6. She's Out Of Your League

Marshall's P.O.V.

2003

It takes me quite a few minutes to finally grow enough balls to even return to the V.I.P. area cause frankly, I feel like the biggest jackass right now and I'm embarrassed as fuck.

I finally pull myself together and walk out behind Nikki out of the restroom, making my way back over to the V.I.P. section where we were all sitting at.

Only to find Proof sitting there by himself with his drink in his hand.

"What the fuck happened yo, where's Nikki?" I ask, plopping down on the couch next to him and casually pulling out a plastic baggy with some pills in it from my pocket.

"Funny you ask me that," Proof replies, eyeing me suspiciously. "Cause I was about to ask you the same thing dawg. Cause she took off."

"What you mean she took off?" I frown.

"Exactly what I just said," Proof replies, looking at the pills in my hand now. "You still pop those? Better slow the fuck down with them shits, you been overdoing it lately, you know that right?"

"Nevermind all that shit," I shrug popping a few pills in my mouth and chasing them down with my drink. "Fuck you mean Nikki took off though? Why'd she do that?"

"I don't know man, but she looked pissed," Proof then leans back in his seat, regarding me real suspicious like through slit eyes. "What did you do, Em?" He finally asks me.

"Fuck you talking about? I ain't done shit to that girl," I shrug.

"Funny," Proof replies. "Cause right before she left, she told me to tell you that y'all whole deal is off. She said she ain't doing the publicity stuff with you no more and that she's flying back to LA first thing tomorrow morning."

The more Proof talks the more I can feel my heart start to thump loud and heavy as fuck in my chest, and I don't even know why. Maybe I shouldn't have mixed my medicine with liquor, who knows...

"Now Em, I can't lie to ya, you are lucky as fuck that it's me in here with you and not Paul, cause we both know Paul would kill you right now for messing it all up. Now me, I think this whole idea was stupid as fuck anyway. But still imma ask you again, what did you do to Nikki just now?"

"Shit..." I drawl out, finishing the rest of the drink in my cup in two long gulps. "Fuck Proof, I guess I really did mess up."

"Welp, but what else is new?" Proof pats my shoulder reassuringly, then looks at me questioningly.

"Aight look," I sigh. "I might have went after Nikki when she went to the bathroom just now and I might have... cornered her in there and talked some shit to her, tryna scare her and shit, show her who's boss. And then I might also have kissed her. Against her will."

Proof leans over and smacks me in the back of the head.

"You dumb motherfucker, why would you do that for?" He exclaims as I rub the back of my head.

"I don't know man, shit!! She wouldn't fucking stop talking. Have you noticed that about her? She likes to run her mouth and she doesn't know when to shut up. And I just wanted to shut her up. She just fucking irritated me so damn much..."

"Oh fuuuuuck, not this!" Proof then exclaims, staring at me like I done lost my goddamn mind, which admittedly I might have.

"What, dawg?!" I ask with annoyance in my voice, dragging one of my hands down my face.

Just then, a few stripper looking chicks walk up to us with a bottle in their hands and Proof smiles at them, rakes the bottle from them but then sends them on their way. Normally, we would be all for these bitches showing us a good time, but right now we don't need no prying ears around us, and Proof knows this.

Shruggung, Proof pops open the bottle, and takes a long swing from it as I grab the other bottle of Bacardi.

"Em, that's a very bad fucking idea and you know it is," Proof then says to me.

"What's a bad fucking idea?" I frown.

He then looks at me like I'm full of shit.

"You starting to fuck around and catch some type of a feeling for Nikki again, ain't you," he elaborates. "And that's... Shit, I guess I can see where you are coming from she's a dope ass chick, always has been but common. It had ended really badly for the two of you back in the day, and it literally is the reason your dumb hot-headed-speak-before-you-think ass is in trouble now. And now, you out here asking for even more trouble. What you gonna do if she goes to the press and says Eminem forced himself on me in the public bathroom? Not to mention that it was just plain not cool what your dumb ass did."

"Yo what the fuck?! I ain't force myself on nobody!"

"You kinda did though. And that's exactly how it would look like to the public if she talks. You need to apologize to her. Apologize to her, smooth things over with her, then decide whether or not y'all are still doing that dumb publicity stunt thing. And then you need to leave her the fuck alone."

"Look doody. I'm not... Shit, I ain't running out of this club chasing behind the bitch, you know what I'm saying? She is probably in her car right now, driving herself back to that shitty hotel she's staying at, and I ain't following her there neither!"

"Call her then. Call her right the fuck now, Em. And apologize."

"I ain't even got her number!"

"Well, get it from Paul or something."

I cuss loudly under my breath, then dial Paul's number.

I end up having to walk out of the V.I.P. and find me a quiet spot to be able to talk to him on the phone without interruptions.

"What's up, Marshall? How are you?" Paul answers his cell.

"Yo wassup," I reply, leaning my back against the wall as I suddenly start to feel the effects of all of the drugs and alcohol in my system and my voice slurs slightly. "Yo imma cut straight to it, Paul, I need that damn girl's number."

"Which girl?" Paul asks me, sounding confused.

"Ya know, Nikki. I need to speak to her about something. Like right fucking now."

"Aren't you supposed to be out with her right now?"

"I mean, I was but then something went down and..."

"What the hell did you do, Marshall?"

"See," I frown taking the phone away from my ear for a quick second. "I don't get why is it that whenever I say some shit happened, y'all motherfuckers always automatically assume that it's something I've done."

"Marshall!!" I can practically see Paul faceplaming himself and see him losing some more of his hair. Motherfucker is only a couple of years older than me but he's already starting to go bald on the front of his big ass head.

"Look Paul. I promise you, I haven't done nothing," I lie. "It was just a misunderstanding between Nikki and I, you know what I'm saying?"

"No, Marshall, I do not know what you are saying, and I'm not even sure I wanna know," my manager replies, sounding exasperated.

"Look Paul, just text me the damn number. I really do just wanna smooth things over with her," I say, then hang up.

A few seconds later, there's a text alert on my phone and I open the message, clicking on the phone number in it.

I suppose I don't even need to call her, I could've just went up to her hotel to speak to her, but I guess after what I have just puller, she probably wouldn't be too happy to see me at her door, now would she.

Not that she would wanna hear my voice neither...

"Hello?" Nikki answers.

"Hey, can I talk to you?"

"Who is this?"

"Marshall."

Click...

She hangs up.

I look at the phone kind of dumbfounded for a few seconds, not really believing she would have the nerve to hang up in my ear, then dial the number again.

"Please don't hang up, Nikki!" I say as soon as the dial tone stops.

"Leave me the hell alone, Marshall," she sighs tiredly. "How'd you get my fucking number anyway?"

"Paul gave it to me."

"Oh yeah, figures," she says dryly. "What do you want? Didn't DeShaun pass my message along to you? I'm literally driving up to my hotel right now to pack my shit so I could fly back to LA!"

"Don't do that girl. Look Proof told me what you've said and that's what I need to talk to you about. Look, I'm sorry, Nikki. About everything," I say clearly meaning more than what had just happened today. "I'm not a bad guy, you know. I ain't mean to disrespect you, not back then all those years ago and not now. But I know that I have back then and I did it again just now, and I feel like shit. So let me make it up to you, aight?"

She stays quiet for a few seconds, then says:

"You know what, Marshall? Why don't you come over. I need to speak to you about something in person, actually."

***

1989

I make my way through the front door and out of my mother's house, doing my best to ignore her drunken ass laying passed out on the couch in the living room once again.

She had gotten home late as usual last night and just fell out right there on the spot. Me and Kim had to drag her to the couch so that she wasn't laying on the floor, and she was cussing us out the whole time too.

Afterwards, Kim spent the rest of the night talking on the phone with somebody, smiling and giggling the whole time, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was some other dude she's messing around with.

How I ain't run up on her ass and not cut the cord on that phone, I have no idea. I hate that she can do this shit to me and not even think twice about it, but like I said before, I got something for her ass and I'm about to make her feel how she makes me feel all the goddamn time.

I get into my shitty ass car and drive myself to school. Kim has already left apparently, must be that new boyfriend of hers that drove her to school too. Fucking bitch...

I walk through the doors, get subjected to being searched by metal detectors, that's just how bad things have gotten in this place lately, then head to my locker.

Proof is already there waiting for me, we got some plans to discuss about him hosting the next rap battle at The Hip-Hop Shop this coming Friday. I ain't gonna lie, I used to be scared as fuck to participate in those at first but then I just kinda realized that I was really good at it, probably the only thing I've ever been good at my whole entire life. When I get on stage I feel powerful, when I rap I feel like nobody can beat me. Wish it was like that with other aspects of my life but it just ain't.

The more Proof is talking the less I am listening to him as my mind is elsewhere. I hate that Kim has enough power to fuck with my head to the point where I'm distracted while talking important fucking business with my friend, but the thing is, it really bugs me that she's two-timing me again and I can't even do shit about it. How can she be 2 years younger than me and already such a fucking slut, I feel like she's gone with damn near every other dude at our neighborhood at this point. I feel like everybody at school must be laughing at my ass and pointing fingers at my back because of how I just keep letting her get away with this.

And it's gotta fucking stop at this point. Can't go on like this...

"Say Proof, is that chick y'all brought with you last time going to come to the show with us again?" I suddenly blurt out.

"Who, Nikki?" Proof frowns then shrugs. "I don't know man, I ain't talk to her about that. I was just tryna show her around that time."

"What's the deal with you and her anyway, you tryna hit that?" I then ask.

It has occurred to me just now that Nikki would be kinda perfect to mess around with in order to piss Kim off. As a matter of fact, I think Kim would straight up lose it if I were to hook up with somebody like that. Nikki is hot and she is already the bombest goddamn girl in this whole school, it seems like damn near every dude here is currently drooling over her. Kim hates bitches like that the popular types cause she herself is a very jealous type.

But my plan would be a no go if Proof is actually into this girl cause I won't ever try to step on my dawg's toes like that.

"Nah dawg, Nikki is cool, but I don't really like her like that. She seems kinda stuck up to me, ya know?" Proof starts to reply.

Only for him to look like he's just realized something and he all of a sudden doubles in laughter.

"Yooooooo," he exclaims.

"What the fuck, what dawg?!" I frown.

"Shiiiiit nigga don't tell me that you are thinking about going after that girl! You can't swing that shit, dawg!" Proof says through his laughter. I really don't see what the fuck he's finding so funny about this.

"Fuck's that supposed to mean yo?!" I stare him down angrily now.

"Well for one thing," Proof starts counting on his fingers, "Kim would bury your crazy white ass, and you know she would. Two, Nikki is way our of your league doody, I'm sorry to say. Three, she is way out of your league once again!! I mean, you can't even talk to her without stumbling all over your words like you are fucking slow or some shit..."

"Yo, hold that thought," I interrupt him, when I see Nikki walking down the hallway, her little pink school bag swinging from her shoulder, carrying a few textbooks in her hands.

"Yo Nikki," I call after her, I catch up quickly to her and stand directly in front of her.

Immediately realizing that Proof was right. Fuck me, I really can't say shit to her without stumbling over my own words for some reason. And my fucking palms are starting to sweat getting all clammy and shit. I don't know what my problem is for real. Maybe she is just too... pretty? And the way she carries herself, she's too goddamn unbothred, she just enrolled into this school and she immediately fit right in, and I don't know what to make of her.

"Hi Marshall," Nikki looks up at me. "Did you want something?"

"Uh... well... yeah," I say doing my best to sound all smooth and shit when a thought suddenly occurs to me. "I figured out what I want you to do. Ya know, for losing our bet? Remember that bet we made the other day when you said you thought I couldn't rap and that the crowd at The Hip-HopShop would eat me alive? "

"Oh yeah, that," she rolls her eyes. "What about it?"

"Time to pay up, sweetheart," I smirk and watch her face immediately twist in irritation. I know that she hates being called that word, but for whatever reason it just makes me wanna call her that even more just to piss her off a little bit.

Nikki rolls her eyes again, then sighs and taps her foot impatiently on the floor.

"And what is it you would be expecting me to do, Marshall?" She asks, looking up at me with those big ass fucking eyes of hers.

I almost lose my nerve cause Proof really is right, I have absolutely no fucking idea how to act around this girl. Kim is so much easier...

"You gotta go out with me," I then blurt out.

I watch Nikki frown at me slightly, her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowing as she bites her lip in displeasure.

Then she shakes her head and says:

"Nope."