Fireworks 3 and 4

Chapter Thirty-One

    "We have Mia in the studio and she's doing big things," J Cruz said into the microphone.

    Mia swiveled to and fro in her chair, by this time quite at home in the studio of radio station Power106. "Thank you, thank you."

    "Before we get to those big things though, there are some rumor reports that we have to get out of the way. Cool?" He adjusted the snapback placed on his head.

    A nagging feeling tugged at her, but she didn't let it show. "Of course."

    "You and Nicki," he started off. "Word out there is that you two are beefin' over the fact that she decided to bury the collaboration she had with you, instead of releasing it as agreed."

    "More songs get kicked into the vault than the public realizes," Mia explained. "Decisions like that are a part of this business. I wouldn't beef with Nicki over that. She is a powerhouse in this industry, and I respect what she has been able to do in the time she's been in this industry."

    "That answer is almost too perfect," J Cruz's cohost CeCe piped up. "You sure there's no resentment there? I know my feelings would be a little hurt - especially if I was a new, up and coming artist who was trying to get her name out there."

    Mia gave a casual shrug. "I was definitely caught off-guard. I can't lie about that. But beef? Over a decision that is fully hers to make as an artist? That would be silly of me. But should you expect to see slumber party pictures of us braiding each other's hair anytime soon? No, and there's nothing wrong with that. Just because we are two women making waves in the same way doesn't mean we're obligated to be besties. I'm a firm believer that you get a handful of real friends in a lifetime - if you're lucky. Everyone else would fit into the categories of acquaintance and associate. Everyone isn't meant to be best friends. But if she wanted to try another collaboration, would I stick my nose up at her? Of course not."

    "So you would collab with her again?" Cece pressed.

    A corner of Mia's mouth tugged upward. "I would consider it."

    The room erupted into laughter. "You'd consider it," J Cruz echoed.

    "Yes."

    J Cruz nodded , still laughing while shuffling through papers on his desk. "That rumor was relatively old, but we still wanted to clear that up. This next rumor is actually pretty new - to the public at large, anyway. It involves your boyfriend, Drake. To the listeners who didn't know that Mia and Drake are an item, crawl from underneath that rock you've been living under for the past few years. Drake and Mia are very much a thing." He glanced at CeCe. "And this is a story that CeCe especially had interest in, so I'll let her take up this one."

    Mia's heart started to pound.

    CeCe grinned. "Not to be nosey or anything, because this story...gets pretty personal. But we can't ignore it, though. There is a woman named Sophie who is claiming to have slept with and conceived a baby with Drake. This woman has starred in...let's call them adult films, in the past. So a lot of people are doubting the validity of her story from the jump."

    Mia nodded, keeping the expression on her face as neutral as possible.

    "But some of the claims that Sophie is making are...pretty out there. Such as Drake demanding that she get an abortion. Accusing her of just being out for money. A point that I made is that some of Drake's lyrics have been...douchey to say the least, but it's hard for most people to believe that he's even capable of that kind of behavior." CeCe gestured with her hands as she spoke. "Is this something that you've talked about with him? Has he admitted to sleeping with her, or admitted that what she's saying is true?"