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Slim took one final look at her and walked through the door and Jordin slammed it hard behind him.

There was no doubt about it, they were over. And if Slim did one thing by coming to her room that day, it was helping her feel one hundred percent okay with that finality.
Good riddance,
she thought. And then she went to ice her cheek.

Jordin's Revenge...Take Two!

“
Damn girl, you gonna burn the fucking house down!” Julez yelled, grabbing a dish towel up quickly and swatting at the small grease fire that Noelle had created on the stove. “You fine as fuck, but you can't cook for shit, Noe,” he quipped, finally getting the blaze at bay.

She playfully punched him on the arm.

“
You didn't marry me for my cooking,” she reminded him with a flirtatious undertone as he smirked at her. She walked over to the counter in her short gym shorts and sports bra and Julez slapped her on the ass, before turning off the flame on the shrimp.

It had been over a week since Julez had been home, and the same amount of time since Jordin had moved out. Last Noelle had heard from Slim, she was staying at a hotel and wanted nothing to do with either of them. Noelle's shame and fear kept her from reaching out, but there wasn't a day that passed that she didn't think about her. She used that energy that should have been toward repairing her friendship on trying to rebuild her marriage instead.

Noelle had been playing Julez close since the day he returned, grateful for every second she had with him that he didn't know what had occurred between her and Slim. She wasn't sure if she was completely in the clear, but she figured with every day, hour, minute, and second that passed, the likelihood of Jordin spilling the beans diminished just a tad more. Taken into account of the circumstances, she had even distanced herself momentarily from Slim, only with occasional phone calls and one brief visit.

Truthfully she knew that Slim was also upset with her in his own right about the child situation, but his love for her wouldn't allow him to blow up everything to Julez, not yet. She wondered how he would feel once the baby was born, if it was born.

There was no telling with Noelle, and in all honesty, Noelle was the type of person to go to drastic measures to get herself out of situations, and Slim knew that. He begged her that she would do the right thing in this instance however. The sound of the doorbell broke Noelle out of her thoughts as she made her way to the door, wondering who it could be this time of the evening.

“
I'll get it!” She told Julez, a small fleeting thought going through her that it could very well be Slim coming to profess his love for her and cause all types of ruckus into her safe and stable suburban life.

“
It's probably the fire department,” Julez joked, as Noelle looked through the peephole.

“
Haha,” she mocked, peering outside, but seeing only black through the small microscopic viewer.

Julez noticed her just standing there, not moving and he wondered what had caused the sudden silence, who was at his front door after eight on a Sunday?

“
Who is it?” He asked to her and she just looked back at him innocently.

“
I...I don't know. I can't see anything...”

Julez stared at her for a few seconds before letting out a small laugh.

“
Well, why don't you ask who it is?”

Noelle stalled and then allowed herself to let out a chuckle before taking a deep breath.

“
Who is it?” She asked softly, a small prayer in her voice.

There was no answer, so she only shrugged, prepared to walk away. The doorbell rang again, and her stomach twisted in knots. Julez noticed her odd behavior. He raised his eyebrows at her and she sighed, and then repeated.

“
Who is it?” Noelle asked, a little louder and a bit irritated. This time there was a reply.

“
It's Jordin!”

Her voice sounded full of life, chipper, like it was just a regular day in the neighborhood. Noelle's heart raced as did Julez's, both for different reasons.

She stood stagnated as Julez placed the last burnt shrimp on the paper towel and made his way over to the living room foyer.

“
Well, aint you gonna answer it?”

Truth be told, he was looking forward to laying eyes on Jordin again. He was used to seeing her daily, so with her moving out unexpectedly, and not even stopping by, it caused a tiny void in Julez's everyday life.

Noelle nodded and made her way back to the door, hoping that Jordin had just come to get some of the stuff that she had forgotten. A part of Noelle tried not to be worried, because she knew Jordin, and Jordin hated confrontation. And especially with the time that had passed, Noelle doubted that Jordin would tell Julez anything. She would probably just come and go, at least that was what Noelle hoped.

Peering out of the cracked door, Noelle tried her best to put on an easy stance.

“
Hey J, what's up?” She tried to mask the guilt and regret in her voice, but she couldn't even look Jordin in the face.

If she would have, she would have seen the sneer Jordin wore. She was disgusted with Noelle and didn't even know what to say to her.

“
Did you want me to grab your things for you?” Noelle added, hoping, just praying, as Julez stood not too far behind on the sidelines. He wanted Jordin to step inside, and he didn't understand why Noelle was talking to her through a cracked door. He could hardly hear what they were saying to each other.

Jordin chuckled before bursting Noelle's bubble.

“
I know you didn't think I was gonna let you get off that easy?”

Noelle's face instantly tightened in anger and worry as she stared at her former best friend. She brought her eyes to Jordin's and pleaded without too much words.

“
Please J....” That was all she could muster up. It was weak, but it was real. It was from the depth of Noelle's soul, begging Jordin not to do this. But she only pushed her way past Noelle and stepped herself right inside.

“
Hey Julez.”

She was bland, no softness, no smile, and her voice dripped with anger. Julez instantly knew something was wrong.

“
What's up Jordin...everything okay?” He asked sincerely. He could see a small scar on her face and he wondered if that clown Slim had done that to her. He wondered if that was why she was so upset.

“
Noelle,” Jordin said firmly, resting her fingers on the pockets of her fitted jeans and getting down to business. “Why don't you tell Julez what I'm here for?”

By this time Noelle had closed the door but remained close by it, her legs were shaking and her mouth was dry.

“
I...I don't know,” she answered meekly, her usual fire drained as tears began building from deep within. It was over, her life was over.

“
Sure you do. You know.” Jordin was sharp, showing no mercy. She had made her way over there in all of her fierceness to make sure that Noelle's life was ruined just as much as hers had been. The time that she let pass only gave Noelle time to squirm and Jordin time to turn her pain and hurt into a thirst for revenge. She stood confident now, looking polished in a crisp white polo shirt and blue jeans, Gucci loafers adorning her feet and her long hair falling in loose waves. Noelle for once appeared discombobulated and off.

“
Please, Jordin. I'm...I'm sorry. Please... don't do this.” Noelle was whispering like Julez couldn't hear. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked back and forth between the two women. For two people who were once so close, he could literally feel the tension between them. He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek in contemplation as he wondered what Jordin was talking about. Whatever it was, he had a feeling that he wouldn't like it.

“
What the fuck is going on?” He asked seriously, his body becoming rigid as he stood in basketball shorts and a wife beater.

Noelle covered her face with her hands and Jordin crossed her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow in anticipation. When the silence remained in the room, Jordin chose to break it.

“
Come on Noelle, why don't you tell your husband what the fuck is going on? Trust me, I can do it. But I don't think you want that.”

Noelle instantly responded by standing straight up, giving her full attention and wiping her face with her hands. Jordin was right, it was coming out so it was best to come from her lips. Her stomach turned in knots and she regretted everything at that moment as the tears began to fall. She looked over at Julez and knew that this beautiful man, this almost perfect creature, would probably never be hers again. She only had these last seconds with him. How could she blow this?

Noelle took a deep breath and inhaled a dose of grown woman as she stepped up and looked Julez in his curious eyes. This was it.

“
Papi...,” she started.

Jordin couldn't help but to laugh.

The giggling broke Julez’s and Noelle's stare as they turned and looked at Jordin. Jordin put up her hand in apology.

“
I'm sorry. Please, continue. It was just so...funny. Okay, finish. Please.” Jordin’s sarcasm was almost borderline sinister. Under any other circumstances Noelle would have slapped the shit out of her. She looked back to Julez, who refocused on her as well.

“
Baby...uhm. I...I love you Julez. I love you more than anything in the whole world. And if...if we can get through this, I promise....I promise I will be the wife that you deserve.” She wiped her eyes and swallowed hard to try to fight the flowing cascade of tears as she continued. Her body trembled and her heart broke in two by just staring at him. “I just... I don't know...how it all happened. It...it was a mistake...”

Julez could feel his blood began to simmer as he stared at her, her body language and the way she was talking told him the direction of where this was going before the words even came. But like in all instances similar, the truth was so dreadful that you never want it to be reality. Hearing it forces you to realize it against your will.

“
What...what was a mistake, Noe?” His voice was low, like he was already disappointed in her. Like he was trying his best not to become angry but not doing too good of a job at it.

“
Me...and him,” he thought she said. She had mumbled it, and Julez bit his lip in anger as he narrowed his eyes at her.

“
What did you just say?”

Noelle looked down at the carpet as her cries clouded her vision and filled her throat. Snot poured from her nose and her bottom lip shook with every word spoken.

“
I said....me...and...and Slim.”

There it was.

Julez balled up his fists in anger and pressed his lips tightly together, wanting to punch something, anything. He turned his back to her and paced the floor, staring ahead as his thoughts raced hysterically.
Don't kill her. Don't bust her whole shit up. Don't grab your glock and put a hole through this conniving bitch. Don't do it...