No Coincidence Part 1

[aDRUfan4LiFe]

--[glow=red,2,300]His good and perfect purpose was designed/ to bring us/ to the place he needs us to be/Do you really want your destiny?[/glow]—Fred Hammond and RFC, Purpose By Design

GRADUATION DAY, 1996

Khori had just made it home after the day’s festivities. She graduated at eight o’clock that morning while her friend Tamara had graduated from her school at two o’clock.

Both of them were happy because they both made it to each others graduations. Both of their familes went out to eat together.

By the time Khori made it home, she was tired. But not tired enough to hear the top five at five on her local radio station, which came on at 7:30 every weeknight. She turned her radio on just in time to hear the top two.

“Dru Hill and Ruscola have been battling it out for the past week.Will Dru Hill prevail today, or is Ruscola finally going to knock them out of the number one spot? We’ll see after the commercial break!” The annoucer said.

“Aww I gotta wait for a commercial!” She thought to herself. She was hoping that Ruscola would win, because frankly, “Tell Me” was beginning to get on her nerves. She liked it, but she wanted the underdog to win.

She caught the DJ’s announcement just in time to hear that Ruscola beat them today.

As she was putting on her night clothes, she yelled“Yesssss!”as the DJ started to play “Tell Me” for the number two song! She started singing along with the song and doing the “Dru Hill bounce”in front of her mirror.

Finally the song was over and Ruscola’s song came on. She turned her radio up loud and she started to sing with the song.

She didn’t realize she was singing so loud, until her father, Big Corey had swung open her bedroom’s door. He stood there for a moment as he listened to the lyrics. Khori didn’t know her father was there; she had her back to the door.

Her father slowly went to her radio and turned the music down. Khori turned around and when she noticed the volume went down. She thought the radio station had went off. When she saw her father at the radio, she frowned at him.

“Daddy, why did you turn the radio down?”

“Them lyrics! And you were singing them like you know what the song is talking about.”

“It’s just a song!”

“Do you know what you are singing about?

“Yeah.”

Her father looked at her with a stern look.

“Well, no dad…I never experienced them, if that’s what you’re talking about!” Khori said as she defended herself.

“Uh Huh.” He replied.

“I’m being honest!” She said as she smiled.

He gave her another stern look, and then he went out of her room. When she turned her radio back on, the song was going off.

“Man, that’s my song! I gotta find that single!” She yelled out loud.

[aDRUfan4LiFe]

About two weeks later and no luck finding the “Let’s Get Personal” single, Khori was frustrated. She had called what seemed like every record store in the MD/DC/VA area and either they didn’t ever receive the single or they had sold out.

So today she decided to try an old mom and pop records store in Baltimore. She was with her best friend Tamara, who was visiting Morgan State, to get some school stuff finalized so that she could attend in the fall. Tamara went into a thrift store while Khori made her way to the record store.

When she entered the store she went straight to the front register, where a short gray-haired man stood with his back to the counter.

“Excuse me.” Khori said.

“Yes, may I help you?” The gray-haired man said.

“Yes! I want to know if you have “Let’s Get Personal” by Ruscola?”

“No, we sold out yesterday. But,he might bring some by. He frequents this spot a lot.”

“Awww!” Khori replied and she put on a sad face. The gray-haired man gave her a warm smile.

“Believe me, If I had it, I surely would let you have it!”

Khori just shook her head. “Oh well.” She thought to herself. She was at her last straw. She decided if she couldn’t find Ruscola’s song that she would break down and get Dru Hill’s “Tell Me” single.

“Well…Do you have Dru Hill’s single?” Khori asked.

“I do have that!” He said as he smiled. “It’s over there in the corner.”

“Good.” She said. But she still wasn’t satisfied because she didn’t get what she really wanted.


After she had made her way to the cassette part of the store, she started looking through them. She had heard the door to the store open, but she didn’t pay any attention.

Scola stepped in the door, and again the gray-haired man had his back turned to the door.

“Hey Sam!” He said.

Sam knew who it was before he turned around.

“My man!” Sam said as he gave Scola a hand shake.

“I got the single for you! This’ll be the last one for a while.”

“You got a fan back there. She just asked for this.” He responded.

Scola looked in the direction where Sam pointed. He looked and saw her. The first thing he noticed was her conrows. They were in a zig-zag style. She looked like she was in deep thought.

“Could you play the song for me?” Scola said.

Sam looked at him. “What trick you got up your sleeve, man?” Sam questioned.

Scola smiled. “Just trying to hook a fan of mine up!”

Sam put the song in the player and it started playing throughout the store. Scola made his way over to the cassettes where Khori was standing. When the song started to play, Khori noticed it right away.

“Hold up! I though you said…” She was cut off when she heard a young man next to her starting the sing the song.

“You sound just like the dude singing that song!” She said to him.

“That’s me.” He responded.

“Huh?” She said as she started to get excited. She looked back toward the front toward the gray-haired man.

“It’s him!” Sam shouted toward her.

Khori put her hand over her mouth to muffle the scream she let out. She was so excited, she started rambling.

“Slow down.” Scola said as he was trying to make out what she was saying.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for your song, because it’s one of my favorites.” She said.

“Thanks! Do you want that single?” Scola said as he looked back toward Sam.

“Let the pretty lady have it! You can always get me another one.” Sam said.

Khori started jumping up and down in the store. She wished Tamara was in here experiencing this.

“Calm down.” He said. “It’s just me, I ain’t nothing special to get all worked up over.” Scola said.

“Okay, ok.” She said as she tried to gain composure.

Khori followed Scola to the counter where Sam was standing with the cassette in his hand. He gave the single to Scola and he handed it to Khori.

“I want you to sign it.”

Scola smiled as she handed it back to him. He took out the cassette jacket and took a marker out of Sam’s jar near the register.

“What’s your name?”

“Khori.”

“That’s nice.”

He wrote: To Khori, thanks for your support! Smiley face, Let’s Get Personal! Love Ruscola.

Khori read it and she smiled. “Thank you so much! You didn’t have to do this for me!”

“Don’t thank me, thank Sam. He decided to give it away.”

She thanked Sam. “No problem!” Sam said as he winked his eye at her.

Scola and Khori were just staring at each other for a minute, when Khori looked down at her watch and noticed what time it was.

“Oh, I gotta go! My best friend is waiting for me.”

Khori offered her hand so that Scola could shake it, but instead he grabbed her and gave her a hug.

“My fans get hugs from me!” Scola said.

Khori laughed. His hug was warm. She was so excited she never got Dru Hill’s single. She left out of the store so she could find Tamara. She bumped into Tamara as she came out of the thrift store.

“Girl, I met him!”

“Met who?”

“Ruscola.”

“What?” She screamed.

“Back in the store!”

“How did he look? Was he as sexy as he sounds?” Tamara asked.

“Yes! He is fine!”

“Awwwww…….Is he still there?”

“I don’t know.” She said as Tamara pushed her back toward the store.

Khori and Tamara entered the store. They both looked around. He was gone.

“He’s gone.” Sam said from behind the register.

“Awwww…Tamara said as she pouted. “I should’ve came in here with you!” She whined.

Just then Khori thought about the Dru Hill single. “I forgot to buy the “Tell Me” single.

Khori ran to the back and grabbed it. She purchased the cassette and her and Tamara left the store.

[aDRUfan4LiFe]

She remembered those days like it was yesterday, even though it was seven years ago. Khori was looking through her old high school and college things.

"I wonder what happened to Ruscola?" she thought to herself.

She had just finished unpacking her stuff and setting up her new apartment. This box was the last box and she had ran across her Dru Hill’s “Tell Me” single and Ruscola’s “Let’s Get Personal.” She had them in her hands when her cell phone rang.

“Girl, are you deaf? I’ve been blowing my my horn for five minutes!” Kenji shouted.

“I’m sorry. I was just sitting hear reminising.”

“Well reminise yo’ self to this here car, so we can get to crackin on this assignment!”

“I’m coming!” Khori responded.

Khori grabbed her overnight back and her backpack on wheels and headed to the door. Kenji’s father was a manager at an upscale downtown DC hotel, and he had gotten them a suite with four rooms in so that Kenji, Khori and their two partners Jeremy and Miguel could have some quiet time to finish their final project so that they could complete graduate school.

Khori made her way to Kenji’s Toyota Highlander, she put her bags in the backseat, and she sat in the passenger seat.

“About time!” Kenji snapped. Khori just rolled her eyes.

Khori looked at Kenji. She had on fresh makeup and had her locs down and they were crinkled.

“Are we going to study or are you going to party?” Khori said.

“Study, girl!” Kenji said as she smiled.

“Is something kicking off at the hotel, Kenji?” Khori knew that Kenji was a party animal.

“Maybe. I won’t know until I get there.”

“Kenji!” Khori sighed.

“Don’t worry! We gonna study!”

They made their way to the hotel and met up with Jeremy and Miguel. They all were interns at a new start up magazine called “One Song.” It was a magazine that covered every kind of music all over the world.

They had to work together in order to graduate. Kenji was the R&B and Hip-Hop editor of the magazine, Jeremy covered Rock, Miguel covered the Latin music and Khori covered Gospel Music. They had all got along with each other on their last group project, so they decided to work together on their last project.

They were walking out of the elevator on their floor when they heard some loud music.

“Sounds like a party!” Kenji whispered. Khori stopped in her tracks.

“Don’t start Kenji! I’m trying to get the heck out of graduate school! It’s been to much of a strain on me! You can put a party on hold for a night!”

Little did Khori know that near her right foot there was a blue sapphire dragon pendant laying on the carpet.

“Girl, get a grip!” Kenji said.

“Where there’s a party, there’s fine women." Miguel smirked, and he and Jeremy gave each other dap.

[aDRUfan4LiFe]

“Don’t ya’ll start!” She said as she started to walk ahead of them. But she heard a crunching sound and stopped again. Everyone looked down as Khori picked up the blue sapphire dragon pendant she had unknowingly stepped on.

“This is beautiful!” She said as she held up the dragon pendant for all of them to see.

“It would’ve been even more if you hadn’t stepped on it.” Jeremy said as he closely admired it and found that three of the stones were cracked.

“It was an accident, idiot!” She said smartly. Jeremy put his hands up in defense.

“Oh my goodness!” Kenji said.

“What?” Khori said with curiousity.

“That’s looks like the Dru Hill dragon! Let me find out they’re having a party in here and nobody told me!”

Khori sucked her teeth. “That’s all you think about!” She said.

“No I don’t. But I can take that for you to save you some trouble…”

“No, I’ll keep it and return it to the front desk and they’ll return it to whomever it belongs to!”

It was Kenji’s turn to pout. “Alright.” She said and they proceeded to look for their room.


Meanwhile, Dru Hill were celebrating the release of D.R.U. and their theme was the blue dragon. They had a huge hotel suite and it was decorated with a big Dru Hill poster with a blue dru hill dragon and their pictures on it.

The party was popping and Sisqo had his blue and black conrows freshly braided. They were all rockin’ their brand new blue sapphire dragon pendants, when they were all asked to take a picture and they had to pull out their pendants and for one of the photos.

They were all together for the picture, when Jazz reached down to pull out his pendant and it was not there. He panicked. They looked at him as he looked down on at his chain with no pendant where it should’ve been.

“What in the world happen to my blue dragon?” Jazz shouted above the noise.

“How would we know? It ain’t around our neck.” Sisqo shouted back.

“Aww man!” Woody said.

“Stop the music, stop the music!” Sisqo shouted to the DJ and the music stopped.

“If anybody sees a blue dragon pendant that looks like this, pick up and return it to Jazz! And if you can’t find him, give it to one of us! It is very, very, expensive! More than some of ya’lls paychecks…”

“Matter of fact”, Jazz said, “Everyone just stop what you are doing and search for it!”


Khori and the rest of them found their room, which luckily wasn’t near the noise from the so called “party spot.” She decided that after she put her bags down she would immediately go to the front desk to return the pendant to them. Her friends decided to walk with her so they could grab a bite to eat while they were down stairs.

As they neared the elevators, one of the hotel room doors flung open. They all looked in and the first thing that caught Khori’s attention was the picture of the blue dragon on the wall. Then she noticed that everyone was looking toward the floor like they were trying to find something.


She noticed that someone who looked like Nokio, was the one who came out the door after it opened up. The others were too busy looking inside the room to notice him. Khori made her way up to Nokio and he jumped. When Nokio turned around, Khori held out her hand, which had the blue dragon pendant in it.

“I guess you’re looking for this.” She said.

Nokio was relieved. “Where did you find it?

“Right about here!” She said as she pointed to the space where she found it.

She notice he had his dragon pendant on his neck, so she knew it didn’t belong to him. Before she knew it Nokio had grabbed her hand and led her into the hotel suite. Kenji, Jeremy and Miguel followed them in.

“I have an announcement to make! Jazz’s blue dragon has been found. This young lady here found it!”

Everyone in the room stopped and cheered. Jazz came over and gave her a hug, and then he took the dragon away from her. He couldn’t put it back on his chain because it couldn’t stay on. He put it in his pocket and he made sure it didn’t fall.

Woody, Scola and Sisqo hurried toward them and they thanked her for finding it.

“Well actually, the way I found it is that I stepped on it.”

Jazz took the pendant back out his pocket and took a good look at it. Nokio and Sisqo scrutinized it also.

“It could be fixed.” Jazz said.

“What’s your name?” Sisqo asked.

“Khori.” She answered.

That name clicked to Scola, Sisqo shooked her hand and introduced himself. The others guys followed him. When she got to Scola, their eyes locked. He noticed her conrows, this time they were big and they were going flowin down her back. She knew him from somewhere, but she couldn’t pinpoint it.

“How ya doin? I’m Scola.”

“Hey.”

They held each other’s hand for a while, trying to remember if they had met each other before.

Sisqo cleared his throat and said, “You and your friends can join us at the party if you all want.”

By then Kenji, Jeremy and Miguel had made their way to where they all were standing.

“Yes!” Kenji responded. Khori rolled her eyes.

“We have work to do, we can’t stay.” She responded.

“Speak for yourself! I’m not going allow all these fine honeys to get away from me!”Miguel said.

“Only for a little while!” Kenji begged.

She looked at her desperate friends. “Suit yourselves! I’m going to get started.” She said to them as she said her goodbyes to Dru and walked out the door.

“Party pooper!” Jeremy yelled as Khori walked out. She looked back and licked her tongue at him.

“Let’s get this party jumping again!” Sisqo shouted and the DJ started spinning the tunes.

Part 2 coming soon!

[sweetgapeach]

U GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEE VERY CREATIVE, I"M JEALOUS!!

Keep up the good work and I can't wait 4 part two

[CarolinaCutie]

Yooooooo...I'm really gettin' into this! Great work!

[VirgosAngel19]

GOOD, GOOD, GOOD! I like it, I like it. Can't wait for part 2.

[Nina]

Good job,ScolaLuver!This is a great sorry about that sexy papi.I like it alot. 8-)Don't stop now,keep doing your thing. ;D

[aDRUfan4LiFe]

Thanks!!! ;D ;D

[Jewlnmbr1]

Yeah, WHAT A PARTY POOPER! LoL...I'm deffo feelin' this one!