It All Started With Hello Ch.?21.6
Artemis
First day of tour and I'm nervous as hell. All of my family were here along with a lot of ny friends.
"Babe, calm down. It's gonna be okay. We're nervous too. It's okay to be nervous." Prince hugged me as the girls and I stood backstage waiting for Diggy to come off.
"Here. Un beso de buena suerte, mi amor." Prince whispered in my ear. (A kiss for good luck)
He gave me a short, sweet kiss just as Diggy got off stage. We said a quick pray before going out. We danced to All Bout Him, My Baby, Growing Up, then Superhuman. When Superhuman started the boys appeared out of no where and the girls went crazy. When we finished, we waited a minute. Keisha nodded at me.
"Hi everyone! How y'all feeling tonight?!" I asked and got screams and shouts in reply. "That's good. Before the girls and I leave stage, I want y'all to help me with something. Today is my dad's birthday. Can y'all help us sing him happy birthday?"
Again I got screams as a reply.
"Alright. On three. One...two...three. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Walter. Happy birthday to you!" The girls, boys, and I sang.
"I love you Daddy!" Juno and I shouted before walking off stage with the girls to let the boys start their set. After we changed, we went back to watch the boys. During Used To Be, Prince somehow bust his lip. I had to bite mine to keep from laughing. A lot of people thought he was into the song and was going to cry.
"Thank you everyone!" Ray shouted.
"Stay Mindless!" Roc yelled before they ran backstage.
"Hold on Mindless Behavior." Walter said as he walked out on stage.
"We didn't do anything this time, Walt." Roc said and all of the fans laughed.
"You didn't, Roc Royal. But some girls want to do something special for their brother and his family." Walter said. The girls and I walked back out on stage.
"Ray Ray, this is for Grandma Shell." Brittany whispered to Ray and he almost cried.
"Hey, everyone. Team Mindless as you know, Ray and the rest of the boys have lost someone so near and dear to their hearts. We want to pay pur respects right now, but we want to do it New Orleans style." Isis said.
"In New Orleans, we have a second line, or a jazz, band play at a funeral. We raise the casket up in the air as the band plays to help guide the spirit home. We don't have the casket, but we still want to play." I said.
"Y'all were given handkerchieves upon entering. As we play, wave your handkerchieves in the air." Isis said. "One, two, three, four."
"Please welcome New Orleans' own, Martin Behrman Second Line Band!" I said. A few of our friend's came on stage.
We all started to sing.
"Every step I take, every move I make. Every single day, every time I wake. I'll be missing you." We sang as the band played. (Look up SWV Missing You Bounce Remix. That's what they're singing)
"Grandma Shell. Gone but never forgotten." Brittany said. The band marched off the stage.
"Thank you, everyone!" We said before leaving the stage. Their mics were taken off as Ray held in the tears.
"Thank you." Ray cried, he just let the tears roll down his face as he hugged us.
"Shh. Shh. It's alright, Ray. Let it out. Just let it out." Brittany patted his back. Ray sniffed and wiped his face.
"I'm okay. I'm okay." Ray sniffed. They all went to their dressing room as Prince fumed about his bust lip.
"I can't believe I bust my lip!" Prince groaned as he looked at it in MB's dressing room mirror. Isis and I were standing in the doorway watching Roc and Prince change shirts.
"Babe, it's not that bad." I argued as I walked toward him.
"What? It's horrible. It's ugly. And it kinda hurts." Prince sighed as he touched his lip slightly.
"I don't think it's ugly. I can still kiss it." I whispered as I kissed him softly. "Better?"
"Almost." He smiled and pulled me in for another kiss.
"Artemis Zoey Williams!" Wendy gasped. Prince and I pulled apart reluctantly.
"Momma! Daddy! Everyone else!" I smiled as I went to hug them.
"You girls did an amazing job, baby girl!" Daddy said as he hugged me. "Thank you for singing me happy birthday."
"But if course, Mr. Walter. It's your birthday and you're a cool cat." Roc smiled as he held Isis in his arms.
"Hey best friend. I ain't know you could dance like that." Harold said. He was referring to my grind during Superhuman with Prince.
"Shut up!" I pushed him.
"Prince, were you crying during Used To Be? I mean, Artemis ain't leave you yet." Christopher, one of my older brothers and Kendon's dad, laughed.
"Hahaha. I wasn't crying. I bust my lip." Prince let go of his bottom lip.
"Dang. You got the fucker good." Christan laughed. Ma'Kayla was laughing too. She was like the dark skinned twin of Christan.
"Ha. Ha. So funny, Dixie." Prince rolled his eyes.
"Where's Prod?" Ma'Kayla asked as she looked around the dressing room.
"Are you looking for me, Kay Kay?" Prod picked Ma'Kayla up and tickled her. Her high pitched laugh carried throughout the building.
"Let's go get something to eat. We can talk as we eat." Alexa said.
"Yeah. Let's go." Brittany smiled.
***
"So that flip you did during All Bout Him wasn't supposed to happen?" Darian asked.
"No. I stumbled and had to improvise or I'd be flat on my face." I said as we all laughed. We were at Roscoe's and we were the last ones there. We took up almost half the restaurant.
"So you'll be gone all month?" Miss Edie asked.
"Yeah, Miss Edie. We'll be gone until August so we can go to Karr." Juno nodded.
"I'm starting to rethink the going to normal school thing. I think we should just stick to homeschool. I mean, it'll work out better and we'd be able to travel and promote more." I said. Juno nodded with me.
"I mean do you want to?" Jari asked from the end of the table.
"I know Isis will do it." Miss Edie said. "We moved to Texas recently and I have Horus already enrolled in a high school there. Isis if you do go to Karr, you'll be staying with your granny."
"I'll the homeschooling for one thousand, please." Isis said. Horus copied her. "Nope. You're going to school in Texas, baby brother."
"Two minutes!" Horus snapped.
"How about you fo nine weeks of high school and if it doesn't work with your schedule, you'll be homeschooled? You'll have a tutor when you have to go on the road throughout the two weeks." Keisha suggested. Our parents looked at each other.
"If I can stay with Artemis and Juno, Ma. Miss Wendy?" Isis begged.
"Fine." Miss Edie nodded.
"That means we have to go to Ninth Grade Academy and leave tour early." I said.
"Then you'll just have to do the first week of Academy." Walter said.
"Eww! We gotta wear the plaid pants, though!" Juno sobbed playfully.
"Why?!" Jari sobbed with Juno. Isis and I pouted as Roc and Prince put their arms around us. Everyone laughed and shook their heads.
"The BET Awards was all anyone in New Orleans could talk about after Sunday. They couldn't believe you won an award and gave a dope performance." Harold said.
"Really?" Brittany asked.
"Yeah. People are like finally something positive is coming from the city. Instead of Lil Wayne and violence." Alexa said.
Jari, Brittany, Isis, Juno, and I just smiled at our plates.