Troy –
Sitting on the living room couch, I stretched out and rested my legs in Marliss' lap as I nodded my head and rapped along with Dr. Dre's A Nigga Witta Gun. He was laughing at me the entire time, but I didn't care. He would either love this side of me too, or he wouldn't. Made me no never mind.
"You swear that you are so hard, Troy."
"Would you please let me have my fun? Y'all won't let me leave this apartment, or do anything remotely entertaining. Let me enjoy my guilty pleasure, please."
"Hardcore hip-hop, dirty rap, that's your guilty pleasure?"
"That and you, but you aren't ready for all of this yet, so all I've got are The Chronic and Doggystyle albums."
He chuckled. "Girl, I'm more than ready. I'm just patiently waiting because you asked me to."
I smiled, focusing back on my music. In a way, I was glad that everyone else stayed gone all day long. I wasn't that hype about Marliss making himself comfortable all day every day, in my personal space, babying me, but I enjoyed the attention from him. It made me realize how much I missed him now that we weren't around one another as often anymore.
"I like when you say certain things."
I looked at him, lowering my eyes. "What?"
"Your accent, it's thicker than mine when you don't force yourself to talk without it and you just sound so cute and country."
"You know what, you're on your way to being put out."
Marliss moved my legs to the side for a moment, leaning forward before he kissed me. He sat back down, repositioning my legs in his lap before he pulled my slippers off and started massaging my feet. "You wouldn't really put me out, would you? Nah, you'd miss me too much."
"I doubt it."
"Mmhm." I put my head down, focusing on what I'd been trying to write for over a week, looking in every direction possible as I tried to think. Then, before I could stop him, Marliss grabbed my notebook, holding it away from me because he knew I wasn't supposed to be making any sudden movements.
"Give it back, Tariq!"
He shook his head, licking his lips before he started reading out loud after clearing his throat. "In an instant, my heart stopped and I knew that it had come across and connected with it's missing half. It came along with the gentle spirit, a tender soul belonging to a young man destined to be a great lover, and an even greater friend."
"Tariq, stop."
"I like when you say my real name, you know that." He shushed me, continuing to read aloud as I hung my head in shame. "I sat quietly, watching with thoughts of forever playing back in my mind as he took the time to learn all that he could about the things that might make him love me. And he loved me; so deeply, so honestly, touching parts of my heart that were bound to belong to no one but him."
"Please, I am begging you to stop reading and give me my notebook."
"I knew with each smile, with each peek of a dimple that eternity would be heavenly, blissful so long as I could walk through, hand and hand with him. I'd love him, forever and always." He took a deep breath, looking in my direction with a wide smile on his face as I mugged and rolled my eyes. "That's about me?"
"Nope."
He laughed, apologizing for not listening to me. "I'm sorry, but that was amazing, and beautiful. Just like you."
"Leave me alone."
He sighed, moving my legs again before he laid next to me, wrapping his arms around me carefully. Marliss looked up at me for a moment, giving puppy dog eyes before I finally gave in, rubbing the back of his head as he gently rested his head against my chest. "Why didn't you want me to read that?"
"Because, it's not good, and you know how I get embarrassed."
"Embarrassed for what though, Troy? It's nobody but me and you, and you know I'd never laugh at or make you feel bad about anything you do. Besides, you were right about something you said in that poem."
"What?"
"I love you, very much. I hope that you really do love me too."
I looked away from him, nodding my head. "You already know that I do. But please, if I don't ask you to, don't read any of my work out loud like that again. Even if it is just me and you."
"Alright, and I'm sorry. But that one was worth getting you mad over. Might be my favorite Troy masterpiece to date."
"Thank you. Now get off me before my daddy comes back thinking you've tried something."
"Hey, that'll be worth getting in trouble over too."
"Just move."
He laughed and got back in his spot before finally giving me my notebook back.
Later that night, the girls were back and we'd settled on playing a game of Monopoly while eating take out from this Greek restaurant around the corner from us. While my sister was eager to fill us all in on how she bumped into Larenz Tate, Ava and I listened intently. But every so often, I would notice that Leann was extra quiet, staring off into space.
This was unlike her, and on top of that, she loved Larenz. The fact that he was anywhere near us, alone, would have got her hype and had her dragging Torii all around Los Angeles trying to bump into him again.
"I swear, I wouldn't have known how to act. You and Troy have all the luck when it comes to bumping into movie stars."
I looked at Ava and shook my head. "I still haven't met Marlon Wayans or Omar Epps, so I don't want to hear anything about luck. Anyway, Monopoly is getting kind of boring. What else do we have around the apartment? What else do we have time for?"
Leann and my sister shrugged, but Ava jumped suddenly. Looking down at her watch, she groaned and jumped up. "Shit, I'm late."
"You're late, you're late, for a very important date. No time to say hello..."
"Goodbye, Troy."
"She's late, she's late, she's late."
"Lord, please get better so that you can stop sitting in this apartment watching Disney movies."
I laughed, sitting back on the couch before I noticed that Ava was really rushing to get her shoes, jacket, keys, and a few other things. "Where are you going?"
"To pick up Sean from the airport."
Leann cleared her throat, speaking with a low and dry tone. "Oh, didn't know he was coming to visit. Usually when you get the chance to see him, you can't stop talking about it."
Ava sighed. "It slipped my mind."
"So I see. I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."
Ava looked back at all of us and shook her head. "He and I don't talk much, Leann, at least not about anything work or career wise." She sighed. "You know, all the trouble started over his ego and him feeling jealous of the success we found, it was too much so we just don't talk about it. We don't talk about anything regarding me, music, nothing."
"Damn. So he legit can't find a way to be happy for you?"
Ava shrugged. "He tries Torii, but... it's forced, and then he gets fed up or gets in his feelings and he starts walking around mad again. It's just best that I do and focus on whatever will keep him quiet, chill, and happy."
From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Leann was shaking her head but I decided not to say anything about it. After finally gathering her things, Ava walked out, letting us know that she'd be back tomorrow afternoon.
I cleared my throat. "What prompted you to ask her more about Sean? Usually she says his name and you rush her out the door. You know something Torii and I don't?"
"More than I should know, but it's nothing I guess."
"You don't think she should bother trying to make it work with him, huh? Every now and then I get this feeling that he's just trying to pull her back in and he's going to start hitting her again."
Leann cleared her throat. "She could have divorced him for all I care. She can do what she wants, it's just some excess drama that's about to pop off."
"How do you know that?"
"It's a really strong gut feeling, Torii. All I'm going to say is, don't let her get y'all caught in no lies or secrets. We're girls, we're family, sisters or whatever you want to call the bond... but some shit, you just don't owe people no matter how close you are. Anyway, I don't mean to cut out but I'm going to go and see Valen before she heads back to Seattle for her own break."
Torii and I both nodded, looking at one another for a few seconds before she got up to find a movie for us to watch.
I was beyond confused by Leann's comments and how she was feeling towards Ava suddenly, but I figured it was nothing I needed to worry about at the moment. Eventually, one or both of them would get around to talking and Torii and I would know the full details when they were ready for us to know.
Torii –
After not seeing him for nearly two weeks, I was surprised to get a call from Chauncey, asking me to come and see him at his office. He told me it was to discuss a guest feature on one of my favorite shows, but the mood shifted as soon as I took a seat in front of his desk.
He wore his usual, creepy little smile. Extra chipper, speaking as if he hadn't just nicknamed me the group's Miss Piggy when speaking to the dietician they'd hired for us. He was beyond sending mixed signals at this point in our professional relationship. As soon as I felt I could like him, even a little bit, he dropped the ball and went back to his usual asshole-ish attitude and I ended up hating him.
"Torii, Dear, I guess you're wondering why you're here."
"You told me I could be getting an appearance on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I would prefer to play one of the good guys, but if I have to be a villain, that's fine too."
"Well, Dear, I'm still in talks with that. But that's not what this meeting is about today. I wasn't being truthful with you."
I took a deep breath, trying my best to stay calm. If there was one thing anyone could say about me, it was that I couldn't stand to have my time wasted. It was one of the few things that could upset me within a matter of seconds. "You know Chauncey; I'm starting to find it hard to believe that you have a good or decent working relationship with anyone. A lie here, a lie there... how do you get by, how do people still trust you?"
He shrugged. "I'm a great shit talker, this you know. But this isn't a complete waste or a blank trip. I do have a very special offer for you, and for you only."
Leaning forward in my seat, I decided to hear him out. There was no telling how things would go when Troy got the rest of her results back, or what the doctors would allow her to do, so there was no clear direction of where we would stand as far as touring goes. I'd need something to do to keep from being bored. "Alright, what is it?"
Chauncey smiled again. "Torii, Darling, you know that you are my favorite member of Fly Girl, right? Leann's a close second, I like the little rap thing she does, but you're number one on my list. Have been since we finally got a hold of you and added you to the group."
I cleared my throat. "Chauncey, if that's how you feel, cool, but I don't feel comfortable with you telling me something like that. It's not right for you to play favorites."
"Everyone has a favorite and we can't all be liked, Torii. That's how life works. Now listen, as my favorite, I've been in talks with the execs at MCA and we've got a great proposition for you."
"That is?"
He cleared his throat, pulling a folder from one of the drawers in his desk. "Although you girls have done very well on the second album; The label execs still have their little doubts. It's standard; prove them wrong once, great. Prove them wrong twice, even better. But that third try is always the toughest."
"So, they're not backing or funding a third album, but they want us to begin making plans and already have us recording while we wait on Troy? That makes perfect sense."
"Well, it's just common sense to try and get a third album out while you guys are still hot; but, there's not much faith that this third album will do well. See, we have to have things in place; back up plans, if you will."
I took a deep breath and sat back, shaking my head. "And let me guess, back up plan number 1, or probably number 2, is to have me go solo?"
He nodded, pushing the folder towards me. "Naturally. As the voice of the group-"
I held my hand up, cutting him off. "Let's not pretend that Fly Girl couldn't and wouldn't go on if it were me that ended up in a hospital instead of Troy. My sister's the lead, and this is well known by everyone in our circle. Just like I was a replacement, I can be replaced and that's something I understand quite well. You offered it to her first, and what did she say?"
Chauncey sighed, no doubt irritated, but I couldn't care less. Approaching me about it, that's fine. But lying and being underhanded, as if it's not known that I'm a 'professional' people and bullshit reader, that's where he's got the game messed up. "She said no. But Torii, there's no need for you to be as foolish about the situation as your sister. She wants to pass up the perfect opportunity, that's on her." He cleared his throat, looking me in my eyes. "But don't be dumb about this. If you know you're replaceable, then I'm positive you know the group wasn't meant to last."
I nodded. "Yeah, that's what we were told. However, we were also told when we signed our contracts that as long as Fly Girl sells records, meeting the minimum requirement to keep us signed, then we'll always have a deal as a group until at least two of us ask to be released; whether that includes resigning for solo deals, or exiting the label and business altogether. I mean, you all can go back and check the billboard stats and sales information if you want; but we've debuted at number one twice, selling well over the 500k threshold in the first week, and we're still sitting in the top five, selling steadily. Did you know they're saying we might go double platinum this time, and the FG album reentered the charts?"
"That's fantastic Torii, you know that I'm proud of you all. But I'm just trying to have something lined up for you."
"And that's perfectly fine, and I'm sure that had you not tried to be low down about it, and no doubt said something to piss her off, my sister would have felt the same. Does everybody get this backdoor solo deal?"
"Everyone as in..."
"Leann and Ava."
Chauncey rolled his eyes. "Look, they're your friends and that's great, I suppose. But no one cares about the background."
I nodded, smiling. "And you saying that; that's how I know you don't care about any of us at all. Troy was your favorite first, right? And if I say no, then you're going to Leann next and I'm going to be all types of bitches and hoes because you couldn't get your way. I get it Chauncey, I do."
He cleared his throat, clasping his hands together. "What are you talking about?"
"You make more managing solo artists. You don't get a cut from us individually, you get a cut from the group as a whole and it's not nearly as much as you get from say... Valen and Keith, or Marliss if he eventually chooses to sign back on as a singer."
"Torii, think rationally."
"I am. Look, make your money however you make it. I can't knock your hustle or how you choose to go about it, but until the fans get tired of us, or I start to feel that being in this group isn't worth it, I'm not backing out on something that's been such a huge blessing and is still opening doors for me." To be honest, the door I wanted to kick down most is already open for me, I'm just not ready for it and I know I'm not. "Not for something that isn't a sure thing. I'm not ready to go solo, and probably won't ever want to go solo. Sorry."
I excused myself, leaving just as quickly as I'd arrived. I guess I appreciate the thought, though I wish he'd just been upfront with his intentions from jump instead of playing the 'you are my favorite' mind game; but he and the executives shouldn't make decisions for any of us without talking to us. Truthfully, if Fly Girl does eventually come to an end, that would be the end for me. I already had my mind set on fading to the background as a writer and nothing was going to change my mind about that.
A whole week passed following that conversation with Chauncey, and to my surprise, he hadn't changed or started acting out of pocket with me. He'd also hopped off of Troy's case, finally.
One thing he kept reminding us of though, was the fact that we were about to get back to work, and we had a lot of work to do to get back on track following this mandatory break. All we were waiting on was a clearing from Troy's doctor.
Sitting in the waiting room, I smiled as this little girl kept looking in my direction. She couldn't have been much older than three or four, with a very small voice. Every time she came near me, she said hello or waved, and then she'd proceed to explain what was going on as she watched Sesame Street on the TV in the section of the office they'd designated to keep kids busy while their parents or the adult watching them handled their own business.
Leann was sitting next to me, talking on her mobile phone; smiling and blushing. Though she tried to keep it a secret, to avoid issues with Chauncey, I knew that it was Valen. She was back in her hometown, and they hadn't gone a single day without talking to one another about everything and nothing. I thought it was so cute, and nice for Leann because I know she had to be sick of sitting around Troy, Marliss, Raymond, and I. Hell, I know I get tired of sitting around Troy and Marliss if Raymond's away.
She finally admitted that she was tired of dating around, and I was beyond glad when she got Erika out of our circle because it had become exhausting dealing with her attitude and jealousy when Leann had made it clear that they were nothing more than friends. I couldn't say much about Valen, other than she was a nice girl, and she didn't try to change Leann or make her feel guilty for having success... and if Leann was happy and enjoying herself and her new relationship, that was enough for me as a friend. Along with things finally starting to work out with her gaining custody of her brother, she deserved some extra happiness of her own.
The little girl tapped my knee again and I looked down at her, smiling. "Yes?"
She giggled a little, then she randomly started singing. It took me a minute to piece some of the words together, but it was when I realized what she was singing that caught me off guard. She was just the cutest, singing one of our interludes called Family. "Torii, that's you singing like that?"
I shook my head, asking Leann to look over. "No, that's this cutie here. She knows us."
"Aww. Hold on Val, the best thing in the world is happening right now." She continued singing and Leann and I watched her, nodding our heads as we created a little beat for her. As she finished, we applauded and she did a little curtsey, holding the bottom of her flower print dress out.
A moment later, an older lady stepped in front of us. "I'm so sorry my daughter's bothering you. She's really young, but she kept saying Fly Girl and pointing in your direction every time she came back to me." The woman held up a magazine, one that I hadn't even noticed when I was staring at the kiosk while Troy signed in. "This is you, right?"
"Yes. And she's not bothering us at all, Ma'am. She actually just made our day. What's her name?"
The lady looked down at her daughter and smiled, asking her to tell us her name. "Angel."
"Pretty name. Thank you, Angel."
She smiled again, hiding her face behind her mother's leg. "Is it okay if she takes a picture with you. I have a camera in my bag and she'd just love it."
I nodded as Leann and I both stood. "It'd be our pleasure. It's actually three of us here, my sister should be out in a few minutes, if you don't mind waiting. That way Angel can at least have almost the whole group."
"Great, and thank you so much. Whenever you're ready, we're sitting near the kids' area."
"Alright."
They walked away and I looked at Leann as she went back to talking on the phone. "I don't know about you, but I swear that made it worth all of the long days."
"Definitely."
As we checked to make sure we had our bags, and I grabbed Troy's, she came out holding a stack of papers and an agitated look was spread across her face. Taking a deep breath, she took her bag from my hand and tossed the papers in before throwing her bag over her shoulder. "Thanks for holding it for me."
"No problem. So, what happened? What's going on, what's the word?"
Troy shook her head. "I just have to go on this stupid, special diet and I have to take it easy when I dance. And, I can't fly."
"For how long?"
"A month. A month, no sugar, no sweets. Shoot, the way this ignorantly long lists looks, I can't have anything that actually tastes good, nothing with flavor, nothing that's fattening. Looks like Brandy will finally get her chance to cook some of that bland food for me."
"That's what you're mad about?"
"Girl, yes." I laughed, shaking my head. "Don't try to play me Torii. We know I'm fat on the inside, and food is life. Don't judge me." I doubled over, apologizing before I told her about what'd happened while we were waiting for her. Once I pulled myself together, we walked over to Angel and her mother.