The Come Up (Book II) : PRODIGY

Chapter 12 - Breach in Barricade

"They're on their way. I don't know how they got all the way up to the house. There's still security guards on duty." She paces the living room floor, her hands folded against her chest.

I turn away from her and turn my attention back to the consistent voices outside.

"Are you okay, babe? I know this is a little bit much for you."  Chanel's voice softens on the last part of the sentence. I don't take offense to it, I know what she means. This entire time, she's been the one getting all this attention, all the media coverage and crazy fan experiences. It's nice of her to check on me. I can't be mad at that. This is definitely more paparazzi than I'm used to, but that isn't what was on my mind.

"Nah, don't worry about it." I mumble to her.

"One of those security guards are getting fired." Chanel complains.

I can hear police sirens in the distance. They aren't too far. As soon as they get here, the paparazzi will have to leave, the pictures will have to stop, the yelling and questioning will cease. Chanel was right, I've never had this before. Realistically, I've never even had half of this. I find myself going off into another world, a world where I am the one in Chanel's shoes, and suddenly the paparazzi don't seem so bad. If what one of the reporters said is true, if two of my songs really made it to the billboard 100 then I deserve to say something. I deserve to give some kind of statement. Don't I?

I raise my hand to unlatch the side door of the mansion where the paparazzi gather. My finger touches the cold knob and I hear Chanel gasp. 

"Trev, what are you doing?" Chanel yells. 

My mind is not focused on her, for a moment she sounds very far away. Like an echo in the distance. 

"Trevon!" She yells again, but it's too late. 

I turn the latch and slide open the door, carefully I step outside. Cameras flash so heavy and so often that I have to squint to see the mics being shoved into my face. The questions come at lightning speed. One of the ladies with a mic labeled E! News, steps back so I can properly step into their crowd. 

"Prodigy, how does it feel to have two songs hit Billboard 100 within a week of release?" She asks. The same voice that said it before. 

I am quiet as I stare at her, not even knowing how to respond. Hearing it again suddenly makes it real and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I let out a slow breath and look at the rest of the people surrounding me, all different shapes and sizes, all different cultures, suddenly interested in me. An average kid from Brownsville that just happens to know how to rap and happens to have had his life leaked onto a record. 

"I don't know what to say." I start off slow and careful, suddenly everyone around me is quiet, the reporter's mic is still close to my mouth, cameras still flash, but no one speaks. 

"I'm glad to know that people can relate so much to the pain in those songs but this is a very private time." I speak, but I don't sound like myself. 

"The past few days have been heavy, as you all might suspect and the last thing we need is a crowd at our doorsteps." I finish. 

"You use the word 'our', does that mean you and Chanel are back together?" One reporter asks from the back. 

"Are you now living together?" Another reporter questions. 

"Who leaked the songs?" Another screams.

Instantly there is a barrage of questions, noise and cameras, just like in the beginning. I stop trying to answer in fear of saying something else that might be taken the wrong way. I shouldn't have come out here. What was I thinking?