ON THE RISE, star

five

"You know I'm only out with you 'cause Ma told me to keep an eye on you, right?" Shauna told Cotton as they walked down the street. She could see Cotton rolling her eyes from beside her. "Where are we going, anyway?"

Cotton pulled Shauna toward a bar. This is the part where Shauna rolled her eyes. Every time Shauna went out with her sister, it would always be to a bar to try and get Shauna to sing in front of people. She stared blankly at Cotton as she opened the door of the bar.

"Girl, get your ass in this bar 'fore we miss it," Cotton pointed toward the inside of the bar. Shauna sucked her teeth and walked inside just as the music was starting.

Upon walking in, Shauna noticed Star, Simone, and Alex on the stage, singing. She furrowed her eyebrows, staying close to Cotton, since she was making it pretty obvious she didn't want to be seen by the teens. The girls were good, she'd give them that. But, performing in front of a dead crowd in a janky old bar competition would get them nowhere. Even she— a prude in Cotton's words— knew that wasn't how to find a decent manager.

Before the end of their song, Cotton and Shauna left the bar, not wanting to see who won the competition. The two stopped at a food truck and ordered some fries and wings. The two spent about half an hour, walking the streets of Atlanta, talking about everything and nothing.

"Ain't them the girls over there?" Cotton pointed out, seeing the girls talking about their next move since the bar contest was a bust. They said something about trying a go-go bar. "If they go to a go-go bar, they ain't leaving with nothing but crabs."

Shauna laughed, walking up to the girls with Cotton. "Girl, the important men ain't at no go-go bars, anyway," Cotton said, getting the girls' attention.

Star furrowed her eyebrows, pointing to the Brown sisters. "I'm confused about where you just came from," she said.

"And I know y'all didn't think you were about to win at that dump," Cotton added, shoving a fry into her mouth.

"Yeah, y'all are actually stupid if you thought you were actually gonna win that," Shauna told them, chicken in her mouth.

"Wait, you saw us?" Alexandra asked.

"Yeah, we saw y'all," Cotton answered. "Y'all are... I mean, y'all are okay. But are you really looking for a manager?"

The three girls all answered "yes," or some variation of the word.

"They at the stripclub," Cotton told them. "I know one. I work there."

"And how do you know that?" Star asked.

"Baby, 'cause I'm connected," Cotton reached over to adjust Star's large hoop earring. "In certain ways."

"Well, connect me!" Star enthused.

"No," Alexandra shut it down immediately. "No strip club. No way."

Star nodded. "She's sort of right. I will go-go, but I don't show my cash and prizes." She gestured to her breasts. Shauna rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"You won't have to," Cotton told her, brushing past Alexandra, making her take a step back. "I can't get you in the champagne room. And that way you can set your own limit. But don't tell my mama. that bitch is crazy."

"Well, actually--" Alexandra bumped Cotton out of the way to get Star's attention. "we have to think of our future. What if someone photographs you? Then what?"

Star shrugged, not seeing the issue. "So what if they do?"

"Okay, okay," Simone spoke up, taking a fry from Cotton's container. "Look at Kim Kardashian. I love her. And she showed every hole in her body and now she's famous."