**Author's Note**

This series will start 20 years after the finale of "A Different World". Each "Episode" will be four chapters in length. Hope you enjoy!

EP. 1/CHAPTER 1

"My BAAAAAYBY!" Whitley Gilbert-Wayne's loud country accent echoed through the bustling halls of Height Hall. She looked around in panic at the all too familiar interior of the dorm where she'd once served as director, but no calm or reassuring memories were enough to settle her fear. Her youngest son was on his way to college...a reality she was completely unprepared to face. "Micah, I don't think you're ready. I mean, there's a nice community college right down the street from our house, and-"

"Baby...baby baby, let the boy grow up." Dwayne insisted as he covered her mouth with his finger, and then pecked her on the cheek. "He got into Hillman, and this is where he wants to go. Besides, it's our alma mater."

"Look at this." Whitley snapped as she looked around. "So...so cramped, so blah...so unsanitary-"

"It's Heaven." Micah said as his eyes gleamed around at all of the women who were moving into their own dorm rooms.

"Heaven huh?" Whitley muttered. "You just make sure I don't get any little 'angels' running around my house any time soon, you understand me?"

"Ma...it's COLLEGE...it's not like you're sending me overseas to some human trafficking scheme." Micah replied as he giggled and nudged his father. "Can you believe her?"

Dwayne chuckled and shook his head, but after seeing Whitley's stern face, he quickly straightened up. "Don't laugh at your mother, son."

"And just WHERE is your dorm director?" Whitley called out aloud. "Here we are, in foreign territory, with all of these bags, and we can't even get a decent greeting? Perhaps I should make a phone call to-"

"That won't be necessary." called out a voice from behind them. "I am Niya Ormando, dorm director."

Micah turned around to see this absolutely beautiful woman, with incredibly smooth dark skin, pearly white teeth, and a smile that could almost blind you. She had an African scarf tied around her long brown dreadlocks, and immediately, Micah sprung forth.

"I'm Micah-" he said, before realizing his voice was too high. He then cleared his throat, and with a much darker, mysterious, sensual tone, he flashed a smile. "I'm Micah Wayne..."

"Freshmen?" Niya questioned.

"Well-.." Micah began to stutter.

"YES, he's a freshmen. And please don't let him get into any of those wild parties that I know will be going on around here. Micah is very grumpy in the morning if he doesn't get enough rest." Whitley interrupted as she turned around dramatically. "The place looks nice...not too different from when I was here." she smiled and then leaned in closer to Niya. "I bet you didn't know that I was the very FIRST dorm director here at Height Hall."

"I think I got a hint or two." Niya said sarcastically as she turned around to the WALL OF FAME, where Whitley's picture hung proudly next to about twenty other smaller photos of the past dorm directors.

"Oh...that photo does absolutely NOTHING for my skin." Whitley said before she turned to Micah. "I'm going to make sure you have a photo right up there next to your mother." she said with a proud and slightly excited smile. "But to do that, you have to keep your mind off of these questionable female specimens around here, and INTO those books."

Embarrassed, Micah looked down at the floor. "Aight Ma...dang."

"Well-" Niya attempted to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by two women.

"Niya...GIRL, I mean I like you and everything so far, but you were definitely feeling yourself when you assigned me to THAT room." spoke one of them as she shook her head. "How am I supposed to sleep in that small hole in the wall?"

Confused, Niya turned to look at her. "Your name please?"

"Simone...Simone Devereaux and THIS is SUPPOSED to be my roommate Kendall, if the room was big enough for both of us to get in...which it ISN'T."

"'scuse me..." Whitley said as she gently tugged on Niya's shirt. "We'd just like to-"

"Umm...I'm sorry and everything but uhh...this is IMPORTANT, ma'am." Simone interrupted as she turned to Whitley. "I'm sure your son can find his room by himself. He looks like a big boy."

With that, Simone turned to her roommate and the two shared a slight laugh, until Whitley cleared her throat.

"If you haven't noticed, I am Whitley Gilbert Wayne, first dorm director here at Height Hall and if that's not enough, I am old enough to be your mother. Now you will show me some respect or I will take off these heels and-"

"Okay, okay-" Niya interrupted. "Ladies, I'll be with you in a minute, not that I can change room size, but-..." flustered, she turned to Whitley, Dwayne, and Micah. "Look, Freshie, welcome to Hillman, and if you have any questions, I'll be around here somewhere with all of this-...craziness." she said with a smile, before backing away and following Simone and her roommate.

"Just a mess." Whitley mumbled, shaking her head.

**THE PIT**

Micah stood in the doorway of The Pit, looking at the hundreds of students who had packed into this small building. The smell of French fries and slightly burned burgers filled the air, and he inhaled deeply as his stomach growled.

"Yoooo my man Micah!" he heard his best friend Shawn's voice from across the room, and he squinted his eyes to see, and then finally seeing the 6 foot 4 slender guy coming toward him, he sighed and flashed a smile of relief. Finally someone he knew. "So you get here and act brand new like you don't know nobody?" he called out. He dapped Micah up and then looked at him. "So let me look at you yo..."

"It hasn't been but a year." Micah said shaking his head.

"A year...and look at you. Got hair all above your lip now and what not. Yo you still talking to Kayla?" Shawn questioned.

Kayla had been Micah's girlfriend since the seventh grade, and though they were going to different colleges, hundreds of miles apart, Micah was convinced that they could survive the distance.

He nodded confidently.

"Aye, we'll see how long that last." Shawn said, nudging Micah and then extending his arm. "I WOULD just like to point out the display of fine, and I DO mean FINE single ladies around here." he said. "I mean, here at Hillman, you've got every possible type of woman you'd like. It's like a buffet...you got the salad bar, which is the skinny girls who don't get into much." he pointed to a table of three girls, all totally engrossed in their text books. "You won't get much out of them except maybe a peck on the cheek. But THEN you got the SOUL FOOD section-" he pointed outside on the patio where about six or seven girls were dancing to a track that was playing over the sound system. "Thick in the hips, small in the waist, and they fill you up with whatever you want." he paused for a moment, almost as if in another world, and then he shivered. "I got some stories to tell you about my freshman year yo."

Micah half-smiled and then he cleared his throat awkwardly. "And what about uh...what about Niya?" he threw it out casually, but seeing the expression on Shawn's face, he knew that he'd messed up.

"Aye, PUHLEASE tell me you're not lookin' at that." Shawn exclaimed, before laughing. "Bro...it's a no-go. BELIEVE ME...Every man on this campus has tried. Hell, even the men on the dance team tried, and you KNOW how that goes."

"She's not with it, huh?" Micah questioned.

"She's not even on the same playing field. Aye, for real, if you are looking to dibble and dabble a little, and get out of that Kayla bubble, which I think you SHOULD, let me just tell you, Niya won't be the one." he shook his head.

Almost as if a cruel coincidence, Micah gazed off at the front counter, where Niya herself stood, ordering food. He looked at the shape of her body, and her beautiful eyes, and he knew that there was something special about her.

Kayla wouldn't have a problem with his admiration for the female physique.