A Dance With Fate || Eminem Short Story

t w o

Me! He let me join him on his walk! Hopefully he wasn't just waiting for me to get bored and leave, all I wanted was some kind of connection, even just for him not to think I am annoying.

"So, um, school?" He asked.

"Yeah... I'm doing marketing at Michigan State but I'm home for the break interning. And I work part time for a dance studio."

"Oh, that's nice."

"I'm a senior," I announced proudly. Then I thought that's probably not that impressive since he doesn't care, he's got boatloads of money, and didn't even finish 9th grade.

"That's real great, do you graduate in May?" He replied genuinely. I nodded.

My nerves were slowly easing as we continued to talk. We walked together through the city, chatting about life, music, and everything in between. Normally I would feel afraid to walk around this part of Detroit, but being there with him, I didn't feel afraid at all.

My legs felt numb because I wasn't layered at all. I was just prepared for a small walk and to do some homework in a coffee shop. My olive green linen pants were hardly fit for Detroit in November, but I didn't care.

"You know, I gotta say. I feel like maybe you're not just another star-struck fan. Takes guts to talk to someone like me. That's real cool." He told me, and I smiled down at the ground, feeling my cheeks warm up.

"I do love your stuff. And your performances are always so good," I said, probably proving him wrong without even meaning to. "Thanks for taking time to talk to me."

I just couldn't believe the surreal nature of the situation. Here I was, conversing with Eminem as if we were friends just catching up. I felt such an unexpected, odd sense of ease and comfort in his presence.

"Okay. But you know what I've had enough of?" He finally said.

"What?" I asked, half-expecting him to walk me home and then leave, or just tell me goodbye.

"This wind is making my nose numb."

"Yeah, it is chilly," I said. "If you've got to go, I-"

"No, no, that's not it at all," he rushed, grabbing my arm and turning me towards him."I didn't mean- not like that, Sam," he said. "Can I call you Sam?"

"Only if I can call you Em," I replied with a grin. He smiled.

"That or Marshall, whatever you prefer," he kindly said. "Let's find a bar or something, you get what I'm sayin'?"

"WIth me? You want to go to a bar?"

"Do you not drink? I mean, I can try to drink some coffee or somethin', or-"

"No, no, I can drink."

"Okay, okay, let's go... let's go to J. Alexander's. Right there," he said, and he began walking in that direction, but I could hardly think straight. We were going to a bar. Together, just us.

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