”
     
    “ And you didn’t.”
     
    He looked at her like she was crazy.
     
    “ Why you care?”
     
    “ She got the job, Slim. The job she’s been