MJ sat at the window sill of the girl's group home, waiting as Nayely's roommate came to the window.

"Hey, is Nayely here?"

The girl pressed her glasses up her nose as she shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her all night."

"Seriously?" MJ thought back to the last moment he had seen her boarding the bus. Could something have happened to her that fast?

"I hope she realizes this will be her second strike in two days if she's late for curfew. Who knows what punishment she'll have this time." The girl shrugged her shoulders as MJ thanked her, climbing his way down from the house. Pulling out his cell phone, he tried calling her, but was sent to voicemail after the first ring.

"Yely, what's up? I came by your room but you're not here. Call me back, please."

MJ checked his phone again, only to be disappointed for the fifth time in a row.

Yo, where u at?

Kahlil had even made it back after his graduation tryst before MJ was able to find Nayely.

Gonna b late. U got me?

Bet. If they ask, u had the runs all nite.

Rolling his eyes, MJ wondered why Kahlil couldn't think of a less embarrassing excuse to help him out. Knowing that he was going to be late for his curfew, MJ would take what he could get at this point. Anything would help if it meant he could focus on finding Nayely.

Making his way up the gravel driveway, MJ felt welcomed in the place he once called home. This was the one place where he and Nayely felt the most secure. It wasn't like her to flake on their plans or even ignore his calls, but the last 24 hours had shown him that something was off with her.

As MJ made his way into the abandoned building, he hoped that he would find her there, safe and sound.

Making a beeline for the safe place, MJ peered into the door, expecting to see her there. When he saw the scattered papers and bookbag on the ground, his hopes were high.

"Yely?" He called out as soon as he opened the door. The room was dark, but he knew his way. Walking to the palette on the ground, he found the flashlight she always made sure to bring.

"I've been calling and texting you all night. Why are you trying to ignore me?" Shining the flashlight around the room, MJ realized that she was nowhere in sight. Looking at each corner of the room, he was puzzled to be alone despite her belongings being there.

Nayely never left her things behind like this.

Shining the light towards his feet, MJ recognized the papers they had gathered for his mini investigation. When he had first asked Nayely for her help, she didn't hesitate to say yes. At one point, he had offered to help her find any answers that she may have had but was immediately shut down as she rejected the idea.

Instead, she had poured her everything into helping MJ, caring about his mother as if she were her own.

Frustrated, MJ pulled out his phone, setting the flashlight down as he attempted to call her again.

Voicemail, again.

Sifting through the chaotic papers, MJ tried to organize everything. He didn't know what was going on, but he was determined to find her. As he filled her bookbag, MJ jerked his hand back quickly as he sliced his finger on the paper.

"Shit..." Dropping what was in his hand, MJ tried to find what had cut him so deeply. As the blood rushed forward to his finger, droplets began to fall. Balling his fist, he tried to stop the bleeding before it got everywhere. Checking the papers, he saw that he hadn't been quick enough.

Wiping at a list of hurried notes, MJ's interest was piqued.

He had never seen these before.

Witness ID'd OT and daddy at the scene. Jerry and MJ's mom only ones killed that night. Contact witness for more info ASAP!!

In the blur that was the words on the page, MJ could barely make out what was written in the strangely sloppy handwriting. Had Nayely found out new information? Flipping the pages to find out more, out the corner of his eye, MJ could see something small and square fluttering to his lap. Reaching down to feel for the item as he continued to decipher Nayely's notes, his fingers stilled over the square as he realized what he held was a picture.

MJ's heart stopped as he gazed into the eyes of the woman he never thought he would see again.

Mom.

"This-how did she get this?" Pulling it closer, MJ inspected it as if he held the most precious finding in the world. In his memories, his mother's face had begun to fade. Sometimes, it felt as though he had to fight to recall her features. Her long, thick, black hair. The eyes which mirrored his own.

Her smile.

The same smile that he was now speechless from as he stared at the picture. It had been captured, forever frozen in time, and he couldn't be happier.

The glamour shot sent MJ back to his childhood, during the painfully short time he had his mother for. He remembered the day that the photo was taken as he gazed at the yellow dress that was her favorite. MJ accompanied his mother to the shoddy office where her photo had been taken for her official portfolio. She had been so happy that day, thinking that she was one step closer to leaving her job at the diner.

The last thread of MJ's strength broke as his sobs filled the room.

Nayely's lungs struggled to keep up with her as she sprinted towards The Rose House. In her sweaty palm, she gripped the sketches that she had to hide. Across the top of the pages, Mark had written Damien Polite and OT, finally giving the mysterious men their names.

She had to make sure that no one else could ever see who they really were. Because she had filled in the blanks for Mark, she had set in motion the events that had led to his premature death.

Speaking her father's name killed Mark.

It was her fault. If she hadn't gone to him, none of this would have ever happened.

The papers felt so hot in her hand, that she was sure they would burn a hole right through them.

Her mind had been so scattered that she was only brought back into reality when she smacked into MJ's solid chest. The impact threw Nayely back towards the ground, her vision blurred as she tried to blink her way through the dizziness and burning sensation running through her nose.

MJ's eyes were raw and red as he had watched Nayely blindly run into the room. When he stood up, he hadn't expected her to slam right into him. Bending over, he picked up papers she was carrying. Undoing the crumbled form, they had taken, MJ's face became red with anger.

"OT-you wrote this in those crazy notes you left behind. Is this a name? Is that what OT means?"

"Give that back!" Nayely shouted as she tried to reach for the sketches. "MJ, I'm not playing."

"Who is OT, Nayely? And-Damien Polite-" MJ's mind raced as he connected the dots.

"Damien Polite is your father." He didn't need to ask for confirmation. MJ had never met anyone else with the last name Polite. He had always thought it was such a fitting name for Nayely, but here he stood realizing that name was no longer pure.

"MJ-Hold on, okay? I just need to take a minute and-"

"No!" He screamed, throwing the papers in her face." You're not the one who needs to know anything. I need to know the truth. I need to know whatever it is you've been trying to hide from me!"

"I'm not hiding anything from you, MJ..."

"Yes, you are! You've been acting crazy all day and I'm tired of it!" MJ's voice billowed throughout the building so loud that Nayely wondered if anyone could hear him.

Tears streamed down her face as she feared the look on his. This was what she had been trying to avoid. The look of anger and confusion that burned into her.

"I-I-" She stammered. There was a sinking filling in the pit of her stomach that weighed her down.

"This isn't something you need to know. MJ please, just-"

"What do they have to do with my mom?" Pushing her photo in front of Nayely, MJ did not want to hear anything if it wasn't an answer.

"I don't know-I mean-I'm not sure."

"You're lying! You wrote about them! You said something about a witness and them being there when my mom was killed. What aren't you telling me, Nayely?" Grabbing her by the shoulders, he pleaded with her to tell him whatever it was she knew." I have the right to know. She's my mom!"

Nayely clenched her teeth at the feeling of his fingers digging into her bare arms as MJ was unaware of his grip. Placing her hand on his wrist, she endured the pain, feeling that she deserved it.

"I can't lose you, MJ." Sucking in a breath of air, Nayely dared to meet his eyes." I thought that if you knew it would only hurt you." Placing her smaller hand over his, she squeezed it until she knew bruises would be left in their place. "Just take it out on me, please. I'll take it all, MJ."

Pushing away, MJ began to feel his head spin as he tripped over his feet. Struggling to keep his balance, he placed as much distance as possible between him and Nayely.

"Where is he? Do you know?" He pleaded in a way that broke Nayely's heart more than she thought anything ever could.

This was it. This would be how they fell apart.

"I swear that I don't know. Please don't ask me anymore about him. It will only bring bad things."

"What more could he do? He murdered my mother! He took her from me!"

"No! You don't understand!"

"Then help me!"

Nayely's uneven breathing made it difficult to get her words out as she thought back to what she had seen in Mark's house.

"I found a site of a guy who writes stuff on celebrities-or at least he used to. He had stuff on the Jerry guy, and I thought he was just bullshitting, but then he posted this witness's story and I didn't want to believe it, but I was still afraid that it was true. I knew OT's name, but they didn't have the name of the other guy that was there. I-I went to this guy's house last night, and he showed me your mom's picture and the sketches and-and-everything began to move too fast. I couldn't think."

The words spilled from Nayely as she could feel the life being sucked from her the moment MJ's hands fell from her arms.

"I wanted to get the picture for you. I thought that you should be the one who had it, but he wouldn't give it unless I gave up some information. When he showed me the sketches-I knew right away. I told him and-and everything was ruined."

MJ's body trembled as he held his head in his hands, the ache from crying becoming unbearable. "No, everything was ruined the moment your dad killed my mom." His voice shook.

"MJ, I know what this means for you, I swear to you! But you can't say anything about this to anyone, please. I don't have the right to ask you for anything, but I need this from you."

Slapping away the hand that raised to his cheek, MJ's eyes burned with betrayal.

"Are-are you trying to protect him? That murderer?" He asked in disbelief.

"No! I'm trying to protect you, MJ!"

"Or what? You'll tell him I know and then have him come and kill me too? "MJ's words were biting, hitting Nayely in the heart as she closed her eyes at the thought.

"I would never do that, MJ. I haven't seen or talked to my father in years, you know that." She said timidly, not wanting to speak of him in any way for fear of who may hear.

"How do I know you're not lying about that either? You know, I've never asked you anything about your past, yet you know everything about mine. You even knew the things that have fucked with my mind since I was 5 years old. The things that gave me the nightmares I always tried to hide." Shaking his head, MJ's voice began to sound hoarse with emotion.

"What do I know about you? You've never talked to me about yourself and I respected that but now I can see why you keep that a secret."

MJ's sense of trust began to fall apart inside. Had Nayely hidden the truth about who she was all this time?

"Don't say that like I have a reason to protect my father. I'm telling you that I didn't know about any of this MJ, how could I? I've been with you since that night, too."

"And why is that?"

"I-I can't MJ-"

"Can't do what, Nayely? Did your parents run off trying to protect his ass and dump you off on the side of the road?"

"It's nothing like that!"

"I'm starting to think it's exactly like that. While my mom has been rotting in the ground, your dad's been living his life like he didn't end hers."

Nayely wanted to scream. None of this was true, but MJ couldn't help but jump to conclusions. She had been hurt too, she just couldn't tell him how. With her silence, she allowed for MJ to believe whatever he wanted, it wasn't like he would be wrong in thinking so little of her. She shared blood with the monster who had changed MJ's life.

Standing to his full height, a ghostly paleness found its place on MJ's face.

"Please just say you were going to tell me everything. If you're telling the truth, you would have told me, right?"

The hesitation in Nayely's response was all he needed.

"Wait-where are you going?" Nayely followed behind him as he walked towards the door.

As he coasted to the door, she tried to pull him back to stop him from leaving.

"No, no, no. MJ, you can't leave like this." She said through a fresh wave of tears. "Please don't leave like this! Hit me! Cuss at me! Do whatever you want, just don't leave." Wrapping her arms around his waist, Nayely cried into his back.

MJ put up no resistance to her hold, slowly glancing down to the hands that clung to him desperately.

"Please don't let him do this to us. He's hurt us both MJ and I don't want it to happen again. I don't want him to be the reason we fall apart. You promised me that would never happen."

Nayely's sobs warmed MJ's back as her face soaked through his shirt.

"You were going to keep lying to me, Nayely. If I didn't come here tonight, who knows if you would have ever told me the truth."

Sniffling, Nayely shook her head." I don't want anything to happen to you. I didn't know what you would have done if you knew. I couldn't see anyone else be hurt because of this." Thinking back to the fate that Mark had been given, Nayely felt it was necessary to keep this from MJ. With him knowing, she couldn't take the chance of him trying to seek revenge on his own.

"I still remember the way she felt...the way she looked before she died. I never thought that anything else in this world could hurt as much as losing her did. I was wrong." Prying Nayely's hands from his waist, MJ's throat tightened as he kept his back turned from her.

"You've got it all wrong. Your dad isn't the one who ruined this. Your dad was the one who brought us together in a sick twisted way." MJ let out a humorless laugh as he thought of their situation. "No. You lied to me, and you were going to keep lying to me no matter what."

As MJ looked over his shoulder, Nayely's heart stopped at the torn sadness she could see within them.

"You're the one who ruined us."

When Nayely lost the strength in her arms to hold him any longer, her body stood deathly still as her inner emotions warred with her will, begging her to chase after him.

As his words hit her over and over again, Nayely could feel her soul take its last breaths.

"This is the moment we have all been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen. Nayely Polite, the American star will be running to secure her reign as the best female runner in the world. A decorated Olympian and respected all throughout the world of sports, let's see what she can do here at the 2017 World Championships."

Nayely moved in silence as she prepared to take her spot at the starting block in lane 5.

"Let's not forget this is the only female athlete who has managed to come close to the late great Flo-Jo with a 200-meter finish of 21.44 at the 2016 Olympics. All eyes are on Nayely Polite as the world waits to see what she can do here today."

"I'll tell you what, between Polite in lane 5 and Cheyenne Johnson in lane 3, the world will get to witness our very own clash of the titans. While both are members of Team USA, there's no denying the healthy unspoken competition between the two. With Johnson trailing Polite in numbers, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top here in London."

Her mind was focused on the steps she would take to victory. Taking deep breaths, Nayely tuned out all the distractions in the stadium. Glancing to her right, Nayely saw the hardened face of her coach, Terrence. His dark skin shined beneath the sun as he gave her one curt nod. Nayely's nerves calmed as she returned the gesture, following behind the other competitors, Nayely fixed herself into position.

Her heart beat steady against her chest.

"Set."

Lifting herself into the air, Nayely channeled the deepest parts of her spirit that brought her this far. All of the fears that nipped at her heels kept her moving through life, pounding away her feelings with every stride she took.

When the sound of the gun rang throughout the stadium, she was moved by only one word.

Go!

"And there's the gun in the 200! Johnson and Polite are off with Polite having a terrific start. We saw this same prowess in the semifinal round. Polite is storming through with no problems what so ever."

"Cheyenne Johnson and everyone else on this field is responding to the bar that has been set by Polite."

"Polite is holding the lead at the bend, but not without the challenge from Johnson!"

"Look at this! Johnson made up for lost ground but Polite is showing us just how to get to the top! Polite is drawing in to the finish!"

Nayely's feet moved as if she were running on air, the adrenaline in her coursed throughout her body as the end was near.

"My God! With the undefeated world record of 21.34 by Florence Griffith-Joyner standing on its own mountain for nearly 30 years, Nayely Polite is knocking at its door. You saw it here folks, with a time of 21.36, Nayely Polite has done it again! She has shown the world who she is!"

The stadium erupted into cheers as the excitement took over. Nayely didn't know what was happening until she felt herself being lifted into the air.

"That's what the hell I'm talking about!" Terrence held the woman close as the camera crews circled them, capturing the heartfelt embrace by the coach and athlete. The slight push she gave at his shoulders helped to separate her from her coach so that she could have a moment to herself. Nayely held her head in her hands as she attempted to soak in what was happening. Pushing her hands into her hair, she tossed back her signature waist length curls and coils as she waved to the crowd. She could hear the affectionate nickname fans of the sport coined for her long ago.

"Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!"

From the way her hair defied all odds as it surrounded her in a pillow of coils, to the way her legs moved as if she only existed high in the sky walking on clouds, she represented what many people believed to be the best of the best.

In their eyes, you couldn't get any higher than Nayely.

Leading her off, Terrence couldn't get enough of the high he felt from watching one of the best runners in the world, knowing that he was able to be by her side as she knocked down obstacle after obstacle. A look of devotion washed over him as he held back the feelings he knew would blur the line between the coach and athlete.

"Where did that come from, Nayely? You just don't know when to stop, huh?" Terrence had seen it all when it came to Nayely, and his admiration was never ending. After today, he was left speechless as she once again proved what she could do.

With her hands on her hips, all Nayely could do was smile as she moved to the post-race interview.

"Never have. Never will." She called over her shoulder as the camera trained on her face. Stepping to the interviewer, Nayely put on her best smile.

"MJ! Look over here! MJ!"

"Danny Rose, MJ! Looking good!"

"Can we get a kiss?" MJ's smile never faltered as the photographers swarmed the couple. Wrapping his arm around her slim waist, he pulled the blonde closer, delivering a lingering kiss to her cheek. Danny's smile widened as she reached around to cup his face. MJ wasn't ignorant to the perfect pose they gave as fans surrounding the walkway cried out. Some giggled as all their fantasies of the two castmates played out right before their eyes while others were not afraid to hide their disappointment in having their personal bubbles burst where they thought they had a fighting chance to capture the heart of one of the stars.

Pulling back slightly, Danny's eyes cut to MJ's. She found herself falling into his hazel orbs and was reminded of the ride to the comic con.

"You still smell like me." Trailing her thumb across her lip, she leaned in so that only he could hear her. "So sweet." With a squeeze to her hip, MJ moved them along to meet the other cast and crew members. When his eyes met those of his greatest skeptic, MJ pulled Danny closer.

"Okay you two, don't give it all away here. We still have the panel to get through." Kahlil's words were terse as they always were when he was forced to witness MJ and Danny together. He wasn't a hater-MJ could do whatever he wanted as he was a grown man. However, Kahlil wasn't particularly fond of the influence the two stars had on each other. The pair had worked on previous projects together, and their names drew crowds. Knowing that he had no choice but to go with studio executives and the pressure they placed on the pick for the female lead in the film they were all there to promote, he couldn't wait for this round of promotional touring to be over.

As the most buzzworthy headliner at the convention, there was a media frenzy surrounding the film. Everyone present had to be at the top of their game to keep the momentum going. Throughout the years, Kahlil had grown to be the person in MJ's life who knew him the best, so when he walked past with dilated pupils and his charming smirk, it took everything in him to not push his arm away as it draped across his shoulders. Everyone in the industry and fandom knew of their history and closeness, so showing his complete disdain for MJ's extracurricular interests that remained unknown to the rest of the world would only cause problems none of them needed at a time like this.

The muffled sounds of the convention did little to distract him from the quick swipe Danny took at her nose as she held hands with the second female lead, walking ahead. Pushing his hands into his jeans, Kahlil convinced himself to holdout on the anger and irritation that bubbled.

When it finally came time for the film's panel, MJ was able to take control like a true star. Carrying the energy of the group, he captivated everyone in the room as the host asked him question after question. Even when it showed that there was a slight bias in directing most of the conversation his way, MJ was able to maneuver around this, getting the rest of the cast involved.

Sitting on the ground beside two fawning fans, MJ sat through the official sneak peek trailer that was shown to the crowd. Gasps and screams filled the room at each turn, and when his face showed on the screen, it was as if the sound barrier was being challenged by the screaming fans.

When a capture of his face closing in to Danny's played on the screen, he could feel her eyes on him as the room erupted once again. As the lights began to fill the darkness, everyone's attention was on the stare down between the two actors.

"I guess it's safe to say the critics were right. Can you guys feel the electricity between them, or what?" The host asked the crowd, drawing laughs as Danny shook her head, covering her mouth in embarrassment.

Clapping with the crowd, MJ stood to his feet and made his way back to the stage.

Sitting on the edge of the stage, he dangled his feet in the air.

"What can I say? This film proved to me what it means to have the support and strength of some of the best talent in this industry. The relationship we all have as a team is unlike anything else I've ever experienced. I'm nothing compared to the people on this stage and I just hope that when you see this film, I can measure up in your eyes."

Sounds of encouragement and respect spilled from the crowd as he made his way to stand by the others as they took their bow.

"Nayely, we should take a pic for the gram." Looping her thumbs through the straps of her backpack, Nayely leaned towards the younger woman who walked beside her. Over the years, she had shown her lack of interest in the game of social media, but after taking Maya onto her team two years ago, she was all but forced into accepting the lifestyle.

Nayely watched the view finder as her dimpled smile was captured as they made their way through the airport.

"Nice!" Maya exclaimed as she tossed her shoulder length locs to one side. "I don't even need a filter on this, it's so perfect." As she typed out a caption, she turned her eyes up to Nayely who stood 6 inches above her 5'2 stature. "Now, if only you would upload some pics to your own account. 4.6 million followers and only 1 picture after a whole year. Who does that?" She said still astonished that her numbers remained so high.

Playfully rolling her eyes, Nayely took her spot at the carousel next to Terrance as he reached for the last of their luggage. Rolling the bags to the ladies, his eyes connected with Nayely's just as his phone began to ring. Retrieving it from his pocket, his smile faltered as he recognized his wife's name across the screen. Without a second thought, he silenced it before putting it away.

"The rep from Nike reached out to me again. They sent over a PDF for the design session. I only read over it briefly, but I think there was something that mentioned filming a segment to go along with the official release-"

"When did you receive that? I didn't get any word on that." Maya looked to Terrance confused as she typically handled communications for Nayely as her personal assistant.

"Don't worry about it. We go way back, so he must have reached out to me out of habit, I'll forward it to you-"

"Are y'all really talking about work right now? If you didn't realize it, the moment I stepped off that plane I entered chill mode. Can we please discuss this later?" Interrupting the conversation, she looked to the two closest people on her team for their cooperation.

"I feel you girl." Looking at her rose gold watch, Maya cleared her throat." Since I am officially off the clock let me say that I am happy to have this vacation. Cause girl! It's been a ride..." Rubbing her neck, Maya's antics managed to pull a small smile from Nayely.

As they made their way outside, the sun warmed Nayely's face. Before her sat a black SUV with a lithe gentleman smiling upon seeing the trio.

"Ms. Polite." He called out with a nod.

Greeting the man who had driven her on many occasions, Nayely couldn't get over the embarrassed feeling she had knowing that Terrance had called him as her personal driver.

"You didn't think to run this by me?" She asked as she turned to the man who ignored her obvious disapproval. Taking her bags from her, he left no room to contest as he moved to place them in the vehicle.

"What? This is easier than waiting on a cab. You shouldn't have to do that."

"I-"

"Oh! There's my ride." Maya tapped Nayely on the arm as she pulled her in for a hug. Over her shoulder, Nayely watched as Maya's girlfriend walked over. The dark skinned beauty gave a wave to Nayely as they had become acquainted over the years through Maya. Standing on her tip toes, Maya delivered kiss after kiss to her lips as her girlfriend rolled her eyes.

"Oh Maya, you'd think you were away for months with the way you're acting."

"Two weeks was long enough!" She exclaimed. Wrapping her arm around her girlfriend's she gave her last wave to Nayely as they made their way to her car.

"You ready?" Terrance's hand touched the small of Nayely's back, causing her to jump forward out of surprise. Turning her back away from Terrance, she created distance between them as she placed her hands into her sweatpants. She didn't miss the intimate touch he gave her, making it apparent that after all the time they had shared together, he was adamant on not respecting the boundaries she had asked for long ago.

In her memory sat the time when he had thought that their closeness needed to be explored. Instead of parting ways, fearful of a conflict of interest, Nayely figured that keeping him on her team was for the best. She had forgiven him for what he had done and had only requested that he never give her a reason to remember the night she had pushed into the back of her mind. After 8 years together, she had convinced herself to hold on to him despite the hiccup in their relationship.

"Yeah, let's head out."