The North

Chapter 14: The Deal

"What do you want?" KB asked Tau, who had returned to his seat at the head of the table.

The crowd below continued to cheer and chant Tau's name, and the relentless flashes from their phones continued to cast strange shadows across the walls of the private room.

"Have you checked Twitter since we got here, KB?" Nana interrupted from the other side of the room. Everyone turned to face her.

"No...No, I haven't." KB responded flatly. He felt for his phone in his pocket and removed the device, placing it on the table before unlocking it and opening his Twitter app.

The "#KB" hashtag was the first thing he saw on the "trending" page when the app finally opened, and then KB realized with equal surprise that the hashtag was ranked number two in the country after "#Tau" which ranked at number one. He quickly read some of the tweets: "#KB and his friends just fucking showed up to Sumo with THE STARS. I die!", "This #KB guy is really shaking the social table! I'm here for it!", "I wonder what #KB's story is! He literally appeared out of nowhere but homeboy is making SEVERAL points!", "Can someone please tell #KB that I'm nothing but a hole. I'll be his whore any day."

"Crazy, right?" Nana said "But don't be fooled. No one knows you yet, KB. No one knows your story or what you and your friends do. You guys are just a moment of hype right now, and that can all go away very quickly."

The sound of Nana's voice irritated KB, and the thought of him being so close to fame and power only to lose it drove him wild. His hands began to shake, and when KB looked up he noticed Mbali staring with worry in her eyes at the trembling phone clasped tight in his hands.

Nana continued: "If we wanted to end this we could do that right no-"

"What do you want?" KB interrupted. His voice firm.

The tone of KB's voice caught Nana by surprise, and she quickly turned to face Lesedi, unsure of what else to do.

"Let me try and put it to you in a different way." Lesedi said, her voice calm. "None of us became Stars by accident. We didn't just wake up like this. No. We earned the right to be here. Each one of us brought something of value to the table. Each one of us earned the right to be called a Star, and together we became a fucking Galaxy!"

KB remained quiet, and taking this as a lack of understanding Senzo chimed in: "KB, I think what she's trying to say is th-"

"Thank you but I wasn't done talking." Lesedi interjected, staring Senzo down until he dropped his gaze. 

And then Lesedi's tone took on another shape as she introduced the Stars one by one.

"Nana: model extraordinaire and part-time vlogger. Lerato-Bailey: Makeup wizard with her own successful line. Kennedy: Fitness influencer. Ndumiso: Music prodigy! Remember DopeBoy? Well he's signed to Ndumiso's label-"

"Call me Miso.", Ndumiso corrected from where he was sitting. He tapped away at his phone and didn't lift his head at all.

" Aya: Tech guru. Tau: Male model and brand influencer. And then there's me." Lesedi said, standing up "Lesedi Motloung: Fashion and lifestyle influencer and the bitch that holds this shit together!"

Lesedi took a sip of her drink before continuing: "So KB, what can you bring that can be of value to us?"

KB allowed a brief silence to stir in the room before speaking.

"Bravo, Lesedi. That was a cute performance you gave us. Don't you agree guys?" he smirked, first looking to Senzo seated by his side, and then to Thato and Mbali seated opposite him. The three of them nodded in agreement, and though they tried their best to appear calm KB could see the panic burning behind all their eyes.

"Tell me something, Nana – how steady is the money you make from modelling? Are you getting a monthly check? And Lerato-Bailey – do you really consider a once-off partnership with Avon to be a 'successful line'?" KB said, placing his hands on his lap underneath the table when they began to tremble. "And Ndumis- excuse me... Miso... We all know DopeBoy is anything but dope. 'Fuck that Hoe' was a cute song, but we all know he's one more flop away from tanking your entire gig." KB stood up. "What I'm trying to say is that you guys are broke, or at least broker than what you've scammed all those people out there into believing" KB finished, pointing out towards the crowd watching from below who once again erupted into cheers mixed with flashes of light.

"Enough!" Lesedi shouted from her seat, banging her fist on the table top. "Close the curtain!" she ordered.

The room remained quiet while the curtain closed to the hum of its electronic motor.

"How dare you..." Lesedi started once the curtain had shut closed. She stared KB down like a hawk. "How dare you!" she screamed.

"Let him finish." Tau said.

"Baby...What do you possibly see in this...in this...nobody!" Lesedi pleaded with Tau "Baby, why are you so interested in hi-"

"Let him finish, Lesedi." Tau repeated firmly, causing the room to once again fall into silence.

"You guys may have fame, sure, but how long until everyone realizes how baseless it is? You even said it yourself on the drive here, Tau. 'None of this is real.' Remember that? How long until Kamo and the Come-ups figure you guys out. I'd say it's only a matter of time." KB said.

"What are you suggesting, KB?" Tau asked.

"I'm suggesting we work together."

"And what would that look like?" Tau said quickly.

"Put us on the social map, and in return we will legitimize your rule."

"You're not saying anything" Tau snarled.

"We will elevate your image. Get you access to the most prestigious professional events in town where you can snap as many Instagram pictures and video blogs as you want with some of the best business leaders the world has to offer. We'll also open up our private residence to you, the one you fetched us from earlier. We'll host private dinners, wine tastings, whiskey pairings, photo shoots, and exclusive parties. We have the ability to make you guys sophisticated. All this club shit is too public; these people will get sick of you quickly. There's a whole new world waiting for you guys if you're willing to work with us. If not, then me and my friends will politely return to our lives while you lot enjoy the slow decline of whatever it is you you call thi-"

"Deal." Tau replied, and the rest of the Stars nodded in agreement. Lesedi was the only one who remained still in her seat.

"I've put so much more than you could possibly ever imagine into building this life for myself." Lesedi said. "And I'm only agreeing to this because of Tau. But I want you and your friends to know that I will destroy all of you before you even think about destroying everything I've built."

KB ignored Lesedi's remarks as he reached for his drink.

"To the North" he said, raising a toast to the room.