Page 51 of Grown
“Hey, Enchanted, right?”
A boy in a light blue blazer and white sneakers leaning against the bar waves a hand.
“Yeah. But how did you—”
“I remember you from your audition, back in New York. Derrick Price, Richie’s son.” He eyes Melissa with a squint. “I... uh, almost didn’t recognize you.”
I shift on my heel. “Um, yeah. New look.”
He has dark brown skin with a mop of curly brown hair and kind hazel eyes. “Well, Pops and I don’t share the same taste, but I thought you were dope!”
“Thanks,” I say, pushing a strand of Melissa hair behind my ear. “So you work for your dad?”
He laughs. “Yeah, intern. Or my official title is executive assistant. How old are you again?”
“I’m eighteen.”
Derrick frowns. “Huh, that’s weird. I thought your application said you were seventeen.”
I breathe in, practicing the line Korey fed me.
“Ha! I know, I look young for my age.”
Derrick’s eyebrow cocks up. “Uh, right. My bad, I thought you were still in high school like me, that’s all. I’m a senior.”
“Um, so... dope party,” I say, changing the subject.
“Yeah,” he says then his eyes grow big. “Yo! Over there! You see that? That’s Jasmine Keith, fromLove and Hip Hop.”
I glance around the room until I spot her by the bar.
“OMG! That is her!” I can’t help but grin. “Aight, so I know I shouldn’t be about black folks fighting on TV, but I was cheering when she whooped Megan B.’s ass during the season finale.”
“So you watchLove and Hip-Hoptoo? Dope, right?”
“Well, my sister does. And most of the time, I’m nearby... pretending not to be.”
We laugh, walking closer to the bar. “I feel you. I know I shouldn’t be all into it, but it’s like crack TV.”
“Wait, hold up. If you’re in school, what you doing in LA? On a school night.”
He smirks. “My pops writes me a note whenever I want to shadow him. Getting ready to take over the family business. Yo, that reminds me! When we’re back in New York, we should link up. A couple of my homies from school produce they own beats and we record all the time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They got over five hundred thousand followers on SoundCloud. They sick with it! Add that voice of yours and you’d be killing it with us!”
Whoa. Never met anyone in high school producing music like that. Unheard of at my dry school.
“Hey, over there,” I whisper. “Check out Monica with Cardi B.” For a split second, I think of Shea and how she would be losing her mind seeing some of her favorite celebrities in here.
“You know,” Derrick says, trying to wave down a bartender. “I heard Jasmine used to be in Will and Willow and got kicked out for trying to sneak in a boys’ room during Teen Conference.”
“Wait! You’re in Will and Willow? I’m in Will and Willow too! I mean... was.”
“Oh, word? Didn’t think they let us into these parties! Thought we were too bougie for this crowd.”
Derrick and I spend the next fifteen minutes exchanging W&W stories and playing I Spy the Reality Show Star. It was fun, just kicking it, and I can’t help but notice he’s the first person my age I’ve seen in weeks. Mom is always talking about how small the world is. Maybe I would’ve met Derrick at a W&W conference or a dance. But then... I would’ve never met Korey. I’m all he has here; I bring him peace.
