𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐄|| ON HOLD/EDITING

season one - ᴘɪʟᴏᴛ

1985

"Girl, I think this might be it. Danny has a meeting with this big ole' producer. You know, that guy who did um... he was with that guy. Girl, you know him. I forgot his name but, you know. Chey I'm about to get us outta here," Cree said as she pulled on her cigarette.

"Girl, keep puffin' on them damn things and we gonna be right here," Cheyenne snatched the cigarette from Cree and put it out.

"You right. I keep telling my self I'm gonna quit. After we make it big. I bet I really will. I'll have too much money to smoke," Cree laughed as she imagined her dreams playing out.

"I know that's right but, come on. We need to go. It's almost time."

Cree grabbed her trench coat and put it over her outfit of the day. She was dressed as a sexy housemaid. She grabbed her bowl of apples as a prop and went into the back to go to her booth. She set the bowl down on her wooden stool and sighed heavily as the barrier went up for her first customer of the night.

She sensually unzipped her coat and dropped her jaw, realizing it was her boyfriend and Cheyenne's brother staring back at her.

"Keep on with what you were doing baby."

Cree rolled her eyes and pulled off the trench coat revealing her skimpy outfit. She ran her hand down her body, fulling her boyfriend's request.

"Danny, baby, why are you here?" Cree asked in a sultry voice as she continued to pose for him.

"Babe, you and Chey are amazing. I know it, you know it, she knows it. But, we need a third girl."

"You can sing, put on a wig," she grabbed her breasts and squeezed them softly, "Go to your meeting. This could be our big break."

Danny chuckled, "We'll talk later babe."

"Danny, make sure you're home when I get there. I have something I wanna show you," Cree lifted her skirt and flashed Danny the black thong she sported underneath.

"Don't show that to nobody else," he said half-jokingly.

"Bye, baby," she giggled as she took a bite of an apple and the barrier went back down.

Cree and shivered as she walked alongside Cheyenne to their small apartment.

"Dammit, it's almost April. It's supposed to be getting warm outside," Cree complained.

"Oh be quiet Beanie, you're just anemic. You need to start taking your pills," Cheyenne reached in her purse and pulled out Cree's prescribed iron pills and tried handing her the bottle.

"I'm not taking those shits. They make my poop green. Look, either I stop smoking or I take those damn things. I can't do both."

Chey huffed and placed them back in her purse, "You'll die either way. I'm telling Danny and you know he's gonna make you take them."

"He won't and he can't so I don't care. Danny needs to learn to take his own damn medicine. His lupus flairs up like a damn Christmas tree when he's off his meds."

"You two are like senile old people. Don't wanna take your medicine, you don't wanna do this, you don't wanna do that," Chey rolled her eyes.

"We are not. Not yet at least," Cree held open the door to the apartment building and let Cheyenne walk in. They started on their walk up the stairs to the third floor since the elevator was broken.

"Who told Danny to rent a damned apartment on the third floor," Cheyenne groaned.

"I don't know, you know how his ass is. His crazy ass."

"Cree...?" A little girl peeked out of her apartment door. She was a chocolate baby, exceptionally tiny for her age, about five. Her hair braided and beaded, with black and white beads. She was clothed in a pretty white dress Cree had purchased but no shoes or socks.

"Hey, Cece. Where's mommy?"

"I don't know... She's not home yet."

"Is she not home yet or does she want me to give you a couple of dollars?" Cree crossed her arms and gave a jokingly stern look.

"Mommy said—"

"Hey Cree, my mom asked can we get twenty dollars for dinner. She's on her way home. She said she'll give it back payday," Cece's older brother Brandon interrupted her as he came to the door as well.

"Well, tell momma I said she owes me $70 on payday. Here, Brandon," Cree slipped him a twenty along with two five-dollar bills, "Y'all share that and don't tell ya momma I gave it to you. Go to sleep it's a school night."

"Good night Cree, thank you."

"Of course, you know to knock on my door if you need anything."

Cree and Cheyenne continued on their walk to their own apartment, they both received hi's and hello's from the whole building, since everyone knows about their plan to make it in the industry. Cree sighed as she used her key to go into the apartment she, Cheyenne, and Danny shared. She adrenaline rushed smelling, a home-cooked meal cooking in her kitchen.

"Danny! Cree didn't take her iron pill!" 

"Snitch!" Cree hissed and threw her duffle bag and purse down on the couch. She went into the kitchen where, Danny was making chicken, corn, rice with beans, and a pound cake for dessert.

"Hey baby," Cree kissed Danny's cheek as he stirred the pot of simmering chicken.

"What's this I hear about you not taking your iron pill?" Danny questioned, his eyes still on the food.

"I don't wanna take them," she rolled her eyes.

"Cree, the doctor said you're not healthy. You need those to get healthy. Man up and take them. You can't be a superstar if you're not healthy baby," he took the spoon he was stirring with and set it on the stove to turn to her.

"Danny, did you take your meds today? God knows you probably didn't."

"I did too. So take your medicine babe."

"Moving on to more important things, baby, how did the meeting go. Did we get a deal?"

Danny shook his head and Cree groaned, "This is the third person who turned us down. Babe, we're missing something."

"No baby, we're missing somebody. I found a girl. She can sing, she's beautiful and she's amazing. Babe, we gotta let her in. She could be the key to getting the deal we need."

"I need to hear her sing," Cree shrugged.

"She's performing tonight, come on let's go," Danny grabbed her hand.

"Wait what about the food, I'm hungry."

"Cree, the food can wait," Danny turned off all the eyes on the stove and took the cake out of the oven, "Cheyenne! Come on we're leaving."

"Leaving? To go where?" Cheyenne yelled back.

"Just come on," Danny grabbed his jacket and Cree's hand and pulled her out of the apartment.

"Where are we going?" Cheyenne asked again, following after Danny since he had been speed walking and dragging Cree along with him.

"To get a record deal," he tossed back.