𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐧

43. Priorities

     "I'm gonna go check on Prince," I told Clyde as we were passing on the stairs. He just gave me a single nod, beer can in hand.

I knocked twice and then let myself in. Prince was sitting in a plush chair near a window, talking on his cellphone. "I'll call you back," he said to whoever. And then he hung up. "Hi." A forced grin.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing in here. I was talking to Nessie. She wanted to know how things were going."

"You've been talking to her this whole time?"

"No. But if I had, would that be the 'wrong' you're suspecting?"

"No, of course not." I sat down on the bed, facing his direction. "I wish she could've come with us."

"She does too. But she couldn't get the time off work."

"Maybe she can come visit soon." Picking at the bed sheet, this was me treading lightly into my decision. "For the Ryde Dyvine show...when are we starting rehearsals again?"

Prince smirked, shook his head and snickered, a combination reeking of his disapproval.

"I should stay?" It came out like a question. I've been doing that a lot. Questioning my decisions out loud. It was frustrating and in that moment, I pushed myself to stop. "I'm going to stay here."

"For how long?"

"Just call me when rehearsals start."

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

Sitting back, "You can't do the show if you're not at every rehearsal."

"To be honest, I don't feel I need to be at every rehearsal. But that's why I'm asking about the schedule."

"We rehearse when I say we rehearse. And when we start, there is no break in between. It'll be just like the Showtime gig."

That was a punch to my plans. Prince worked us like we were robots. Again and again, sometimes over 24 hours and we had to remind him we needed breaks for food and toilet. I respected his work ethic but it was crazy in the eye of the storm.

"Babe-"

"Nuh-uh, don't 'babe' me. It's either you're there for every rehearsal or you're not in the show." He stood up and started walking towards the empty dresser where his bag laid. "I'm not saying you shouldn't stay. I don't care if you do," he said undoing a zipper. "But you can't have both."

"Prince, I'm not one of your acts," I said storming over to him. Because I was pissed. "I can freestyle something and still be the highlight of the show. My music doesn't come from the back of the vault. Plus, I said I would only miss some of the rehearsals."

"And Aívy, what does that say to everyone else? You showing up whenever you feel like it?"

"That I'm going through some-"

"No, that's not good enough. You think you're the only one going through some shit right now?"

"Why are you being so unfair?"

"Baby?" And he gave me that smile that always cleaned the piss right off my face. But I was trying so hard to win the fight this time. "You mean the world to me, and yes you are special but you're not that special."

My jaw nearly hit my foot but I quickly picked it back up with a strong inhale.

"Don't get all huffy puff. It's not you. I just don't know how to do that yet."