Song for this chapter- Pain Killers by Toosii
***
"So you sing?"
I nearly breakdown in tears from the pressure that's on my shoulders right now.
It's Thursday afternoon and I'm running out of damn time.
When I ran out of ideas, I decided to invite Kharise out for a snack after school.
After a few rounds of smoothies and burgers, she asked where I lived and I took the opportunity to take her to my house. And no, not for what you're thinking. I was hoping that looking at my living room with the keyboard, sound/beat mixer and mic stands with my headphones scattered across the sofas would motivate her to want to do something. Spit some bars maybe.
However, she takes one look at all this and starts to ask a lot of annoying questions about myself, such as if I sing.
Good thing I packed up all my scripts. I don't know how I would have explained that.
Now, what to tell her...
"Uh not exactly, I just like to mess around."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, my voice ain't all that."
"With the sort of equipment that would only be found in a professional studio. Sure."
She gives me a suspicious look but, thankfully, lets it slide. She steps around me to set up a mic stand and places it in front of me. She settles down in front of the mixer, moving the switches and pressing buttons like she does it for a living.
"How do you-"
"I have a smaller version of this at home."
She answers before I am done asking.
"Alright."
She picks up a guitar beside the couch and hands it to me.
"Here, you're gonna play this."
I should really start putting things in order in here.
I nod in answer.
"Okay, show me what you got."
She returns to her position on the couch.
I chuckle lightly at the irony of the situation, trying to decide whether to just be modest or go full Danté.
"Do I have to?"
Modest it is.
"Yeah, I mean, your voice can't be as bad as mine."
She says, giving me a mocking look.
Oh you just don't know.
"Alright, hit record. It's the green-"
She quickly interrupts.
"I know where it is. Now try not to destroy my ears."
I scoff, balancing the guitar properly along my frame.
Then it hits me.
"Hey, how come I'm the only one who gets to embarrass himself. You should get in on this too or else I'm not doing it."
I sit on a nearby couch to further emphasize my point.
"You're joking, right?"
She laughs for a while, before looking up at my face and realising that I'm dead serious.
"Aw, come on!"
She yells, throwing her hands up.
I slowly lower my guitar onto the ground to show how serious I am.
"Either you do it too or I don't."
She glares at me for a while.
"Fine."
She pulls over a mic stand and bends it to suit her sitting position in front of the mixer.
"Alright let's do this."
She hits record.
I let my fingers do their thing, strumming the guitar to the tune of the song I've been recently trying to complete.
"Ooh ooh ooh ooh..."
Her eyes widen at the sound of my voice.
"yeah...
You made me feel like even I lost the
whole world, girl I would always have
you
It felt so real, you made me feel so alive,
girl you made my dreams come true
So even when you ripped me apart and
hung up my heart
I still can't get over you"
I know what y'all are thinking and yes, I wrote this song when I was at my lowest, when I realized I had lost Kendra.
Kharise moves a switch and a steady beat begins playing. She moves a few more, modifying the sounds to give them a steady groovy feel. I close my eyes, getting into the emotional part of me.
"Girl I need to understand how you
drive me crazy
Girl don't leave me hazy
Tell me something baby
Girl I need to understand, 'cause girl I
can't explain it
Worse I can't contain it, yeah
I can't get over you oh oh oh"
I point to her, signalling that this is where she comes in.
She rolls her eyes at me.
Come on, I mouth to her.
"You know I've never felt so hurt
Worse, my world's comin' down
Been watching you so happy, man I'm
fucked this time around
You're going places man and all I've
been is sitting down
Feels like I'm about to drown while you
gon' wear a fucking crown..."
Watching her while she's rapping is totally something else. She belts out the words like she's in another place, telling a story through her rhymes moving so animatedly that you can feel every damn emotion.
She looks so alive and free, rhyming her feelings with each other and the sight of it is just...
Beautiful.
" 'cause I'm in the crowd
I'm losing myself, it's fucking loud
I made excuses for myself
Guess what? I'm fucking proud
Scream at the top of my voice
Hope you can hear through all that
noise
I've proven it that was my choice
So I'm gonna fucking shout"
She leans down and softens the beat, and her bars shine through.
"shit goes down how it is
I take a lot of crap with it
'Cause lovin' you is like starting an
apocalypse, boom
But I go through with it
I've been depressed, been disappointed
Been through all this bitch is haunted
Fucked up by the nigga that
disregarded uh.."
She signals that she's done.
And I come in with a bridge.
This is a lot better than I expected.
***
Friday...
"What's up, Brent?"
I lock my car and walk over to where he is standing in the parking lot of Range.
"Carson! Man, where you been? It's like you just up and disappeared. School finally getting to you?"
He slaps me lightly on the back as we walk up to the building, pushing past the revolving doors.
"Nah, man. It's a long ass story."
I sigh recapping the past week in my head.
"Something to do with Mike and Kendra teaming up against you?"
"Sorta."
We step into the elevator and he presses the button to the first floor.
"It's complicated."
The door opens and we walk through a hallway before stopping at the door to the recording studio.
He slides his access card and opens it.
I step in after him and shut the door behind me.
"You here to record?"
Brent asks, turning on the equipment.
I take a seat beside him and pull out a flash drive from my pocket.
"Not exactly."
I hand it to him and he plugs it in. The recording plays from the top and I watch as Brent taps his foot to the rhythm at first.
When Kharise's part comes up, his brows pull together in what I assume is either confusion or surprise.
"Who's she?"
I sigh, leaning back on the seat.
"Something new."
"Whoa, dude! With this chick, and a few modifications to both your vocals and the instrumentals-"
He leans back in his seat, his smile growing.
"You're going back to the top of the charts, man!"
"I know, right?"
Then why do I feel like shit?
***
Sorry for the short chapter.
So what do you think is gonna happen next?
How do you think Logan is going to break the truth to Kharise?
Do you think she knows already?
Will he be able to fulfill the final part of Earl's conditions?
Let me know what you think in the comments section.
Don't forget to vote!! 😁
Stay beautiful and safe.
Xoxo
Dhavié