by Nikki Carter
The hostess leads them over to our table; Big D and Sam stand up. I can’t decide if I should or not, so I just stay seated.
“I’m Mystique.” She shakes hands with Big D and Sam and gives me a hug.
Her bodyguard takes a seat at the table behind us. I guess he’s trying to give us our privacy, but he’s totally there, hulking in the background. I try to ignore him, but I can hear him breathing and his fingers drumming on the table.
Big D says, “You already know me, and these are my songwriting geniuses Sam Wilkins and Sunday Tolliver.”
“It’s so good to see you, Deionte, and meet you, Sam and Sunday. I know I’m a little early for our meeting, but I really want to hear this song!”
She pulls a set of earphones out of her purse. “Who has the song?”
Sam fumbles with the iPod but hooks her earphones up to it and flicks to our song. She closes her eyes while she listens. Her face shows no emotion, but her head bobs up and down in time with the music. I think she’s enjoying it, but I can’t tell.
When the song finishes she says, “Let me hear it one more time.”
A huge smile crosses Big D’s face. Her wanting to hear it again must be a good sign! Sam presses Play once more, and this time she hums along on some parts, sings on others, and hits a few ad-libs. She’s freaking the song and making it her own! OMG! She likes it!
At the end of the second play she says, “I have to have this song on my new album. It’s a single, too, I can tell.”
Sam and I just stare, both of us without words! Big D lets out a huge laugh.
“I think they weren’t expecting you to love it,” he says. “Both of them look like they’re in a state of shock.”
“I…I’m honored,” I stammer. “That would be a dream come true for you to sing this song.”
“You guys don’t have a name yet, so I’ll pay fifty thousand on the front end. But you’ll get songwriter credit and points, too.”
I look at Big D and hope he can read my mind. “Points are how they calculate royalties. This is a huge break for y’all, because, like I said, most new songwriters don’t get points.”
“I heard someone was trying to pay for college,” Mystique says. “I hope you get into Spelman, Sunday, and I wish you the best. I always wanted to go to college myself, but I started in this industry when I was nine years old.”
Can I just say that I can’t believe she’s this nice! She has sold millions of records worldwide, has Grammys, AMAs, VMAs, and every other award you can think of, but she’s sweet as pie. She keeps smiling at us with those beautifully whitened teeth!
Sam still hasn’t said anything. “Mystique. Thank you,” he croaks.
“Who’s singing on the track?” Mystique asks. “Epsilon is giving me my own label and I’m looking for artists. That’s not Drama, is it?”
“That’s Sunday,” Big D beams.
“Your voice is phenomenal, and you’re beautiful, too,” Mystique says. “Do you think you’d like to be on my label?”
I pause for a moment before answering. If I sign a record deal with Mystique, it would mean all of the things I’m doing right now: touring nonstop, shows, interviews, and constant traveling. How does this fit in with college?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Mystique says. “And we can work around school.”
“But how? This tour stuff is already cutting into my school attendance.”
“We could work it out if we tried really hard over the summer, and you could still attend Spelman in the fall. It would actually look good to sponsors that you are taking your education seriously.”
“Can I think about it?” I ask.
Big D says, “Girl, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You can’t sleep on this.”
Mystique lifts one hand. “No, Deionte, let her think about it. Her talent isn’t going anywhere and neither is my offer. College is important and I’m betting that it’s been her dream for a long time.”
“It has been.”
She reaches over the table and strokes my arm. “Well, dreams are something that I hold dear. Take all the time you need.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll have my lawyers draw up some paperwork regarding this song.”
“I’m sure your parents would want to look it over.”
“Mine definitely will,” I say.
Sam nods. “My mom will, too.”
“We’ll talk more after the 106 & Park shooting. I need to take a nap before that. All those screaming kids are gonna give me a headache. Do y’all mind if I skip lunch?”
“No, of course not,” Big D says. “Get your beauty rest—not that you need it.”
She smiles and stands up, causing Sam and Big D to rise to their feet as well. This time I stand, too, because I want to give her a real hug if she tries to get one.
And she does!
When she leaves the restaurant and we all sit back down I say, “It feels like that happened too quickly. What am I missing?”
“Nothing,” Big D says. “That’s how it goes down in this industry. When opportunity knocks, you’ve got to be ready. It just so happened that you two were prepared with a hot song.”
“But fifty thousand dollars? Just like that?” Sam asks. “That seems too good to be true.”
“That girl is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and the budget for her album is about ten million dollars. She got this song at a discount, on the front end, but y’all are gonna clean up in royalties.”
I narrow my eyes. “What about you, Big D? What’s your cut gonna be? I know you didn’t set this all up out of the kindness of your heart.”
He laughs. “Because I set all this up, I’m acting as your manager, and that entitles me to fifteen percent of everything y’all make.”
“That’s cool,” Sam says. “Most managers try to get twenty percent.”
“Okay. I guess it’s cool,” I concur.
“Both of y’all mother’s are going to have to sign those documents and send them back before any cash changes hands.”
I know my mother will sign without a doubt. I’m just thankful that my first year at Spelman is paid for! Now, even if my guidance counselor can’t get me any scholarships, I’m good to go.
“I wish you would reconsider Mystique’s offer for a record deal. Shoot, if I had been thinking straight I woulda signed you instead of your cousin.”
“Yeah, you called me Disney, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember that. Somehow I don’t think I could’ve sold you to Epsilon. That was some divine intervention or something that got Mystique on your bandwagon, girl.”
I laugh out loud. “I wouldn’t say she’s on my bandwagon.”
“Maybe not, but she sees what I see. Your talent isn’t going anywhere, but then neither is Spelman,” Big D says.
“I know, Big D. I said I was gonna think about it.”
Sam flags down a waitress. “I don’t know about y’all, but I’m hungry. Who wants lunch?”
It’s only been a few moments since this all went down, but already the decision is weighing heavily on my mind. Spelman or a record deal? I never thought I’d have to make a choice like this. I can’t even decide if I want a boyfriend! How can anyone expect me to make the right call on this?
25
We decide not to tell anyone about our meeting with Mystique. First of all, because we don’t want to give Dreya anything to get mad about. And yeah, even though this has absolutely nothing to do with her, she’ll find a way to make it her issue and pitch a fit.
Behtany and I head over to Dreya’s suite for Regina and Monie to do their magic on us. If I was cool with Bethany right now, I’d mention that she has on a really cute outfit, but since we’re not cool, I’m not saying anything.
“How did your meeting go?” Regina asks.
Dang, dang, dang! Forgot that I told her and Monie about the meeting with Mystique. I’ve been slipping lately on keeping secrets and stuff. It’s a good thing I don’t li
e, because I sure wouldn’t be able to keep up with them.
“What meeting?” Bethany asks.
“It was nothing. Just about some music. A song that me and Sam worked on.”
“Well, who was the meeting with?” Dreya asks.
“You’re nosy! Dang! None of your business.”
Dreya stands up from Monie’s chair. She puts both hands on her hips and flips the plastic smock she’s wearing. “What do you mean, none of my business? Did you have a meeting with my man or something?”
“What? No! Girl, you are tripping. Nobody wants Truth. Please get that through your head.”
“Well, why is it that when I tried to find him this afternoon for lunch, he was missing in action? I couldn’t find any of y’all either. Sunday, Sam, Big D, Bethany. It sounds like y’all are planning something behind my back.”
Bethany’s eyes drop to the floor. I know that look. I know it like I know the back of my hand. I can guess where Truth was when Dreya was looking for him. He was probably hemmed up somewhere with Bethany.
“Maybe they’re planning a surprise party,” Regina offers.
“Nah, I don’t think that was it,” Dreya says. “Somebody in here’s been creeping.”
“Well, it wasn’t me,” I say. “I was with Sam—you can ask him. I can’t, however, speak for everyone in this room. I’m just sayin’.”
Dreya laughs out loud. “She wouldn’t dare! Bethany knows better than to cross me. Not only will I beat that tail, I will kick her off my staff so fast her head will spin.”
“I haven’t done anything,” Bethany says. “Sunday is tripping.”
Monie tugs on Dreya’s smock. “Honey, you need to sit your little hyper behind back down in this chair so you can get ready for this show. You wanna be on 106 & Park with a half-done hairdo?”
Dreya rolls her eyes at everyone and sits back down. I can almost see the wheels in her head spinning and trying to figure out what’s really going down. I don’t care how fast those little wheels spin, she’ll never figure out who I met with this afternoon without someone telling her.
We’re supposed to meet in the lobby of the hotel at 4:00 p.m. for the special 106 & Park taping. BET is sending three limos over to the Ritz-Carlton to pick up all of the acts, so that we can arrive in style. This new artist showcase is the business.
Dreya and Truth are hugged up on one of the lobby couches. She must’ve confronted him yet again, and he’s trying to console her. I wonder if he’d bother having her as a girlfriend if it wasn’t connected with his music career.
When the limos arrive, Sam pulls my arm. “Don’t go out yet. Let Dreya and Truth pick a limo first, so we can get in a different one.”
“I feel you on that.”
We watch Dreya and Truth get in the first limo with a few other people and we make our way over to the last one. A little-girl group climbs in right behind us. They’re all dressed alike and have a fancy lady with them.
“What’s the name of y’all group?” I ask.
“Sugar and Spice,” the woman replies.
“Aww…they’re cute.”
One of the little girls looks me up and down. “And who are you supposed to be?”
“Okay, wow. I’m Sunday Tolliver.”
“You an artist?” she asks.
“Not exactly. I’m a songwriter.”
“Oh, she ain’t no competition. We cool.”
“Competition? This is a contest?”
The woman replies, “Apparently a rumor has been going across the Internet that Mystique is looking for talent to sign to her new label. We don’t have a record deal yet, so we’re hoping the rumor is true.”
“Well, good luck, y’all. I hope y’all get it,” Sam says in the voice that he uses for Manny.
“Who’s he talking to?” the sassy little girl says. “We don’t need luck. We’re Sugar and Spice. Hit it, girls.”
Those four little girls bust some harmonies that make Daddy’s Little Girls sound like amateurs. They’re right. They don’t need luck, they just need someone like Mystique to hear them and give them an opportunity.
Before we even walk in the 106 & Park studio, we can hear the screaming! There are teenagers lined up on the street behind a barricade. They must be the ones who didn’t make it in for the taping. They must be here for Mystique, because all that screaming can’t be for these newcomers.
We’re all lined up backstage according to when we’ll perform, and we’re last! That means we’re closing out the show, and I think that’s a good thing. The best for last.
Everyone makes their bathroom runs, gets water, tea, or Sprite if you’re Dreya, and makes it back to the line in a hurry. No one wants to miss their opportunity to be on BET. Bethany and I are tuned up and ready to sing, although I don’t want to sing with her.
“Y’all better make sure to only hit the harmonies,” Dreya says. “No runs, Sunday, and no high notes, Bethany.”
“You sure? I can hit a Mariah Carey note right at the end of the song,” Bethany says.
“If you do that, I will beat the crap out of you, right there on national television.”
I burst out laughing. “You do that, you’ll end up on Sandrarose.com, Mediatakeout.com, Bossip.com, theybf.com, and Crunktastical.net.”
“Why do you even know all those Web sites?”
“You should! That’s where they post photos of celebrities in compromising positions. You need to check on there and see if they have any pictures of Truth and a groupie.”
Truth walks up. “What did I hear about Truth and a groupie? Where’s the groupie? I love groupies.”
Dreya elbows him. “Shut up, Truth.”
One of the show’s associate producers comes backstage to make everyone quiet down because the show is starting. Sugar and Spice is up first and they sing a cute little song. I wish I could see them performing, cause I know that little sassy one is hamming it up. The crowd really gives them a huge round of applause when they’re done.
“They can blow. They’re trying to get a record deal with Mystique,” I whisper.
“Well, they should,” Dreya replies.
The next few groups are just all right. None of them sang or rapped well enough for me to consider even buying their records. Even the crowd applause was lack-luster. Mystique had to practically beg the crowd to show them some love.
It’s finally our turn, and after so many bad performances, the crowd could be ready to throw tomatoes or ready to get on their feet. I hope they’re ready to dance!
Truth comes out first in his signature greasy tank top. I wonder what he does to give all those shirts that look! The girls start screaming as soon as he hits the stage. The rest of us, including the dancers, all hit the stage when the music starts. There’s not much room, but the dancers are professionals. They know how to work with the little bit of space they have.
Truth is extremely pumped in his delivery. He runs by the front row, touching girls’ hands as Dreya sings the hook and we harmonize. Dreya sounds great, too. She’s definitely not trying to let anybody take her spot, especially not me or Bethany.
After the song is over, mostly everyone in the crowd jumps up and cheers. Mystique laughs over her microphone, because she’s trying to get them to calm down, but they won’t!
“Looks like we’ve got a hit maker right here,” she says over the screaming, and sends the show to a commercial break.
Backstage, while everyone is hugging one another and yelling, Big D stands off to one side looking strange, with his hand covering his mouth.
I walk up to him and ask, “Are you okay?”
Now that I’m up close to him I can see that he has tears in his eyes.
“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just…man…I’ve worked my whole life for this, and it’s all blowing up right now. I just feel ridiculously blessed right now, that God has sent you to me.”
“Me?”
Big D laughs. “Yes, you, Sunday. It was your hook that made that song so hot. And that
song is what has propelled Truth into the spotlight. You might not know it, lil’ mama, but you’ve got the golden touch.”
“Nuh-uh!” I say. “I’m just doing what I love!”
“Well, I’m not the only one who sees it. Mystique isn’t going to stop until she has you on her label.”
“I’m still not sure about all that. I want to finish high school first before I do this. Something tells me that if I sign a record deal, my life will never be normal again.”
Big D laughs out loud. “I’ve got news for you. Did you hear that applause? Life as you know it has officially ceased!”
Bethany steps to me as soon as Big D is out of earshot. It seems like lately she just lurks in the shadows trying to see what she can see, like some kind of spy for Dreya.
“So Mystique wants you on her label?” she asks.
“You just dipping with no shame whatsoever. You just tacky,” I respond.
As I turn to walk away from her, she continues: “I can see Dreya only thinking of herself when she got a record deal, because she’s selfish like that. But how could you not tell Mystique about our group? How could you do that?”
I stop in my tracks and turn to face Bethany. “You can’t be for real, Bethany. You’ve been beyond foul ever since this record deal stuff started. Kicking with my ex and whatnot. How can you expect me to be lookin’ out for you?”
“You don’t even like Romell anymore! Why do you care if we’re together?”
“I don’t care. I just know that your reasons for hollering at him are messed up. You only want to date him because he dated me. You need to really find your own identity.”
Bethany’s jaw drops like I just slapped her. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were my best friend.”
“Ditto. I can’t believe it either.”
“Dreya is right about you,” Bethany hisses. “She says that you’ve got everybody fooled. Everyone thinks you’re all good and smart and sweet, but you’re faker than fake.”
I burst into a flurry of laughter. “Dreya calling somebody fake is like McDonald’s claiming to have gourmet food. Unbelievable.”
