Don't Grow Partial | Eminem

Razor-Thin

Christina stared out the window of Nelly's red Escalade, her fingers absentmindedly brushing over the delicate lace of her lavender dress.

Streetlights flickered across the tinted windows, casting fleeting shadows inside the car, each one dissolving as quickly as it appeared.

There was an odd stillness in the air; a pause before the night truly began.

Nelly, always the designated driver, never seemed to mind, but still, it wasn't exactly fair. She had offered to drive, but he'd waved her off with some casual remark about her parking skills. Typical.

Men.

Up front, Nelly and Ashanti exchanged words, but Christina didn't really listen. Nothing deep, just idle chatter, but it filled the quiet. She glanced up, catching Nelly's eye in the rearview mirror, and he shot her a friendly wink.

From the mirror dangled two oversized fuzzy dice, red with black spots, swaying gently with each turn. They were tacky, sure, but in a way that somehow worked for Nelly's ride.

Beside her, Mya was uncharacteristically quiet, her gaze fixed on the window, though it was clear she wasn't really seeing anything outside. They'd exchanged the usual pleasantries when they'd met up. "Love your outfit." "You too."

That kind of thing.

But the conversation had dried up quickly, leaving a tension in the air that clung to every passing second. Christina could feel it — something unsettled beneath the surface, but she wasn't quite sure how to address it.

It wasn't until Nelly broke the silence with a casual question that the stillness finally shattered.

"So, y'all know Vy's gonna be at the party tonight?"

Mya didn't look up immediately, her fingers toying with the handle of her bag, tracing the outline with almost robotic precision. When she did speak, her tone was detached, like the information was of no consequence.

"Yeah, I heard. Ain't seen him in a minute, though."

Christina glanced at her, feeling the shift in the car. Mya's voice had that practiced calm, but there was a strain underneath it, something Christina hadn't picked up on before. It was clear Vy's name struck a nerve. The blonde singer wanted to ask, maybe crack a joke to ease the tension, but she hesitated.

This wasn't the right time.

Ashanti, on the other hand, had no such reservations.

Turning in her seat, she rested her chin on her hand and smiled, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Guess that's not much of an issue for you anymore, huh?"

Mya's grip on her bag tightened, but she didn't look at Ashanti. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, girl, you know what I mean." She tilted her head slightly, looking almost amused. "You've moved on, right? So, no big deal?"

Mya's posture stiffened, and this time, her voice came out sharper. "I'm good, yeah. I've moved on."

The words hung in the air, and Christina blinked, her mind racing to catch up. Moved on? From Vy? This was news to her. She glanced between them, trying to piece together what was being hinted at.

Nelly let out a low chuckle, glancing briefly at Ashanti before turning his eyes back to the road.

"Ash, quit messin' with her. You know she's not sweatin' Vy no more."

Ashanti leaned back in her seat, casting a satisfied look toward Mya. "Oh, I know. I'm just sayin', I'm proud of her. She found someone better, right?"

Christina's eyes widened in surprise, her attention snapping to Mya. Someone better? She had no idea Mya was seeing someone else. She opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it again, unsure if it was her place to ask.

She didn't dare ask anyway — not with the way Mya's face had hardened.

Mya's lips pressed into a tight line, her voice taking on a colder edge. "Yeah, I did. But I didn't tell y'all about that."

The atmosphere in the car shifted, the temperature seemingly dropping a few degrees. Mya wasn't just brushing off the conversation anymore — she was shutting it down. Hard.

Ashanti raised an eyebrow. "Well, Cornell, told me," she said with a shrug.

Mya's smile was razor-thin, the kind that didn't reach her eyes.

"Cornell knows a lot for someone I didn't tell," she said finally, her voice clipped. "Maybe he should mind his own fuckin' business."

For the first time, Ashanti seemed to sense that she'd pushed too far. She exchanged a look with Nelly, and when she spoke again, her tone had softened.

"Well, if everything's cool, then no big deal, right?"

Mya's eyes flicked toward Christina for just a brief moment before she turned back to the window. The conversation was clearly over in her mind.

"Yeah," Mya said. "Nothing to worry about."

Christina shifted uncomfortably, sensing the crack in Mya's cool exterior. She'd seen this before — Mya always kept her cards close, but the second someone tried to dig into her personal life, those walls went up, fast and high.

And tonight, Christina could feel those walls rising, brick by brick.