Don't Grow Partial | Eminem

Skeptical

September flew by, blurring into October, bringing with it a chill in the air and the warm colors of autumn. Leaves turned orange, yellow, and red, carpeting the city streets. The days got shorter, and Christina felt the change everywhere, like a quiet shift inside her.

She strolled through the park, wrapped in a scarf and a floppy hat, her platinum-blonde hair tucked away. No one would recognise her like this. A security guard dressed in plain clothes lagged a few paces behind, keeping a watchful eye.

The music video for 'Dirrty' had dropped earlier last month. The critics had their opinions, of course. Some said it was too much, too provocative. Others praised its boldness.

But the fans? They loved it. The song shot up the charts, becoming an international hit.

Irving had warned her it was a risky move, but she didn't care. 'Dirrty' was real, raw, and unapologetically her. The success was thrilling, but what mattered most was that it felt true.

Authentic.

Something that had been missing for a long time.

She stopped at a food cart and bought a corn dog, the smell reminding her of her childhood. She found a bench and sat down, savouring the greasy comfort food. As she ate, she couldn't help but let her mind drift.

She watched a taxi cab screech to a halt near the park's entrance. An elderly woman stepped out, her face lighting up as she embraced another woman who had been waiting by the apartment block.

Small, ordinary moments like these grounded her, reminding her of the normalcy she sometimes longed for.

She took another bite of her corn dog, kicking at a pile of leaves.

Her thoughts shifted to Nelly and Ashanti. They'd been spending more time together, and it was clear to anyone with eyes that there was something between them. Christina couldn't help but smile at the thought — they were cute together, genuinely happy.

As for Mya, things had settled down. She was keeping busy with her own projects, and whatever issue had been brewing with Nelly just seemed to... fade away. Christina hadn't heard anything more about it in weeks. It was like the whole situation had slipped quietly into the background, barely a blip on her radar now.

Everyone had moved on, or at least that's how it seemed. But then again, maybe it was just Christina being oblivious. Nelly had completely stopped talking about it, and Mya never brought it up either.

She shrugged to herself. People had their own shit to deal with, after all.

Then there was Ricardo. They spent more nights together than apart, and Mya kept hinting that he was getting serious, maybe about to ask Christina to make it official. The thought didn't scare her like it might have before. She actually liked the idea. It was easy with him, uncomplicated. He made her laugh, made her feel seen.

She stood up, brushing crumbs from her coat, and started walking again. The path through the park curved, and Christina followed it, feeling the crunch of fallen leaves under her boots.

Kids were chasing each other around the playground, their laughter ringing out, and couples strolled by, wrapped up in their own worlds.

Damn, she realised. The thought of Eminem hadn't crossed her mind in weeks. The last time they'd crossed paths, it had been ugly — hostile words thrown back and forth, the kind that stung long after they were said. But since then, static silence.

For her, it was finally easy to breathe a sigh of relief when the retractions aired on the radio and tabloids; it seemed to do the trick. Whatever mess had sparked between her and Eminem cooled off as fast as it had flared up.

Since then, there had been nothing but silence from his end. Good, she smiled.

Still, she knew it wasn't over. It was only a matter of time before their paths crossed again. November, maybe, at the European VMAs. She'd still have to keep things cool with Redman, who'd be sharing the stage with her. She just hoped Em could keep his shit together when that time came.

Oh well, that was a future her problem.

Christina finished her corn dog and tossed the wrapper into the rubbish bin. Her phone rang, and she rummaged through her handbag, pushing aside her MP3 player, some makeup, and a few hair bands. Finally, she pulled out her phone and flipped it open.

"Yo, it's Red! You free tomorrow night?"

The blonde singer fumbled with her phone, bringing it up to her ear. "Hey, hey. Repeat that, please?"

Redman repeated the invitation.

Christina paused, considering. "Mmm," she thought for a second. "Yes, why?"

"Havin' a small cookout."

Christina knew it wasn't really a cookout. She figured she probably wasn't even qualified to make Redman's guest list in the first place. More likely, it was an informal smoke session — or at least that's what she suspected.

"Sounds good. Who's coming?" Christina asked.

Redman rattled off a few names. "You know, got Jason, Mary, Missy, and Clifford comin' through. Oh, and Von and, uh— wait, scratch that last one. Forget 'bout that one."

Von? The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She'd ask Mya later.

Christina caught the blatant slip but decided not to press. "Got it. What about Mya, Nelly, and Ashanti? Can they come?"

Christina considered mentioning Ricardo too, but quickly dismissed the idea. He'd definitely freak out if he found out she was thinking about smoking pot.

Redman paused. "Mya's cool to come. Nelly and Ashanti, though... nah, they've got beef with some folks who'll be there."

"Huh?"

"Trust me," Redman said with a sigh. "Don't worry 'bout it. You're all good."

"Alright," Christina said, a touch skeptical. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, catch you later."

She snapped the phone shut and tucked it back into her handbag. As she walked away from the park, she had a feeling something was strange.

Like the quiet before the storm.

***

That photo of Redman has me cackling.

(If you can't see it in the header, here it is below)