Don't Grow Partial | Eminem

Why Did You Stop

The morning light tiptoed through the slats of the wooden blinds, casting a mosaic of golden rays across Christina's face. Groggy-eyed, she peeled herself from the sofa, relishing the rare luxury of sleeping in. Her feet dangled lazily above the hardwood floor as she stretched like a contented cat.

Looking around, she realised she wasn't in her own place. It started to piece together – Nelly had taken Mya and her to his spot, the safer option for the night. Mya lay fast asleep on the sofa beside her. And like Christina, she wasn't a morning person; her light snoring made the blonde singer chuckle.

Christina glanced down, only to find herself clad in an oversized Charlotte Bobcats T-shirt, paired with her trusty jeans that had somehow transformed into impromptu pyjamas. She couldn't help but let out a quiet scoff.

"Of course, it had to be Nelly's," she mused, rolling her eyes.

Who else but him would be an unwavering fan of some team located in Carolina, in a place she couldn't even pinpoint on a map? And to top it off, they weren't even that good.

Well, okay, she begrudgingly admitted, maybe they weren't that bad. But she figured she was entitled to a little bias, considering her own love for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Her voice, still rough from sleep, managed to muster a half-hearted greeting as she finally spotted him in the kitchen. "There you are."

She came to a sudden stop, her eyes catching sight of Nelly. He was casually leaning against the kitchen counter, cradling a cup of coffee in his hands.

His smile, albeit slightly forced, couldn't entirely hide the puffiness around his left eye and the faint bruise on his cheek. It was as if he had been waiting for her, his anticipation apparent.

"Morning sunshine, you look like shit," Nelly remarked with a wry grin.

"Likewise Cornell."

"Woah, no need for my government name," Nelly chuckled. "But last night was a mess, huh?"

Christina winced, her recollection of the previous night a blur, but before anything else, she had to address the elephant in the room. "What the hell happened to your face?"

Nelly leaned in closer, his eyes darkening. "You missed the grand showdown, Chris. I had a little 'talk' with 50."

Her eyebrows shot up in a mix of shock and intrigue. "What?"

As Nelly recounted the events of the night, Christina couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The worst part was when he said, "He said some really fucked up shit; calling my sister a bald-headed bitch," Nelly seethed, his fists clenching.

"No!" Christina gasped, her hands instinctively flying to cover her mouth.

She felt her blood boil as she processed 50 Cent's particularly cruel words. Nelly's sister, Jackie, had been battling leukaemia since last year, in 2001.

The audacity of 50 Cent to stoop that low was sadly not surprising, but she at least expected him to have some morals. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud as Nelly forcefully banged his fist on the table.

"So I busted his nose," he growled, "and I would have kept on beating the shit out of him if it wasn't for—"

He stopped abruptly, his breath catching in his chest. Christina waited anxiously, the quiet broken only by the sound of passing cars. Nelly exhaled.

"If it wasn't for what?" she pressed.

The rapper hesitated, his eyes searching her face for understanding. "If it wasn't for Proof," he finally admitted.