Fireworks 1 and 2

Chapter Two

   The first night of OVOFest, Toronto went crazy. The event was hosted at Toronto's Molson Amphitheater. The parking lot was filled with screaming fans waving around their purchased OVO merchandise. All walks of life had shown up, some wearing Drake t-shirts and others dressed to the nine.

    Mia had dressed in a long sundress with a mesh midsection and dressy sandals decorated with ruby-colored gemstones. Her friends wore their own colorful sundresses. The main difference between their looks for the night were their hairstyles. Mia's hair was flat-ironed straight. Bri had styled her relaxed hair into an updo, and left chin-length bangs that swept across the side of her face. Desirae's hair was curled and her makeup was dramatic. Her features were contoured nearly beyond the point of recognition.

    After catching sight of a girl walking past them wearing a sequined dress and matching heels, Bri burst out into song, singing K. Michelle's "Drake Would Love Me."

    Mia nudged her, but Desirae exploded with laughter.

    Bri's eyes widened and was the picture perfect image of mock-innocence. "What?"

    Mia shook her head as they made their way towards the arena where the performances would take place.

    "I'm just saying," Bri went on. "The girl looked like she was trying to outshine the sun. She was doing way too much. Her feet are going to be killing her in a minute."

    They joined a line that was waiting to hand in their tickets. Mia couldn't believe she was in Toronto, standing in a line preparing to see Drake and other well-known artists perform.

    "Oh my God, there he is!" someone shouted.

    Mia frowned and followed the direction of the person's voice, and her gaze trailed several yards away.

    Drake, Chubbs, Hush, Niko, Mark, Future the Prince, and a few other crew members were approaching the line of concert attendees. Drake laughed at something Chubbs was telling him. Mia, much like a lot of other women standing in line, couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was even more attractive in person, if possible, than he was on television.

    His skin was the color of Irish cream coffee. He had dark, down-turned eyes fringed with thick lashes, thick, sculpted brows, and a thousand-watt smile. He started shaking the hands of fans standing in line. He wore a smile and looked humble, but there was something royal and powerful about the way he walked. It didn't hurt that even his posse looked like a force to reckon with.

    Bri grabbed Mia by the shoulders. "I'm losing it. Oh my God. We're going to get to meet him."

    "How do I look?" Desirae asked, propping her chest up. "Are the girl sitting up right? Does my hair look okay?"

    "That's thot behavior," Bri said, slanting her mouth in disapproval. "You look fine, but for God's sake, stop holding your titties up."

    "I see he's growing his hair out a little," Desirae observed, her voice dripping with lust. "He has the curls back."

    Mia observed her friends as Drake shook the hands of the couple standing in front of them.

    "Thank you for coming to the show, I do appreciate it," Drake said in a deep, appreciative tone. "I hope you both enjoy yourselves."

    The couple greeted him warmly.

    Drake smiled at them, and turned to Bri, Desirae, and Mia. "Hello ladies, thank you for coming out to the show."

    "Three beautiful lades," Chubbs piped up from behind Drake.

    Drake nodded and smiled. "Yes, three beautiful ladies, as the homey Chubbs says." He laughed. "I can't see the lady standing in the back, though. Step forward, let me see you."

    Since her friends were more into Drake than she was, she'd wanted to make sure they had a chance to meet him. If she'd missed out on the chance to hug him or shake his hand, it wouldn't phase her. If her two friends had missed the same opportunity, they would have been heartbroken. Now, at his request, she stepped forward.

    Drake's eyes fell on her, and it seemed that for several moments, the world stopped. Everything else and everyone else ceased to exist for those few minutes in time. The smile on his face stretched wider and became less practiced, more genuine. He opened his mouth to speak when a teenage boy wearing a Take Care t-shirt and khaki shorts ran up to them.

    "Can I have your autograph?" the teenager said, extending a notepad and a pen.

    Drake smiled, taken aback but barely missing a beat. "Sure, buddy."

    "Not you," the dark-haired boy said.

    Drake's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

    The boy gave a slight shrug, and said a bit more humbly, "I mean...no offense. I was talking about Mia."

    Drake looked back at his crew, who was chuckling. "Don't let me stop you," he told the teenager good-naturedly.

    Mia, flustered, accepted the notepad and pen. She scribbled her name on the piece of paper and handed it back to the teenager.

    "Your songs are so inspirational," the boy, who couldn't be any older than sixteen, told her. "I watch your videos on YouTube all the time. It's so crazy that you're here."

    "Thank you, that's sweet," she said. "I'm here because Drake inspires millions of people on a daily basis. Artists like Drake are who inspire me."

    Drake looked at her again. The teenager turned and asked if he could have Drake's autograph also. Drake scribbled his name without taking his eyes off of Mia. "You write music?" he asked her.

    She nodded nervously. "Yeah. Yes. I do," she responded.

    "We should talk then," he said. "After the performances tonight, my crew and I are hosting an after party at Muzik Poolbar. You and your friends should come through."

    She stared at him, unable to find the words to answer.

    Bri came to her rescue. "You don't have to tell us twice," she said, settling an arm across her friend's shoulders. "We'll be there."

    "Good," Drake said, still looking at Mia. He gave one last smile before moving on to the people standing in line behind Mia.

    Mia, Bri, and Desirae stood staring at each other, waiting for him to move out of earshot. When he finally did, Bri lightly punched Mia in the shoulder. "Did you see the way he looked at you?"

    Mia shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't look at me in any special way," she insisted.

    Desirae shook her head. "You and I are the ones who are really into him," she told Bri, "and Mia is the one he makes googly eyes at. Tell me how that's fair."

    Bri aimed a glance at Mia. "You'd better sleep with one eye open tonight, bitch," she warned jokingly.

    Mia rolled her eyes. He wasonly being polite, she thought. He wasn't flirting with me. They're just buggin'.