Fireworks 1 and 2

Jungle: Chapter Thirty-Six

    One night. Two cities. Two completely different experiences. Drake arrived to another packed stadium with his crew, this time without his better half. With his crew gathered in a circle backstage, arms around each others' shoulders, they said a prayer. Just another night at the office...an office that happened to seat twenty thousand people.

    The prayer circle broke and several of his crew members scattered. He rubbed his hands together and jogged in place for a minute to get his energy level up.

    From the minute he set foot on the stage, the crowd was hype, easily one of the loudest crowds he'd ever heard. Throughout his performance, he wondered why they were this hype. He didn't doubt that Tampa loved his music, but there was a certain buzz in the air, and that buzz carried more than just love for Drake. He picked up on this right away, but powered through his performance, giving them back just as much energy as they were giving him.

    Then time came to perform "Soul Cry." The buzz increased in intensity, and as the first notes of the song played, it dawned on him just why the crowd was so pumped.

    He stood in the center of the stage behind the mic stand, gazing out over the audience. They're expecting Mia to come out. They heard about the Miami show, and they're expecting to see Mia tonight. That's why they're so hype. Nervousness gripped him as he took hold of the microphone in one hand. When Mia didn't step out on this stage, it was going to be a letdown for everyone in the audience. Several audience members were already looking towards the sides of the stage as if they were anticipating her arrival.

    Her voice started to play out over the speakers. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he took in the audience's expressions of confusion. When his verse came up, he started to rap his lyrics. Just get through it, he thought. Just get through tonight.

    By the power of a miracle, or God, or a combination of both, he managed to get through the rest of his songs. The crowd's excitement slightly decreased in intensity. While it was a significant enough change for him to notice, they were still loud and energetic.

    After thanking the audience for coming out and telling him that he loved them, he walked off the stage. His phone was handed to him, along with a bottled water.

    Ryan draped a towel across his shoulders and clapped him on the back. "Another city conquered."

    "Not quite," Drake muttered as they headed to his dressing room. He unlocked his cell phone screen and scrolled through his Instagram timeline. The users he followed on the social media app varied, from friends and family to music industry journalists, to video vixens and Instagram models, to fans and fanpages who supported him. His interest at this point in time was seeing unbiased opinions of his performance. To obtain these, he searched his own name.

    A ton of footage from his show had already been posted by concert goers. Posted and reposted. Already. It never ceased to amaze him, just how quick his fans were when it came to posting about him. He could get out of a car outside of a restaurant, and by the time he was inside and seated, there were guaranteed to be a few photographs posted, showing him getting out of the car. His eyes scanned through the posts and the comments. Most of the reviews regarding his show were positive. The reviews that weren't positive cited the reason as being failed expectations, due to Mia's absence.

    "Dammit," he said under his breath, lowering his phone and lifting his eyes.

                                                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Up the East Coast, Mia was seated in the backseat of Nicki Minaj's Maybach, self-consciously tugging on the long sleeve of her taupe, fitted dress. She didn't know why she was so nervous. This was just a hangout session. No pressure.

    Nicki and Kenneth Petty sat across from her, a few minutes away from arguing about who loved the other more. Nicki rolled her eyes and flashed her dimples at Mia. "I'm being rude. I'm sorry. He's a mess."

     Mia shook her head. "It's fine. I have a lot on my mind, anyway."

    "Have you given any thought to becoming an artist?" Nicki questioned.

    Kenneth slid an arm across her shoulders and turned his head, awaiting Mia's response. He wore a white t-shirt that fit his compact, muscular frame perfectly and contrasted nicely against his medium brown skin. His narrow eyes were sharp and alert as they studied Mia. He hadn't spoken much throughout Mia's time with them: man of few words. The few words he'd spoken to Mia had been pleasant enough. Everything about him was "pleasant enough," but whether he wore a smile or spoke kind words, there was a certain intensity and danger resting just beneath the surface of that pleasantry. There was an edge to him that dared anyone to fuck with him.

    "I've thought about it a little," Mia admitted. "I just...I'm concerned that my relationship with Aubrey might not withstand both of us making music and touring."

    Nicki tilted her head forward. "It wouldn't be easy. But Ken and I make it work." She glanced at Meek and cupped his chin in her hand. "We've been through our fair share of trials and tribulations when it comes to dating. Legal shit. Fans questioning my choice in men because I'm with him. Shit like that, you know? It was hard on me at first because sometimes I care too much what people have to say. But...at the end of the day, it's me and him. He's the one that I want to come home to, so we find a way to make it work. If Ken was in the industry and we were both rappers, we would find a way to make it work. The things worth it in this life, we very often have to fight for, honey. It's not just going to present itself to us on a silver platter. If we want love and happiness, we're going to have to work for that shit. Lord knows I have, and I haven't regretted one bit of it."

    Mia nodded, not feeling any more reassured than she had before hearing Nicki's words.

    "I heard your interview," Nicki added. "The one with the radio station, where you say that Skyping helps to make the relationship last."

    Mia blushed and looked away.

    "You're on the right track. It takes things like that to keep a relationship going when you're both busy. But trust me...if you want to make music, there are ways to make your relationship work. When he tours, you can go on the road with him. When you tour, he can go on the road with you."

    "He tours so much, though," Mia said sounding doubtful.

    "Tell him not to," Nicki told her, widening her eyes. "He's like a brother to me and I know that he is driven, but the boy can survive touring every other year instead of every year. He tours one year, you tour the next year. Work something out."

    She makes it sound so easy, Mia thought.

    "Do you need me to talk to him for you?" Nicki asked. "'Cause I can."

    Kenneth laughed and tightened his arm around her. "Babe. Chill. That's their business."

    Nicki waved a hand in the air. "I'm just saying."

    "You don't have to do that, but thank you. I just...I guess I just need to think about how badly I want this, and make sure that I want it for the right reasons."

    "Fair enough," Nicki said with a shrug as the driver pulled the Maybach to a stop. "But hear me when I tell you that you definitely have what it takes. You've got it. Aubrey is a sweetheart. If you want to do this, he will understand. He will support you. He will do whatever it takes to help you, to help make your relationship work."

    The few conversations we've had about it, he has said as much...but it felt like he was holding back what he truly felt. Mia sighed. "Enough about that. It's time to see where you've taken me."

    Nicki leaned forward and brushed her hand against Mia's. "Oh, darling, you're going to love it."

    Just then, the driver opened the back door. A ton of flashing lights went off, coupled with shouting and clamoring. The paparazzi. And boy, were they drooling and foaming at the mouth to see Mia, Nicki, and Kenneth all climbing out of the same car.