GHETTO SUPERSTAR (30 page)
Authors: Nikki Turner
“Fabiola.” A correspondent from Entertainment Tonight walked up to her, putting a mic in her face. “May I ask you a few questions?”
“Sure,” Fabiola said, smiling.
“First of all, I want to tell you how marvelous you look in that dress. Did your sister make it? I heard that she makes most of your clothes.”
“Yes, my sister, Adora, created this as well as the outfit that I'm performing in tonight.”
“I can't wait to see it. You've become somewhat of a fashionista these days.”
“That's so sweet. Thank you.”
“I'm happy that you were able to make it. I've heard that you were asked at the last minute to perform due to a cancellation.”
“Well”—Fabiola gave the cameras a smile that lit up half the block—“I'm just happy to be here. Performing at the Grammys has always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I also want to thank Royce for recommending that I take her place, and I wish her well.” Fabiola blew a big kiss at the cameras. “Ciao.”
The reporter looked back into the camerea. “Fabiola Mays is really turning into America's Sweetheart.”
Fabiola was a little nervous as she sat backstage waiting to go on. To calm her nerves, she and Casino sent text messages to each other.
—I'm sitting backstage waiting to go on, nervous, I just keep thinking about you … my superstar.
—I'm sure all superstars get nervous but you have nothing to worry about. You are the best at what you do plus you my wifey.
What? Wifey!
Fabiola smiled and was taken by the thought of being Casino's wifey. She needed clarity. What exactly did that mean?
—Wifey? Sounds like music to my ears. Are you sure about that?
She had to know.
She'd just pushed the send button and was waiting for Casino to reply, when she got her cue indicating that it was time to set up. She was next.
Damn it!
She didn't want to leave her phone, because she was eager to know Casino's response. Fabiola took a deep breath and handed her phone to Adora.
“Hold this, Adora, until I come back.”
“No problem! Break a leg.”
“I certainly hope not,” Fabiola shot back with a smile.
“You know what I mean, sis. Give 'em all they lookin' for and then some. I'll be right here when you finish,” she said excitedly.
Fabiola nodded. She met the stage director at the door and followed him to the prop she would use to make her grand entrance.
Fabiola's heart was beating a million miles a minute until the lights came on and she heard the orchestra playing her music and the people screaming. She rocked the stage and when she finished singing everybody in the theater was on their feet screaming for more.
Right after her best performance yet, she went backstage and everyone congratulated her. Shug gave her a big hug but sported an even bigger smile as she handed her friend her purse and BlackBerry “Girl, this thing has been going off like crazy.” As they began to leave the area, Fabiola redirected her attention back to her phone to see if Casino had responded to her.
Her phone was flooded with over sixty new text messages from people congratulating her. She scrolled through the names and numbers trying to find Casino's message and noticed a strange area code, 609, that she didn't recognize right away. She decided to open it.
—Always remember what goes up must come down.
At that moment she knew it was from Johnny Wiz, because she remembered something he had said months ago, not to mention the strange area code.
Hater!
She smiled because she knew she had made it. This was indeed the happiest day of her life. She finally found Casino's text, the text she had been looking for, and was high off all the energy going on around her. She had just rocked the Grammys
and the crowd was still going crazy over her and now the love of her life, her knight in shining armor, the man of her dreams, was about to make the ultimate commitment to her. Talk about flying on cloud nine. She was high. She clicked on the text message to open it and was about to read it, when someone came up to her and said, “Fabiola Mays?”
“Yes.” She smiled, never looking up.
“You have been charged with aggravated assault in the shooting of Victor Lewis.”
“What?” She looked up. “What are you talking about?”
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you …” Fabiola didn't hear the rest. She was in a daze as six police officers almost swept her off her feet and cuffed her. Before she knew it, she was being whisked through a crowd and into a squad car. Although she wanted to break down and cry, she held it in, because she didn't want the world to see her sweat. Paparazzi clicked pictures and the crowd went bananas.
What had been the best night of her life had turned into her worst. And as she sat in the back of the police car, she saw all that she had worked for slipping away. She glanced back and caught her sister's eye.
Was Adora smiling?
First and foremost, I HAVE to thank my God above who watches over me around the clock and allows me the great opportunity to touch so many lives, through a gift that HE gave me.
Next, I would like to thank my children, Kennisha and Timmond. Though you've both grown up so much you will always be my babies. The love of my life, I have to thank you for your patience with me, whether I lose, win, or draw, you always got my back.
My little sister, Chunuchi! I will never forget that day when it was pouring down rain and I was so sad because I thought my day was going to be ruined, and you told me that the rain was just the haters crying. That's when I knew you were my little sister. My dear friend, Yvette Caslin, I thank you for the vacation to Mexico, it was the perfect gift after I finished my edits. I am still laughing at all the fun we had. Kenya Howard, thank you for always telling me to push on and for being ready to pitch in wherever I needed you to.
My dear friend, big brother, and life coach, Damon “Dee Swagger” Williams, you navigate me through this crazy world all while keeping me laughing, so uplifted.
Marc, my agent, I thank you for always thinking outside the box when it comes to my career. I love you and wish you the very best in all aspects of your life. Melody, I thank you so much for all the time you spent molding this book into such a fabulous book. Jane, Sarina, Dreu, Porscha, and the entire Random House family, for your undying support, hard work, and for making this all possible for me and Nikki Turner Presents.
The authors of Nikki Turner Presents, Seven, Freeze, and Dana, I am wishing you all the best of luck in all your endeavors.
Styles P, thank you so much for my dog; you were right, she has touched my life.
To my loyal Nikki Turner readers, I would never be able to do any of this without you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
N
IKKI
T
URNER
is a gutsy, gifted, courageous
new voice taking the urban literary community
by storm. Having ascended from the “Princess”
of Hip-Hop Lit to “Queen,” she is the bestselling
author of the novels
Black Widow, Forever a
Hustler's Wife, Riding Dirty on I-95, The Glamorous
Life, A Project Chick
, and
A Hustler's Wife
, and is
the editor of and a contributing author to her
Street Chronicles series. She is also the editor of
the “Nikki Turner Presents” line, featuring novels
from fresh voices in the urban literary scene. Visit
her Website at
nikkiturner.com
, or write her at
P.O. Box 28694, Richmond, VA 23228.
Ghetto Superstar
is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, and incidents
are the products of the author's imagination
or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events, locales, or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.
A One World Books Trade
Paperback Original
Copyright © 2009 by Nikki Turner
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by One
World Books, an imprint of The Random
House Publishing Group, a division of
Random House, Inc., New York.
O
NE
W
ORLD
is a registered trademark
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trademark of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-345-51487-5
v3.0