19. Just A Façade

Marshall's P.O.V.

"No, but I'm like really serious though," Brianna laughs as she relays to the fellas some story about how, back when she was still a Nickelodeon girl, her management had tried to push her into having a singing career, just cause that had been a popular thing back then.

"Girl, they wanted you to start singing for real? But your voice is annoying as fuck!" Bizarre then smirks as the rest of the guys all start to cackle like some crazy deranged motherfuckers.

And even though I know that they are just pulling her leg and fucking with her like they normally would with me, no true malice involved whatsoever, my dumbass still feels the need to reach up and punch Rufus hard as fuck at the back of his head.

"Yo, shut your fat ass up!" I snarl at him just as Bizzy turns towards me looking completely dumbfounded.

"Fuck I say, nigga?!" He questions me, just as Bree grabs at my arm as delicately as she possibly could at the same time.

"Yo, stop being a disrespectful ass motherfucker, dawg!" I then blurt out, staring Bizzy down just as the rest of the fellas start cackling like crazy.

All the while thinking to myself, I fucking knew it, yo!

Knew that having this girl chill with my friends would probably be a bad idea, cause them assholes love clowning me for some reason.

But still, i had wanted Brianna to meet them.

Cause truth be told, I needed to prove to this girl that I was somewhat serious about her. That I wasn't just playing her, yo. As she seems to think that i am.

And she might not even be entirely wrong, cause at the end of the day, I ain't even know what I want from her exactly.

All I do know is that ever since Bree had checked out of rehab, I was motherfucking miserable in there.

Couldn't stop thinking about her if I wanted to.

Plus, her departure had only solidified to me somehow just how phony my whole stint of checking in that shithole of a place was in the first place.

If I was to cut it straight to the chase, just like I always do, getting clean, it ain't never even been an option for me. Simply cause, I don't even got a problem in the first place, all of the pills I'm popping being perfectly legal prescription drugs, you know what I mean?

I ain't no drug addict, no junkie, I'm not foaming at the mouth while staring at a half-extinguished flame. All I do is take meds that's actually NECESSARY for me in order for me to be able to function. And there's not a goddamn thing wrong with that, know what I mean?

"Let's all chill for right now," Proof now smirks, being the peacemaker as usual, and also, interrupting the flow of my thoughts just as I was about to make a pretty major point.

"Now, Bree, why don't you sing that song for us, the one your management team was trying to get you to perform in order to further your career," he then suggests to Brianna who instantly turns a sort of a crimson color I ain't never know a black person could turn into, to be honest.

Making me feel almost bad for her, yo, cause baby girl looks absolutely mortified all of a sudden.

Causing me to smirk.

"It's all good, girl," I pull her closer to me by wrapping my arm around her waist then, all of us currently chilling at a V.I.P. section of some club.

Bree rolls her pretty ass green eyes, and something about how the color of them don't exactly go with her skin tone and yet, still appearing to be sexy as all hell, especially when she's pissed off at something, those orbs practically glowering at the object of her distaste never fails to do something to me.

Once again, I would be a lying ass motherfucker if I had said she wasn't hot.

Feeling my top teeth sink into my buttom lip, I can't help myself, I pull Brianna closer to me and press a kiss to the side of her face, causing her to groan in fake disgust, the small smile spreading upon that pretty face of hers betraying her true feelings.

"Marshall," she whispers warningly to me, so that only her and myself could hear.

And I know exactly what she means of course.

She had been perfectly clear after that one date her and myself have had at that fancy LA restaurant. Bree had made it perfectly clear to me back then that she ain't letting me hit again just like that.

As it turns out, just as most of the sluts I've ever dealt with, she was just as predictable as them.

She had wanted me to show her I was actually serious about her first.

Which ain't even make sense, cause I ain't know if she forgot, but she was allowing me to have my way with her in all kinds of ways back in rehab, so fuck is she even playing hard to get for now?

Still, I had went with it though.

Just for the hell of it.

So, I've introduced her to my friends.

I mean, she's already met then before, back at rehab, but this time I had wanted it to look to her like it's actually meant something.

Even if it don't mean a goddamn shit.

"Nah, but sing for us though, girl," Kuniva then exists, and I swear I coulda punch his dumbass right on the spot then too.

Cause I know real well that while Bree might be a talented actress, singing ain't exactly her forte, so goddamn sorry, baby girl, but it's really not, cause I've heard you tryna show off in the shower before, back at the rehab facility.

"Did you write the song too?" Denaun then asks her, a couple of waitresses bringing us more drinks. I snatch mine off of the tray angrily, while Bree simply shrugs and sips hers.

"No, I haven't. My management team had hired somebody for that. Supposedly like this really talented song writer."

"Let's hear it then," I suddenly blurt out, and I ain't even know where this have come from, cause I for sore won't want to embarrass this girl like that.

Cause I actually.. like her?!

I've been thinking about her non-stop ever since she's left rehab.

Then I had simply checked out myself, I ain't lie to her about that part.

The facility wasn't helping me no-fucking-way.

Brianna looks at me then, and I can see clear as day (even if it's nighttime  right now) the still present delicate blush in her light-brown cheeks, her long ass lashes lowering, then all of a sudden she looks  back up at me.

Her usual bitchiness, this trait in her that I ain't even gonna lie, had initially attracted me towards her. Cause I ain't even gonna lie, i always knew she wasn't no good girl, that the whole America's sweetheart, former child star, wholesome sitcom darling shit was just a façade, cause I swear to God, dawg, I could always see the devil in that girl's eye.

And then she ruins it, ruins this whole image I've built up of her in my mind when she begins to suddenly sing completely off key, the lyrics to her lil song being some of the corniest I've ever heard, but then, she ain't write this shit herself anyhow, she's just singing it, as she said, but still..

It's just too little too lateA little too wrongAnd I can't waitBut you know all the right things to sayYou know it's just too little too lateYou say you dream of my faceBut you don't like meYou just like the chaseTo be real, it doesn't matter anywayYou know it's just too little too late

"Yooooo, that was goddamn atrocious, what the fuck?!" I exclaim honestly, feeling nervous like a motherfucker though.

Cause at the end of the say, I've always gotta be honest, no matter the consequences, especially when it comes to music, so I always speak the truth, but I ain't know how Brianna was gonna take it.

And there's like a pin a motherfucker could've dropped in that room all of a sudden.

The whole club disappears.

Until she laughs that is.

"No, cause I actually agree with you, Marshall," she softly says, looking directly at me, her palm making contact with my face before she gently pushes back.

"I can't sing at all, and the song was stupid as hell, so like... making me sound so much like a pop tart, it definitely being something I haven't wanted, like ever I mean like... I don't even want to sing period, because I'm an actress, NOT a singer. Which is exactly why I had planted my feet firmly into the ground and told my management team, I'm not doing this, not going that route. The very next thing I knew, I had to check-in into a rehab facility," she then homes, causing all of the guys to smirk.

"Oh, so you smashing your ex's car and damn near setting it on fire ain't had nothing to do with it then, girl?" Porter then asks her, and I give him a dirty look.

"Yo, shut the fuck up Denaun!"

"Shit, look at this nigga tryna play a white night in shining armor."

"He IS milk carton white though.."

"Bizarre, close that fat ass mouth of yours, 'fore I..."

"It's okay, Marshall," Brianna rolls her eyes. "And anyways, to answer y'all's question, yes, I DID have to go to rehab because of what I had done to my boyfriend's at the time car. But it was also a lack of support from my management. Once I like... refused to do what they had wanted me to do, they had sent me straight into rehab. And now they also have this one girl named JoJo sing that song they originally planned for ME to sing."

"Wait, yo, I've heard that crap before," I then blurt out while smirking, and all of a sudden, all of them motherfuckers are staring at me, yo.

"What, I've mentioned the bitch in one of my songs before, ain't I?" I then shrug nonchalantly.

"There go his crazy ass," Proof then mutters while the rest of the fellas all laugh at my expense. I swear they love clowning me for no reason, yo!!

And the rest of the night, it goes pretty much the same.

All of us continuing to party hard as fuck.

I manage to get Bree real fucking drunk, cause apparently her sobriety thing, it only applies to not taking drugs no more, but she still thinks it's okay to drink however.

And I could've taken full advantage of her fucked-up state of mind too, God knows, I had wanted to.

Cause she is so fucking sexy to me, she has been ever since the day I've first laid eyes on her back in rehab, truth be told, I've wanted her since then, was just something about her.

But I ain't gonna do that to her though, I put her in a cab instead and send her ass back to her hotel.

The goddamn vultures, the paps snapping pictured of the two of us outside of the club the whole time, and all I can think of, I legit wanna murder them assholes.

Especially when photos of myself and Brianna get printed in various gossip mags.

Then, the very next thing Kim does after dropping off our kids at my place, that fucking whore has the nerve to ask me what it was all about.

"None of ya goddamn business, Kim," I shrug.

"Oh, okay," she replies back with major hostility in her goddamn shrill voice.

She doesn't leave though, not the way she would normally do after dropping our daughters off.

Instead she lingers around, and see, this woman knows goddamn well that if Hai and Alaina wasn't currently present, then I woulda been tossed her ass out like the goddamn piece of expired yesterday's trash that she is, but I wasn't about to do no shit like that in front of the girls.

So Kim takes full advantage of that, and she lingers.

And she continues to linger all the way after I go into the girl's bedrooms, tucking each of them in their small beds so they could sleep.

And by the time I make my way out of their rooms, I see Kim standing in the hallway, a baseball bat in her hands and a deranged look in the crazy ass slut's eyes.

Ah, fuck man, there we go again, yo..

"How could you do this to me, Marshall?! How could you set me aside just like that?!" Kim asks me, all of a sudden smashing one of the stupid ass trophies I have mounted on the walls for some reason (probably was her doing to be honest, the vain ass woman had insisted I put up every single indication of me actually making it in this rap game, so that she could rub it into the faces of her shitty ass family members whenever them cocksuckers that used to doubt me right along with her, came to visit. So that she could say to them they was wrong, and that her boyfriend DID actually make it and wasn't just living in some corny ass dream world after all.)

"Bitch, fuck is you doing, yo?!" I yell out just as the stupid slut smashes yet another trophy, causing my chest to start rising and falling rapidly with pure rage.

"Fuck you, Marshall!! I was always there for you. ME!! Not some random ass girl!! I was the one by your side, not her!!" She yells, swinging the bat clutched in between her hands again.

Yet another stupid ass meaningless framed trophy falling from the wall.

"Mr. Mathers, sir?" One of my bodyguards then rapidly rushing in, looking bewildered as a motherfucker.

I raise my hand, then wave it dismissively in his direction.

My gaze locked directly on my ex wife's.

"It's all good, man. Matter of fact, leave. Take a break."

"Sir?"

"I said, leave right now, dawg!"

I then turn my full attention back on Kim who smirks, so I charge towards her, wrenching that damn bat from her hands.

"Bitch, fuck you!" I grab onto her wrists, squeezing tightly while she looks at me with so much hatred in her eyes, the emotion that blazes straight though ms, cause I swear to fuck, I hate her ass too. And to merely think of all of them years I've wayed on her before, I truly feel stupid, dawg.

"No, Marshall, fuck YOU!! I hate your talentless ass!!" She manages to free one of her hands from my grasp, and she slaps me hard as fuck across my face then.

Causing me to see stars.

Causing my vision to darken from all of the rage and anger.

I grab a hold of her throat, my fingers squeezing hard as hell, making it damn near impossible for her to even breathe.

Kim chokes and claws at my arm with her long fingernails, no doubt leaving deep ass gashes in my flesh, and I just watch her face turning beet red, until I finally let go of her neck, desperately grabbing onto her jaw instead just as a very familiar thing happens.

The same shit that always occurs if I'm being honest with myself cause I truly am a creature of habit at times.

My rage turning to lust, I bring Kim closer to me, my mouth colliding with hers, then the rest is history..

Some time later...

"You best tell that girl, Marshall, or I will," Kim says to me smugly as she lays all tangled up with me, her head resting on my chest, as if we are lovers all over again.

And I hate her.

Truly hate her in this moment, and she knows it too.

And yet, it truly feels like I ain't even got no way out right now.

Still, I ain't telling Bree shit.

Am way too cowardly for that, plus, it ain't even like I owe the goddamn girl an explanation anyhow, whatever the fuck was ever going on between her and myself, it ain't even had a title on it, has it?

***

Bree's P.O.V

I haven't heard from Marshall in a very long time.

Ever since I've hadged out with him and his friends at that LA club, he's simply disappeared from the face of the Earth, it had seemed, and it had hurt, and I was sort of worried about him too, but at the end of the day, I simply had to move on.

Because my life DOES NOT and WILL NOT revolve around a man ever again.

So, I simply have conditioned to do my own thing.

And once the filling for my brand new movie I'm currently starring in resumed, I flew right back to LA...

Two months later...

Picking up a PEOPLE'S magazine from the newsstand, I see a photo on the cover, which honestly breaks my heart even if it's so stupid of me to even feel this way. Therefore, I will never show my true emotions, being an actress and all.

But deep down inside, it still hurts...

Another two months later...

Picking up the same exact magazine, I see the breaking news article that they are apparently getting divorced now.

Again.

After only two months of being together.

Oh well, sucks to be them, I guess.

Anyways, I have moved on, completely moved on from Marshall that is, and I have a movie to continue shooting and concentrating on...

Another month later...

"Oh shit, Bree," my casting agent is telling me, looking through some paperwork. "You really are in demand right now, girl, like you really did it!! Because after you wrap up filming for your current motion picture, this other studio wants to cast you as well in this other scary movie flick, maybe we can like, rebrand you from a child star into a scream queen, what do you think, huh?"

Not getting a desired response from me because my eyes are currently glued to the TV screen, watching a news report about Eminem's best friend, Proof, being apparently shut at some club and being in critical condition at a Detroit hospital...

---

This chapter had ended so abruptly, I know, and it seems rushed overall.

But I promise y'all and I'll have y'all know, I've actually been working on it for days, and that's why it's so fragmented tbh 😭

Anyways, I'm going to stop whining in this A/Ns because it sounds like I'm fishing for reassurance from y'all or something, but I'm really not, I'm just venting, because I'm an anxious person by nature lol, but I will stop dumping it all on my readers 💀