Building Trust Through Our Issues

Chapter Eleven (Part IV)

"Aaliyah!"

"Liyah!"

"Li!"

"Janae!"

"Baby get up."

"I got you some food Li." I heard someone say as my eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurry as I opened my eyes. Marcus was in my face, smacking my cheeks as I saw people gathered around me.

"What happened?" I mumbled as I tried to sit up. "All I remember is dreaming that I was at my party dancing with Nicki Minaj and then Beyoncé popped up.

"Are you okay sweetie?" I heard an angelic voice say to me. My eyes started watering at just the sound of the voice. It was so damn beautiful. It was soft and soothing. I looked up and followed the angelic voice. It was fucking Beyoncé. The Beyoncé. The leader of our nation. The matriarch of the Beyhive. The Greatest Entertainer alive. The Queen. Mother to Blue Ivy. Wife to Jay Z. Daughter to Ms. Tina. Sister to Solange. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter.

When I laid eyes on her perfectly sculpted face, I passed out again.

I woke up a second time to being patted on the face with a wet towel. Instead of Demarcus in my face, it was NaeNae.

"What's going on?" I asked, picking my head up from her lap. We were no longer in the party, we were in the back of the venue, on the couch.

"Well your Mama and your cousin Shak passed out as well. Your mom woke up but they couldn't wake up Shakayln so they had to call an ambulance and they rushed her to the hospital." She informed me as she helped me sit up.

"Wait, so Beyoncé really was here!" I yelled.

"She still is. She's performing right now." She said as I started to get light headed once again. "You better not fall out again Li." She said sternly.

"Can I have some water?" I asked after a moment of getting myself together. She got a bottle of water from the table beside the couch, unscrewed the lid for me, and then handed it to me. I downed the whole thing in seconds.

"Where's everybody?" I asked, referring to my parents and Demarcus.

"Well." She mumbled. "They were here to see if you were okay at first, but then when Beyoncé started performing, they kinda ... left." She said making me smack my lips.

"Trifling." I mumbled as I slowly stood up from the couch. I looked in the mirror and fixed my hair before preparing to go back into my party.

"You ready?" NaeNae asked as she stood up from the couch and grabbed my hand. We walked down the long hallway back to the party area.

I could hear the music loudly blasting and Beyoncé singing Flawless as Nicki Minaj danced beside her.

When I saw her on that stage, looking so perfect my chest got tight and I got light headed again.

"Don't you dare Li." NaeNae said as she grabbed my arm when my body began to sway. "Calm down, take a deep breath." She told me as she grabbed my face and looked me in my eyes.

"But it's Beyoncé." I sniffled as tears rolled down my cheeks at a fast ass pace. She shook her head and laughed a little before before pulling me into her. I laid my head on her chest as she rubbed my back. Her heartbeat was so soothing to me.

"Thank you, love you." I told her as we pulled away from each other. I kissed her cheek and hugged her before walking into the party.

"Birthday girl, this one is for you!" I heard Beyoncé say into the microphone as I made my way back into the party. The beat to XO dropped and a smile instantly spread across my face.