The high and the high roller

14

*Beyoncé*

I had no idea how I was going to survive a whole week in Paris without any drugs. A week. Seven long days. This didn't look good at all. I couldn't go more than a few hours without coke, let alone an entire week.

I sighed, my eyes falling on the small stash of coke sitting in my backpack, taunting me. How the hell was I going to manage this ?

The flight was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm, and we'd be taking Nicki's private jet. She wasn't about to fly commercial, and honestly, I didn't blame her. When she invited me to tag along, I obviously said yes. Who in their right mind would turn down a ride on a private jet ? It would be my first time, and I was actually excited about that.

But back to the cute druggie in me. This situation was messed up. I was already thinking about alternatives. Maybe I could just stick to pills for the week ? It wasn't ideal, but I didn't exactly have much of a choice.

I tried to push the thought aside as I focused on packing my suitcase, stuffing it with everything I thought I'd need for the trip. Natalie and Angela had dragged me shopping earlier, insisting I wasn't 'Parisian chic' enough or whatever. I didn't care much about fashion, so I let them pick whatever they wanted, as long as they didn't try to force me into dresses. I hated dresses.

A couple minute later, my phone started buzzing. I leaned over to grab it and checked the screen to see who was calling. It was Nicki, on facetime, no less. That was a first.

I didn't even know she knew how to make facetime calls.

I answered and her face appeared on the screen, radiating warmth as always. She was stunning, beyond words, really. She looked effortlessly gorgeous, probably wearing that kind of makeup that's meant to look like you're not wearing any at all. Her sleek, low bun was perfectly done, a stark contrast to my own messy one.

"Hi, Nicki!" I greeted her with a smile.

"Hi, Bey!" She replied, her own smile lighting up the screen.

"You have a beautiful face, you know that ?" I said, not even thinking before the words left my mouth. I always spoke my mind, life was too short to hold back.

I watched as a soft blush crept onto her cheeks, and it made her even more beautiful. "Oh, um thank you! That's not something I hear very often."

"That's crazy considering how pretty you are." I replied, making her smile even more.

"Stop, you're making me blush like a little girl now." She said with a shy laugh. "Anyway, how are you feeling now that the trip is tomorrow ?"

"I'm so excited, you have no idea !" I exclaimed, practically bouncing in place. "I just can't wait, you know ? Like, I'm so hyped I might just go run outside butt naked."

Nicki burst out laughing. "Okay, let's not do that. But I can tell you're excited, and that's great."

"How's your daughter ?" I asked suddenly, the question popping into my head.

She turned her head briefly, probably looking at her, then turned back to me. "She's fine. She's packing some toys right now because she's going to her dad's later."

"Is she excited to go ?"

"I think so. It doesn't even look like she's going to miss me." Nicki said with a small laugh.

"She will." I assured her with a grin. "You know she will."

Nicki and I kept talking for a while about literally anything and everything. As usual, I did most of the talking, but I didn't mind. She always listened carefully, hanging on to my every word like what I had to say mattered. She'd thrown in little comments here and there, reacting to each thing I shared with her, which only made me want to keep going. I liked talking to her, honesty, I loved it.