Chante and Sid consumed the rest of their plates before stopping briefly at Chante's apartment for her to change into appropriate attire. Turns out that appropriate attire involved massive amounts of spandex. Chante was totally covered but the tight material made Sid feel like she could see all of her. She did indeed have a fat ass. 

Sid kept on the same heather gray hoodie with Sleep written across it and black jeans, only changing out of her house slippers for some black classic Reeboks. They exited the building thirty minutes later looking like two people going to entirely different events.

"Where is this thing happening?" Sid asked as they made their way down the walkway. But Chante didn't need to answer. The scene was sprawled out on the street in front of them. Motorbikes and classic cars lined the street in front of their building which was blocked off on both sides by police barricades. Permits? This is fancy. It was a full-blown block party. 

It seemed like everyone who lived in a five-block radius was out there. Some people were contained behind police barricades and security and others were actually on set, right in the thick of things. Sid craned her neck over the crowd to see cameras circling two guys who were in full rap mode. Threatening gestures at the camera? Check. Scantily clad girls with fishnet stockings bouncing ass cheeks vigorously? Check. Liquor bottles? Check. Chante grabbed her hand and pulled her right toward the action. Chante dug her sneakers into the ground.

"We can't just roll on set!" Sid screeched.

"I used to mess with him. Yes, we can." Chante pulled and Sid trailed along. With Chante walking ahead of her, the sea of people only offered Sid a cursory glance before making room for the pair to pass. Once they reached the edge of the crowd, Chante waited for the chant-like chorus of the song to come back around before she let go of Sid's hand and strode right through the camera's frame, on beat, and fierce. And they let her. The cameraman panned to get a view of her curves in that spandex as she walked by, looking like she was made for this. One of the rappers smiled and winked at her, never losing time with his lyrics, and she winked back.

Sid stayed pressed against the crowd like there was a firing squad in front of her. Hands were waving in the air all over as people swayed and sang in sync with the lyrics. Everyone knew the words. Rode the same beat. It was undeniably dope. Not that Sid ever tried to meld back into this world, but right now she felt painfully like an outsider. Maybe she should have tried. Maybe waved or smiled at people as she hurried into the building after work.

She looked across the crowd and noticed one hand, in particular, waving, seemingly at her. She studied the face for another moment before recognition bounced around in her head. Phil. He was waving at her to come over to his side of the crowd which was directly flanking the talent. If she went over there she'd definitely be in the video. She waved but shook her head 'no.'

She scanned the scene for Chante and spotted her easily. She was now the arm candy of one of the rappers. Front and center and she seemed to love every moment of it. Sid laughed at the thought that this was Chante is her natural habitat; the center of attention and elated in the Hood-Princessness of it. Sid tried to roll with things. Tried to pull her shoulders down into a relaxed position. Tried to sway with the crowd...but she couldn't.

It had been like this for years. Yeah, she'd always been a bit uptight, since birth really, but when the time called for it, she was able to relax and enjoy things like a normal human being. But since she lost her father and her relationship with Aiden imploded, she had come to know that any world she found comfort in could be turned upside down at any moment. She had to remain vigilant. To some, it may look like she was on edge but to her, it was a matter of survival...control. An excited scream erupted from a girl in the crowd and Sid nearly jumped into the sky. Her anxiety was peaking. Where could she get a hold of one of those bottles floating around?

She turned around to head back into the building but instead ran straight into Phil.

"Leaving?" He asked her, leaning in close to her ear to speak over the music.

"Yeah, it's a lot." She told him. He agreed.

"Come on." She was behind him. Following him out and around the crowd until they were behind it all, away from the cameras, with a group of people relaxing on a weathered set of benches.

"This is Sid." He told the small group of people that were hanging out. "That's Luke and Bomb." Two guys that were about halfway through a blunt passed it back and forth between them.

"And that's Frenchie." A petite girl with cornrows neatly intertwined from her forehead to the nape of her neck took a sip out of a bottle wrapped in a paper bag, threw a "Sup baby" Sid's way. Sid waved, feeling very new-kid. Phil slid down onto the bench, leaving room for Sidney to take a seat beside him. He reached behind the bench and retrieved another paper bag which he offered to her. She peeked in the bag. The amber liquid and gold wrapper let her know it was just what she was looking for. She took the bag from him and cracked the seal on the bottle. The first sip, straight from the bottle was bliss. She wiped her mouth and caught sight of Phil watching her with a small red plastic cup extended her way. She grew hot with embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry."

"Nah, I was just trying to be proper for you. I take this straight too." Phil slid the bottle from her hands and took a long swig as well.

"Who's music is this?"

"My dude Nixon. My bro, Kru, is putting him on. All this -- " Phil gestured to the camera crew, the people, the cars. The ghetto opulence. "He did this."

"Your brother is in music?"

"He's in everything," Phil said. His expression hung somewhere close to admiration without quite reaching it. He offered her the bag and she took another gulp.

"Where's your 'lil dude?" He asked. She felt her heart tug a little and paused before she answered.

"With his Dad."

"That's cool. That dude is still around and whatnot. They be taking off." Phil offered. She offered him a grunt that could be taken as agreement. People often said this to her. How lucky she was to have a man so present and devoted to his child. They seemed to easily accept the brokenness of it all. Forget that his original devotion was supposed to be to her. That it was broken. He wasn't condemned for that though. Well, Tomi hated him pretty good for it but that was about it. Everyone else just chalked it up to life. Besides, ...he was happy.

She didn't pass the bag back but instead took another long swig. Phil didn't seem bothered and kept on chatting. He was a talker.

"I see him around every now and then when I'm working."

"What do you do?"

"I sell drugs," Phil said as he took a drag off of his friends blunt before passing it back.

"Oh." Sid found herself shocked into a lopsided smile. He just said it-- right out. No cute little play on words. No diversion tactics.

"Yeah, it's lucrative. But I got talents too." He wagged his eyebrows at her in a way that made her hide her face behind the paper bag.

"What talents?" Sid asked him playfully. He motioned for the braided girl to pass yet another paper bag to him. He opened it and pulled a creased sandwich bag out and handed it to her. She took it and eyed the contents with suspicion.

"Peanut Buttercups?" She jiggled the bag and watched the chocolate shift inside.

"Nah, those ain't Buttercups. Those are Brother Cups." Bomb chimed in. The group laughed knowingly.

"I make those. They're cannabis-infused." Phil gestured for her to try one. Sid thought better of it.

"Nope. I'm good with this." She raised the bag. Phil shrugged before he took the baggie back, plucked out a cup and popped it into his mouth.

Sid wasn't sure how much time had passed. She was having a good time. Before she knew it the shoot was wrapping up and she saw blonde hair making its way over to her through the crowd.

"Woo! My thighs hurt. Hey Phil." Chante patted her head and wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead.

"'Sup, Chante." Phil greeted her.

"I heard twerking is a good workout," Sid said. The atmosphere was a haze and she was right in the thick of it. They knocked off the previous bottle and after Luke made a quick run to the liquor store, they were halfway through the second.

"Can't wait until this video drops!" Chante shimmied. "They're having an after-party at the studio in Bushwick. Y'all rollin'?" Chante asked the group.

"Nah, I'm going to chill here," Phil answered, but the rest of them got up.

"Nixon said I could jump on a verse if I roll through so I'm out man," Luke said. Bomb and Frenchie were rolling as well.

"You good?" Chante asked. Her eyes shot slyly between Phil and Sid. A wicked grin settled on her soft features.

"Yeah. I'm going to head up soon. Work in the morning." Sid gestured toward their building.

"Ok. Phil, you got any Brothers?" Chante asked. Sid balked. Chante was forward but this was borderline desperate. She almost said something but before she could Phil reached in his pocket and passed the baggie with the treats to Chante. Oh. Those brothers. Brother Cups. Sid laughed a little. Then laughed a little more. And more. Before she knew it she was bent over, her chest heaving against her knees as chuckles rolled out of her.

"I thought...I thought you were-- I thought you were asking him if he had any brothers. To hook up with!" Sid was in full hysterics by then. Frenchie, Luke, and Bomb joined in with raucous laughter. Phil held onto his side as he crowed too.

Chante didn't get it, being the only sober one among them. "Oook. So I'm gonna go."

"Yo, Sid you wild," Luke said with Bomb following close behind him. Frenchie blew her a kiss. Sid buried her face against Phil's arm and produced more giggles than she knew she had in her body.

"This is you off a little bit of drink? Yeah, you can't handle a Brother Cup." Phil said once the crew had moved on. He and Sid sat on the bench watching the hood return to its norm. The camera's were being put away. The speakers packed in. The lights came down on the brick and concrete. It reverted back to the set of their everyday lives once again. The air had turned cool and whipped through her hoodie. She pulled her arms tight around her.

"Everybody knows about these things?"

"They're famous," Phil told her. She looked at him as he pulled his black hoodie further up around his ears. He was clean-shaven. No facial hair whatsoever. She didn't know if that was what made him look so young or if he was actually young. Right now, she'd put him somewhere around twenty. Only a few years younger than her but something about him felt mature. Maybe his unbridled honesty. She hadn't felt that. That... openness in so long.

"Alright. Let me try one."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She affirmed. Phil dug into his pocket again and a moment later she closed her eyes as the silky dark chocolate melted onto her tongue followed by a creamy peanut butter center.

"You made this from scratch?" Sid cracked her eye open a fraction to confront him. She felt her brain buzzing. The cannabis was definitely infused, but she tasted no trace of it in the chocolate. Phil nodded. Sid rested her hand on each side of his face. Wanting to feel it all of a sudden. He was surprised but allowed it nonetheless.

"You have to show me."

Oooo, show her! LOL.    So, Phil. What do yall think of him?