Chapter 1

"Congratulations Graduates!" The guest speaker said into the microphone as the crowd cheered. Rebecca smiled and hooted with her classmates in excitement. She was more than ready to get the rest of her life started. Turning away from the crowd, she rushed for the exit trying to beat the others out.

She slid her diploma under her arm as she walked to the spot underneath her favorite tree. She had told her parents to meet her there. As she walked, she thought about the last six years and couldn't help but smile. It had been great. She had made some friends not a lot, but it was about quality, not quantity. She loved them and wouldn't change it for the world.

"Bex," she heard someone shout. She looked around before seeing her green-eyed, beautiful best friend since high school, Joni, waving frantically from under the tree they had deemed theirs on the first day of freshman year. She laughed and shook her head at her over-dramatic ways that Rebecca couldn't live without and waving and taking off into a light jog in the direction her friend was.

"I can't believe we did it!" Joni squealed as she started jumping up and down. She threw her arms around Rebecca and hugged her tight. Rebecca rolled her eyes before she realized she couldn't breathe as Joni continued her jumping around. She patted Joni's arm to let her know it was time to let go of her. She loved Joni like a sister, but sometimes wondered how they had ever become friends when they were so different. Joni was the typical beautiful, spoiled, rich girl. She didn't act like she was too good for Rebecca though, and she had always shared everything with her. She truly was the definition of a best friend. They had met at the mall when they ran into each other, literally. Joni had twisted her ankle pretty bad and Rebecca, being a nurse's daughter, had a small first aid kit in her purse that included a wrap. She helped her to a bench, wrapped her ankle, then drove Joni home. Joni, wanting to return the favor, had invited her in for dinner with her parents, who loved her and as they say, the rest was history.

The girls were very different, but that never mattered to either of them. Rebecca never thought of herself as not pretty, she just wasn't overly beautiful like Joni. She was short and pretty average. Especially compared to Joni. Rebecca's parents had never struggled financially when she was growing up, they just didn't own sixteen different companies, like Joni's father did. Thankfully Joni loved her no matter how she looked or how much less money her parents had then her own.

"Bex. Bex. Are you even listening to me?" Joni asked her with an impatient look on her face.

"Huh? Um, yeah," she answered her as she came back from her thoughts. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Joni rolled her eyes and sighed, "You never listen to me," she popped her hip out and placed her hand on it. "I was saying where are our parents?" She looked around the open area that was filled with families congratulating their own graduates.

"Right here," came a female voice from behind them. They both turned around to find Rebecca's mother, Roslyn, standing behind them with a huge smile. "I'm so proud of my girls," she said, wiping a tear from her olive-green eyes. "You both look so beautiful," she looked at each of the girls from head to toe.

Rebecca wore a dusty pink lace sleeveless panel dress with a high neck. She wore simple stiletto heels that matched the dress. Her chocolate brown hair was styled in large curls that reached just to her chin. Joni wore a tight nude bodycon dress with a plunging neckline, wrap skirt with a cut out back. Her lace-up heels wrapped around her long legs. She had left her long blonde hair in its natural wave. Both girls were never really into wearing a ton of makeup so they had both done theirs simple and natural-looking.

The girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Momma, don't cry," Rebecca said as she wrapped her mother in a hug. Soon they were joined by Joni, "Yeah, Momma, don't cry," she said.

Joni and Rebecca had spent all of high school and college as best friends. Each set of parents was like a second to each girl. They both had always thought that it was pretty cool that they got two sets of parents.

"We just love you both so much," they heard Gordon, Rebecca's father, say from behind them.

"Daddy!" They both shouted as they stopped hugging Roslyn and ran towards the man, nearly knocking him over.

"Girls, easy. I'm not as young as I use to be," he chuckled. They both unwrapped their arms to see that the man had unshed tears as he smiled at them both.

"Don't cry, Daddy," Rebecca said, wiping his eyes as they began to fall.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Came a voice from beside them. Everyone looked to see an older man dressed in a very nice, obviously expensive suit. Beside him, his wife was dressed just as nicely.

Richard and Sherri Banks, Joni's parents, were older than Rebecca's parents. Like Joni, they never showed that it mattered to them though. They were very happy when Joni and Rebecca met. They encouraged them to spend as much time as possible together. They had even helped pay Rebecca's college tuition so that they could both attend the same school.

"Mom, Papa," the girls said in unison, hugging them both before the group all began to cry again.

"Let's go eat before we flood the area with these tears," Joni said. "You people cry more than anyone I have ever met," she sighed as she walked past them. Everyone laughed, knowing that she was more dramatic than most people and cried all the time, as they followed her to the cars.

"I would like to make a toast," Richard said, clinking his glass and standing. Everyone turned towards him, giving him their attention. "My beautiful daughters, Joni and Bex. I think I speak for everyone when I say we are all so very, very proud of you. We watched both of you girls go through high school and now through college and you have done it all together. We know that you have your whole lives ahead of you now and it's time for us to let you fly a little freer." Looking around the girls saw the other three parents agree with his words.

"Joni, you are getting married and we couldn't be happier," he continued, looking Joni in the eye before turning to look at Rebecca. "Bex, you already have an amazing job starting out and we are so happy for you. We have a gift for you," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He started to hand it to her before pulling it back to his chest, "your mother expressed how worried she was about you moving to the city and being on your own. Truth be told we are a little worried about Joni, even if she has Isaac," he looked at his wife, then Joni, who had crossed her arms in a huff and was now pouting. Causing everyone to laugh. "We want you to be able to focus on your goals and not worry about things for a while, so we got you this," he finished finally handing Rebecca the box.

She opened the box to find a set of keys inside. She frowned in confusion before looking at Joni, who biting her lip, trying to hold back the huge smile on her face. Rebecca squinted her eyes at her best friend, knowing something was up. "We are going to be neighbors!" She finally shouted, unable to keep it in anymore. She threw herself at Rebecca while squealing louder than Rebecca had heard her when Isaac asked her to marry her.

Rebecca was still confused as she looked between both sets of parents and waited for an explanation that didn't seem to be coming. "I... I can't afford an apartment in your building, Papa," she stuttered. "I can't even afford to be the cleaning lady in your building," she added as she handed the box back to him.

"Honey, you think I would make my daughter pay for her own apartment right out of college?" He said pushing the box back towards her. "You have a year free, just like Joni. After that we will sit down and discuss what your rent will be," he smiled at her.

Rebecca could feel her eyes filling with tears. The Banks' had always been the best second parents a girl could ask for, but this was more than she would have ever expected.

"It's already furnished too. You're welcome," Joni smiled, proud of herself. Rebecca looked at her smiling. Rebecca could only guess that Joni was the one to decorate the place she loved to "make things pretty," as she always told people. "And it's right across the hall from Isaac and I's, so we can still see each other all the time." She couldn't help but laugh. Everyone in their little, blended family believed that Joni had a slight dependency problem when it came to Rebecca. They all hoped that it would lessen once the wedding was over, but Rebecca had a sneaking suspicion that Joni had something to do with this apartment's close proximity to her.

After they had all finished eating and both of their mothers were finished crying over the girls finally being adults, Joni and Rebecca decided to head to their apartment building so that Rebecca could see her new apartment and they could get ready for their night out celebrating.

"Are you ready, Bex?" Joni asked her as she placed her hand on the doorknob. Rebecca was slightly speechless, so she just nodded her head enthusiastically. Joni turned the handle and pushed the door open before stepping to the side to let Rebecca step through the doorway.

She couldn't believe her eyes when she walked in. "It's beautiful," she said, turning around to look at Joni with a smile that captured her excitement.

Joni started laughing, "why are you so shocked? Do you really think Papa would give you anything less than? Not to mention you have seen my apartment. I know it's not as big as mine, but it was the closest one to me," Joni gestured towards the apartment to signal for her to walk further into the apartment.

"I like small anyways and it is just me," Rebecca shrugged, looking around the living room.

"I picked out the furniture, so I hope you like it," she said. Rebecca could tell that it meant a lot to Joni that she liked what she had picked, which she did, so she smiled big and threw her arms around her best friend.

"I figured and I love it so much, thank you, Joni," she said before bursting into tears. She let go of her and continued to look around the lower level of the apartment, "I really do love this," she said as she sat on the fluffiest couch she has ever seen. Sighing in comfort, she realized that she was excited to be starting her life finally.

"Okay, we don't have time for this," Joni said, clapping her hands in Rebecca's face. "Ross and T are going to be waiting at the club and you know that T hates to be kept waiting when there is a high potential for him getting laid," both girls rolled their eyes before bursting into laughter.

Joni headed for the door, "I'm going to run and get dressed. I had Papa hire someone to move your clothes over while we were having dinner," she smiled at Rebecca, who rolled her eyes not shocked at all about Joni's antics. "Try the dress in the dress bag," she winked. "Hurry up and meet me in the hall in fifteen," she pointed at Rebecca who opened her mouth to argue. "Nope," Joni shook her head, "Your makeup still looks gorgeous. Not that you need any anyways. Your hair is great too, so, all you have to do is change your clothes." Rebecca gave her a thumbs up. She knew when not to argue with Joni and it usually was whenever there was a party involved.

Sigh deeply, she got off the couch and headed up to the loft bedroom to get changed. When she reached the top of the stairs, she looked around the loft-style bedroom. The décor was beautiful just like it was downstairs. The bed was Rebecca's style. The tufted headboard looked like the exact one that Rebecca had shown Joni once. Rebecca walked to the end of the bed and ran her hand over the cream-colored satin bedspread. There were two doors next to one another on the one wall that wasn't full of windows. One was open and looked like the closet and she assumed the other was the bathroom.

She headed for the closet to find the dress that Joni told her to wear. It didn't take Rebecca long to find the dress bag. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for the dress that Joni obviously picked out. She always loved to push Rebecca's limits. Unzipping the bag, she sighed. It was shocking that she didn't hate it. She pulled out a nude colored bodycon dress with a square neckline. It had sequin hanging in a fringe like way on it. It was sure to catch the lights in the club. Joni had outdone herself. Rebecca grabbed the dress and headed for the bathroom to get ready quickly before Joni ended up coming back to yell at her.