She smiled as she saw Daren’s electric blue Acura RSX in the driveway and pulled up behind it. As she stepped out of the car she heard someone calling her name.

“Yo Carmen!” a dark skinned man yelled out as he jogged towards her in a pair of long jean shorts and a black t-shirt with a silk screen picture of Aaliyah on the front of it.

“Rex? Is that you?” Carmen asked as she put up a hand to block the sun from her eyes.

He smiled, “The one and only. What you sayin girl? I haven’t seen you round here in minute.”

Rex (or Ronald which was his real name), had been a former schoolmate of Carmen’s and Casey’s. Rex also had a crush on Carmen that dated back to elementary school but Carmen always rebuffed his advances. “I’ve been working, doing my thing you know.”

“Yeah yeah, I hear you. Gotta get that paper and shit. So, you got anyone special I should know about?” He asked as he gave his most charming smile.

Carmen smiled and rolled her eyes in return. Every time they met they always went through this. “Yes and you should know by now that you have something I don’t want. Now I gotta go and see Scruffy but it was nice running into you again.”

“Yeah that whole chick diggin bit. I’ll holla at you later then.” Rex said as he walked over to his friends house across the street.

Carmen shook her head and climbed up the stairs. The last time she had been at this house all hell had broken loose and the memories of that night still haunted her from time to time. She ringed the doorbell and straightened out the red t-shirt she’d borrowed from Shane and the pair of jeans she’d borrowed from Jenny.

When the door opened, she found a much littler and very cute version of Daren.

“CARMEN!” the little boy yelled in delight. He opened the door and attached himself to Carmen’s leg in an iron grip hug.

The latina laughed as she bent down and picked up the six year old Andre Jr. “Hey AJ, how are you little man?”