Fireworks 1 and 2

Jungle: Chapter Thirty-Seven

    "Over here! Mia! Over here!"

    "Nicki! Rumor has it that you and Mr. Petty are engaged! Do you want to respond to those rumors?"

    Blinding lights from flashing cameras, deafening shouts. The decibel level of the music inside of the club paled in comparison to the screeching of the photographers outside.

    Three bulky bodyguards, including Tank, had ridden in the car behind theirs. The security team towered behind them, glancing around and daring anyone to start some drama. One of them moved to stand in front of Nicki and Kenneth.

    "Straight to VIP," Nicki called out to the guard. She linked her arm with Mia's. "Usually I arrive at clubs a lot later than this, but VIP Room is a different beast of a club. We had to come here early because word is going to spread that we're here. The word would have spread even before we got here, and after a certain point it gets filled to capacity. I mean, barely any room to move, let alone dance. It gets crazy. But I love it here. The energy, the vibes...they play great music."

    Mia glanced around. LED lighting surrounded the club, flashing different colors. A wall of video screens lined three walls of the club; some of the monitors showed music videos, while others showed the well-dressed clientele dancing on the floor. Banquet-style tables graced the walls and were scattered throughout the dance floor. The dancers were grinding against each other on the dance floor while an overhyped DJ shouted some of the lyrics to the hip hop song that played over the speakers. Multicolored lights flashed across the dance floor. Some of the dancers looked up and saw Nicki's entourage moving towards VIP, and nudged each other, or shouted over the music to each other.

    "Look! It's Nicki! It's Mia! And Mia?"

    "We've got some special guests in the building for you tonight!" the DJ shouted into the mic. "We have Nicki Minaj leaving her pinkprint all over the building. I hear that we also have the hottest songwriter in the game right now and Drake's current boo Mia in the building. Give it up, give it up, give it up!"

    The dancers hooted and hollered, but all Mia could think to herself was, "Drake's boo"? Did he really just call me that? She followed Nicki's lead to VIP, where the bodyguards fanned out to different posts, crossing their arms over their chests and staring out across the crowd of dancers.

    Kenneth scratched at his brow and leaned on the railing, watching the dancers. "Where are the drinks?"

    A cute brunette bartender entered the area. "Shawn wanted to come out and greet you personally, but he's going to be a minute. We do have buckets of your Myx Moscato on ice over here near the bar...but did you want any other drinks, any bottled waters...?"

    "I might need the water a little later, but we're good for now," Nicki told her. "Thank you."

    Kenneth frowned down at her. "Speak for yourself, woman. Your Moscato is bomb, but I'm going to need something a little stronger than that." He turned to the bartender. "Hennessy. Patron. Ciroc. Bottles."

    The bartender nodded. "Got it."

    Nicki arched a brow at him and grabbed two blue bottles of Myx Moscato, a drink she'd helped to create. She handed one bottle to Mia, then stalked over to Kenneth. "You're trying to get fucked up tonight?"

    He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm going to get so fucked up tonight."

    She rolled her eyes and poked him in the chest with a pointy pearl-white nail. "See what I have to deal with?" she asked Mia.

    Mia laughed and busied herself with drinking from the bottle of Myx. Smooth, fruity liquid trickled down her throat. She'd recently turned twenty-one, so she wasn't well-versed in alcoholic beverages, but the Moscato was simply delicious. Two bottles in, her phone vibrated in the purse strapped to her shoulder. She opened the purse and pulled out her cell phone.

Text from AUBREY:

Are you having fun yet?

    She smiled down at her phone.

    "Uh-uh, I see that!" Nicki cried out. "No phones! Tell Aubrey that you're mine tonight!" She detached herself from her man and walked over to Mia, her steps short because of how tight her bright pink dress was.

    Mia punched in a quick response.

Text to AUBREY:

Yeah, but I miss you so much.

    "Phone away, put it away!" Nicki said, grabbing at one of Mia's wrists.

    "Do We Have A Problem" started playing over the speakers.

    Nicki's eyes grew round. "Oh my God, oh my God, my song! And this one isn't even new. Now that's love." She tugged on Mia's wrist. "Come on, come on, come on!"

    Mia allowed herself to be pulled out of the VIP area and onto the dance floor. She glanced over her shoulder at Kenneth to see his reaction, but he just turned and headed towards the bar. She whipped her head back around.

"Dance with me!" Nicki shouted.

    Lil Baby's voice blasted out from the speakers as Mia started to sway her hips to the beat of the song.

    Nicki jumped up and down. Her energy was infectious.

    They danced together, cute flirty moves that were harmless - until Nicki grabbed her by the waist and pulled Mia against her. Mia gasped in surprise, but got over her shock within seconds. They continued dancing, and it drew the attention of the club's resident photographer, a short Asian man who was worming his way around the dance floor.

    Soon, Mia forgot herself and lost herself in the music, tilting her head back. Not even needing the assistance of liquor for a buzz to set in. She was enjoying herself, drunk off of the music, the energy, and the company she was keeping. At some point, Kenneth joined them on the dance floor and shot an arm up into the air. The other dancers on the floor crowded around them, cheering and shouting. They hadn't even been in the club long and already its clientele count had nearly doubled.

    Kenneth wrapped his arms around Nicki from behind and started to grind against her. She leaned back into him with a smirk teasing her lips.

    Mia felt someone moving behind her and felt an arm snake around her waist. A little voice in her head said for her to check to see who was behind her, to move away from whoever it was. It couldn't be Nicki or Kenneth, since she was looking right at both of them. But that little voice telling her to move away sounded so distant. It was a whisper overshadowed by bass-heavy hip hop music that told her to keep dancing.

    Completely lost in the moment, whipping her hair around, shaking her hips, and at times leaning back into whoever it was behind her. All the while, snap, snap, flash, flash, went the photographer's camera.