Chapter 17

The house was silent. Every light was off. Upstairs, Nic lay awake in weary and fear. It was cold and lonely. Nothing was the same. Still no Safaree and her phone didn't ring. (ayeee barz.) For some odd reason, something in the back of her mind kept telling her to try that strange number to see if anyone would respond.

The phone sat near her on the bed. Nicki mentally debated if she really wanted to make a move or to leave it alone. Giving it a try, she reached for her phone and sat up, moving her messy hair out of the way. The number was locked under the messages still so she began to think of what to say....

Her:
...what do you want from me?

Nic took a deep breath and pressed send, hoping for a response. Her body began to quiver a bit from being extremely nervous. After waiting for about 20 mins, a reply came back to the phone.

#23571:
You'll see...

[What...?] She didn't bother to respond but it left her thinking. Whatever was to come her way, she would have to just expect the unexpected.

-----

2 weeks left until the launch of Nicki's very first solo WORLD TOUR kicking off in Australia really soon. With all of the creative meetings, important meetings and rehearsals, she had to find a away to maintain everything and risking doing all of these things by herself. Luckily, TT and Candice would be by her side at this stressing time.

DAY 1:

"Okay now 5, 6, 7, 8! & Boom, Pow! Dun Dun Da!" The pitchy sound of Laurieann's voice sounded over "Whip It" in the background. Nicki and her dancers were rehearsing for the first show. Nic followed the very dance steps with Laurieann as she practiced them in the mirror, and making mental notes to herself on what needed to be improved.

"From the top guys! 5, 6, 7, 8!" Laurieann stood by Nicki and went over her stunts and moves with her to make sure she got it down. As Nic was coming into a turn, she halted too quick which made her stumble a bit. Lau caught her before she fell over.

"Whoaa..you okay, mama?" Lau asked her sounding concerned.

Nicki stood back up straight and fixed her hair, "Yeah im fine." She jerked away from Laurieann, feeling a bit of embarrassed and stood back in her place. Lau was a bit surprised at her sudden actions but left it alone.

"The next part, Nic, you're gonna walk to this end of the stage and go Dun D-dan dah dah dah. Just like that. You're barbz are gonna go wild!"

"Okay....I gottit." It was getting hotter, the more she sweated the more irritated and uncomfortable she was becoming. Sara and Tiff came up beside her and did their 8-counts. As Nicki turned around, she accidentally bumped into Tiff.

"Wow. Sorry Babe." Nic moved to the other side of Tiff and continued up the stairs to the male dancers.

"Good! Good! Thereee Ya Go, Nic!" Laurieann cheered on watching her from offstage.

Jae and George grabbed her then spun her around. When they put her down she lost balance and busted her ass.

"Did you just fuckin drop me?!"

"...No-No it's okay you just landed wrong, Nic." George said helping her back up.

"NO THE FUCK I DIDN'T." She snapped and pushed them away and came back down off the stage.

"Is everything okay?" Lau asked, approaching Nicki.

"No. Stop the music. Stop the music. I...I can't. This isn't working." you could hear the tone in her voice that she wasn't happy.

"What's wrong?" Lau pulled her aside to talk to her.

"I'm just not feelin it. I'm sorry I need a break."

"Okay....okay...Um-" Lau repeatedly nodded her head.

"You know what. Count me out. I'm going home, you guys can do the rest. I can't do this right now. It'll be better tomorrow, I promise." she held her forehead as if a headache was forming. Everyone watched in silence as she grabbed her water, jacket and keys and stormed out.

It was an awkward moment for everyone. They had no other choice but to continue without her. Practice was practice no matter if she was there or not. Rehearsals still had to go on.

On her way home, she picked up her phone to try to call Safaree. She still hadn't heard from him ever since the Drake incident. The phone rung and rung but no answer. Instead, it went to his voicemail. Nicki hung up and called again. Voicemail. Now she was at a panic to desperately hear his voice, hoping he was okay. Each time she called again, more tension would build up in her. Heavy breathing, and shaking, and close on edge. Nic had enough.

"Yo this is F1, if I missed ya call that's because I'm too busy gettin money nigga! I might getcha muhdda to call back. BRRRAP!"

"SAFAREE! Please answer your phone! ..........I...I'm really worried about you. Please. I need you back at home. I honestly can't do this by myself. I really need you. Help me out, come on. Can we just put th-" the phone went BEEEEEEP as she was talking. A tear escaped her eye as she hung up the phone, looking back up at the road. When she wiped her tears away, something caught her eye. In her rear-view mirror, stood a woman at a bus stop she was passing up. Not just any ordinary woman, but a woman who somehow caught Nicki's attention with that look in her eyes like the other strangers she once came face to face with, did. The woman compelled Nic to keep her eyes on her as she drove further away, so that Nic wouldn't pay attention to the road.

Suddenly, her phone went off like an alarm. The loud noise startled her. [Shit! where did my phone go?] The phone fell off her lap and onto the floor by her foot. Maintaining to drive without looking up for the moment, she reached her best to feel for it around her legs. When she grabbed it, she quickly glanced back at the road for a sec then back into the rear-view mirror and saw the woman smirk at her, but this time black smoke arose around her. Her eyes followed where the black smoke was coming from and spotted something that appeared to be a huge fire and more clouds of black arising slowly. Couldn't quite make out what happen until Nicki searched and looked more above in the mirror to see a huge plane on fire on the same road she was driving on.

"OH MY GOD!" The plane crash resembled the same one she witnessed months ago. Everything about it looked all too familiar to her. Nic turned her head back up to the road ahead of her and let out a loud scream when she saw a little boy walk in front of her car. She stopped immediately to not hit him as he didn't even notice a car was coming his way. The little boy never once looked up, yet kept walking. Nicki watched the little boy walk off into a tall grassy area on the side of the road. Her heart was racing too fast. Trying to avoid a heart or panic attack, she attempted calm down.

Nic realized that everything she had just saw, didn't even occur. These strange encounters and flashbacks were becoming too real for reality. The fact that she was only hallucinating was the bad part about it. Luckily, it didnt make her cause an accident or have a human notice who she was driving that way. The car was on the side of the road, only 20 mins away from her home in Malibu yet she really needed to get herself together before she fled off.

---
Meanwhile...

"Look Safaree, I don't mind you staying here. I just don't need you down like this for long." Shaneqwa, Safaree's baby sister, told him as she set a snapple on the table near him and sat next to him. Safaree was staying with her in Jersey for awhile until his new apartment was ready to go back in LA. After he departed from Nicki, he decided to get him a new place to stay for and start his VVS business.

Alot of things he thought over daily gave him a headache. At this point, Never did he want to hear, see, think even speak to Nicki for the that fact of the matter. Too much was going on and strange things were getting out of hand. It had to stop somewhere. SB went the following day after the incident and disconnected his phone. Meaning no contact from NO ONE. There was peace at hand now that he was with his sister. If anyone besides his mother, Shaneqwa was the one he'd pour his most inner deep feelings to.

"Thanks lil sis. I uhh.. appreciate it." SB sat up on her couch and reached for his snapple. Shaneqwa took his hand and gave him a genuine smile followed by a worried look. He noticed and finished his sip of the snapple.

"What's the matter?"

"......Nothing...just...I'm a little surprised."

"About what?"

"This whole situation...I mean...It doesn't sound right. But a GUN tho, Deuce?" (his childhood nickname)

"I had to show dat nigga one way or da other!" Safaree shrugged.

"NO! but you know that wasn't the smart thing to do! AND you threaten niggas in front of a WOMAN too?! Mama taught us better than that, mannn." She raised her voice at him and shook her head in shame.

Gali didn't say anything further. His sister was right and he knew it was wrong but at that moment he reacted to the situation, 2 fucks were not giving. SB sat back on the couch and ran his hands over his face, trying to clear his mind from everything.

---

Dr. McGasky:
New Meeting Thursday at 6:45pm. I have new info to share with you.

Ms. Maraj:
Will do.

"What is it? Was it him???" Candi looked at Nicki anxiously, trying to give her hope.

"....No. Just a meeting message. I gotta go see about this 'new info' *sigh* Hopefully it'll help me out...." Nic bit at her nail just thinking what it could possibly be.

"Girl what did we all tell you about going out around here by yaself?! Ugh. You'on never fuckin listen witcha hard-headed ass! From now on, you're staying home unless its REALLY crucial. Creeps are after you and you're wondering why whoever they are wont leave you alone." Candi got up in moved over to the floor by Nicki and sat.

"You know what I found extremely scary tho?" Nic said staring into space.

"What....?" TT and Candi said in unison.

"That....NO one...not even law enforcement can...help and protect ne from these people...I-I-I mean....why did it have to...be...be ME, T....I..." Tears began pouring down her cheeks. TT held her arms out for her as Nicki sobbed onto her shoulder.

The only sounds you heard were of Nic's soft cries muffled. It was times like this Nicki appreciated friends like Tyesha and Candice because they were there to comfort her through all her troubles. Sadly there wasn't that other best friend there to hold her close and give her comfort like they couldn't. It just wasn't the same.

They wiped her tears away and gave her tissue. The puffiness of her eyes were swolen and her nose was red. Nic began to pout as she continued to sit on TT's lap like a big baby.

"Nic, babe you look so tired." Candi sounded concerned.

"I.....*sigh* I am." Nicki ran her tiny hand over the side of her face.

"Tuh. Oh TRUST me hun. You NEED sleep. You're starting to see shit and I'm getting worried." TT cradled her and tried to rock her to sleep.

"I just don't understand why they're after ME and why isn't anybody doing anything about it. I have to literally have like 50 bodyguards to..escort me to my own fuckin kitchen?! Its ridiculous! I don't like being surrounded by too many. I have a private life. But you saw what happened to those celebrities down the line who has been stalked DOWNEEEE by weirdos, psychopaths, insane, crazy humans and then wind up dead! Can't trust no one no more. Never would I thought I'd be a target but....Yeah. I'm terrified for my life. And NOW the one person that promised me nothing would happen to me has given up on it all beacuse they said I lied and CHEATED on them."

"WHAT! with who????"

"Aubrey."

"HA! So he would actually believe that??? Wow."

"No the fact that he FORCED Drake to deadass spill some tea about our date and almost got me hurt."

Candi's eyes grew wide in shock. "Well what happen at the date?!?!"

"It's very quite confusing and hard to explain but......I promise once I figure it all out, I'll tell all." She said biting at the corner of her lips.

"Oh no, Nic. That doesn't sound like news good at all..."

".............He pulled out a gun on Drake." She almost regretted saying it.

They both gasped in total awe.

"The fuck it get THAT serious for?! It was JUST a date, right?!"

"..Yeeeah....but..."

"Cookie you did NOT give him the cookies....."

Nicki was silent.

They both gasped once more.

"NO! It was more like...l-...like a umm..."

"In-the-moment type thing?" TT asked in wonder.

"No-"

"-Quickies?!" Candice cut her off.

"NO, I-"

"Tease & Squeeze?" She tried guessing again.

"DATE-RAPE!" Nicki blurted out in frustration.

The room became silent. Tears were forming in Nic's eyes. She didn't mean for it to be blurted out but now she was embarassed it had even slipped out her mouth. Whatever Drake really wanted to believe he did to/with her wasn't exactly how Nicki saw it. Although, the last part of their night together still couldn't be remembered, it kinda made all sense. But why would he stoop that low to hurt a loved one? Did he mean it? Was it a terrible mistake due to a bad case of the Alcohol he wanted her to drink? Whatever it was she knew what he did was WAY out of his league.

Before she knew it, the tears started back up and glided down her red-puffed face. "Wuhh kindza perzon wouldzu that to szomeone dey luhhhhved?!" she cried out, slurring her words. In honesty, Nic really prayed she would forget everything about that night but bringing it back up with her friends made her realize the revealing truth. It had finally hit her. No wonder Aubrey couldn't directly tell nor explain to her what he really did.

"Oh my goddddd!!! Why didn't you tell us sooner all of this shit happened to you?!" Candice hands were shaking as she took Nic's hands into hers.

"....Because I was so busy saving that nigga's LIFE from Safaree poppin one through his head. Yet he sat there and ALMOST told Safaree that EYE caused us to have sex after our date. Now he's gone in hiding and so is Safaree."

"Nic this shit is deeper than I thought, pauz. This some real shit. Like REAL as shit! Do you know how DANGEROUS shit is becoming?!"

"YES! YES I DO! And HE'S not here to protect me all because he believed I was cheating and that all of this other 'creepy shit' is unreal! I'm going through hell on EARTH right now & in any moment I could be gone! Right now all I have is my life, you guys, my barbz & my bodyguards to keep me here and alive!" Tension arose in her as she began to rant through her cries. "MY LIFE'S. AT. RISK. &. NO ONE. CAN SAVE ME?!" pounding her liddle fists into her other hand.

"Look Nic, we're not going anywhere from now on. Even If it means staying here to protect you by ourseleves, thats what friends are for. We don't need to lose you and that nigga will realize its not a game. Trust ne he'll come to his senses. We're keeping an eye on you and not letting you out of our sight." TT promised her.

"Wow...to go through bizarre shit like this and not have it the media is tough. Praying it doesn't anyway." Candi stared at particularly nothing. "Oh and Drake WILL get his....trust."

"Guys...please don't tell my mother. She's the absolute LAST person that needs to know ANYTHING about this. That's why I haven't spoke to her in a while." Nic sat up and looked at them in weary.

"Gotcha. So what about this tour? You don't have very much time....what are you going to do....?"

Before answering that, a long thought ran across her mind on deciding what was more important and what was best for her and her fans....Her heart ached at the only decision she had to go with.

"....I have no other choice.." she gulped her words down in fear. Would she really risk her life for this tour for her barbz?