the
following I already had then they'd be more
receptive. Then I quickly dismissed the idea. This was a
cocaine meeting, and nothing else.
Mark said something to Archie about reaching
into the center console, and I jumped back into my Site world on my
phone. I was curious to know who Sundi Ashworh was. I tapped her
name with my finger and the message popped up on my screen:
Sundi Ashworth: Hello, Kirbie, my name's
Sundi Ashworth (A&R) and I'm sending you this message in
regards to—
Archie snatched my phone before I could
finish reading the message. "I told you to stay off the fucking
phone and pay attention! See, now you're not getting your phone
back until we're done." He handed me a black sleep mask. "Put this
on like the man just said."
"What's this?" I asked, feeling the satin
material with my thumbs. Then I looked up at the rearview where
Mark was staring back at me.
"It's a blindfold," Mark said. "You have to
wear it. Like I said, my family is making me go through all the
necessary precautions."
I hesitated, but then I dutifully placed the
mask over my head after I saw Archie adorn his. I couldn't see a
thing.
And I suddenly started to feel homesick.
Chapter 10
Andre "Coras Bane" McDougald
"Are you seriously sitting there still thinking
about Kirbie? She's not coming, Coras. Get over it. You have a show
to do. And if you're gonna sit there and dwell on shit that's out
of your control, then you're gonna fuck up enormously when you get
on stage. We don't have room for mistakes. This show will make or
break your career. If you really wanna be a rap superstar, then
you'll get up and shake that shit off."
I heard Ashleigh, but I didn't hear her. I
was sitting in a folding chair in our dressing room backstage at
the Sprint Center still fuming over Kirbie going awol. Still angry
as fuck that Archie won, still sulking, still bitter, still ... I
didn't even really want to go on stage anymore.
Ashleigh pulled me by my arm and forced me to
stand up. I was on my feet for all of five seconds before I plopped
back down.
Ashleigh sighed. "Gee, please talk some sense
into yo boy. He's scaring me."
Gee Beats was on the other side of the
dressing room preparing his alcoholic drink of choice. He had
several bottles on the counter—vodka, cognac, Sprite, an unlabeled
fruit juice, a bottle of prescription cough syrup, an energy drink,
and an empty wine bottle to mix it all in. The wine bottle had a
yellow funnel stuck inside its mouth. He had a whole laboratory set
up over there.
"Gee!" Ashleigh called again. "Help me with
him!"
Gee burped.
I looked up and watched Gee walk over to me
casually but I could tell he was drunk. He bent over and put a hand
on his knee and pointed his finger in my face like he was about to
scold me.
"You know what, nigga?" he said to me with a
smart mouth. "You actin' like a little bitch right now. You actin'
real paranoid n' shit. Now these muthafuckas smoked yo goddamn
cousin in front of you, nigga. Blew his head off in front of yo
face, and you ain't gon' do shit?"
I burst into laughter. I couldn't help it.
Ashleigh laughed too and pushed him, told him to stop playing. He'd
just recited a classic line from the movie Menace II
Society . He had O-Dog's tone down pat.
As much as I didn't want to, I stood up and
hugged Gee and thanked him for making me laugh. I was still bent
out of shape over Kirbie ditching us, but he did make me feel
better.
Ashleigh joined in on the hug, wrapping her
arms around the both of us. "I guess it's just us three," she said.
"That's all we need, right guys?"
I said, "We're gonna have to make it
work."
"How long is this hug gonna last?" Gee
asked.
"However long it takes for Coras to shake off
his bad mood," Ashleigh said.
"I'm good," I said. "I really am. I'm
ready."
"I'm not," said Gee.
Unexpectedly he tried to push away from us,
and with me thinking he was joking again, I sort of held on to him.
Big mistake. Mustard-colored
following I already had then they'd be more
receptive. Then I quickly dismissed the idea. This was a
cocaine meeting, and nothing else.
Mark said something to Archie about reaching
into the center console, and I jumped back into my Site world on my
phone. I was curious to know who Sundi Ashworh was. I tapped her
name with my finger and the message popped up on my screen:
Sundi Ashworth: Hello, Kirbie, my name's
Sundi Ashworth (A&R) and I'm sending you this message in
regards to—
Archie snatched my phone before I could
finish reading the message. "I told you to stay off the fucking
phone and pay attention! See, now you're not getting your phone
back until we're done." He handed me a black sleep mask. "Put this
on like the man just said."
"What's this?" I asked, feeling the satin
material with my thumbs. Then I looked up at the rearview where
Mark was staring back at me.
"It's a blindfold," Mark said. "You have to
wear it. Like I said, my family is making me go through all the
necessary precautions."
I hesitated, but then I dutifully placed the
mask over my head after I saw Archie adorn his. I couldn't see a
thing.
And I suddenly started to feel homesick.
Chapter 10
Andre "Coras Bane" McDougald
"Are you seriously sitting there still thinking
about Kirbie? She's not coming, Coras. Get over it. You have a show
to do. And if you're gonna sit there and dwell on shit that's out
of your control, then you're gonna fuck up enormously when you get
on stage. We don't have room for mistakes. This show will make or
break your career. If you really wanna be a rap superstar, then
you'll get up and shake that shit off."
I heard Ashleigh, but I didn't hear her. I
was sitting in a folding chair in our dressing room backstage at
the Sprint Center still fuming over Kirbie going awol. Still angry
as fuck that Archie won, still sulking, still bitter, still ... I
didn't even really want to go on stage anymore.
Ashleigh pulled me by my arm and forced me to
stand up. I was on my feet for all of five seconds before I plopped
back down.
Ashleigh sighed. "Gee, please talk some sense
into yo boy. He's scaring me."
Gee Beats was on the other side of the
dressing room preparing his alcoholic drink of choice. He had
several bottles on the counter—vodka, cognac, Sprite, an unlabeled
fruit juice, a bottle of prescription cough syrup, an energy drink,
and an empty wine bottle to mix it all in. The wine bottle had a
yellow funnel stuck inside its mouth. He had a whole laboratory set
up over there.
"Gee!" Ashleigh called again. "Help me with
him!"
Gee burped.
I looked up and watched Gee walk over to me
casually but I could tell he was drunk. He bent over and put a hand
on his knee and pointed his finger in my face like he was about to
scold me.
"You know what, nigga?" he said to me with a
smart mouth. "You actin' like a little bitch right now. You actin'
real paranoid n' shit. Now these muthafuckas smoked yo goddamn
cousin in front of you, nigga. Blew his head off in front of yo
face, and you ain't gon' do shit?"
I burst into laughter. I couldn't help it.
Ashleigh laughed too and pushed him, told him to stop playing. He'd
just recited a classic line from the movie Menace II
Society . He had O-Dog's tone down pat.
As much as I didn't want to, I stood up and
hugged Gee and thanked him for making me laugh. I was still bent
out of shape over Kirbie ditching us, but he did make me feel
better.
Ashleigh joined in on the hug, wrapping her
arms around the both of us. "I guess it's just us three," she said.
"That's all we need, right guys?"
I said, "We're gonna have to make it
work."
"How long is this hug gonna last?" Gee
asked.
"However long it takes for Coras to shake off
his bad mood," Ashleigh said.
"I'm good," I said. "I really am. I'm
ready."
"I'm not," said Gee.
Unexpectedly he tried to push away from us,
and with me thinking he was joking again, I sort of held on to him.
Big mistake. Mustard-colored
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